High and Low

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Akira Kurosawa's High and Low (1963) is a gripping combination of character study, social commentary and thriller. Toshiro Mifune's lead character is an executive (in a successful company) who becomes the target of a blackmail attempt.

Kurosawa's large cast of fascinating characters has to face thought-provoking ethical dilemmas as they try to solve the case without harming anyone. The director's strong ethical concerns and magnificently used melodrama are especially the key elements for the first third of the film which is shot solely on one set. The film names and explores many social concerns, but at the end I realised I'm not exactly sure what Kurosawa wanted to say with the film. That might just be my problem though. The more troubling "flaw" (even though it's not exactly one) is the surprisingly long police investigation part in the middle of the film. Luckily Kurosawa's approach to it never makes it boring even when it's clearly too long for the film's sake.

The form doesn't fail either. Kurosawa's explosive and captivating cinematography is on the level of his masterpieces (Seven Samurai) and the editing is almost equally impressive. The set design is vital for the film since a significant portion of it takes place at the lead character's house - and it is damn captivating to say the least. The form wouldn't have been nearly as effective without the amazing actors each of whom deliver a pitch-perfect performance. Mifune's aggressive and menacing performance is rivalled by Nakadai's confidence, Yamazaki's paranoia, Mihashi's introversion and Kagawa's hysteria.

When I'm asked who my favorite director is, I usually answer Akira Kurosawa. High and Low reminded me of why it is so even though it's not completely impeccable.

Score: 9 out of 10

Throne of Blood

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Throne of Blood (1957) is yet another loose Shakespeare adaptation for the director Akira Kurosawa: this time Macbeth was the play Kurosawa used as inspiration. Set in feudal Japan, the film follows the rise and tragic fall of a samurai (Toshiro Mifune). Kurosawa delivers yet another tangible exploration of greed and loyalty. He creates a cast of interesting characters that are introduced remarkably well.

If the writing alone is impressive, then the form is even more so. Captivating camerawork (that calms down for pivotal scenes to a stunning effect), atmospheric lighting and absolutely marvellous sets make this film a breathtaking experience for anyone. Mifune is a scene stealer yet again with his expressive performance.

Throne of Blood is yet another astonishing masterpiece from Kurosawa who is quite possibly my favorite director of all time.

Score: 10 out of 10

Red Beard

Akira Kurosawa's Red Beard (1965) stumbles a bit for the first two hours: its introduction of the characters overstays its welcome and the narrative is a bit uneven. As we get to know Red Beard (a famous doctor who helps the poor), Yasumoto (a young doctor who is unwillingly forced to help Red Beard) and a wide range of side characters, there are moments of thematic brilliance (social injustice is only the most visible theme) even if the narrative is a bit messed up. Luckily the last hour (basically the part after the intermission) is very solid in all aspects because it gives the film a clear focus.

Kurosawa's form is great yet again with impeccable lighting, striking compositions and gripping editing. Reviewing the form of a Kurosawa film becomes quite meaningless because it is nearly flawless almost on every occasion. The only exception to the rule is The Idiot because it was butchered by the studio.

Even if Red Beard is a slightly flawed film, it's certainly worth watching because the last segment of the film is so masterful.

Score: 8 out of 10

The Bad Sleep Well

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Akira Kurosawa's The Bad Sleep Well (1960) is usually regarded as a lesser effort in comparison to the director's other films. I would like to say that this is a shame because The Bad Sleep Well is yet another magnificent masterpiece from the Japanese auteur - a film that deserves praise as much as his other masterpieces. Here's a plot synopsis as simply put as possible: a young man attempts to take revenge for his father's murder committed by corrupt industrialists.

The film opens with a wedding scene that is not only one of the greatest scenes Kurosawa has made, but also one of the greatest openings for a film I've ever seen. The introduction of characters (and there are a LOT of them) and the plot exposition are so wonderfully handled in such a short time that I was totally flabbergasted. While the narrative isn't as dense during the rest of the film, The Bad Sleep Well is still a masterpiece of storytelling.  The characters are deep and intriguing throughout the film: the layers of Mifune's Nishi are gradually revealed throughout the film in a stunning way, and Mori's Iwabuchi is one of the greatest villains Kurosawa has ever created.

Kurosawa's form is very intense through powerful imagery (e.g. Nishi's and Yoshiko's meeting in the hideout), masterful camera movement and precise editing. The musical score succeeds in being very haunting and dramatic at the same time. Every member of the cast gives a wonderful performance, especially Toshiro Mifune and Masayuki Mori.

Kurosawa's The Bad Sleep Well is another example of Kurosawa's great contemporary dramas which should be seen by everyone.

Score: 10 out of 10

Yojimbo

Akira Kurosawa's Yojimbo (1961) has been an influential in many ways. It has not only spawned a few remakes (including Sergio Leone's A Fistful of Dollars), but it also created a new sub-genre of chanbara (which attempts to make swordplay more realistic) and it made the simple storyline more popular (a badass stranger comes into a town to beat bandits).

The film's narrative is gripping and surprisingly dense. It is nearly exhaustive (in a good way) with a lot of properly developed characters and fast plot development. Yojimbo is written perfectly within the genre's restrictions. It is flawless as it is.

Kurosawa's form is a delight yet again. Especially the opening sequence of the film is constructed in a stunning way: you'll need to see this film even if it is only to see the scene in which the protagonist enters the town. Kurosawa makes us familiar with the set so effortlessly.

Yojimbo yet again proves how versatile Kurosawa was as a director - and how awesome (and badass) Toshiro Mifune is.

Score: 10 out of 10

Kagemusha

Akira Kurosawa's Kagemusha (1980) reminded me of why I am such a huge fan of the director (in fact, I would name him the greatest director of all time): he has made so many films that are simply too brilliant. Even though Kurosawa himself referred to Kagemusha as the "dress rehearsal" for Ran (1985), the film is not a minor masterpiece. In fact, it is nearly as great as the epic Shakespearean film even though its tone and scope are vastly different.

The film recounts the tale of a thief who is forced to impersonate a famous warlord after his death. The impersonator's role is quite poetic, seeing how he is metaphorically between life and death throughout the film. His problems with identity and something resembling an existential crisis are thought-provoking. The powerplay between the warlords might not be as violent and aggressive as in Ran, but it surely is intriguing.

Kagemusha is incredibly poetic in its expression: long takes, precise compositions, graceful camera movement, meditative pacing and fascinating imagery create a distinctive mood for the film.

Kagemusha instantly became one of my favorite Kurosawa films. It creates a fantastic pair with Ran - it would be fascinating to take a deeper look into these two films and compare them.

Score: 10 out of 10

The Idiot

Before I get to my actual review I will attempt to clear up a few things. I'm a huge fan of Fyodor Dostoevsky and Akira Kurosawa is probably my favorite director of all time. It shouldn't come to you as a surprise that I appreciated Kurosawa's adaptation of Dostoevsky's The Idiot a lot. However, the film is possibly a bit hard to understand for those who have not read the original novel because the studio butchered the film by removing significant portions of the cut that is the only surviving cut to date. Originally Kurosawa spent a lot of time and effort on creating a perfect rhythm for the film and that cut was a bit over 4 hours long. The studio, Shochiku, told Kurosawa to cut it shorter. After a bunch of cuts and arguments, the studio itself simply butchered most of the first third of the film. The result is disastrous because the narrative is so messed up in the final version. However, more than a half of the film was left intact as it was and I can still savour those scenes even though a lot of needed development was cut from the beginning. Kurosawa had created a complex beginning for the film - which not only established a lot of side characters that were eventually cut from the film, but also set the mood for the film.

Akira Kurosawa's The Idiot (1951) is the story of a purely good man who becomes the target of ridicule in snowbound Hokkaido. Dostoevsky's original novel took place in Russia of the 1860's, but Kurosawa brilliantly changes the setting to the post-war Hokkaido. Due to the change of milieu there are a few details about the story that have been changed - such as the philosophical and religious ideas that were present throughout the novel. A lot of motifs and symbols from the novel are smoothly transferred to the film while Kurosawa adds his own touch on top of them. Even though the beginning of the film was butchered, Kurosawa still manages to explore the main characters properly enough and shows us just how conflicted, vulnerable and fascinating they are. 

Kurosawa's form is intimate, powerful and clever in The Idiot. His compositions are beautiful and poignant - lots of interesting visual motifs can be discovered. Like I've mentioned before, Kurosawa is masterful when it comes to placing characters in each composition. The camera movement is graceful and wonderful. After the initial shock the editing becomes decent too - especially after the first hour because that is where the film was left untouched by the studio.

The film's biggest strength is the cast - each and every one make a brilliant performance. Masayuki Mori's Kameda is probably the best Myshkin (the character's original name) we will ever witness in cinema. His body language and line delivery are pitch perfect. However, his performance doesn't dominate the film even though it could do that in a lot of other films. Toshiro Mifune's repressed yet aggressive performance is haunting. Setsuko Hara's noble and dramatic portrayal of Nasu Taeko caught me off-guard by its magnificence. Yoshiko Kuga's Ayako embodies exactly what I thought about the character in the original novel.

I have to admit that my appreciation for the film is quite personal and the film is quite open for attacks due to its narrational incoherence.

Score: 10 out of 10

Scandal

Before Akira Kurosawa became famous outside Japan with his Rashômon (1950), he made Scandal (1950). It is his direct assault against Japanese media. A young painter (Toshiro Mifune) offers his help to a famous singer, but the eager paparazzi take a photo of the two and imply that they are secretly in love. The story is partly based on Akira Kurosawa's own experiences when it was implied by the press that he had an affair. However, the true main character of the film is the corrupt lawyer (Takashi Shimura) who decides to help the painter.

Scandal is heavy-handed and melodramatic even by Kurosawa's own standards. He points out a simple problem caused by Japan's rapid change during the 40's (and eventually in the 50's as well). Even though the film is over-sentimental Kurosawa manages to keep it together miraculously thanks to his strong characters and cast. Especially Takashi Shimura's towering performance dominates the entire film.

Although Kurosawa's form works well enough in the film, it seems he still hasn't completely refined it. There are a few truly brilliant moments - like the wonderful (if over-sentimental) bar scene. 

In overall, Scandal is an interesting film - especially for the fans of Kurosawa - despite being somewhat flawed and over-the-top.

Score: 7 out of 10

Dreams

Dreams (1990) was one of the last films Akira Kurosawa ever directed. It is a fragmented collection of dreams that aren't connected to each other in any way. They touch on many subjects and themes, but the final result is perplexing to say the least - because the film is hardly coherent at all. There's also a problem with the strong morals: they are handled in a ridiculously heavy-handed way. Although I have to admit that the dream involving Vincent Van Gogh was awesome.

While the content is challenging and confusing, the form is spot-on. Kurosawa never fails to create breathtaking imagery. The pacing is wonderfully dreamy and while that makes the film a bit harder to watch, it works well to enhance the unclear content. The musical score is delightful as well.

Dreams was certainly something new for Kurosawa, but this "experiment" doesn't work as well as it could have possibly worked.

Score: 5 out of 10

PS: I would be interested in reading a Jungian analysis of the dreams. Maybe that would make me understand the content better.

Dodesukaden

Akira Kurosawa's first color film Dodesukaden (1970) offers a rich portrayal of poverty-stricken people in Tokyo. Among the massive ensemble, there are two drunkards who swap wives, a boy who drives and maintains an imaginary tram while living alone with his mother and a homeless man who spends his days designing his dream house with his son.

Kurosawa's skill to create unforgettable characters is obvious in Dodesukaden because each one of them is rich even though there isn't a lot of screentime for anyone in particular. When you take into consideration the ridiculous amount of characters, the running time (140 minutes) isn't very long - yet the film manages to delve into all of their lives in enormous detail. The narrative seems to switch between the stories aimlessly, but due to Kurosawa's magical storytelling it never becomes hard to follow the story.

Even though it does not give a favorable image of Tokyo, it never seems critical about the city (or the country, for that matter). The absurd conditions help the film from falling into simple social criticism. The eccentric sets make the film seem independent of the real world - and that's only good because the attention should be on the characters. Kurosawa handles the characters in a genuinely caring and compelling way even though there are strong elements of tragedy. His powerful passion for the characters is directly passed along to the viewers. And that's what makes Dodesukaden great.

Kurosawa's form is fine as well although it is a bit more confusing than in his earlier films. Most of the time, everything works really well in terms of telling the story poignantly. The compositions and pacing are especially good. His use of long takes pays off excellently. His overemphasis of colors is distracting at times which makes the film feel a bit uneven for a moment.

I came to the conclusion that while Dodesukaden is underrated (or at least it isn't given enough attention), it is one of Kurosawa's "lesser" masterpieces. The genuinely interesting characters make the film worthwhile.

Score: 9 out of 10

Ran

Even though Akira Kurosawa continued making films in the 90's, Ran (1985) is commonly considered his final masterpiece. It is also one of his biggest productions ever - even though he used "only" 1400 extras, it feels like there are a lot more of them (Kurosawa directed the massive sequences in a clever way). The film is the story of an old lord who lets his three sons take his position, assuming that they will work together as he suggested. Shortly thereafter, the two corrupt sons betray their father and the youngest brother.

The film's screenplay was inspired by Japanese history (the daimyo Mori Motonari) and Shakespeare (King Lear). On top of that, it deals with Kurosawa's own views about loyalty. Kurosawa approaches loyalty as a theme in all of the film's storylines (there are a lot of them even though the plot description doesn't show it). He mixes elements of greed, lust, power and guilt with the main theme and thus, it becomes a deep exploration of the ugly sides of humanity. Especially his take on guilt is fascinating: once the old lord has lost everything, he goes insane due to his guilt and even tries to dig himself a grave. Kurosawa's take is ambitious in its complexity - and what's the best thing about it is that he succeeds perfectly.

Surprisingly, there are bursts of cruel violence and blood in Ran. It is something Kurosawa has never emphasized in his films before. Especially for a Kurosawa fan this film hits hard because it seems him go to an extremely poignant level in delivering his message. Kurosawa uses music sparsely in the film, but it even further punctuates the moments he uses it in. The most unforgettable scene is the assault of the third castle during which the old lord becomes mad: the sound effects disappear and there is only music during the disturbing sequence of violence. The silence of sound effects ends to the sound of a gunshot - and its effect is astonishing.

Kurosawa spent a LOT of time (around 10 years) storyboarding the film - by PAINTING each shot beforehand. The result is breathtaking because each shot is so carefully composed. The lines and the colors are in perfect harmony. The editing is also remarkable in how it flawlessly brings the story together and gives it the magnificent pace.

The tragedy in Ran is heartbreaking. The characters are corrupted more as the film goes on - and everything is slowly crushed and taken away. Especially the ending left me a little teary-eyed. It is a simply stunning experience to watch the film.

Score: 10 out of 10

The Hidden Fortress

The Hidden Fortress (1958) is one of Akira Kurosawa's "lighter" films. While the film has its share of serious content, it is mostly comical and adventurous. The film follows two hilariously greedy peasants who end up in silly places and situations while escorting a princess and her general.

The most important and funniest aspect of the whole story is the interaction between the two peasants. When they're down on their luck they try to get along, but once they receive a chance to get rich they bicker and fight each other until they ruin their great opportunity. It is this tragic yet funny cycle that is repeated so many times during the film - and that never loses its appeal. In fact, The Hidden Fortress actually made me laugh more than any other film I've seen in a month. Sadly the other characters arent quite as good as the two peasants because they are so blank that you can easily forget them.

The film's narrative is a bit weird: while you watch the film its structure remains mysterious because you dont have any idea where it will go next and when it will end - unless you are looking at how much time has passed. Somehow Kurosawa makes the narrative work even though it seems quite chaotic in hindsight.

Kurosawa yet again proves how he can effortlessly punctuate the whole film with brilliant camera movement and editing. For example, after the peasants have worked hard there is a shot when they are walking towards the camera (and the camera is pulled at a similar speed) while talking about the general. Once they begin to suspect his disappearance and come to their own funny conclusion, the camera stops right away (the actors stop as well) in order to enforce the impact of the "conclusion".

Oh melodrama, melodrama. The Hidden Fortress suffers from occassionally terrible melodrama. While the exaggerated performances of the peasants is justified (and essential), there are other performances which are too stiff and melodramatic. Mifune doesnt fall for that as can be expected from him, but Misa Uehara's performance as the princess is a notable example of this problem.

In the end, The Hidden Fortress is a nice and entertaining adventure film. It was supposed to be one though: it was Kurosawa's way to thank the producers for financing riskier films like Rashômon (1950). The film is often compared to the original Star Wars film because it was one of the films that influenced Lucas. There are a lot of similarities and the funny thing is that Star Wars actually does everything even better than The Hidden Fortress. Although, I might actually prefer the peasants to the droid duo of C3P0 and R2D2. I know, I'm a heretic for saying that, but I simply find the two a lot more interesting and funnier.

Score: 7 out of 10

Seven Samurai

Akira Kurosawa's epic masterpiece, Seven Samurai (1954), is constantly brilliant throughout its monstrous running time (three and half hours). In the film, a poor village hires seven samurais to protect them from bandits. The first third of the film shows how they acquire these samurais; the second third involves the planning and construction before the battle; the final third is the long battle itself. The idea might seem simple, but the film's screenplay is stunningly complex.

First of all, Kurosawa's skill to craft 12 essential and unforgettable characters in the film is staggering. There are not many (if any) other films which feature such a flawless and colorful ensemble. The samurai are often mentioned to be the most memorable characters in the film, but I thought the five important villagers were as awesome as the samurai. Even though Toshiro Mifune's Kikuchiyo is the craziest one, the villager Yohei is the endless source of comic relief.

Secondly, despite its length the film is very dense in its narrative. It runs at a fast pace and only the essential is shown onscreen. It is incredible how well Kurosawa brings all the multiple storylines together without a single problem. Also, the film's most remarkable narrative achievement is that you never feel like you are watching a long film.

Thirdly, the content is so rich that there is no way I can comment on everything in a simple review: I would have to make a long essay to cover everything which is awesome in the film's content.

As expected, Kurosawa's form is brilliant in Seven Samurai. The music is not distracting this time - instead it is very effective. His compositions are great yet again. The pacing is brilliant because you dont even realise you have spent 3 hours watching the film until you are at the end. To be completely honest, the film was so involving and story-driven that there were moments when I realised I hadnt paid any attention to the form. I guess that's a testatment to its power.

The whole cast in the film is magnificent. Kurosawa's regulars Mifune and Shimura are the shining stars of the film, but the rest of the cast nearly rival them so there is no imbalance between the performances. I can rarely say it, but the acting in Seven Samurai is FLAWLESS - even though it is melodramatic.

Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai is one of the most praised masterpieces ever - and it is rightfully so. Its influence on other films is enormous and there isnt any other film that could even be honestly compared with it.

Score: 10 out of 10

Stray Dog

I'm taking a break from the "Hou marathon" I've been on for a few days. But I'm not making this break easy for me at all for I have decided to rewatch a few films by none other than Akira Kurosawa. The first choice for me was Stray Dog (1949) because when I saw it for the first time years ago I thought it was boring. Oh, how wrong I was back then.

Essentially, Stray Dog is the story of a young cop whose gun is stolen and he tries to get it back by all means necessary. While the film explores the feeling of guilt and paranoia that the cop experiences, it goes far beyond that.

The title, "stray dog", refers to the man who commits crimes with the stolen pistol. As Takashi Shimura's character (who becomes a mentor to the young cop) says, a murderer is like a stray dog: he only sees the road in front of him. Kurosawa's main point seems to be in showing how the World War II has affected the Japanese - especially its influence on upbringing. In the end, the cop and the murderer are almost the same - only different by occupation and one single choice.

There is also an interesting polarisation Kurosawa uses between the young cop and his "mentor". While the young cop strictly believes that evil is the result of negative surroundings, the older cop dismisses that belief outright. "Evilness is purely evil", he says. It is also very interesting to see how the film almost literally explodes into ferociousness in its final act. Kurosawa certainly knows how to build the tension up towards the climax.

Akira Kurosawa's form is also fascinating. His way to place the characters onscreen is powerful. When compared to Yasujiro Ozu, Kurosawa's editing is aggressive. That can especially be noticed when he uses montages which are used quite well actually. Kurosawa wouldn't be Kurosawa without melodrama, and the music is a bit dramatic most of the time, but luckily it is never too distracting. The same thing can be said about acting in his films, but in Stray Dog the melodrama never bothered me. In fact, Toshiro Mifune's melodramatic performance was so great that he even rivalled Takashi Shimura's more restrained performance.

I would strongly recommend Stray Dog to anyone: it's a powerful (even if old-fashioned) thriller that has a lot to say.

Score: 9 out of 10

Ikiru

Akira Kurosawa's Ikiru (1952) is the story of an old man (Takashi Shimura) who finds out he has only 6 months to live. The film is the portrayal of his struggle after learning about this horrible truth. At the same time, Kurosawa delivers sharp social criticism by taking aim at the horrible bureaucracy that takes place at the office the man works at.

Ikiru is a heartbreaking film which has a few glorious moments of comedy, but in the end it is a tragedy. The film's content works on a personal and a social level: while the old man has to accept his incoming death he goes through a complicated phase of development before the film finally moves onto the strong social criticism. The content's admirable complexity left me in awe. Kurosawa's form doesn't fail either. The powerful camera movement and delicious photography are brilliant as usual.

Score: 10 out of 10