Akira Kurosawa

Akira Kurosawa is a Japanese filmmaker known for his narrative style, characters’ depth, and innovative cinematic techniques. His films, particularly those in the samurai genre, have left an indelible mark on international cinema. Kurosawa’s portfolio includes masterpieces like Seven Samurai, Rashomon, and Ran. These films showcase his flair for epic storytelling, complex characters, and unique ability to weave diverse narrative threads together.

Raised in a family with samurai ancestry, Kurosawa developed a keen interest in art, literature, and film from an early age. Initially aspiring to be a painter, his artistic talents later significantly influenced his cinematic vision. After a brief stint in the Japanese film studio system as an assistant director, he made his directorial debut in 1943 with Sanshiro Sugata. His early films were produced during a turbulent time in Japan’s history, marked by the Second World War and its aftermath, events that significantly influenced his work.

Kurosawa’s films often centred around themes of social justice, existentialism, and humanism, tackling profound issues of morality and ethics. In Rashomon, he ingeniously used multiple perspectives to narrate a single event, a narrative device now known as the “Rashomon effect“. Seven Samurai and Yojimbo exemplify his social consciousness, highlighting the plight of the marginalised and showcasing the samurai as a symbol of moral duty and honour. His later films, including Ran and Kagemusha, feature powerful explorations of Shakespearean themes of power, betrayal, and human folly, presenting a deeply introspective view of humanity.

Kurosawa’s visual style was marked by dynamic framing, deep focus, and innovative editing techniques. His meticulous attention to detail and his remarkable ability to create visually stunning compositions were evident in his use of weather elements and his dramatic use of movement within scenes. For instance, the epic battle sequences in Seven Samurai and Kagemusha showcase his mastery of creating visually arresting cinema, blending intense action with stunning cinematography.

Kurosawa’s influence extends far beyond Japan, shaping the work of many Western directors. His films have been remade, reimagined, and referenced by many filmmakers, including George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and Martin Scorsese. His influence is perhaps most apparent in epic cinema and the modern action genre. Kurosawa’s storytelling and visual techniques influenced films like Star Wars and The Magnificent Seven.

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Akira Kurosawa (1910 – 1998)

Born on March 23, 1910, in Tokyo’s Ōmori district, Kurosawa was a young man infused with creativity, his paintings radiant with a mysterious quality that hinted at an otherworldly talent. Yet it was in the dark chambers of Japanese cinema where Kurosawa’s talents would ultimately ignite, a place where he would craft worlds, not merely on canvas but in the very fabric of emotion and existence. His early years were marked by a rigorous apprenticeship under directors like Kajiro Yamamoto, a time that sharpened his senses and honed his inherent understanding of the human psyche.

The flames of World War II were still smouldering when Kurosawa made his directorial debut with Sanshiro Sugata in 1943; not the best debut ever, but a competent film that hinted at the complexities of its director.  By the end of the 40s, he started to come into himself with films like Drunken Angel and Stray Dog, painting portraits of post-war Japan that were bleak yet strangely beautiful. He showed his capacity to show despair, yet within the gloom, there glimmered sparks of redemption and resilience. His protagonists were flawed, yes, but also capable of profound transformation.

The international spotlight found Kurosawa with Rashomon, a film that did not just break cinematic conventions; it shattered them. Here was storytelling at its most innovative, a narrative splintered into conflicting truths and moral ambiguity. Kurosawa was no longer just a director; he was an iconoclast. The following years were a storm of creativity: Ikiru, Seven Samurai, Throne of Blood, Hidden Fortress, The Bad Sleep Well, Yojimbo, Sanjuro, High and Low and Red Beard.

But it wasn’t all praise and adoration, despite international acclaim, Kurosawa clashed repeatedly with the Japanese film industry’s commercial whims and then found himself at odds with the Japanese New Wave as it surged, and found himself as an icon of traditional Japanese cinema, which had passed with Ozu, Mizoguchi and Naruse.

Dodes’ka-den marked a significant departure, an experimental endeavour that mirrored the director’s inner turmoil and attempted to respond to the New Wave. It was a commercial and critical failure, leading to a long period of ostracisation with the Japanese film industry. His return came from abroad: the USSR-produced Dersu Uzala (His only non-Japanese language film) won the Best Foreign Language Film at the 49th Academy Awards, Kagemusha found Kurosawa at his most operatic, and Ran was arguably his peak.

One sequence in particular, the storming of the Third Castle, is a masterclass in filmmaking. The scene unfolds with a haunting silence, devoid of music or dialogue, as the chaos of battle rages. It’s a symphony of visual poetry, a dance of death and destruction that’s at once beautiful and harrowing. The imagery – a mixture of vibrant colour and stark desolation – encapsulates the very essence of warfare, a madness both alluring and horrifying. 

The end of Kurosawa’s career was more reflective: Dreams, Rhapsody in August, and Madadayo are more reflective, humane pieces, but still vital to his body of work. It’s not hard to love Kurosawa’s films; he remains celebrated as one of the 20th century’s greatest directors.

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Akira Kurosawa (1910 – 1998)

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