Film historian Peter Cowie’s new book Akira Kurosawa: Master of Cinema is as far as I can see now published and on its way to bookshops. Amazon.co.uk lists March 1 as the publication date in the UK but also gives the book as “temporarily out of stock”, while Amazon.com lists March 9 as the publication date for the US. Meanwhile, other places like The Book Depository already stock the title.
Not much information is yet available about the book apart from it being marketed as “the most lavishly produced and profusely illustrated volume on Akira Kurosawa ever published”, suggesting that the book is heavy on illustrations, including “annotated script pages, sketches, and storyboards”. One wonders what the book can bring onto the table here that the Akira Kurosawa Digital Archive hasn’t already given us.
Fortunately, it should not be all pictures. Peter Cowie has written extensively on film, especially Ingmar Bergman and Scandinavian cinema in general. A well respected film scholar, I am quite excited to find out what Cowie has to say about Kurosawa’s works, and I expect to see some new insights.
As always, you will hear from me in the form of a book review once I get a copy of the book (I ordered from the Book Depository, which I have used in the past and been happy with). Unless the delivery is delayed for some reason (usually takes about 5 days), I would expect to have a review ready in about a week or two.
I look forward to this book, Cowie is one of the few critics/ film writers, I do like.
Anyone that places Bergman’s Seventh Seal as his all time favorite, and claims it life-changing, is alright be me after all.
This book, I do believe his is first dive into Japanese cinema, it would be curious to his views towards Japanese films, coming from a largely Scandinavian foundation, as I personally see the two methods greatly different, if although in no conflict.
Americans: stay away from Borders books, they want $75. Not that would have a reason to go, unless you like wrongly categorized books, in unorganized bookshelves.