IKIRU (1952) The Idiot didn’t do well, but after the international success of Rashomon it didn’t matter. Kurosawa had an unprecedented amount of clout for a Japanese director. However, he wasn’t quite satisfied that he had made his name with a period piece and explicitly said in his acceptance of the Venice Film Festival Prize […]
Kurosawa, In Order #13 – Ikiru Read More »
THE IDIOT (1951) Akira Kurosawa was a Shakespeare fan and a Dostoevsky fanboy. The former is evident from his free adaptations of Macbeth and King Lear that are massively cinematic and complete. Kurosawa had a different relationship with Dostoevsky. He was reluctant to change or leave out anything, and the result is an incomplete movie
Kurosawa, In Order #12 – The Idiot Read More »
RASHOMON (1950) Writing about Rashomon at this late stage is a challenge to a reviewer. What possibly can be added to the conversation? The orthodox view is that it’s one of the greatest movies ever made. One can even proclaim it as the greatest movie ever without it being considered a particularly controversial opinion. So
Kurosawa, In Order #11 – Rashomon Read More »
SCANDAL (1950) By 1950, the post-war occupation of Japan was running its course, and restrictions and censorship by the occupying authorities slackened. That was a good thing for the people of Japan as they moved towards a modern democracy. However, the rise of yellow journalism and the scandal sheet were not necessarily good things. Kurosawa
Kurosawa, In Order #10 – Scandal Read More »
STRAY DOG (1949) Kurosawa had the cinematic chops to create compelling movies out of scenarios that weren’t on their surface cinematic or were just flat out abstract. The subjectivity of truth. Meeting a production quota. Battles with disease. How one deals with the difficult realities of post-war Japan. How one deals with one’s own mortality.
Kurosawa, In Order #9 – Stray Dog Read More »
THE QUIET DUEL (1949) A strike had stopped production at Toho Studios prior to filming The Quiet Duel and Kurosawa was desperate to get back to work as soon as possible once it ended. So, Kurosawa turned to a play penned by Kazuo Kikuta dealing with a doctor dealing with a real life issue in
Kurosawa, In Order #8 – The Quiet Duel Read More »