So today would have been Akira Kurosawa's 100th birthday which is well worth a mention. Ask anyone outside of film circles to name a Japanese director and odds are he'll be the first (and possible only) one to come to mind.
Through reading various tributes today, I've discovered he made over 30 films of which I've only seen a third. I think i've probably seen his more famous ones, but it's good to know that even when I seem to have been saturated in films for the last decade thre's still plenty left for me to see, even from a director as renowned as Kurosawa.
As my own little tribute, and because I love lists, I'll arrange the 10 films i've seen in ascending order, ending up with my favourite.
10 - Red Beard (1965) Set in 19th Century Japan, Toshiro Mifune stars as a priviliged doctor having to get used to his new life in the country, treating the poor. It's one of those 3 hour films that, to be honest, felt like a 3 hour film
9 - High and Low (1963) Saw this just last year, it's about a kidnapping and the police case that follows it. Toshira Mifune again stars in an intriguing film, but it dragged a little towards the end for me.
8 - Kagemusha (1980) - This film concerns a warlord who dies and is replaced by a double (Kagemusha) who takes his place so that enemies will not know realise the warlord is dead. Another slow burner of a film with some good action sequences, though not up there with Kurosawa's best.
7 - Stray Dog (1949) - Unusually, a film-noir from Kurosawa about a cop who has his gun pinched - it is then used to commit various crimes, and the cop, along with an older colleague tries to track the culprit down. A decent enough modern day thriller.
6 - Yojimbo (1961) - Toshiro Mifune again takes the lead in this acclaimed drama. Made partly as a tribute to Hollywood Westerns, it was then remade by Sergio Leone as A fistful of dollars. Mifune turns up in a town where two rival gangs are at each others' throats. Mifune plays them against each other. Quality filmmaking
5 - Throne of Blood (1957) - Classic adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth, here transposed to Samurai times. The film follows the play pretty closely, although doesn't use any lines from it. The atmosphere is brilliantly conveyed and that chap Toshira Mifune plays the Macbeth character and does it excellently before coming to a nasty end via a barrage of arrows.
4 - Ran (1985) - Beautiful looking film based on Shakespeare's King Lear. A retired warlord divides his kingdom between his three sons, only for it to end in division, warfare, and tragedy. There are no close ups in the film- almost each shot looks like a painting. It may be over two and a half hours long but is a rewarding experience. The acting is first-rate and it's a stunning visual experience.
3 - Ikiru (1952) - Powerful and moving account of a man suffering from stomach cancer, following his final few months as he tries to find meaning to his life. Takashi Shimura is the civil servant, living a pretty meaningless existence doing a job which gets nothing done, and just wandering through life. When he learns he has stomach cancer, first he goes out to try and enjoy himself, then resolves to get a kids' playground built; something he had ignored prior to learning of his illness. The second section of the film is set at Shimura's wake, where old colleagues discuss him, and the change in him over his last few months. It's not exactly an action film, but it seems beautifully filmed and acted with intelligence and subtlety. Maybe not the most feelgood material, but still a treat.
2 - The Seven Samurai (1954) - Epic three and a bit hour film, generally acclaimed as one of the best ever made. It also served as the basis of the American remake, The Magnificent Seven. A village hires a group of Samurai to protect their village from bandits. This they do, and therein is the gist of the story. The direction is impeccable and innovative camerawork and editing are used.A film to be admired and enjoyed in equal measure
1- Rashomon (1950) - Intriguing film from the Japanese master, exploring what is truth; does the camera sometimes lie. The story is fairly simple; a man has been murdered and his wife raped. However from varying accounts from such figures as the suspect, the rape victim, the murder victim (through a medium) and an onlooker we get four differing accounts of how the events came to pass. Three of the four accounts end with the narrator owning up to the killing. How do we know who is telling the truth? We don’t really and perhaps that is the point; can we ever know the truth? Stunningly photographed, this is a film well worth watching again and again.
So Happy Birthday Akira, and rest in peace.
But did any of his films have bazookas, slutty mums, a metal armed black dude, and a bad ass angel trying to bring about the End Of Days? No, which is why Legion is better than all of his films put together.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like the film he was working on just before his death, Mr H. Sadly it never saw light of day - Mr T was due to star.
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