Even among the more underrated Akira Kurosawa films are timeless masterpieces.
If films like “Dersu Uzala” and “The Idiot” and “Kagemusha” aren’t talked about as much, it’s because the best-known Kurosawa titles — “Seven Samurai,” “Rashomon,” “Throne of Blood” — also happen to be among the most influential movies ever made, casting their shadow over the Spaghetti Western genre, “Star Wars,” and so many more.
Just within the past few weeks, a movie loosely based on “Seven Samurai,” Zack Snyder’s misbegotten “Rebel Moon Part 2,” started streaming, Spike Lee confirmed he’ll direct an adaptation of “High and Low,” and, let’s face it, there’d probably be no “Shogun” at all without the Kurosawa-immortalized Japanese samurai culture onscreen. Probably no director other than Fritz Lang and John Ford has influenced as many genres as Kurosawa, who died in 1998.
But instead of focusing so much on his impact, look at the films.
If films like “Dersu Uzala” and “The Idiot” and “Kagemusha” aren’t talked about as much, it’s because the best-known Kurosawa titles — “Seven Samurai,” “Rashomon,” “Throne of Blood” — also happen to be among the most influential movies ever made, casting their shadow over the Spaghetti Western genre, “Star Wars,” and so many more.
Just within the past few weeks, a movie loosely based on “Seven Samurai,” Zack Snyder’s misbegotten “Rebel Moon Part 2,” started streaming, Spike Lee confirmed he’ll direct an adaptation of “High and Low,” and, let’s face it, there’d probably be no “Shogun” at all without the Kurosawa-immortalized Japanese samurai culture onscreen. Probably no director other than Fritz Lang and John Ford has influenced as many genres as Kurosawa, who died in 1998.
But instead of focusing so much on his impact, look at the films.
- 4/25/2024
- by Christian Blauvelt
- Indiewire
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For regular updates, sign up for our weekly email newsletter and follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSBreathless.The Mubi Podcast returns on January 25. Titled “Tailor Made,” the fifth season will consider landmark movies that captured major fashions of their times—from Jean Seberg in Breathless to Sofia Coppola’s body of work to date—with insights from leading costume designers, fashion designers, cinematographers, and directors.Alongside the announcement of the Competition and Encounters sections, with the addition of new films by Abderrahmane Sissako, Mati Diop, Hong Sang-soo, Ruth Beckermann, and more, we’ve updated our Berlinale lineup post ahead of the festival’s commencement on February 15.June Givanni, a writer on and curator of African and African diasporic cinema and the founder of the June Givanni PanAfrican Cinema Archive, is to be recognized by BAFTA with an Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema...
- 1/23/2024
- MUBI
The early 1970s marked a torrid time for legendary Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa. Coming off the back of his first outright commercial failure with “Dodes'ka-den” (1970) and having been fired from the Hollywood project “Tora! Tora! Tora!” (1970), the director attempted to take his own life in 1971, miraculously surviving. However, the auteur's fortunes would take a turn the following year, as studio Mosfilm of the Soviet Union offered him the opportunity to adapt V.K. Arsenyev's 1923 memoir “Dersu Uzala”. Having wanted to work with the material earlier in his career, Kurosawa accepted, thus producing one of his most overlooked epics.
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The Russian language film follows Captain Vladimir Arsenyev (Yuriy Solomin), a soldier leading a group of men on a topography mission in Imperial Russia's vast Ussuri region. One night, his camp is visited by the nomad hunter, Dersu Uzala (Maksim Munzuk...
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The Russian language film follows Captain Vladimir Arsenyev (Yuriy Solomin), a soldier leading a group of men on a topography mission in Imperial Russia's vast Ussuri region. One night, his camp is visited by the nomad hunter, Dersu Uzala (Maksim Munzuk...
- 5/11/2023
- by Tom Wilmot
- AsianMoviePulse
Looking over George Lucas' filmography, one can find no films set in the present day. Indeed, only one of Lucas' feature films is set in the future, and his "Thx 1138" is a dystopian hellscape of corporate control and utter emotionlessness. His other five directorial efforts are all set in the past, where youth was enjoyable and heroes existed in distant galaxies (even if "American Graffiti" was set just a decade before its release date). The past was bright. It's the future we have to be suspicious of.
Lucas once said that he was influenced by Arthur Lipsett's 1964 short film "21-87," a heady, abstract film about how humanity has reached an inflection point, and that society is now officially primed for collapse. This film, however obscure, offers a handy primer on Lucas' entire body of work. If there is a hero's journey to be had, it belongs in the ancient world.
Lucas once said that he was influenced by Arthur Lipsett's 1964 short film "21-87," a heady, abstract film about how humanity has reached an inflection point, and that society is now officially primed for collapse. This film, however obscure, offers a handy primer on Lucas' entire body of work. If there is a hero's journey to be had, it belongs in the ancient world.
- 3/11/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Akira Kurosawa's 1975 film "Dersu Uzala," his only film not in Japanese, is about a team of Russian surveyors who are tasked with mapping a portion of the country's eastern wilderness. While on their mission, they come upon a small, elderly man who has been living off the land most of his life. He is peaceful, wise, and possessed of a gentle friendliness. Without much in the way of negotiation, this man, named Dersu Uzala (Maxim Munzuk), takes the Russian surveyors under his wing, and gently instructs them on how to complete their mission in harmony with nature. This involves surviving storms and avoiding trappers.
"Star Wars" creator George Lucas has gone on record with his affection for the films of Kurosawa, and how he based "Star Wars" on elements from Kurosawa's "The Hidden Fortress." Ever since, essayists have expounded extensively on the connection between the two filmmakers. I trust...
"Star Wars" creator George Lucas has gone on record with his affection for the films of Kurosawa, and how he based "Star Wars" on elements from Kurosawa's "The Hidden Fortress." Ever since, essayists have expounded extensively on the connection between the two filmmakers. I trust...
- 1/26/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Hara Masato, a producer and executive who worked with Kurosawa Akira, Oshima Nagisa and other leading Japanese filmmakers in a seven-decade career, died on March 17 at age 89 of heart failure, distributor Asmik Ace announced Monday.
Hara was the company’s first president, starting in 1998. He later served as executive advisor until his retirement in 2017.
Born in Saitama Prefecture in 1931, Hara entered the film business following his graduation from Waseda University, working in production and promotion under such veteran directors as Imai Tadashi and Yamamoto Satsuo.
In 1958 he joined distributor Nippon Herald, where he was in charge of marketing, while branching out into distribution and production. Among his credits were “A Thousand and One Nights” (1969), a pioneering adult animation cowritten by anime master Tezuka Osamu, and “Dersu Uzala” (1975), a Japan-Soviet coproduction directed by Kurosawa.
In 1981 Hara founded Herald Ace, a distributor of foreign films. Its 1988 smash hit “Cinema Paradiso” led the...
Hara was the company’s first president, starting in 1998. He later served as executive advisor until his retirement in 2017.
Born in Saitama Prefecture in 1931, Hara entered the film business following his graduation from Waseda University, working in production and promotion under such veteran directors as Imai Tadashi and Yamamoto Satsuo.
In 1958 he joined distributor Nippon Herald, where he was in charge of marketing, while branching out into distribution and production. Among his credits were “A Thousand and One Nights” (1969), a pioneering adult animation cowritten by anime master Tezuka Osamu, and “Dersu Uzala” (1975), a Japan-Soviet coproduction directed by Kurosawa.
In 1981 Hara founded Herald Ace, a distributor of foreign films. Its 1988 smash hit “Cinema Paradiso” led the...
- 3/29/2021
- by Mark Schilling
- Variety Film + TV
Among the Oscar nominations surprises every year is the Best Director lineup. Remember when Steven Spielberg (“The Color Purple”), Ron Howard (“Apollo 13”) and Ben Affleck (“Argo”) all won at the Directors Guild of America Awards but were snubbed by the directors branch of the academy. This year DGA nominee Aaron Sorkin (“The Trial of the Chicago 7”) was likewise left off the list of Oscar contenders. He was replaced by Danish director Thomas Vinterberg for his superb “Another Round,” which also picked up a bid for Best International Feature. He joins a long roster of Best Director nominees for films other than in English.
The academy first embraced international filmmakers in the 1960s. Italian auteur Federico Fellini was nominated for his 1961 classic “La Dolce Vita.” He contended again two years later for “8 1/2.” He reaped two more bids for “Fellini Satyricon” (1970) and “Amarcord’ (1975).
Predict the 2021 Oscars winners through...
The academy first embraced international filmmakers in the 1960s. Italian auteur Federico Fellini was nominated for his 1961 classic “La Dolce Vita.” He contended again two years later for “8 1/2.” He reaped two more bids for “Fellini Satyricon” (1970) and “Amarcord’ (1975).
Predict the 2021 Oscars winners through...
- 3/18/2021
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Andrey Konchalovsky has been making movies in his native Russia for more than half a century and he occasionally works in English. His 1985 film “Runaway Train” earned Oscar bids for lead Jon Voight and featured player Eric Roberts but he was not nominated. But his new Russian-language feature “Dear Comrades” could well earn him that long overdue recognition from the Academy Awards.
This intense docudrama about the 1962 massacre of a workers demonstrating in Novocherkassk was feted at the Venice Film Festival with a special jury prize. And this Neon release just made the cut for Best International Feature at the Oscars and numbers among the 15 films vying for the five nominations.
At Rotten Tomatoes, “Dearest Comrades!” earned a jaw-dropping score of 96. The critical consensus described the film as “a sharp, commanding look at a dark chapter in Soviet history made even more effective by its director’s cold fury.” Among...
This intense docudrama about the 1962 massacre of a workers demonstrating in Novocherkassk was feted at the Venice Film Festival with a special jury prize. And this Neon release just made the cut for Best International Feature at the Oscars and numbers among the 15 films vying for the five nominations.
At Rotten Tomatoes, “Dearest Comrades!” earned a jaw-dropping score of 96. The critical consensus described the film as “a sharp, commanding look at a dark chapter in Soviet history made even more effective by its director’s cold fury.” Among...
- 3/3/2021
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
Akira Kurosawa is regarded as one of the greatest filmmakers in the history of cinema. In addition to directing 30 movies, in his 57-year career, Kurosawa was the assistant director and editor of numerous films. He also worked in theater and television and was a celebrated novelist. With such an extensive body of work to his name, it can be difficult to know where to begin with his films. So, here is a look at Kurosawa’s very best.
Ikiru
Throughout the 1950s and early 1960s, Akira Kurosawa directed approximately one movie per year. That would be unheard of these days! The 1953 film Ikiru follows a struggling terminally-ill bureaucrat from Tokyo as he searches for meaning. It is inspired by Tolstoy’s 1886 novella The Death of Ivan Ilyich. The film explores themes like the inefficiency of bureaucracy, the decaying life of families in Japan, and the quest to learn how to live life best.
Ikiru
Throughout the 1950s and early 1960s, Akira Kurosawa directed approximately one movie per year. That would be unheard of these days! The 1953 film Ikiru follows a struggling terminally-ill bureaucrat from Tokyo as he searches for meaning. It is inspired by Tolstoy’s 1886 novella The Death of Ivan Ilyich. The film explores themes like the inefficiency of bureaucracy, the decaying life of families in Japan, and the quest to learn how to live life best.
- 7/9/2020
- by AMP Training
- AsianMoviePulse
With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options—not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves–each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit platforms. Check out this week’s selections below and an archive of past round-ups here.
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (Marielle Heller)
It sounds almost too perfect: Tom Hanks as Mr. Rogers, the beloved children’s entertainer. Of course, who else could it be, really? It is so seemingly predestined, in fact, that Hanks’s first onscreen appearance as Fred Rogers elicits knowing laughter from the audience. Yes, Tom Hanks playing Mr. Rogers looks and sounds exactly how you would imagine. Marielle Heller’s A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, however, is much more than an obvious biopic. It’s not really a biopic at all. Nor is it a rehash of 2018’s much-heralded documentary profile of Fred Rogers, Won’t You Be MyNeighbor?...
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (Marielle Heller)
It sounds almost too perfect: Tom Hanks as Mr. Rogers, the beloved children’s entertainer. Of course, who else could it be, really? It is so seemingly predestined, in fact, that Hanks’s first onscreen appearance as Fred Rogers elicits knowing laughter from the audience. Yes, Tom Hanks playing Mr. Rogers looks and sounds exactly how you would imagine. Marielle Heller’s A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, however, is much more than an obvious biopic. It’s not really a biopic at all. Nor is it a rehash of 2018’s much-heralded documentary profile of Fred Rogers, Won’t You Be MyNeighbor?...
- 2/7/2020
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
There remains one group we’ve yet to hear from when it comes to the best films of 2019: the directors who made them. IndieWire has reached out to a number of our favorite filmmakers to share their lists and thoughts on what made this year great.
As is advisable with creative people, we gave the directors a great deal of freedom in how they reflected on the year in moving images. What follows is everything ranging from traditional top 10 lists to favorite moments and performances, with lists that span TV, podcasts, and much more.
This is the fourth year IndieWire has done this survey, and what was exciting about this particular group is how many are international, and the wide range of films they celebrated. If you are bored with every end-of-the-year list looking the same, you are in for a treat, as some of the best filmmakers highlight...
As is advisable with creative people, we gave the directors a great deal of freedom in how they reflected on the year in moving images. What follows is everything ranging from traditional top 10 lists to favorite moments and performances, with lists that span TV, podcasts, and much more.
This is the fourth year IndieWire has done this survey, and what was exciting about this particular group is how many are international, and the wide range of films they celebrated. If you are bored with every end-of-the-year list looking the same, you are in for a treat, as some of the best filmmakers highlight...
- 12/30/2019
- by Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
In the Oscar race for Best Foreign Language Film, don’t underestimate the Polish romantic drama “Cold War,” whose director Pawel Pawlikowski helmed a previous winner, “Ida” (2014), and would be only the seventh person to direct multiple Oscar winners for Best Foreign Film, and just the second in the last 43 years.
The filmmakers who previously achieved this distinction include some of the international legends you might expect, including Vittorio De Sica, Federico Fellini, Ingmar Bergman and Akira Kurosawa. French filmmaker Rene Clement also prevailed twice, both times between the years of 1947 and 1955 when the category was presented as a special honorary award. Japanese master Kurosawa’s second prize came for “Dersu Uzala” (1975), but he was the last multiple winner until the 21st century, when Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi doubled up with “A Separation” (2011) and “The Salesman” (2016).
Other internationally renowned filmmakers you might expect to have won repeatedly only won once,...
The filmmakers who previously achieved this distinction include some of the international legends you might expect, including Vittorio De Sica, Federico Fellini, Ingmar Bergman and Akira Kurosawa. French filmmaker Rene Clement also prevailed twice, both times between the years of 1947 and 1955 when the category was presented as a special honorary award. Japanese master Kurosawa’s second prize came for “Dersu Uzala” (1975), but he was the last multiple winner until the 21st century, when Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi doubled up with “A Separation” (2011) and “The Salesman” (2016).
Other internationally renowned filmmakers you might expect to have won repeatedly only won once,...
- 12/20/2018
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
Despite its critical acclaim, Robin Campillo’s “Bpm (Beats per Minute),” was left out of the Best Foreign Language Film line-up at this year’s Golden Globes. While that snub was shocking, a Golden Globes bid is not essential for an Oscar win. Indeed, since the Golden Globes introduced this category in 1965, 19 of the 51 Academy Awards winners for Best Foreign Language Film were snubbed for this precursor prize:
1965: “The Shop on Main Street” (Czechoslovakia)
1971: “The Garden of the Finzi Continis (Italy)
1975: “Dersu Uzala” (Soviet Union)
1976: “Black and White in Color” (Ivory Coast)
1979: “The Tin Drum” (West Germany)
1980: “Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears” (Soviet Union)
1981: “Mephisto” (Hungary)
1982: “To Begin Again” (Spain)
1987: “Babette’s Feast” (Denmark)
1990: “Journey of Hope” (Switzerland)
1991: “Mediterraneo” (Italy)
1993: “Belle Époque” (Spain)
1994: “Burnt by the Sun” (Russia)
1995: “Antonia’s Line” (The Netherlands)
1997: “Character” (The Netherlands...
1965: “The Shop on Main Street” (Czechoslovakia)
1971: “The Garden of the Finzi Continis (Italy)
1975: “Dersu Uzala” (Soviet Union)
1976: “Black and White in Color” (Ivory Coast)
1979: “The Tin Drum” (West Germany)
1980: “Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears” (Soviet Union)
1981: “Mephisto” (Hungary)
1982: “To Begin Again” (Spain)
1987: “Babette’s Feast” (Denmark)
1990: “Journey of Hope” (Switzerland)
1991: “Mediterraneo” (Italy)
1993: “Belle Époque” (Spain)
1994: “Burnt by the Sun” (Russia)
1995: “Antonia’s Line” (The Netherlands)
1997: “Character” (The Netherlands...
- 12/13/2017
- by Charles Bright
- Gold Derby
Mubi is showing Seijun Suzuki's Taisho Trilogy from November 13 - December 27, 2017 in the United States and United Kingdom.In a now-famous quote from a 1997 video interview, the late Japanese filmmaker Seijun Suzuki paraphrases Nikkatsu Studio executives when he declares, "I make movies that make no sense and make no money.” The quip is put forth in the context of 1967’sBranded to Kill, the pop-influenced noir that arguably stands as the artistic pinnacle of Suzuki’s career as a filmmaker of yakuza, gangster, and proto-pink films with Nikkatsu. While others have contested Suzuki’s claims that his nonsensical and unbankable output lead to the fissure between the filmmaker and Nikkatsu—pointing instead to the drain he and his dedicated coterie of assistant directors placed on the studio—Branded to Kill was the cap to a prodigious run of no less than two features a year from 1956 through 1966, and Suzuki's his...
- 12/5/2017
- MUBI
Matt returns to the podcast and we dig into the big Olympic box news, plus talk some World Cinema Project, Dersu Uzala, and plenty of other art films. We also reveal our contest winners and take a stab at the November announcements with some help from the community.
Episode Notes
11:30 – Olympic Box Set
28:30 – Contest Results
38:00 – November Predictions
49:00 – Limite
1:01:00 – Short Takes (Dersu Uzala, The Breaking Point)
1:15:30 – FilmStruck
Episode Links Dave’s Criterion Video 100 Years of Criterion Films Kino Lorber and Eureka Entertainment Acquire 4K Restoration of King Hu’s Legend of the Mountain, Announce Blu-ray Releases All of the Films Joining FilmStruck in August Episode Credits Aaron West: Twitter | Website | Letterboxd Matthew Gasteier: Twitter | Letterboxd Criterion Now: Facebook Group Criterion Cast: Facebook | Twitter
Music for the show is from Fatboy Roberts’ Geek Remixed project.
Episode Notes
11:30 – Olympic Box Set
28:30 – Contest Results
38:00 – November Predictions
49:00 – Limite
1:01:00 – Short Takes (Dersu Uzala, The Breaking Point)
1:15:30 – FilmStruck
Episode Links Dave’s Criterion Video 100 Years of Criterion Films Kino Lorber and Eureka Entertainment Acquire 4K Restoration of King Hu’s Legend of the Mountain, Announce Blu-ray Releases All of the Films Joining FilmStruck in August Episode Credits Aaron West: Twitter | Website | Letterboxd Matthew Gasteier: Twitter | Letterboxd Criterion Now: Facebook Group Criterion Cast: Facebook | Twitter
Music for the show is from Fatboy Roberts’ Geek Remixed project.
- 8/16/2017
- by Aaron West
- CriterionCast
It’s been nearly two decades since the passing of Akira Kurosawa and since then we’ve seen a few posthumous works based on his unfilmed scripts, including 1998’s After the Rain and 2002’s The Sea is Watching. In 2020, we’ll be getting together. It’s been announced that two major Chinese production companies are teaming to produce The Mask of the Black Death.
Huayi Brothers Media and Ckf Pictures are teaming to bring Kurosawa’s script, based on Edgar Allan Poe‘s short story The Masque of the Red Death, to screens, reports China.org (via AkiraKurosawa.info). Written by the Yojimbo director in 1977 following production on Dersu Uzala — when he was also working on Ran and Kagemusha — the story is set in a apocalyptic landscape with a plague threatening the world and the royal family ignores the suffering of those afflicted.
Although a release is planned for 2020, no director has been set yet,...
Huayi Brothers Media and Ckf Pictures are teaming to bring Kurosawa’s script, based on Edgar Allan Poe‘s short story The Masque of the Red Death, to screens, reports China.org (via AkiraKurosawa.info). Written by the Yojimbo director in 1977 following production on Dersu Uzala — when he was also working on Ran and Kagemusha — the story is set in a apocalyptic landscape with a plague threatening the world and the royal family ignores the suffering of those afflicted.
Although a release is planned for 2020, no director has been set yet,...
- 3/5/2017
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Akira Kurosawa’s shelved script “The Mask of The Black Death” will finally see the light. Chinese studios Huayi Brothers (“Dragon Blade,” “Mojin: The Lost Legend”) and CKF Pictures (“Chongqing Hot Pot,” “Mojin: The Lost Legend”) will produce the film based on the late Japanese filmmaker’s screenplay. The studios made the announcement Wednesday during a press conference in Beijing, as reported by Chinese newspaper Global Times.
“Mask is one of Kurosawa’s films that never made it to the big screen,” said director/producer Chen Kuo-Fu, founder of Ckf Pictures. “So we thought, ‘Why don’t we make the film for him?'”
The legendary filmmaker wrote the script for “The Mask of The Black Death” based on Edgar Allen Poe’s short story “The Masque of the Red Death.
“Mask is one of Kurosawa’s films that never made it to the big screen,” said director/producer Chen Kuo-Fu, founder of Ckf Pictures. “So we thought, ‘Why don’t we make the film for him?'”
The legendary filmmaker wrote the script for “The Mask of The Black Death” based on Edgar Allen Poe’s short story “The Masque of the Red Death.
- 3/4/2017
- by Yoselin Acevedo
- Indiewire
Japanese director wrote The Masque Of The Black Death before his death in 1998.
China’s Huayi Brothers Media has unveiled an ambitious slate of new projects, including The Masque Of The Black Death, based on an unfilmed script written by Japan’s most influential filmmaker, Akira Kurosawa.
Kurosawa started writing the script in 1975 after directing Dersu Uzala as an adaptation of the Edgar Allan Poe short story, The Masque Of The Red Death. He completed the script before his death in 1998, but it never went into production.
The Poe short story follows a prince and his noblemen attempting to hide from a deadly epidemic behind the walls of a castle. The courtiers hold an elaborate masquerade, as a distraction from the devastation outside, but the Red Death itself turns up as a guest.
Huayi Brothers is collaborating on the project with Chen Kuo-fu’s Ckf Pictures. Speaking a press conference in Beijing, Chen and Huayi...
China’s Huayi Brothers Media has unveiled an ambitious slate of new projects, including The Masque Of The Black Death, based on an unfilmed script written by Japan’s most influential filmmaker, Akira Kurosawa.
Kurosawa started writing the script in 1975 after directing Dersu Uzala as an adaptation of the Edgar Allan Poe short story, The Masque Of The Red Death. He completed the script before his death in 1998, but it never went into production.
The Poe short story follows a prince and his noblemen attempting to hide from a deadly epidemic behind the walls of a castle. The courtiers hold an elaborate masquerade, as a distraction from the devastation outside, but the Red Death itself turns up as a guest.
Huayi Brothers is collaborating on the project with Chen Kuo-fu’s Ckf Pictures. Speaking a press conference in Beijing, Chen and Huayi...
- 3/2/2017
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
With a career spanning 50 years and over 30 feature films, legendary filmmaker Akira Kurosawa was an auteur all his very own. Best known for samurai epics like Seven Samurai, Kurosawa’s career featured ventures into noir (High and Low), crime drama (Rashomon) and even war epic (Dersu Uzala), but few of his films were as decidedly singular as one of his most grand and deeply personal works.
Entitled Akira Kurosawa’s Dreams (at least how it’s billed on the Criterion Collection website), this sumptuous epic is admittedly an oddity in the Kurosawa canon. Narratively, the film is broken down into eight varied vignettes, all of which drawn directly from actual dreams had by the film’s director. Rooted heavily in Japanese culture and folklore, Dreams takes us from small scale stories like that of a young boy getting caught in the middle of a forest-set fox wedding, to the apocalyptic...
Entitled Akira Kurosawa’s Dreams (at least how it’s billed on the Criterion Collection website), this sumptuous epic is admittedly an oddity in the Kurosawa canon. Narratively, the film is broken down into eight varied vignettes, all of which drawn directly from actual dreams had by the film’s director. Rooted heavily in Japanese culture and folklore, Dreams takes us from small scale stories like that of a young boy getting caught in the middle of a forest-set fox wedding, to the apocalyptic...
- 11/23/2016
- by Joshua Brunsting
- CriterionCast
Earlier this year, it was announced that Turner Classic Movies and the Criterion Collection — perhaps the two most trusted names in the distribution and exhibition of important classic and contemporary cinema — would be joining forces to create a streaming service dedicated to sharing their combined library with cinephiles around the world. For months, it sounded too good to be true. Today, it suddenly became as real as the screen in front of your face.
If the movies are truly as dead as they say, then FilmStruck is nothing short of heaven on Earth. It’s here, it’s alive, and hot damn has it come out of the gate swinging. Hundreds of essential titles are ready to go on launch day, and while hundreds more are imminently on the way, there’s already more than enough to satisfy whatever mood you’re in and scratch itches that you didn’t even know you had.
If the movies are truly as dead as they say, then FilmStruck is nothing short of heaven on Earth. It’s here, it’s alive, and hot damn has it come out of the gate swinging. Hundreds of essential titles are ready to go on launch day, and while hundreds more are imminently on the way, there’s already more than enough to satisfy whatever mood you’re in and scratch itches that you didn’t even know you had.
- 11/1/2016
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Verhoeven & Huppert at Cannes this summer
France, as ever, was spoiled with options when it came to selecting their film for Oscar competition this year. Frantz (reviewed) from François Ozon would likely have appealed to Oscar voters but the selection committee went with the controversial Elle (reviewed at Tiff). It's a brave choice but we think a smart one; even if its divisive within initial voting, it will likely be a candidate to benefit under the Executive Committee 'saves' rule. Plus those who love it will love it passionately meaning it could even have a dark horse shot at a win. Not only does it have a high profile auteur and star (Paul Verhoeven and Isabelle Huppert) but it's got sensational reviews, a Us release on the table in the thick of Oscar traction season (November 11th), and an outside shot at a Best Actress nomination. France has not won...
France, as ever, was spoiled with options when it came to selecting their film for Oscar competition this year. Frantz (reviewed) from François Ozon would likely have appealed to Oscar voters but the selection committee went with the controversial Elle (reviewed at Tiff). It's a brave choice but we think a smart one; even if its divisive within initial voting, it will likely be a candidate to benefit under the Executive Committee 'saves' rule. Plus those who love it will love it passionately meaning it could even have a dark horse shot at a win. Not only does it have a high profile auteur and star (Paul Verhoeven and Isabelle Huppert) but it's got sensational reviews, a Us release on the table in the thick of Oscar traction season (November 11th), and an outside shot at a Best Actress nomination. France has not won...
- 9/26/2016
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
The first successes of Asian films in the Oscars occured during the 50’s, when the award for Foreign-Language Film was not yet introduced and the Academy presented Special/Honorary awards to the best foreign language films released in the United States. Three Japanese productions received these awards during this decade.
1951. Rashomon, by Akira Kurosawa. A priest, a woodcutter and another man are taking refuge from a rainstorm in the shell of a former gatehouse called Rashômon. The priest and the woodcutter are recounting the story of a murdered samurai whose body the woodcutter discovered three days earlier in a forest grove. Both were summoned to testify at the murder trial, the priest who ran into the samurai and his wife traveling through the forest just before the murder occurred.
Three other people who testified at the trial are supposedly the only direct witnesses: a notorious bandit named Tajômaru, who allegedly...
1951. Rashomon, by Akira Kurosawa. A priest, a woodcutter and another man are taking refuge from a rainstorm in the shell of a former gatehouse called Rashômon. The priest and the woodcutter are recounting the story of a murdered samurai whose body the woodcutter discovered three days earlier in a forest grove. Both were summoned to testify at the murder trial, the priest who ran into the samurai and his wife traveling through the forest just before the murder occurred.
Three other people who testified at the trial are supposedly the only direct witnesses: a notorious bandit named Tajômaru, who allegedly...
- 2/28/2016
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Asia House Film Festival | Borderlines Film Festival
As you’d expect, there are new titles from big regional hitters such as China and Japan here, but also films from the Asian countries you rarely hear from or about. Like Kazakhstan – two sides of which can be seen in the films of Yermek Tursunov: Zhat (Stranger) is a scenic wilderness adventure in the vein of Kurosawa’s Dersu Uzala; and Little Brother (Kenzhe), an urban hitman thriller. There are also new features from Myanmar (monk’s story Panchagavya), Tajikistan (rural women’s tale Chilla), Mongolia (rockumentary Live From Ub) and even a short from Saudi Arabia. Offerings closer to the sort of thing you might expect include an eye-opening documentary on South Korea’s celebrity pro-gamers (State Of Play) and Japanese schoolgirl anime The Case Of Hana And Alice, while rising Chinese star Zhang Wei is one of many directors in attendance here,...
As you’d expect, there are new titles from big regional hitters such as China and Japan here, but also films from the Asian countries you rarely hear from or about. Like Kazakhstan – two sides of which can be seen in the films of Yermek Tursunov: Zhat (Stranger) is a scenic wilderness adventure in the vein of Kurosawa’s Dersu Uzala; and Little Brother (Kenzhe), an urban hitman thriller. There are also new features from Myanmar (monk’s story Panchagavya), Tajikistan (rural women’s tale Chilla), Mongolia (rockumentary Live From Ub) and even a short from Saudi Arabia. Offerings closer to the sort of thing you might expect include an eye-opening documentary on South Korea’s celebrity pro-gamers (State Of Play) and Japanese schoolgirl anime The Case Of Hana And Alice, while rising Chinese star Zhang Wei is one of many directors in attendance here,...
- 2/19/2016
- by Steve Rose
- The Guardian - Film News
“I wouldn’t say that Westerns were a big influence on The Revenant at all, really,” Alejandro G. Iñárritu tells Film Comment. “I was looking more toward things like Dersu Uzala by Kurosawa, Tarkovsky’s Andrei Rublev—which is maybe my favorite film ever—Herzog’s Aguirre, the Wrath of God and Fitzcarraldo, even Apocalypse Now. These are movies that are epic, that have spectacle and are very grand statements, but are informed by the crazy fucking theatrical show that is the human condition. The beauty and harshness of nature impacts your state of mind in these movies. There’s a very intimate point of view from one single character in each. That’s the challenge. Anyone can film a beautiful landscape. Unless you have an emotionally grounded story in there, it’s all just fucking sorcery.”
While we’ve debated the merits of The Revenant‘s “emotionally grounded story,...
While we’ve debated the merits of The Revenant‘s “emotionally grounded story,...
- 2/3/2016
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
Kazakh filmmaker Yermek Tursunov's "Stranger" evokes Akira Kurosawa's epic "Dersu Uzala" in exploring the lives of displaced nomads eking out a living in the harsh steppes, where they clash against imposing modernity. Tursunov wrote the screenplay — which is set in the 1930s and centers on orphan Ilyas (Yerzhan Nurymbet) who escapes famine and the clutches of the Soviet Union to live with the wild wolf population in the mountains — 25 years ago during his film school days in Moscow. It's the film he's been waiting to make ever since. "I thought this story was maybe very old, but after returning to it again, I understood my script was not old," said Tursunov during our interview. "It's modern, because these situations repeat." We sat down at the Toronto International Film Festival, where Tursunov, gentle and well-spoken even in imperfect English, world-premiered the film before it opened in Kazakhstan, where audiences are scarce and.
- 12/2/2015
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Thompson on Hollywood
The 16th edition of the Mumbai Film Festival announced its line-up in a press conference today.
Here is the complete list of films which will be screened at the festival:-
International Competition
Difret
Dir.: Zeresenay Berhane Mehari (Ethiopia / 2014 / Col / 99)
History of Fear (Historia del miedo)
Dir.: Benjamin Naishtat (Argentina-France-Germany-Qatar-Uruguay / 2014 / Col / 79)
With Others (Ba Digaran)
Dir.: Nasser Zamiri (Iran / 2014 / Col / 85)
The Tree (Drevo)
Dir.: Sonja Prosenc (Slovenia / 2014 / Col / 90)
Next to Her (At li layla)
Dir.: Asaf Korman (Israel / 2014 / Col / 90)
Schimbare
Dir.: Alex Sampayo (Spain / 2014 / Col / 87)
Fever
Dir.: Raphaël Neal (France / 2014 / Col / 81)
Court
Dir.: Chaitanya Tamhane (India (Marathi-Gujarati-English-Hindi) / 2014 / Col / 116)
Macondo
Dir.: Sudabeh Mortezai (Austria / 2014 / Col / 98)
India Gold Competition 2014
The Fort (Killa)
Dir.: Avinash Arun (India (Marathi) / 2014 / Col / 107)
Unto the Dusk
Dir.: Sajin Baabu (India (Malayalam) / 2014 / Col / 118)
Names Unknown (Perariyathavar)
Dir.: Dr. Biju (India (Malayalam) / 2014 / Col / 110)
Buddha In a Traffic Jam
Dir.
Here is the complete list of films which will be screened at the festival:-
International Competition
Difret
Dir.: Zeresenay Berhane Mehari (Ethiopia / 2014 / Col / 99)
History of Fear (Historia del miedo)
Dir.: Benjamin Naishtat (Argentina-France-Germany-Qatar-Uruguay / 2014 / Col / 79)
With Others (Ba Digaran)
Dir.: Nasser Zamiri (Iran / 2014 / Col / 85)
The Tree (Drevo)
Dir.: Sonja Prosenc (Slovenia / 2014 / Col / 90)
Next to Her (At li layla)
Dir.: Asaf Korman (Israel / 2014 / Col / 90)
Schimbare
Dir.: Alex Sampayo (Spain / 2014 / Col / 87)
Fever
Dir.: Raphaël Neal (France / 2014 / Col / 81)
Court
Dir.: Chaitanya Tamhane (India (Marathi-Gujarati-English-Hindi) / 2014 / Col / 116)
Macondo
Dir.: Sudabeh Mortezai (Austria / 2014 / Col / 98)
India Gold Competition 2014
The Fort (Killa)
Dir.: Avinash Arun (India (Marathi) / 2014 / Col / 107)
Unto the Dusk
Dir.: Sajin Baabu (India (Malayalam) / 2014 / Col / 118)
Names Unknown (Perariyathavar)
Dir.: Dr. Biju (India (Malayalam) / 2014 / Col / 110)
Buddha In a Traffic Jam
Dir.
- 9/17/2014
- by NewsDesk
- DearCinema.com
I first watched Akira Kurosawa's Throne of Blood (1957) six years ago. It was only the third film from Kurosawa I'd seen and I actually wrote a piece (which was really nothing more than an extended synopsis) after my first viewing right here, which is a rather interesting read six years removed. I remember not entirely enjoying Throne of Blood, when I first watched it and reading the piece linked above I see I found it largely interesting due to the fact it's an adaptation of Shakespeare's "Macbeth" while I also take issue with the length of some scenes, a complaint I read now and realize how much my taste has changed since writing that post. If you were to ask what I remembered of Throne of Blood before rewatching Criterion's newest Blu-ray upgrade, I'd say it would be 1.) the ghostly white spirits in Spiders' Web forest; 2.) the smoke-filled visuals...
- 1/6/2014
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Ever since I first wrote about the work of Sam Smith, back in 2009, I have been wanting to work with him in my capacity (in my other life) as the design director for Zeitgeist Films. In the two and a half years since then, Sam Smith has become one of the most sought-after designers on the independent film circuit with his refreshingly simple, witty and indelibly striking hand-drawn designs (it doesn’t hurt that he also has a great knowledge of both film history and the history of movie poster design). A few months ago I finally got the chance when we decided that we wanted something out of the ordinary to promote our new release of Andrey Zvyagintsev's Elena.
Zvyagintsev’s dark and beautiful film premiered at Cannes last year where it won the Special Jury Prize. For our release this May (it opens next week in the U.
Zvyagintsev’s dark and beautiful film premiered at Cannes last year where it won the Special Jury Prize. For our release this May (it opens next week in the U.
- 5/11/2012
- MUBI
Film's favourite Pm, David Cameron, stepped in to give his views on what sort of features deserve lottery funding – the big ones
The big story
What sort of British films do we want? Or, more specifically, what sort of British films does David Cameron want? More commercial, big-box-office ones it seems, as the prime minister carefully primed the media for the publication of the government's film policy review. His "remarks" were fed to the press overnight, in advance of his visit to the James Bond studios at Pinewood – leading to immediate suggestions that garlanded veterans like Mike Leigh were "finished". More films like The King's Speech and Slumdog Millionaire, please, said Cameron – but, as Peter Bradshaw pointed out, when politicians meddle in film-making, disaster is never far away. Perhaps Cameron could reflect on what might happen to a film he claimed to admire, Lindsay Anderson's If..., if it had it been around today.
The big story
What sort of British films do we want? Or, more specifically, what sort of British films does David Cameron want? More commercial, big-box-office ones it seems, as the prime minister carefully primed the media for the publication of the government's film policy review. His "remarks" were fed to the press overnight, in advance of his visit to the James Bond studios at Pinewood – leading to immediate suggestions that garlanded veterans like Mike Leigh were "finished". More films like The King's Speech and Slumdog Millionaire, please, said Cameron – but, as Peter Bradshaw pointed out, when politicians meddle in film-making, disaster is never far away. Perhaps Cameron could reflect on what might happen to a film he claimed to admire, Lindsay Anderson's If..., if it had it been around today.
- 1/12/2012
- by Andrew Pulver
- The Guardian - Film News
(Akira Kurosawa, 1975, Artificial Eye, U)
In the early 1970s Akira Kurosawa's fortunes and spirit were at a low ebb. He'd been dropped by Hollywood from the Pearl Harbor epic Tora! Tora! Tora! in which he had invested much time and energy. His first colour film Dodes'ka-den was a critical and box-office failure. A crisis in the Japanese film industry had made financing his movies impossible. As a result he attempted suicide. But eventually his career was restored by a Soviet invitation to direct a film version of a non-fiction work he'd loved in his youth, and back in the 1940s he had planned a Japanese version that was aborted, partly due to unsuitable locations but mainly because its themes were in conflict with Japanese militarism. Published in 1923, the book is a memoir by the Russian army engineer Captain Vladimir Arsenyev about his friendship with a nomadic hunter, Dersu Uzala,...
In the early 1970s Akira Kurosawa's fortunes and spirit were at a low ebb. He'd been dropped by Hollywood from the Pearl Harbor epic Tora! Tora! Tora! in which he had invested much time and energy. His first colour film Dodes'ka-den was a critical and box-office failure. A crisis in the Japanese film industry had made financing his movies impossible. As a result he attempted suicide. But eventually his career was restored by a Soviet invitation to direct a film version of a non-fiction work he'd loved in his youth, and back in the 1940s he had planned a Japanese version that was aborted, partly due to unsuitable locations but mainly because its themes were in conflict with Japanese militarism. Published in 1923, the book is a memoir by the Russian army engineer Captain Vladimir Arsenyev about his friendship with a nomadic hunter, Dersu Uzala,...
- 1/8/2012
- by Philip French
- The Guardian - Film News
London Short Film Festival
The new year's festival season starts here, and so does the revolution. Short film is often regarded as a stepping stone to features, and there's plenty of that potential here, even a few big names (Michael Fassbender in Goldfish). But it's also a potentially radical art form in itself, and an admirably inclusive one. So here you'll find documentaries selected by Occupy London; showcases of queer cinema; black and Asian stories; feminist porn; found film; experimental shorts; special guests; parties; a film from Jake and Dinos Chapman (The Organ Grinder's Monkey, with Rhys Ifans); and a music doc with a live improvised score on homemade instruments. Something for everyone, then. There's even an evening of films about sad, lonely men (including Mark Gatiss, Matthew Holness and Roger Allam).
Various venues, to 15 Jan
Frozen Landscapes, Glasgow
What does a sunny place like Glasgow know about cold climates,...
The new year's festival season starts here, and so does the revolution. Short film is often regarded as a stepping stone to features, and there's plenty of that potential here, even a few big names (Michael Fassbender in Goldfish). But it's also a potentially radical art form in itself, and an admirably inclusive one. So here you'll find documentaries selected by Occupy London; showcases of queer cinema; black and Asian stories; feminist porn; found film; experimental shorts; special guests; parties; a film from Jake and Dinos Chapman (The Organ Grinder's Monkey, with Rhys Ifans); and a music doc with a live improvised score on homemade instruments. Something for everyone, then. There's even an evening of films about sad, lonely men (including Mark Gatiss, Matthew Holness and Roger Allam).
Various venues, to 15 Jan
Frozen Landscapes, Glasgow
What does a sunny place like Glasgow know about cold climates,...
- 1/7/2012
- by Steve Rose
- The Guardian - Film News
As the Academy Awards loom, Nick looks at what impact an Oscar has on world cinema's winners and losers…
So, it's Oscar time, that annual back-slapping ceremony for the American film industry which matters, year after year, despite what any of us say.
I watched the ceremony live last year and may even do so again this time round (although, due to a Haribo-induced sugar rush, then crash, I don't really remember the end of the ceremony), and so will a global audience of millions.
It's the biggest award ceremony on the planet, and it also includes an often overlooked category of Best Foreign Language Film, which is where this column comes in. We all know it means a lot for the English language films that are nominated, but what about the films that come from further afield? Just how big a deal is being recognised by the Western establishment,...
So, it's Oscar time, that annual back-slapping ceremony for the American film industry which matters, year after year, despite what any of us say.
I watched the ceremony live last year and may even do so again this time round (although, due to a Haribo-induced sugar rush, then crash, I don't really remember the end of the ceremony), and so will a global audience of millions.
It's the biggest award ceremony on the planet, and it also includes an often overlooked category of Best Foreign Language Film, which is where this column comes in. We all know it means a lot for the English language films that are nominated, but what about the films that come from further afield? Just how big a deal is being recognised by the Western establishment,...
- 2/23/2011
- Den of Geek
I started off 2010 in the hustle and bustle of New York, and things now come to a close just outside of Washington D.C. in the quiet woods of Maryland. That quiet has given me time and space to reflect on my film experiences of the year, and how many of those, as solid and formed and wonderful and weird as they are, will probably continue to grow and change as 2011 comes to light. Heck, five years from now I could be looking back on the list which sits below and think myself a fool, because by that point I will most likely have seen Uncle Boonme and Certified Copy, Enter the Void, and Carlos. Okay, so it may sound like I am abandoning this list before I even properly present it. Hardly. I don't regret missing those films, but I do regret missing Meek's Cutoff, Stake Land and The Way Back...
- 1/1/2011
- Screen Anarchy
I have basically resigned myself to reviewing, watching and recommending Blu-rays whenever possible. I love the format and wish everyone could just magically adopt it so the prices would become more reasonable (a dream scenario I'm sure). I am always waiting and looking for deals when it comes to Blu-rays since most often the prices are simply too outrageous. As a matter of fact, while putting this piece together I only now bought myself copies of The African Queen and The Bridge on the River Kwai at Barnes and Noble as both were on sale and I had a 10% off coupon. The way I see it $39 isn't bad for the those two titles, especially when suggested retail is $75 before shipping.
So understand, I know when recommending this many titles at once I realize the possibility of you purchasing all of them is slim to none, but hopefully I may be...
So understand, I know when recommending this many titles at once I realize the possibility of you purchasing all of them is slim to none, but hopefully I may be...
- 12/30/2010
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
tuesday top ten returns! It's for the list-maker in me and the list-lover in you
The Cannes film festival wrapped this weekend (previous posts) and the most recent Oscar winner for Best Foreign Language Film, The Secret in Their Eyes is still in the midst of a successful Us run. That Oscar winning Argentinian film came to us from director Juan Jose Campanella. It's his second film to be honored by the Academy (Son of the Bride was nominated ten years back). The Academy voters obviously like Campanella and in some ways he's a Hollywood guy. When he's not directing Argentinian Oscar hopefuls he spends time making Us television with episodes of Law & Order, House and 30 Rock under his belt.
So let's talk foreign-language auteurs. Who does Oscar love most?
[The film titles discussed in this article will link to Netflix pages -- if available -- should you be curious to see the films]
Best Director winners Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain) and Milos Forman
(Amadeus and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest)
Please Note:...
The Cannes film festival wrapped this weekend (previous posts) and the most recent Oscar winner for Best Foreign Language Film, The Secret in Their Eyes is still in the midst of a successful Us run. That Oscar winning Argentinian film came to us from director Juan Jose Campanella. It's his second film to be honored by the Academy (Son of the Bride was nominated ten years back). The Academy voters obviously like Campanella and in some ways he's a Hollywood guy. When he's not directing Argentinian Oscar hopefuls he spends time making Us television with episodes of Law & Order, House and 30 Rock under his belt.
So let's talk foreign-language auteurs. Who does Oscar love most?
[The film titles discussed in this article will link to Netflix pages -- if available -- should you be curious to see the films]
Best Director winners Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain) and Milos Forman
(Amadeus and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest)
Please Note:...
- 5/31/2010
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
To celebrate its 20th Anniversary, it appears as though the Tiff Cinematheque is set to pull out all the stops.
According to Criterion, the Tiff, formerly known as the Cinematheque Ontario, will be bringing out a rather superb and cartoonishly awesome summer schedule, that will include films ranging from Kurosawa pieces, to films from Pier Paolo Pasolini. Other films include a month long series dedicated to James Mason, Eric Rohmer’s Six Moral Tales, a tribute to Robin Wood, and most interesting, a retrospective on the works of one Catherine Breillat.
Personally, while the Kurosawa, Pasolini, and Rohmer collections sound amazing, the Breillat series is ultimately the collective that I am most interested in. Ranging from films like the brilliant Fat Girl, to the superb and underrated Anatomy of Hell, these are some of the most interesting and under seen pieces of cinema of recent memory, and are more than...
According to Criterion, the Tiff, formerly known as the Cinematheque Ontario, will be bringing out a rather superb and cartoonishly awesome summer schedule, that will include films ranging from Kurosawa pieces, to films from Pier Paolo Pasolini. Other films include a month long series dedicated to James Mason, Eric Rohmer’s Six Moral Tales, a tribute to Robin Wood, and most interesting, a retrospective on the works of one Catherine Breillat.
Personally, while the Kurosawa, Pasolini, and Rohmer collections sound amazing, the Breillat series is ultimately the collective that I am most interested in. Ranging from films like the brilliant Fat Girl, to the superb and underrated Anatomy of Hell, these are some of the most interesting and under seen pieces of cinema of recent memory, and are more than...
- 5/26/2010
- by Joshua Brunsting
- CriterionCast
This week I was inspired by me recent purchase of "Akira Kurosawa: Master of Cinema" to watch a pair of Kurosawa films I had yet to see and then I finally got around to watching a Coen flick I had been neglecting for quite some time.
The Man Who Wasn't There (2001) Quick Thoughts: One look at my Netflix queue tells me I've had this film at my house since December 28, 2009. It only took three months for me to find the time to sit down and give it a watch when there wasn't anything more pressing asking for my attention. I wasn't avoiding it, I had actually tried watching it a couple of times and things just sort of ... got in the way. No matter, here it is, and I finally have it under my belt and it isn't all that bad, although it seems to be the least talked about...
The Man Who Wasn't There (2001) Quick Thoughts: One look at my Netflix queue tells me I've had this film at my house since December 28, 2009. It only took three months for me to find the time to sit down and give it a watch when there wasn't anything more pressing asking for my attention. I wasn't avoiding it, I had actually tried watching it a couple of times and things just sort of ... got in the way. No matter, here it is, and I finally have it under my belt and it isn't all that bad, although it seems to be the least talked about...
- 4/4/2010
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Maksim Munzuk Dersu Uzala Three Academy Award-nominated/-winning films by Akira Kurosawa will be shown tonight on Turner Classic Movies: Dersu Uzala (1975), Kagemusha (1980), and Ran (1985). Winner of the 1975 Best Foreign Language Film Oscar, the poetic Dersu Uzala chronicles the difficulties encountered by a Siberian hunter (Maksim Munzuk) who’s brought to civilization by a Russian explorer whose life the hunter had saved. Based on a real-life story, Dersu Uzala was Kurosawa’s first film following his suicide attempt in the early ’70s. In Kagemusha, a thief impersonates a powerful — but deceased — warlord. Kagemusha was nominated for Best Art Direction and Best Foreign Language Film Oscars. Additionally, Kurosawa’s epic shared the Palme d’Or with Bob Fosse’s All That Jazz. Ran is [...]...
- 3/30/2010
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
The Academy had its John Hughes tribute on Sunday. Tonight, Turner Classic Movies is paying tribute to someone who may not be a household name in the United States, but who merits recognition as well. The guy, after all, made quite a few films that won awards here and there even though they were mostly in black and white, and didn’t star Rob Lowe, Macauley Culkin, or Demi Moore. Does Rashomon ring a bell? Seven Samurai? Yojimbo? Ran? Kagemusha? Dersu Uzala? Akira Kurosawa — believe it or not, I actually have a photo of myself standing right next to him — will be honored tonight on TCM. Four of the director’s films will be shown, including the little-known Hakuchi, [...]...
- 3/9/2010
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
He may not have lived to see 100, but his films will see 1000 and beyond.
This coming 23rd of March would have been Akira Kurosawa's 100th birthday. The master died in 1998, but his films continue to fascinate and enthrall entire generations of people who may not have even heard of him until after his death. Should you find yourself realizing that you haven't seen enough from Kurosawa's filmography, you're in luck—Turner Classic Movies is planning a hell of a centennial.
For the month of March beginning the 9th, TCM will air five of Kurosawa's films every Tuesday, with a 24-hour marathon on his birthday. 26 films in total are involved, which covers nearly all of Akira Kurosawa's body of work. 25, technically, since Sanshiro Sugata is split into two parts.
Yes, these are the same 25 movies in Criterion's Ak 100 DVD box set released back in December. You can buy that...
This coming 23rd of March would have been Akira Kurosawa's 100th birthday. The master died in 1998, but his films continue to fascinate and enthrall entire generations of people who may not have even heard of him until after his death. Should you find yourself realizing that you haven't seen enough from Kurosawa's filmography, you're in luck—Turner Classic Movies is planning a hell of a centennial.
For the month of March beginning the 9th, TCM will air five of Kurosawa's films every Tuesday, with a 24-hour marathon on his birthday. 26 films in total are involved, which covers nearly all of Akira Kurosawa's body of work. 25, technically, since Sanshiro Sugata is split into two parts.
Yes, these are the same 25 movies in Criterion's Ak 100 DVD box set released back in December. You can buy that...
- 2/24/2010
- by Arya Ponto
- JustPressPlay.net
Outside of seeing three films in theaters this week I also took in nine titles at home including films from Akira Kurosawa, Roman Polanski, Claude Lelouch and two from Chan-wook Park. It's a mixed bag going from a movie about a girl with a machine gun arm to a film from the French New Wave. As always, remember you can keep tabs on my personal Netflix queue right here. Now, here's the recap of my week in movies... The Machine Girl (2008) Quick Thoughts: I can't remember which one of the Netflix friends I have had this in their queue, but I saw it and noticed it was on Instant Play and just had to give it a watch. I mean, at 96 minutes who wouldn't want to give a movie about a girl with a machine gun on her arm a chance? Well, I gave it a chance and must say,...
- 8/30/2009
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
BeRightBack here, visiting from the Wordsmoker Collective to blither about Japanese cinema again! Today, I want to talk a bit about great Japanese actress (and first studio-backed Japanese female director!) Kinuyo Tanaka. Specifically, I want to look at her last major role, in 1974's Sandakan 8, which was in the running the following year (upon its international release) for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.
Sandakan 8 is an issue-driven movie dramatizing the then-little-known phenomenon of the "karayuki-san," a practice by which young girls from the countryside were sold into prostitution in foreign lands by desperately poor Japanese families. The government tacitly condoned the practice, as it was a way for Japanese "business interests" to gain a foothold in places marked for future colonization or annexation. Tanaka plays a former karayuki-san who is being courted by a young female "women's studies scholar" who is interested in her story.
Sandakan 8...
Sandakan 8 is an issue-driven movie dramatizing the then-little-known phenomenon of the "karayuki-san," a practice by which young girls from the countryside were sold into prostitution in foreign lands by desperately poor Japanese families. The government tacitly condoned the practice, as it was a way for Japanese "business interests" to gain a foothold in places marked for future colonization or annexation. Tanaka plays a former karayuki-san who is being courted by a young female "women's studies scholar" who is interested in her story.
Sandakan 8...
- 8/29/2009
- by BeRightBack
- FilmExperience
Chicago – Now that he is widely recognized as one of the best filmmakers of all time, it’s almost hard to believe that there was a period in the career of Akira Kurosawa when he couldn’t get financing to make a film. Kurosawa went through a very dark time in the ’70s, punctuated by his disastrous experience with “Tora! Tora! Tora!,” and needed the weight of Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas to help with his comeback, “Kagemusha,” now available in a beautiful Criterion Collection Blu-Ray release.
Blu-Ray Rating: 4.5/5.0 I adore stories like the one behind the making of “Kagemusha” because they reflect the ripple throughout the ages that comes with amazing creativity. In the excellent special feature, “Lucas, Coppola, and Kurosawa,” the interviews draw a definitive line from John Ford (whose “The Searchers” influenced Kurosawa) to Kurosawa’s work to “The Godfather” to “Star Wars” to “Kagemusha,” which itself inspired countless filmmakers.
Blu-Ray Rating: 4.5/5.0 I adore stories like the one behind the making of “Kagemusha” because they reflect the ripple throughout the ages that comes with amazing creativity. In the excellent special feature, “Lucas, Coppola, and Kurosawa,” the interviews draw a definitive line from John Ford (whose “The Searchers” influenced Kurosawa) to Kurosawa’s work to “The Godfather” to “Star Wars” to “Kagemusha,” which itself inspired countless filmmakers.
- 8/20/2009
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
When Akira Kurosawa's Kagemusha was announced for Criterion Blu-ray I had seen the film for the first time only a couple months earlier and enjoyed it greatly. While it's not the director's greatest film, it is a visual feast that takes full advantage of a high-definition Blu-ray transfer, which I can only assume is the reason it's the first of Kurosawa's films Criterion decided to bring to the new format after their plans to deliver Ran were capsized due to rights issues. Kagemusha is Kurosawa's return to the samurai story and this time in color following his Oscar-winning Dersu Uzala five years earlier. The setting is the warring states of feudal Japan as the powerful warlord Shingen Takeda is fatally wounded, but before dying instructs his closest men to carry on his legacy, while not letting on he has passed away. In an effort to carry out the ruse...
- 8/18/2009
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
DVD Rating: 4.0/5.0 Chicago – I’m not sure, but I think there are more Akira Kurosawa titles available in the Criterion Collection than any other filmmaker. His classic films like “Ran,” “Rashomon,” “Seven Samurai,” and “Yojimbo” have been critically acclaimed releases for the influential series of DVDs. His 24th title in the Criterion Collection is last week’s “Dodes’da Ken,” one of the greatest directors of all time’s first film in color.
1970’s “Dodes’da Ken” came five years after the great “Red Beard” and five years before “Dersu Uzala” and a decade before “Kagemusha”. The film was made at a tumultuous time in Kurosawa’s personal life and was critically panned in his home country despite being nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Film.
Dodes’da Ken was released on DVD on March 17th, 2009.
Photo credit: Courtesy of the Criterion Collection
According to some sources, the...
1970’s “Dodes’da Ken” came five years after the great “Red Beard” and five years before “Dersu Uzala” and a decade before “Kagemusha”. The film was made at a tumultuous time in Kurosawa’s personal life and was critically panned in his home country despite being nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Film.
Dodes’da Ken was released on DVD on March 17th, 2009.
Photo credit: Courtesy of the Criterion Collection
According to some sources, the...
- 3/24/2009
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
When it comes to Akira Kurosawa I have either seen or own all of his name titles including Seven Samurai, Rashomon, Ikiru, Throne of Blood, Yojimbo, Sanjuro and Ran. I have Kagemusha sitting on my coffee table ready to be viewed for the first time and outside of a few noticeable omissions I am finally ready to venture into his lesser known titles and with Criterion's latest release of Dodes'ka-den I can't think of a better place to start. This isn't to say Dodes'ka-den is any kind of masterpiece, because it's not, but the instances surrounding Dodes'ka-den and how it came to be are utterly fascinating and opened up a side of Kurosawa I had never known. Serving as Kurosawa's first attempt at a color film, Dodes'ka-den also marked his first feature in five years following Red Beard in 1965. In those five years Kurosawa would put in work on...
- 3/17/2009
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
DVD Links: DVD News | Release Dates | New Dvds | Reviews | RSS Feed Before we get into the new releases for the week there is a Blu-ray deal some of you may be interested in as Paramount is offering double packs at a discounted price of $24.99 with the following titles up for grabs: Clear and Present Danger and The Hunt for Red October Sweeney Todd and Sleepy Hollow Top Gun and Days of Thunder Mission: Impossible and Mission: Impossible 2 Sahara and Failure to Launch Hustle and Flow and Black Snake Moan You can browse the options at Amazon by clicking here. And now for this week's releases and latest release date announcements... Twilight (2-Disc Special Edition) Today I was asked at the last minute if I wanted to review this DVD. While reviewing the DVD would certainly account for a few additional page views I just couldn't do it since I didn't...
- 3/17/2009
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Tokyo -- In one of the only upsets of the evening, Yojiro Takita's "Departures" won the foreign-language Oscar on Sunday, beating out highly touted competitors "Waltz With Bashir" and "The Class." The victory of Kuni Kato's animated short "La Maison en Petits Cubes" earlier in the evening made it Japan's most successful night in Academy history.
"Departures" got a rousing sendoff to the Oscars at the Japan Academy Prize on Friday, collecting 10 wins from 13 nominations, including best picture.
The story of an unemployed cellist (Masahiro Motoki) who finds work as a "nokanshi," or ceremonial preparer of corpses, was a low-level surprise hit at the domestic boxoffice, centered as it as around a subject even most urban Japanese are unfamiliar with. It took in $33 million in 2008 but failed...
"Departures" got a rousing sendoff to the Oscars at the Japan Academy Prize on Friday, collecting 10 wins from 13 nominations, including best picture.
The story of an unemployed cellist (Masahiro Motoki) who finds work as a "nokanshi," or ceremonial preparer of corpses, was a low-level surprise hit at the domestic boxoffice, centered as it as around a subject even most urban Japanese are unfamiliar with. It took in $33 million in 2008 but failed...
- 2/22/2009
- by By Gavin J. Blair
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
NEW YORK -- Film and video distributor Kino International will celebrate its 30th anniversary this summer with screenings of movies from their catalog, running here from June 29 to July 12 at the Walter Reade Theater. The series, dubbed 30 Years of Kino International, will be organized by the Film Society of Lincoln Center. It will feature Akira Kurosawa's Dersu Uzala, Fritz Lang's Spies and new prints of Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator, Sergei Paradjanov's Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors and Wong Kar-Wai's Fallen Angels, among other films.
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