I need some Kurosawa advice

[aldian159]

My roommate and I want to have a Kurosawa marathon, based on the recommendation of a professor I have.

However, neither of us have seen anything by him, so we want some recommendations before we go out and rent these movies. The professor has gone to the Middle East, so we can't ask her. :(

So, I shine the DU signal far into the Chicago night hoping someone can rescue me with some decent recommendations.

Thanks and sorry for the hokey analogy.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

1. Ran and Mishima are both good

I'd offer more reasoning but I am off to bed.

[aldian159]

2. Goodnight NSMA

[Fovea]

3. Ran

the Kurosawa King Lear.
Amazing how well it survives the cultural translation.

[Rabrrrrrr]

4. Ran and The Seven Samurai

[FireHeart]

5. Rashomon, Sanjuro, Throne of Blood.

All great films.

[chenGOD]

6. Try...

Ran, Rashomon and The Seven Samurai. If you feel like more, then add Yojimbo.

[corporatewhore]

7. i liked yojimbo

[lazarus]

8. What's fun

is to watch Yojimbo, and then watch A Fistful of Dollars. :-)

[pa28]

10. Nobody believes it until they see it for themselves

Along the same line "Throne of Blood" is "MacBeth" and "The Magnificent Seven" is a remake of "The Seven Samurai". But, back on topic - if you like Samurai themes I think "Kagemusha" is best. If you like detective movies or film noir try "High and Low".

[lazarus]

22. Do you catch Samurai Saturday on IFC?

Every Saturday, they run a classic Samurai film, in widescreen, uncut.

The last couple of months, it's been all Toshiro Mifune films. Awesome stuff.

[Diego360]

9. I suggest Ikiru

His later films are more well known, but Ikiru is a quiet masterpiece.

IMDB listing

[Kickin_Donkey]

12. Yeah, I second "Ikiru,"

which means "To Live" or "Living."

It's set in postwar Japan, so it might be more accessible than most of the other films mentioned, which are set in medieval (samurai) times. I think you need to know some background to the samurai films, which can be hard to follow like some Shakespearian dramas. If you already know some background to the stories and the filmography, then go for it.

[Hand]

18. I third it...

It's a great, great film--genuine and tender.

Incidentally, the lead actor, Takashi Shimura, also played the head samurai in "Seven Samurai" the year before he went on to star in Ikiru. He was in many of Kurosawa'a films, possibly more than Mfune, and was a great, versatile actir.

[grasswire]

11. Dersu Usala

Otherwise known as "The Hunter."

[morningglory]

13. Dursu Usala first (sp?), then Yojimbo, then drink some wine to

watch Ran. Edited for early morning slow-brain problem.

[Maine-i-acs]

14. Rashomon, Yojimbo, 7 Samurai

If there is to be only one - Seven Samurai it is.

There are a lot of good recommendations on this board. Kurosawa is a cinematic genius. He's got about 15 movies that I would put on your list but I chose my best 3.

[Parrcrow]

15. All very good recommendations so far. I would add

Sanjuro
Rashomon (if its not listed already)
The Hidden Fortress (story line inspired Star Wars)
Akira Kurosawa's Dreams (his last film; its a series of short subjects and includes Martin Scorsese as Vincent Van Gough).

Enjoy!!

[Hand]

19. Mada da ka?...

I just saw this recently--it turns out to have been made later than Dreams, and has received much less attention than it deserves.

The title is Japanese for (VERY roughly) "Still here?" It's a question that an aging professor's disciples ask him en masse every year at his birthday dinner. And every year he replies "Mada da yo!" ("Still here!").

And of course, eventually, there's no reply... It's a wonderful coda to this brilliant director's career.

ON EDIT: I see by the filmography contained at this address: http://www2.tky.3web.ne.jp/~adk/kurosawa/filmo/AKfilmo.html

That this film is also called "No, not yet", which is another possible interpretation of "Mada da yo". Visit this site for a complete Kurosawa filmography! There's a few there that you've probably never heard of!

[Tredge]

16. If I was going to have a marathon for friends

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.

[tigereye]

17. and then for a silliness break see Tampopo

[Hand]

20. Don't forget Dodeskaden, either...

It was his first color film (1972 or thereabouts) and a huge departure from everything he'd done before. The critics were amazed and baffled when it came out; it was described (accurately) as "Fellini-esque".

Unfortunately, it was also a commercial failure--Kurosawa actually attempted suicide when it failed to gain widespread acceptance. Now it's acknowledged as the beginning of a new aesthetic for him.

[BigMcLargehuge]

21. Good title for a Kurosawa marathon

from someone who's seen ALL his films.

Start with "Drunken Angel" (Kurosawa staple Toshiro Mifune's first work) about a doctor struggling to keep his office open in postwar Tokyo who treats and befriends a local gangster (Mifune) suffering from tuburculosis. Great flick.

Then "Yojimbo" lone masterless samurai stirs up trouble in a town with two gambling houses. This was remade a couple of times, once as A Fistful of Dollars and another as Last Man Standing.

Then "Ran" the best of his Shakespeare adaptations. This one follows the story of King Lear.

And if you are really feeling frisky and want a really fun one. Throw "Sanjuro" in. This is the sequel to Yojimbo but is a little more light hearted than its predecessor where the nameless samurai protects a group of young samurai from a corrupt Clan general. Mifune is at his best when he can be a goof, and he is a really big goof in this one.

[Hand]

23. Kick...

He deserves it!

[NashVegas]

24. The Hidden Fortress

for lighter fare.