Akira Kurosawa info » All Posts

Reply To: Oshima's Gohatto (Taboo)

fabiodafirenze — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 06:05:40 +0000

I don’t think that homosexuality is the main theme of Gohatto as well. I found many similarities with Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence: it’s men against men in a confined environment – it has more to do with power, control and “alpha” relationship than sex. I was quite suprised recently to know that the screenplay is based on two Ryotaro Shiba short stories: Maegami no Sozaburo” and “Sanjo Kaji Ranba” from “Shinsengumi Kepporuku”. Shiba was a very well-known (in Japan) writer of historical fiction, a large part of it about the bakumatsu era. He was not the psychoanalitic type as Mishima. Too bad that “Shinsengumi Kepporuku” hasn’t been translated in any western language as far as I know – but I’d bet that its focus is not sex: on the other hand it has been the basis of two Japanese “jidaigeki” TV series in 1965 and 1998 which have found some following even in the west.

Reply To: Do you think ‘Andrei Rublev’ inspired Kurosawa?

Sam — Thu, 15 Jan 2026 01:37:09 +0000

I just found out that Mosfilm has about a thousand of its films available for free on Youtube! Including Dersu Uzala.

Reply To: “Filming Akira Kurosawa” will be screened on Emirates flights. sun10ro.com

Vili — Sat, 10 Jan 2026 06:42:10 +0000

tokyoweb: Apologies that the above comment of yours from late December only gets posted now! It had somehow gone into the system’s spam folder and I had not received a notification.

I also just learnt that the film is now available on Amazon Prime Video US, as well as Amazon Prime Video UK. That’s great, congratulations!

The IMDb page can be found here.

Reply To: “Filming Akira Kurosawa” will be screened on Emirates flights. sun10ro.com

tokyowebtv — Sat, 10 Jan 2026 06:35:29 +0000

Filming Akira Kurosawa is not merely a behind-the-scenes documentary, but a rare historical record that captures Akira Kurosawa’s filmmaking philosophy at work. Based on approximately one year of video recordings made during the production of Ran (1985), the film preserves moments that were never intended for public view: rehearsals, repeated instructions to actors, and Kurosawa’s calm, patient engagement with his cast and crew.

The documentary reveals a director far removed from the stereotypical image of an authoritarian genius. Instead, Kurosawa appears as a teacher-like figure, carefully guiding performers through repetition and explanation, emphasizing meaning over intimidation. The footage also includes scenes normally forbidden to be filmed at the time, made possible by the then-silent video cameras, capturing Kurosawa’s voice calling “Action” and “Cut” during actual takes.

Beyond rehearsals, the film documents large-scale battle scenes, horses and soldiers filling the frame, and Kurosawa’s innovative use of multiple cameras to capture a single scene in one take—methods he explains directly in the film.

Originally unfinished, the documentary was re-edited decades later and released as Life Work of Akira Kurosawa, receiving critical recognition. Filming Akira Kurosawa stands as a vital primary source for film history and education, offering an irreplaceable insight into the creative process of one of cinema’s greatest masters.

Reply To: Snow Trail (1947), the true beginning of Kurosawa?

Christopher — Fri, 09 Jan 2026 06:49:10 +0000

I didn’t have an investigation into the state of Toshiro Mifune’s undergarments on my 2026 Bingo card. LOL.

Reply To: Snow Trail (1947), the true beginning of Kurosawa?

Fabien — Fri, 02 Jan 2026 00:52:09 +0000

I discovered this movie six months ago, without having in mind that it had been written by Kurosawa.
Throughout the viewing, his touch was not striking to me, but… I noted that there was some sort of interesting or strong point about solidarity among mountaineers.
And… solidarity (feelings/efforts people have and do toward others or the group) is something that I almost always see in Kurosawa’s films.

I am not sure whether there is a bluray of this film, but there is a 1080 p. edition from Criterion / Janus.

And in his first appearance, Toshiro is clothed, then, a few moments after, he is only wearing short pants, as he is observed by two peeping toms, detective wannabes.
clothes on
clothes off

Reply To: Do you think ‘Andrei Rublev’ inspired Kurosawa?

Sam — Sun, 21 Dec 2025 05:49:48 +0000

Thank you! That is a sweet anecdote.

Reply To: Do you think ‘Andrei Rublev’ inspired Kurosawa?

Mark — Fri, 19 Dec 2025 20:38:23 +0000

“As if to rival him, I joined in.

For I was at that moment very happy to find myself living on Earth.”

Reply To: Do you think ‘Andrei Rublev’ inspired Kurosawa?

Mark — Fri, 19 Dec 2025 20:35:00 +0000

Tarkovsky and Kurosawa greatly admired each other.

Check this out!

Akira Kurosawa on watching ‘Solaris’ with Andrei Tarkovsky

Tarkovsky was together with me then. He was at the corner of the studio. When the film was over, he stood up, looking at me as if he felt timid. I said to him, “Very good. It makes me feel real fear.” Tarkovsky smiled shyly, but happily. And we toasted vodka at the restaurant in the Film Institute. Tarkovsky, who didn’t drink usually, drank a lot of vodka, and went so far as to turn off the speaker from which music had floated into the restaurant, and began to sing the theme of samurai from Seven Samurai at the top of his voice.
—Akira Kurosawa

A new TV remake of The Magnificent Seven in production

Vili — Wed, 17 Dec 2025 20:20:59 +0000

There seems to be a new The Magnificent Seven TV Series coming, with Heroes creator Tim Kring running the show. No casting yet, so I assume this will still take a while to materialise.