KAGEMUSHA (1980) Although Dersu Uzala was a hit in the Soviet Union and Europe, it didn’t do much to help Kurosawa get films made in Japan despite Kurosawa’s willingness to get back to work. Kurosawa was prepping three projects, Ran, a film based on Poe’s “The Masque of the Red Death”, and Kagemusha. Japan …
And we’re back! We’re a couple weeks past our intended release date thanks primary to James returning to being a useful member of society. Oh sure he has a job and is interacting with people, but he’s supposed to be watching movies and recording episodes of High and Low (Brow). But, you know, I’m not …
DERSU UZALA (1975) After the commercial failure of Dodes’ka-den, his attempted suicide, and the difficulty of finding funding in a Japanese film industry that was going through major transitions, Kurosawa’s career looked over in the early 1970s. However, larger forces were at work; the Soviets were looking to improve relations with the Japanese in the …
I’ve been going to the Flyway Film Festival for six years now. In that time I’ve met dozens of filmmakers and have had the privilege of becoming friends with more than a few of them. I’ve spent hours interviewing them, hours more playing board games with a few of them, and even more time simply …