What! No Kurosawa thread? perhaps this is better suited for "Foreign" but he was a writer and director of the highest caliber. Easily going toe to toe with greats like Orsen Welles, Hitchcock, Scorsese, Kubrick, and all others; he deserves to be here.

Who can deny his influence on Star Wars and Spielberg -"Saving Private Ryan's" scene where the soldier carries his arm with him was done in 'Ran' first- and a handful of other directors.

The films i've seen (favorite order): Ikuru, Throne of Blood, Seven Samurai, Ran, Yojimbo, half of Rashamon --I suppose that doesn't count though.

What are yours? Where do you see his influences? What do you think of the artistic merit of his films are? Lets talk!

When Kurosawa's great films are mentioned they tend to be films like RASHOMON & THE SEVEN SAMURAI.

A few that don't get mentioned are HIGH & LOW, which is a terrific film about a kidnapping, THE BAD SLEEP WELL, a business thriller, and STRAY DOG, an early Kurosawa film where Toshiro Mifune plays a cop who loses his gun and spends the rest of the film searching for it.

I need to see Stray Dog. Have you seen Red Beard? Is it worth checking out? The Criterion collection is so damned expensive it stops me from checking them out -I can hardly find them for rent and the alternative video store is so far away from me - as for Rashomon and Seven Samurai They are his most popular but i stand firm in my belief that Ikuru is his best. I've just watched more times then any other of his movies and to me that says alot.

The Bad Sleep Well hmmm haven't heard of that one gotta look at it.

I Also like Throne of Blood over Seven Samurai for the said reason that I have watched more times, also it is based on my favorite of Mr. Shakespeare's plays "Macbeth". Have you seen Throne of Blood? What did you think about its combination of noh theater and cinema?

quote:

Originally posted by Mr. Fuffcans:
I Also like Throne of Blood over Seven Samurai for the said reason that I have watched more times, also it is based on my favorite of Mr. Shakespeare's plays "Macbeth". Have you seen Throne of Blood? What did you think about its combination of noh theater and cinema?

I've seen REDBEARD but don't remember much about it other than the fact that it isn't top-shelf KUROSAWA.

Oh God yes, watch Red Beard. It's three hours long, but it's a powerful emotional experience. It contains one of Toshiro Mifune's greatest performances as a doctor who is just about the greatest understander of human nature ever presented in film.

It is a period film, and there's one great action scene where Mifune takes on a clueless gang, and there's another spectacular scene involving an earthquake, but mostly it's a series of intimate human dramas which quietly accumulate a profound power.

I enjoy Throne of Blood mostly because it's so intense and violent for a '50s film. Kurosawa kept Shakespeare's vision quite accurately while using sometimes beautiful, sometimes gritty B&W photography. My fave Macbeth is Polanski's, but this one is a highly-recommended trip.

first thing that pops up to my mind when i hear akira kurosawa, rashomonm isnt that obvious!(the name) i think rashomon is the movie that put him on the map as a well known director the movie is soo mind boggling. ist the bandit? the wife? the husband's spirit or the old guy? till the end of the film it lefts us a big question mark. one of his best definetly! ran another masterpiece of akira its 150 mins long i got bored on the first part but in the end that how i started to appreciate this film i mean i totaly thought that this film will have a happy ending but was wrong saburo got shot and died and so as his dad(not because he got shot by a gun too but i guess by heart attack or something) another great on this film was the the battle scene OMG akira kurosawa made as it is they are really into it one of the best battle scene iev seen so gory yet so brilliant..
there this also one film that akira kurosawa direct it its "the idiot" this one is myleast fave of him i didnt even got the chance to finish it well actually it was my will not to finish i dont know its not just good for me.