Reply #16: If I was going to have a marathon for friends [View All]

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If these friends hadn't seen any Kurosawa films and I wanted to get them hooked I'd start with The Seven Samurai.

Next would be Yojimbo. Part of the fun of bringing someone to Kurosawa is introducing them also to Mifune. They'd have had a taste of his talent in The Seven Samurai and by the end of that they'll want to see more of him, whether they realize it or not. Yojimbo, aside from simply being an excellent film, is a terrific showcase for Mifune's talents.

After Yojimbo it's tough to choose a direction - the tree starts to branch out from there.

If you like the Kurosawa/Mifune samurai-period collaborations most, then Rashomon, Sanjuro, The Hidden Fortress, and Throne of Blood are all reliable. I think "Red Beard" was the pinnacle of their collaboration, but it might be too heavy for the newly initiated.

If you like Kurosawa/Mifune but aren't necessarily a fan of the samurai genre there are Ikiru and High & Low. Ikiru usually features heavily in debates over which Kurosawa film was his best. High & Low is noir and remeniscent of Hitchcock. There is also I Live in Fear, Scandal, Drunken Angel and The Bad Sleep Well. These are fine films but perhaps better left for afterwards when you all are already hooked.

And if you like Kurosawa but Mifune gets on your nerves (blasphemy!) there are films like Ran, Kagemusha, Dersu Uzala, Dreams, and Dodesukaden. Of all these I like Kagemusha best - something about Ran I didn't like (it's probably that I don't like any of the principal characters, though Tatsuya Nakadai is one of my favorite actors).

Just one man's opinion. If I were trying to get someone hooked, after Yojimbo I'd show Sanjuro to wrap that up (plus to show them the ending), then Throne of Blood, High & Low, and then maybe Red Beard.