A giant of 20th-century cinema, Japanese director Akira Kurosawa (1910-1998) holds a unique place among the world’s most distinguished filmmakers as the only non-Westerner whose work is revered by American and European audiences and directors alike.
Join us Saturdays in May for our annual month-long homage to this visionary celluloid artist.
Kurosawa is recognized as one of the great cinema auteurs both for his technical mastery and the universal humanist themes that pervade his work: a compassion for individual suffering, a quest for justice through personal rebellion against corrupt social structures, and a concern for the existential crises of humanity in the face of death, social pressure, and the apparent meaningless of life’s struggles.
His work has exerted enormous influence on post-WWII film: George Lucas used Kurosawa’s Hidden Fortress as a model for Star Wars, Sergio Leone adapted his samurai tales to create the “spaghetti western,” and John Sturges transformed Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai into The Magnificent Seven (to cite but a few examples).
Here are just a few of Kurosawa’s acclaimed films we’ll be broadcasting throughout the month:
The Seven Samurai
An epic retelling of the most famous Japanese story, The Seven Samurai is a true classic. The film has proved inspirational to many other films including George Lucas’ Star Wars, and The Magnificent Seven, a direct adaption for the old west.
Drunken Angel
Another classic from arguably the greatest filmmaker of all time. The story revolves around a petty gangster who contracts TB, and the doctor who attempts to treat him despite the gangster’s foolish pride.
Rashomon
In ancient Japan, a woman is raped and her husband killed. The film gives us four viewpoints of the incident – one for each defendant.
Don’t miss out!