REMAKES
 

The Last Princess (Kakushi Toride no San-Akunin: The Last Princess, 2008)

The Last Princess is a fairly big budget Japanese remake of The Hidden Fortress (which is also in the original title of the remake). It is not a cinematic masterpiece by any stretch, but it is still fairly entertaining, and I think that it does give you an insight into how certain people feel Kurosawa needs to be “modernized”. The acting is quite good, and the plot is fairly faithful to the original.

I have written a full review, which you can find here. Some sort of a DVD is available at Amazon.com, although one reviewer has pointed out that the English subtitles are not very good.

Seven Samurai (Shichinin no samurai, 2008)

Now, here is something quite bizarre: a remake of Seven Samurai that was apparently made available only through one of those pachinko machines in Japan.

You would think that given the concept, this would be some sort of a low-budget no-name project, but the film was actually directed by Hiroyuki Nakano (Samurai Fiction), and stars an ensemble of big name Japanese actors. Among the crew, we have the costume designer Emi Wada, who worked with Kurosawa on Dreams and Ran, while cinematographer Masaharu Ueda (Kagemusha, Ran, Dreams, Rhapsody in August, Madadayo) worked the camera.

Oh yes, and the soundtrack is supposedly composed of Rolling Stones tunes.

As I said, the film is apparently only available on those pachinko machines, so there appears to be no way to purchase it. Consequently, I haven’t actually seen it.

Tsubaki Sanjuro (Tsubaki Sanjuro, 2007)

A Japanese remake of Sanjuro, which one reviewer described as “line to line, cut to cut and angle to angle” copy of the original. I have yet to watch the film, but from what I have seen, it indeed appears to be a very close remake, with the unfortunate situation that the young Yuji Oda is unable to command similar screen presence as was Toshiro Mifune, and consequently the remake lacks much of what made the original so interesting.

Tsubaki Sanjuro can be purchased from Amazon.co.jp, but comes without English subtitles.

Ikiru (Ikiru, 2007)

A made-for-TV remake of Ikiru by TV Asahi, which aired in Japan in 2007. Matsumoto Koshiro IX has stepped into Takashi Shimura’s shoes for the main role, and the story has been adapted to take place in the present day.

Ikiru can be purchased from Amazon.co.jp, but comes without English subtitles — or indeed subtitles of any kind.

High and Low (Tengoku to jigoku, 2007)

Another made-for-TV remake by TV Asahi, which like Ikiru aired in Japan in 2007. As with Ikiru, the story has been brought from post-war Japan to the present day. The location has also been changed to Hokkaido. Written and directed by Yasuo Tsuruhashi, and starring Koichi Sato, Hiroshi Abe, Kyoka Suzuki and Ken Watanabe’s model daughter Anne Watanabe.

High and Low can be purchased from Amazon.co.jp, but comes without English subtitles — or indeed subtitles of any kind.

Samurai 7 (Samurai sebun, 2004)

A Japanese animated series based on Seven Samurai, but with the action moved into a futuristic steampunk-like society with flying castles and whatnot.

Being 26 episodes, or about 10 hours long, there is obviously some extra content added to the story. For more information, you could check out the Wikipedia article. I lasted for two and a half episodes, until I stopped watching. I’ll have to try again one day.

Samurai 7 is available on DVD with English subtitles from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk, among other places.

Last Man Standing (1996)

A 1996 remake of Yojimbo starring Bruce Willis and Christopher Walken, and written and directed by Walter Hill. Last Man Standing moves the samurai story into a prohibition era town in Texas, where gangsters, bootleggers and prostitutes abound.

It is not a bad film — in fact, it is well worth watching, if only for the Kurosawa reference. I have written a treatment that compares the film to Yojimbo and A Fistful of Dollars; you can find it here.

Last Man Standing is available on DVD with English subtitles from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk, among other places.

Sugata Sanshiro (2007 — remake of Sugata Sanshiro?)
Inkaar (1977 — based on High and Low?)
Sanshiro Sugata (Sugata Sanshiro, 1977 — based on the 1965 remake of Kurosawa’s original)
Stray Dog (Nora inu, 1973 — based on the 1949 film)
Sanshiro Sugata (Sugata Sanshiro, 1970 — based on the 1965 remake of Kurosawa’s original)
“A Brave Generous Era” (Ninkyo yawara ichidai, 1966 — based on the same novel as Sanshiro Sugata)
Django (1966 — based on Yojimbo?)
Judo Saga (Sugata Sanshiro, 1965 — based on Sugata Sanshiro)
A Fistful of Dollars (Per un pungo di dollari, 1964 — based on Yojimbo)
The Outrage (1964 — based on Rashomon)
Rashomon (1961 — TV movie influenced by Rashomon?)
Rashomon (1960 — TV movie influenced by Rashomon?)
The Magnificent Seven (1960 — based on Seven Samurai)
Sanshiro Sugata (Sugata Sanshiro, 1955 — based on Sugata Sanshiro)

FILMS INFLUENCED BY KUROSAWA
 

Tajomaru (2009 — based on the bandit character from Rashomon)
The 8th Samurai (2008 — a short film about the “eighth samurai” in Seven Samurai)
Vantage Point (2008 — influenced by Rashomon)
Hoodwinked! (2005 — animated film influenced by Rashomon?)
Yojimbo of the Wind (Kaze no yojimbo, 2001 — animated TV series based on Yojimbo)
Inferno (1999 — influenced by Yojimbo?)
China Gate (1998 — influenced by Seven Samurai?)
A Bug’s Life (1998 — partly influenced by Seven Samurai)
An Obsession (Tsumetai chi, 1998 — possibly influenced by Stray Dog?)
Too Much Sleep (1997 — influenced by Stray Dog?)
Ransom (1996 — some scenes influenced by High and Low)
Run (Xian ren zhang, 1994 — influenced by Yojimbo?)
The Wild East (Dikiy vostok, 1993 — influenced by Seven Samurai?)
Dave (1993 — possibly influenced by Kagemusha?)
El Mariachi (1992 — influenced by Yojimbo?)
Iron Maze (1991 — influenced by Rashomon?)
Dune Warriors (1990 — influenced by Seven Samurai?)
Street Trash (1987 — influenced by Dodesukaden?)
Three Amigos (1986 — based on Seven Samurai)
The Warrior and the Sorceress (1984 — based on Yojimbo?)
The Seven Magnificent Gladiators (I sette magnifici gladiatori, 1983 — influenced by Seven Samurai?)
“Plawres Sanshiro” (Plawres Sanshiro, 1982 — anime TV series influenced by Sanshiro Sugata)
Battle Beyond the Stars (1980 — influenced by Seven Samurai?)
Duel of the Seven Tigers (Liu he qian shou, 1979 — influenced by Seven Samurai?)
Star Wars (1977 — influenced by The Hidden Fortress and other Kurosawa films)
Karate Warriors (Kozure satsujin ken, 1976 — based on Yojimbo?)
Sholay (1975 — influenced by Seven Samurai)
Four Times That Night (Quante volte… quella notte, 1972 — influenced by Rashomon)
Youth of the Beast (Yaju no seishun, 1963 — influenced by Yojimbo?)

The book begins with a short foreword by Martin Scorsese, an introduction by Donald Richie, a tiny note from Kurosawa’s daughter, costume designer Kazuko Kurosawa, and finally an equally short preface by the author himself. These, like the rest of the book, are accompanied by various stills from Kurosawa’s movies, as well as posters, pictures of Kurosawa and his family, and drawings by both Kurosawa and his close aide Teruyo Nogami. The book also includes a number of script pages, with scribbles and drawings made while filming. It is this type of visual material that dominates the book, and one gets the feeling that the primary purpose of the included text is simply to fill up the spaces around the images and to arrange them thematically.

Chapter 1 (pages 36-51) is titled “The Man and His Formative Years” and it gives us some basic information about Kurosawa and his early works. Chapter 2 (pages 52-103), “Images of the Modern World”, discusses those Kurosawa films that take place in a contemporary setting, while chapter 3 (pages 104-185), titled “The Historical Imperative”, turns our attention to Kurosawa’s jidai-geki, or period pictures. These chapters, within which discussion progresses more or less chronologically, offer basically no new insights, instead repeating the typical anecdotes and bits of information familiar to anyone who has read a Kurosawa book or two. Of the pictures included in these chapters, the ones taken of Kurosawa with his family or the director at his summer retreat are perhaps the most interesting. Chapter 3 also includes a number of examples of Teruyo Nogami’s continuity sketches, while pages 100 and 101 present us a very nice side-to-side comparison of a scene from Madadayo and a storyboard painting that it was based on.

Chapter 4, “The Literary Connection” (pages 186-231), concentrates on Kurosawa’s most straightforward adaptations of western literature, namely the films The Idiot, The Lower Depths, Throne of Blood and Ran, with more than half of the chapter constituting of pictures from the last mentioned. This if followed by chapter 5 (pages 232-275) “Formalism and the Elements”, which is something of a hodgepodge of topics and is divided into subsections titled “water”, “air”, “fire”, “earth”, “painting”, “music”, “theatrical influences” and “color”. It is in these two chapters that one would expect Cowie to finally bring something of his own to the table, but unfortunately this is not the case. “The Literary Connection” chapter not only has very little substantial to say about Kurosawa’s literary adaptations, but like the list of films indicates doesn’t really bother with Kurosawa’s adaptations of Japanese works. Meanwhile, the sections in chapter 5 are nothing more than thinly veiled excuses to group certain types of pictures together, rather than prompting Cowie to provide substantial thoughts about Kurosawa’s relationship with the elements listed. However, as with the first three chapters, the images themselves are gorgeous and well selected.

The book concludes with the brief chapter 6 (276-284) titled “Riding into History”, which offers a few words about Kurosawa’s continuing influence. After the final chapter, we also get a very cursory filmography, a list of references, and a few acknowledgements.

All in all, Cowie’s book was clearly written with the coffee table book audience in mind. You can pick up the book, open it pretty much anywhere to read just a paragraph or two, and you are rewarded with a generic self-contained anecdote or thought. As the book was thus meant to be picked up and read randomly, it contains quite little real coherence or overall narration, preventing any real theorising or argumentation. As mentioned earlier, this is quite disappointing considering the calibre of the writer.

The pictures are, of course, nice to look at. So, if you feel the need to own a coffee table book which can function as a conversation starter, Akira Kurosawa: Master of Cinema is an excellent choice. For information about Kurosawa and his works, however, many better books exist.

Peter Cowie’s Akira Kurosawa: Master of Cinema is now available for purchase, including from Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk and The Book Depository.

Despite the title, this is not really a review, but an attempt at one based on somewhat incomplete data. While I really appreciate Criterion’s kind offer to send me review copies of the discs that they had not previously released, it is obviously difficult to draw a complete picture of the box set based on only the four film prints that I got. But here’s a try.

The Four New Films

I’ll start with what I know, which means the four films not previously available on proper Region 1 DVD. These are Sanshiro Sugata, The Most Beautiful, Sanshiro Sugata Part II and The Men Who Tread on the Tiger’s Tail.

Picture quality for these four films is perfectly watchable, but nowhere near the quality of Criterion’s “proper” releases. Dust and scratch marks are everywhere, and there are brightness changes from one scene to another. Neither has the sound has been remastered. All in all, the prints of these four films are of slightly lower quality than with the five films found in Criterion’s Eclipse “Postwar Kurosawa” set.

I must stress, however, that the picture quality here should still be good enough to take nothing away from anyone’s enjoyment of these films, unless of course you watch films solely for their prints’ technical aspects (does anyone actually do that?). Also, and very importantly, since the subtitles are very good throughout, these Criterion discs are a much better pick than the earlier Chinese releases. And even if below Criterion’s usual high standards, the picture and sound quality are also a great improvement over the Chinese editions.

Unfortunately, I don’t have the Australian releases of the two Sanshiro Sugata films to compare Criterion’s efforts with, so I cannot say how the AK100 discs compare with those. But what I can say is that if you have been waiting for Sanshiro Sugata, The Most Beautiful, Sanshiro Sugata Part II and The Men Who Tread on the Tiger’s Tail to come out in Region 1, you should not be disappointed with the results.

This is what you get

Other Films

The other films included in the collection come from Criterion’s older releases, plus Madadayo, which Criterion has also slipped in. As this is a 25 film box set from a 30 film director, five of Kurosawa’s films are missing. These are The Quiet Duel, Dersu Uzala, Ran, Dreams and Rhapsody in August, which are all currently available on DVD from other publishers. These have in fact clearly been left out due to rights issues — Criterion simply couldn’t negotiate rights to release these films on DVD. I don’t think that this should be held against them, for bringing 25 films into one release is already a huge achievement in itself.

I have no way to confirm first-hand what the transfers used for these 21 other films are like, but a DVD File review informs us that the transfers are near-identical to Criterion’s older releases. I’m sure that some will be happy to hear that picture-boxing used in older releases has been removed, so you now get the picture occupying the entire screen estate, rather than including black bars to compensate for the area often left out around the edges by older televisions.

It was, of course, to be expected that Criterion would use their old transfers. How old, however, is another question. Films like Seven Samurai, Yojimbo, Sanjuro and High and Low have all received new and much improved transfers from Criterion to replace the company’s first attempts with them. Whether the discs included in the AK100 box set are the new transfers or the old ones is something that I cannot say. At least Seven Samurai, like all the other films in the collection, is included on just one disc, and therefore cannot be the same transfer as Criterion’s much celebrated three-DVD release, where the newly restored film was on two discs. Whether Criterion has reverted back to their original transfer, or re-encoded the restored transfer to fit onto one disc, is impossible for me to say. The same goes for the other films mentioned above — has Criterion used the new restored prints, or reverted back to the old ones? Unfortunately, I have no answer to you. The DVD File reviewer referred to above considers the DVD quality similar to older releases, but does not say which ones he is comparing them to. Additionally, he also sees the Sanshiro Sugata prints as an improvement over Criterion’s Eclipse releases, which as I mentioned is not how I see them.

Another question that I have no answer for is what the Madadayo disc looks like. As Criterion hasn’t at least to my knowledge previously released this film on DVD, I am left wondering whether this is the same transfer used by Winstar in their Region 1 Madadayo, or something else.

The good news is that other reviews of the AK100 box set will be published soon, and those will doubtlessly clarify the issue regarding transfers. Here, in any case, is an alphabetic list of the titles included:

The Bad Sleep Well (1960)
Dodes’ka-den (1970)
Drunken Angel (1948)
The Hidden Fortress (1958)
High and Low (1963)
I Live in Fear (1955)
The Idiot (1951)
Ikiru (1952)
Kagemusha (1980)
The Lower Depths (1957)
Madadayo (1993)
The Men Who Tread on the Tiger’s Tail (1945)
The Most Beautiful (1944)
No Regrets for Our Youth (1946)
One Wonderful Sunday (1947)
Rashomon (1951)
Red Beard (1965)
Sanjuro (1962)
Sanshiro Sugata (1943)
Sanshiro Sugata, Part II (1944)
Scandal (1950)
Seven Samurai (1954)
Stray Dog (1949)
Throne of Blood (1957)
Yojimbo (1961)

This is what I got.

DVD Extras

The box set films have no supplementary features on the discs, so unfortunately those buying this collection will get none of Criterion’s usual commentaries and documentaries that greatly help a newcomer to understand the films and their place in the Kurosawa canon. This is a real shame, but obviously an understandable marketing decision.

Written Material

The box set comes with an illustrated book, which includes a 3750 word introduction from Stephen Prince, his notes to each of the included films, and a short 1250 word “Remembering Kurosawa” essay from Donald Richie. I have had the opportunity to read this material in digital format.

As one would imagine, neither Prince’s or Richie’s essay touches any new ground, but rather concentrates on introducing Kurosawa to new audiences. Prince does a fine job in giving all the basic biographical and filmographic details, while Richie’s essay recounts a few anecdotes and perhaps somewhat surprisingly (but all the more honestly) concludes that ultimately Kurosawa is a director “about whom we really don’t know all that much”.

Prince’s notes on each film are very good, and he is able to in just three or four paragraphs give the reader a very good basic understanding of each film’s background and possible agenda. While these are obviously not comparable to his full-length commentary tracks that appear on Criterion’s original releases, they should be enough for someone who is only interested in watching these films for the sake of boosting his or her general knowledge of film history.

The box set closed. For once, the word “box” is not an exaggeration.

Conclusion

The question then is, who is this box set for? I would say that there are two kinds of people who should definitely buy this: those who need an easy and relatively cheap introduction to Kurosawa’s body of work, and those collectors who simply need to have every Kurosawa release out there.

For audiences new to Kurosawa’s films, the AK100 box set is well priced. The suggested retail price of $400 for 25 films comes to only $16 per film, and since from Amazon and other retailers are currently selling this for around $285, the unit price can be as low as $11.40 for each individual film. If you haven’t got any Kurosawa in your collection yet, and don’t think that you would in any case have it in you to spend hours going through supplementary materials found on Criterion’s earlier releases, this is certainly an excellent deal. Especially since for supplementary material, you can always later turn to the available Kurosawa literature, which can substitute for much of the missing audio commentaries, although you will still miss the excellent little “It is Wonderful to Create” documentaries that appear on most of Criterion’s Kurosawa releases, and include interviews with people who worked with Kurosawa. But if your aim is to get to know Kurosawa, not to become an authority in his works, this box set is for you.

The four films that have never before been properly released in Region 1 will obviously make this a tempting buy also for those who already have everything else. But, unless money is not an issue, the question that you need to ask is how long it will take for Criterion to release these discs separately, or as part of a box set of their own. While I have no official confirmation one way or another, I would bet that the four films will eventually come out sooner or later, possibly through the Eclipse series. (Edit: Criterion has now confirmed that the discs are getting a separate release.)

Whatever you do, remember that the AK100 films do not have those audio commentaries and documentaries found on earlier Criterion releases. So do think twice before you sell those older Criterion discs to replace them with the AK100 box set.

AK100: 25 Films by Akira Kurosawa will be available for purchase from December 8th, and can among other places be bought from Amazon.com, which currently prices the box set at $284.99 ($114.96 off the retail price), as well as from Amazon.ca.

The main task at the moment is to translate all the category titles so that those with no command of Japanese can also enjoy the Archives. As you can see, the work is still unfinished (I had to go to bed), but I will do my best to have the full listing here by the end of the week.

The numbers correspond to the category numbers in the Archive. The order presented here is the same that I see on the website — note that in a couple of places this order does not follow the numbering.

There are a few questions marks, which indicate that I am not sure about my translation. As usual, any suggestions, corrections, additions or modifications are welcomed with open arms.

I’ll try to deal with the visual presentation once I have got the data ready.

…

00. Other (他分類)

02. Related Works (関連作品)
  01. Wrestling-Ring Festival, Dohyosai 1944 (土俵祭)
  02. Snow Trail, Ginrei no hate 1947 (銀嶺のはて)
  03. Those Who Make Tomorrow, Asu o tsukuru hitobito 1946 (明日を創る人々)

03. Childhood (幼年時代)

04. Youth (青年時代)

05. Time as an Assistant Director (助監督時代)

06. The Kurosawa Family (黒澤家)

01. By Title (作品別)

  01. Sanshiro Sugata, Sugata Sanshiro 1943 (姿三四郎)
    01. Other (その他)
    02. Album (アルバム)
    04. Actors & Staff (俳優・スタッフ)
    05. Director (監督)

  02. The Most Beautiful, Ichiban utsukushiku 1944 (一番美しく)
    01. Other (その他)
    02. Album (アルバム)
    04. Actors & Staff (俳優・スタッフ)
    05. Director (監督)

  03. Sanshiro Sugata Part Two, Zoku Sugata Sanshiro 1945 (続姿三四郎)
    02. Director (監督)

  04. They Who Step on the Tiger’s Tail, Tora no o… 1945 (虎の尾を踏む男達)
    02. Other (その他)

  05. No Regrets for Our Youth, Waga seishun… 1946 (わが青春に悔なし)
    02. Actors & Staff (俳優・スタッフ)
    03. Director (監督)

  06. One Wonderful Sunday, Subarashiki nichiyoobi 1947 (素晴らしき日曜日)
    02. Actors & Staff (俳優・スタッフ)
    03. Director (監督)

  07. Drunken Angel, Yoidore tenshi 1948 (酔いどれ天使)
    02. Director (監督)

  08. The Quiet Duel, Shizukanaru ketto 1949 (静かなる決闘)
    02. Director (監督)

  09. Stray Dog, Nora inu 1949 (野良犬)
    02. Director (監督)

  10. Scandal, Shubun 1950 (醜聞)
    02. Director (監督)

  11. Rashomon, Rashomon 1950 (羅生門)
    01. Other (その他)
    03. Actors & Staff (俳優・スタッフ)
    04. Director (監督)

  12. The Idiot, Hakuchi 1951 (白痴)
    02. Actors & Staff (俳優・スタッフ)
    03. Director (監督)

  13. Ikiru, Ikiru 1952 (生きる)
    01. Other (その他)
    03. Director (監督)

  14. Seven Samurai, Shichinin no samurai 1954 (七人の侍)
    01. Other (その他)
    03. Actors & Staff (俳優・スタッフ)
    04. Director (監督)

  15. Record of a Living Being (I Live in Fear), Ikimono… 1955 (生きものの記録)
    02. Director (監督)

  16. Throne of Blood, Kumonosu jo 1957 (蜘蛛巣城)
    01. Other (その他)
    03. Actors & Staff (俳優・スタッフ)
    04. Director (監督)

  17. The Lower Depths, Donzoko 1957 (どん底)
    01. Blank (余白)
    03. Director (監督)

  18. The Hidden Fortress, Kakushi-toride no san-akunin 1958 (隠し砦の三悪人)
    01. Blank (余白)
    03. Director (監督)

  19. The Bad Sleep Well, Warui yatsu hodo… 1960 (悪い奴ほどよく眠る)
    02. Director (監督)

  20. Yojimbo, Yojimbo 1961 (用心棒)
    02. Director (監督)

  21. Sanjuro, Tsubaki Sanjuro 1962 (椿三十郎)
    02. Actors & Staff (俳優・スタッフ)
    03. Director (監督)

  22. High and Low, Tengoku to jigoku 1963 (天国と地獄)
    02. Director (監督)

  23. Red Beard, Akahige 1965 (赤ひげ)
    01. Other (その他)
    03. Actors & Staff (俳優・スタッフ)
    04. Director (監督)

  24. Dodesukaden, Dodesukaden 1970 (どですかでん)
    02. Director (監督)

  25. Dersu Uzala, Dersu Uzala 1975 (デルス・ウザーラ)
    01. Other (その他)
    04. Toshiro Mifune (三船敏郎)
    05. Actors & Staff (俳優・スタッフ)
    06. Special Preview of the Completed Film (完成特別披露試写会)
      01. Actors & Staff Welcomed (俳優スタッフ迎える)
      02. The Preview Screening (?) (完成特別披露式会)
      03. Press Conference (記者会見)
      04. First Public Screening (?) (上映初日、有楽座前)
      05. Returning Home After the Completetition of the Film (完成後の帰国)
      06. After Returning to the Moscow Film Festial (モスクワ映画祭後の帰国)
      07. Conference (会議)
    07. Director (監督)
    08. Taping the Music (音楽取り)
    09. Akira Kurosawa Stone Arrangement (?) (黒澤明達の石積み)

  26. Kagemusha, Kagemusha 1980 (影武者)
    01. Other (その他)
    03. Director (監督)

  27. Ran, Ran 1985 (乱)
    01. Other (その他)
    03. Time of Preparation (準備期間)
    04. Blank (余白)
    05. Director (監督)

  28. Dreams, Yume 1990 (夢)
    02. Actors & Staff (俳優・スタッフ)
    03. Director (監督)

  29. Rhapsody in August, Hachigatsu no rapusodi 1991 (八月の狂詩曲)
    01. Other (その他)
    03. Actors & Staff (俳優・スタッフ)
    04. Director (監督)

  30. Madadayo, Madadayo 1993 (まあだだよ)
    02. Director (監督)

08. Akira Kurosawa – Domestic (黒澤明・国内編)
  01. Photos until Now (?) (いままでの写真)
  02. Golf (ゴルフ)
  03. Dog (犬)
  04. Villa Gotenba (?) (御殿場別荘)
  05. Home in Seijo (成城自宅)
  06. Garcia Marquez (ガルシア・マルケス)

09. Akira Kurosawa – Abroad (黒澤明・国内編)
  01. Photos until Now (?) (いままでの写真)
  02. America (アメリカ編)
  03. India (インド編)
  04. Panama (パナマ編)
  05. Thailand (タイ編)
  06. Italy (イタリア編)
  07. Soviet Union (ソ連編)
  08. Rome – Olympics (ローマオリンピック)
  09. In connection with Ran (乱関係編)
    01. Amsterdam, the Netherlands (アムステルダム（オランダ）)
    02. Paris (パリ)
    03. Munich, West Germany (ミュヘン（西ドイツ）)
    04. London (ロンドン)
  10. France (フランス)

10. Work Connections (仕事関係)

11. Awards (授賞)
  01. Asahi Prize (朝日賞)
  02. Ramon Magsaysay Award (マグサイサイ賞)
  03. Person of Cultural Merit (文化功労賞)
  04. Special Honour of the Commemoration of the 60th Anniversary of Soviet Cinema (?) (ソ連映画事業６０周年記念特別名誉賞)
  05. 2nd Kawakita Award Ceremony (第２回川喜多賞)
  06. Légion d’honneur ceremony (コマンドゥール勲章授賞)
  07. Order of Culture (文化勲章)
  08. 5th Kawakita Award Ceremony (第５回川喜多賞)
  10. 62nd Academy Awards (第６２回アカデミー特別名誉賞)
  11. 1st Fukuoka Asian Cultural Prizes (第１回福岡アジア文化賞創設特別賞)
  12. 10th Kawakita Award Ceremony (第１０回川喜多賞)
  13. 4th Praemium Imperiale (第４回高松宮殿下記念世界文化賞)
  14. 10th Kyoto Prize (第１０回京都賞)
  15. People’s Honour Award (国民栄誉賞)
  16. Japan Foundation Award (国際交流基金賞)
  17. 48th Academy Awards (第48回アカデミー賞最優秀外国映画賞)

12. Film Festivals (映画祭)
  01. International Film Festival (国際映画祭)
  02. Moscow International Film Festival (モスクワ国際映画祭)
    01. Film Festival Area (映画祭会場)
    02. Film Festival (映画祭会場)
  03. 1st London Film Festival (第１回ロンドン映画祭)
  04. 33rd Cannes Film Festival (第３３回カンヌ国際映画祭)
  05. 43rd Cannes Film Festival (第4３回カンヌ国際映画祭)
  06. 44th Cannes Film Festival (第44回カンヌ国際映画祭)
  07. 46th Cannes Film Festival (第46回カンヌ国際映画祭)

13. Parties & Events (パーティー・イベント)
  01. Kurosawa’s 69th birthday (by Kagemusha crew (?)) (黒澤明６９歳誕生日を祝う会（「影武者」関係者による）)
  02. ‘Kurosawa Akira no zenbon’ Book Launch (「黒澤明の全貌」オープニングセレモニー)
  04. Order of Culture Medal Celebration (文化勲章をお祝いする会)
  06. Celebrating Kurosawa’s birthday and the completion of Rhapsody in August (黒澤明監督誕生日と「八月の狂詩曲」の完成を祝う会)
  08. Japanese Film Professional Association Awards (?) (全日本映画職能団体表彰)
  09. Celebrating the Completion of Dersu Uzala (「デルス・ウザーラ」の完成を祝う会)
  10. 65th birthday (Dersu Uzala) (「デルス・ウザーラ」６５歳の誕生会)

14. Commercials (cm)

15. With the World’s Film Directors (世界の映画監督達と)

21. Uncategorised (未分類)
  01. Akira Kurosawa Memorial Foundation (?) (黒澤明記念財団)
  03. Screenplays (handwritten) (シナリオと映画（直筆）)
  04. One sheet of AK’s handwritten director’s message (?) (映画監督と云うのはAK直筆1枚)
  05. What should be done, six handwritten sheets (何をなすべきかAK直筆6枚)
  06. Why refuse this film festival, five handwritten sheets (何故この映画祭を拒否するかAK直筆5枚)
  07. Discussion of selected works with the National Agency of Film Writers (‘Japanese Film’ journal) (?) (情報局国民映画脚本入選作品座談会（雑誌「日本映画」）)
  08. ‘Free Speech’ (?) by Akira Kurosawa, 45 sheets (放談　黒澤明45枚)
  09. Other (その他) [hanko-stamps!]

22. By title (作品別)

  01. Sanshiro Sugata, Sugata Sanshiro 1943 (姿三四郎)
    01. Screenplay (シナリオ)
    02. Concerning Sanshiro Sugata (姿三四郎について)
    03. Story (小説)
    04. Articles (記事)

  02. The Most Beautiful, Ichiban utsukushiku 1944 (一番美しく)
    01. Screenplay (台本)
    02. Story (小説)
    03. Articles (記事)

  03. Sanshiro Sugata Part Two, Zoku Sugata Sanshiro 1945 (続姿三四郎)
    01. Screenplay (台本（書込みあり）)

  04. They Who Step on the Tiger’s Tail, Tora no o… 1945 (虎の尾を踏む男達)
    01. Screenplay (台本（書込みあり）)
      01. [screenplay]
      02. Original script （原本シナリオ）
      03. Revised transcript （採録修正）

    02. Articles (記事)

  05. No Regrets for Our Youth, Waga seishun… 1946 (わが青春に悔なし)
    01. Screenplay (台本)

  06. One Wonderful Sunday, Subarashiki nichiyoobi 1947 (素晴らしき日曜日)
    01. Screenplay (台本（書込みあり）)

  07. Drunken Angel, Yoidore tenshi 1948 (酔いどれ天使)
    01. Screenplay (台本（書込みあり）)

  08. The Quiet Duel, Shizukanaru ketto 1949 (静かなる決闘)
    01. Screenplay (台本)
    02. Second version (第二稿)
    02. Storyboards (絵コンテ)

  09. Stray Dog, Nora inu 1949 (野良犬)
    01. Screenplay (台本)
    02. Production notes (創作ノート)
    03. Memos (メモ)

  10. Scandal, Shubun 1950 (醜聞)
    01. Screenplay (台本)

  11. Rashomon, Rashomon 1950 (羅生門)
    01. Draft manuscript (生原稿)
      01. [manuscript]
      02. [manuscript]
    02. Screenplay (台本)
    03. Production notes (創作ノート)
    04. Brochure (パンフレット)
    05. Articles (記事)

  12. The Idiot, Hakuchi 1951 (白痴)
    01. Production notes (創作ノート)

  13. Ikiru, Ikiru 1952 (生きる)
    01. Screenplay (台本)
    02. Articles (記事)
      01. Newspaper articles (新聞記事)
      02. Magazine articles (雑誌記事)

  14. Seven Samurai, Shichinin no samurai 1954 (七人の侍)
    01. Screenplay (台本)
    02. Notes (ノート)
      01. Production notes (創作ノート)
        01. Notes 1 (ノート1)
        02. Memos & notes 2 (メモノート2)
        03. Seven Characters (七人の性格)
        04. Villagers (村の人々)
      02. Storyboard notes (絵コンテノート)
        01. [no title]
        02. [no title]
    03. Song lyrics (歌詞)
    04. Articles (記事)
      01. Newspaper articles (新聞記事)
      02. Magazine articles (雑誌記事)

  15. Record of a Living Being (I Live in Fear), Ikimono… 1955 (生きものの記録)
    01. Draft script (準備稿)
    02. Final script (決定稿)

  16. Throne of Blood, Kumonosu jo 1957 (蜘蛛巣城)
    01. Screenplay (台本)
      01. [no title]
      02. Draft script (準備稿)
    02. Magazine articles (雑誌記事)

  17. The Lower Depths, Donzoko 1957 (どん底)
    01. Screenplay (台本)
    02. Other (その他)

  18. The Hidden Fortress, Kakushi-toride no san-akunin 1958 (隠し砦の三悪人)
    01. Script from a magazine (雑誌からの転用（シナリオ）)
    02. Magazine articles (雑誌記事)

  19. The Bad Sleep Well, Warui yatsu hodo… 1960 (悪い奴ほどよく眠る)
    01. Draft manuscripts (生原稿)
      01. [manuscript]
      02. [manuscript]
    02. Third draft (第三稿)
    03. Memos (メモ)
    04. Magazine articles (雑誌記事)

  20. Yojimbo, Yojimbo 1961 (用心棒)
    01. Draft manuscripts (生原稿)
      01. [manuscript]
      02. [manuscript]
    02. First draft (第一稿)
    03. Continuity (preview) (コンテ（予告編）)
    04. Magazine articles (雑誌記事)

  21. Sanjuro, Tsubaki Sanjuro 1962 (椿三十郎)
    01. Draft manuscripts (生原稿)
      01. [manuscript]
      02. [manuscript]
    02. Final script (決定稿)
      01. [script]
      02. [script]
    03. Production notes (創作ノート)
    04. Continuity (コンテ)
    05. Magazine articles (雑誌記事)

  22. High and Low, Tengoku to jigoku 1963 (天国と地獄)
    01. Draft manuscript (生原稿)
    02. ? Script (??) (差込台本)
    03. Final script (決定稿)

  23. Red Beard, Akahige 1965 (赤ひげ)
    01. Draft manuscripts (生原稿)
      01. [manuscript]
      02. [manuscript]
    02. Screenplay (台本（書込みあり）)

    03. Articles (記事)
      01. Newspaper articles (新聞記事)

  24. Dodesukaden, Dodesukaden 1970 (どですかでん)
    01. Draft manuscripts (生原稿)
      01. ?? (途中から代筆)
      02. [manuscript]
    02. Screenplay (台本（書込みあり）)
    03. Final script (決定稿（書込みあり）)
    04. Memos (メモ)
    05. Posters (ポスター)
    06. Magazine articles (雑誌記事)

To be continued…

The single disc release will be available on 12 May 2009, and based on what I see on the product page, it seems like a straightforward update to the DVD edition, except for the “Image: Kurosawa’s Continuity” video, which for some (possibly license related) reason is not included on the Blu-ray release.

Criterion’s product page notes the following:

- New, restored high-definition digital transfer
- Audio commentary by Kurosawa scholar Stephen Prince
- An appreciation of the film by director Sidney Lumet
- A.K., a 74-minute film by director Chris Marker
- A 30-minute documentary on the making of Ran, part of the Toho Masterworks series Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create
- A 35-minute video piece reconstructing Ran through Kurosawa’s paintings and sketches, created as part of the series Image: Kurosawa’s Continuity (NOTE: not included in the Blu-ray edition)
- New video interview with actor Tatsuya Nakadai
- Theatrical trailers
- New and improved English subtitle translation
- Plus: a 28-page booklet featuring film critic Michael Wilmington and interviews with Kurosawa and composer Toru Takemitsu

Wherever it says “new” and/or “improved”, I assume that it means “as compared to releases prior to the DVD release”, not “when compared to the DVD release”. In other words, I see no reason to expect a new transfer, just a new encoding.

In case you are interested in the Blu-ray disc and already own the Criterion DVD, you may be interested in the Criterion DVD swap program.

In related news, dvdbeaver.com has given the first Japanese Blu-ray releases a look.

On February 6th, 2009, two related Japanese releases will be launched:

Rashomon
The Rashomon release, pictured above, is basically the recent high definition restoration of the film led by the US Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and which has in the past few months been screened in various places. The disc, which Amazon.co.jp is currently pre-selling for ￥3,651, seems to come with a short documentary on the restoration work, but not much other extra content to speak of.

Blu-ray Box Set
Together with the Rashomon release is also released a Blu-ray box set which includes Rashomon (the same print as with the single Blu-ray release), Ran, Madadayo and The Quiet Duel. Amazon.co.jp prices the set at ￥14,607. It does, however, seem to me that from these releases only Rashomon has been restored, leaving the others similar to the earlier DVD releases in terms of quality.

Thanks to Fabien for letting us know about these releases!

A few familiar names crop up in the personnel listing. Emi Wada, who worked with Kurosawa on Dreams and Ran, has apparently been in charge of the costumes, while cinematographer Masaharu Ueda (Kagemusha, Ran, Dreams, Rhapsody in August, Madadayo) worked with the camera.

Now, where it all gets rather weird is when you consider the format in which the film is delivered: apparently, the only way to catch the movie is with one of those Pachinko machines in Japan. Don’t ask.

I really don’t know what to make of this, but here is the official website. It has a number of clips from the film, too, but at least in my case they only crashed my browser.

Oh yes, and the soundtrack, by the way, is composed of Rolling Stones tunes.

Really, make of this what you want. While figuring it all out, do check also ryugangi and Twitch that report on the remake.

Perhaps our insider in the business, Investor in Japan, might be able to tell us more? In fact, I think that his recent comment at the AK100 thread actually even referred to this.

BASIC IDEA

The way things work here is that we watch a film by a certain date and then go on to discuss it. We have a set viewing schedule that indicates when each film is to be discussed. There are now two new films for each month: one is a Kurosawa film which changes on the first day of each month, while the second film changes on the 15th of each month and is a non-Kurosawa film that is somehow related to the Kurosawa film that we are watching. Confused? See the schedule below.

Discussion is free and open to everyone. Anything and everything related to the films can be discussed, although I do retain the right to moderate spammy and offensive posts. The discussion is mainly carried out over at the forums, and you need to register in order to post there.

WHAT YOU NEED

Apart from the obvious – an Internet connection and the willingness to participate – you really only need to get hold of the films themselves. Almost all of Kurosawa’s films are easy to get a hold of in most parts of the world, either as rentals or purchases. As for the other films we discuss, we try to pick ones that are generally available.

To help you with your Kurosawa buying and renting decisions, there is always my Kurosawa DVD Buyer’s Guide. You are also more than welcome to ask us for help! (Although let it be noted that we don’t do copies.)

THE RULES

There are only a few rules, but I would like everyone participating to be aware of them.

- Please don’t start discussing a film before it is scheduled for discussion. For example, discussion for a film scheduled for August 1st should only start on August 1st or later. If you want to write something about the film before then, you can do so on your computer and save it. Then, post your observations on the day that the discussion is marked to start. This way, we stay in sync.

- Normal online forum etiquette and rules apply. Do your best to keep your posts thoughtful, and proof read what you have written for both language and content before hitting that submit button.

- Everyone has the right to express their views. There may be more than one way to interpret things. Keep this in mind.

- Be polite.

THE PLACE

The discussion takes place at this website’s Akira Kurosawa forums.

THE SCHEDULE

Here is the upcoming schedule for the film club. Note how the first day of each month has a Kurosawa film, and the 15th a non-Kurosawa film. Each film is scheduled for discussion for a month, although the discussion may well continue much longer!

June 15, 2010: Flowing
(Naruse 1956)
Availability: Amazon.co.uk (R2) (unavailable in other regions?)

July 1, 2010: no film
Rationale: We will restart the Kurosawa film club in September, after Criterion has released their ‘Early Kurosawa’ box set.

July 15, 2010: Humanity and Paper Balloons
(Yamanaka 1937)
Rationale: Highly influential early film.
Availability: Amazon.co.uk (R2) (unavailable in other regions?)

August 2010: silent Ozu month
Tokyo Chorus (Ozu 1931)
I Was Born But… (Ozu 1932)
Passing Fanzy (Ozu 1933)
Rationale: Early Ozu.
Availability: Amazon.com (R1) (unavailable in other regions?)

September 1, 2010: Sanshiro Sugata and Sanshiro Sugata II
(Kurosawa 1943, 1945)
Availability: see Kurosawa DVDs and Kurosawa blu-rays

September 15, 2010: The 47 Ronin
(Mizoguchi 1941)
Rationale: Propagandist action film, like Kurosawa’s Sanshiro Sugata films.
Availability: eBay (all regions), Amazon.com (all regions)

October 1, 2010: The Most Beautiful
(Kurosawa 1944)
Availability: see Kurosawa DVDs and Kurosawa blu-rays

October 15, 2010: Japanese Girls at the Harbor and Mr. Thank You
(Shimizu 1933, 1936)
Rationale: Two (fairly short) early Japanese films from a lesser known but influential film maker.
Availability: Amazon.com (R1) (unavailable in other regions?)

November 1, 2010: The Men Who Step on the Tiger’s Tail
(Kurosawa 1945)
Availability: see Kurosawa DVDs and Kurosawa blu-rays

November 15, 2010: The Masseurs and a Woman and Ornamental Hairpin
(Shimizu 1938, 1941)
Rationale: Two (fairly short) early Japanese films from a lesser known but influential film maker.
Availability: Amazon.com (R1) (unavailable in other regions?)

December 1, 2010: No Regrets for Our Youth
(Kurosawa 1946)
Availability: see Kurosawa DVDs and Kurosawa blu-rays

December 15, 2010: 24 Eyes
(Kinoshita 1954)
Rationale: Thematic link with No Regrets for Our Youth.
Availability: Amazon.com (R1) or Amazon.co.uk (R2)

January 1, 2011: One Wonderful Sunday
(Kurosawa 1947)
Availability: see Kurosawa DVDs and Kurosawa blu-rays

January 15, 2011: It Happened One Night
(Capra 1934)
Rationale: Influence on One Wonderful Sunday, thematic link.
Availability: Amazon.com (R1) or Amazon.co.uk (R2)

February 1, 2011: Drunken Angel
(Kurosawa 1948)
Availability: see Kurosawa DVDs and Kurosawa blu-rays

February 15, 2011: A Hen in the Wind
(Ozu 1948)
Rationale: A thematic link of sorts with One Wonderful Sunday and Drunken Angel, contemporaries.
Availability: Amazon.com (all regions) or eBay (all regions)

March 1, 2011: The Quiet Duel
(Kurosawa 1949)
Availability: see Kurosawa DVDs and Kurosawa blu-rays

March 15, 2011: Late Spring
(Ozu 1949)
Rationale: Released the same year as The Quiet Duel.
Availability: Amazon.com (R1) or Amazon.co.uk (R2)

April 1, 2011: Stray Dog
(Kurosawa 1949)
Availability: see Kurosawa DVDs and Kurosawa blu-rays

April 15, 2011: The Life of Oharu
(Mizoguchi 1952)
Rationale: Near contemporary with Stray Dog, both with Toshiro Mifune.
Availability: Amazon.co.uk (R2) or eBay (region free, but unknown quality)

May 1, 2011: Scandal
(Kurosawa 1950)
Availability: see Kurosawa DVDs and Kurosawa blu-rays

May 15, 2011: Ugetsu monogatari
(Mizoguchi 1953)
Rationale: Thematic link with Rashomon.
Availability: Amazon.com (R1) or Amazon.co.uk (R2)

June 1, 2011: Rashomon
(Kurosawa 1950)
Availability: see Kurosawa DVDs and Kurosawa blu-rays

June 15, 2011: The Outrage
(Ritt 1964)
Rationale: Remake of Rashomon.
Availability: Amazon.com (R1) or Amazon.co.uk (R2)

July 1, 2011: The Idiot
(Kurosawa 1951)
Availability: see Kurosawa DVDs and Kurosawa blu-rays

July 15, 2011: Early Summer
(Ozu 1951)
Rationale: Release the same year as The Idiot, both with Setsuko Hara.
Availability: Amazon.com (R1) or Amazon.co.uk (R2)

August 1, 2011: Ikiru
(Kurosawa 1952)
Availability: see Kurosawa DVDs and Kurosawa blu-rays

August 15, 2011: Tokyo Story
(Ozu 1953)
Ratioanle: Some shared themes with Ikiru, another Setsuko Hara film.
Availability: Amazon.com (R1) or Amazon.co.uk (R2)

September 1, 2011: Seven Samurai
(Kurosawa 1954)
Availability: see Kurosawa DVDs and Kurosawa blu-rays

September 15, 2011: The Magnificent Seven
(Sturges 1960)
Rationale: Remake of Seven Samurai.
Availability: Amazon.com (R1) or Amazon.co.uk (R2)

October 1, 2011: Record of a Living Being
(Kurosawa 1955)
Availability: see Kurosawa DVDs and Kurosawa blu-rays

October 15, 2011: Godzilla
(Honda 1954)
Rationale: Contemporary and shared theme with Record of a Living Being.
Availability: Amazon.com (R1) or Amazon.co.uk (R2)

November 1, 2011: Throne of Blood
(Kurosawa 1957)
Availability: see Kurosawa DVDs and Kurosawa blu-rays

November 15, 2011: Macbeth
(Welles 1948)
Rationale: Shared source with Throne of Blood.
Availability: Amazon.com (region free) or Amazon.co.uk (R2)

December 1, 2011: The Lower Depths
(Kurosawa 1957)
Availability: see Kurosawa DVDs and Kurosawa blu-rays

December 15, 2011: The Lower Depths
(Renoir 1936)
Rationale: Shared source with Kurosawa’s The Lower Depths.
Availability: Amazon.com (R1)

January 1, 2012: The Hidden Fortress
(Kurosawa 1958)
Availability: see Kurosawa DVDs and Kurosawa blu-rays

January 15, 2012: Star Wars (A New Hope)
(Lucas 1977)
Rationale: Influenced by The Hidden Fortress.
Availability: Amazon.com (R1) or Amazon.co.uk (R2)

February 1, 2012: The Bad Sleep Well
(Kurosawa 1960)
Availability: see Kurosawa DVDs and Kurosawa blu-rays

February 15, 2012: When a Woman Ascends the Stairs
(Naruse 1960)
Rationale: Contemporary to The Bad Sleep Well.
Availability: Amazon.com (R1) or Amazon.co.uk (R2)

March 1, 2012: Yojimbo
(Kurosawa 1961)
Availability: see Kurosawa DVDs and Kurosawa blu-rays

March 15, 2012: A Fistful of Dollars
(Leone 1964)
Rationale: Remake of Yojimbo.
Availability: Amazon.com (R1) or Amazon.co.uk (R2)

April 1, 2012: Sanjuro
(Kurosawa 1962)
Availability: see Kurosawa DVDs and Kurosawa blu-rays

April 15, 2012: Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo
(Okamoto 1970)
Rationale: Shared character with Sanjuro, also starring Mifune.
Availability: Amazon.com (R1)

May 1, 2012: High and Low
(Kurosawa 1963)
Availability: see Kurosawa DVDs and Kurosawa blu-rays

May 15, 2012: The Human Condition (trilogy)
(Kobayashi 1959-1961)
Rationale: Thematic link with Red Beard.
Availability: Amazon.com (R1)

June 1, 2012: Red Beard
(Kurosawa 1965)
Availability: see Kurosawa DVDs and Kurosawa blu-rays

June 15, 2012: The Human Condition (trilogy continued)
(Kobayashi 1959-1961)
Rationale: Thematic link with Red Beard.
Availability: Amazon.com (R1)

July 1, 2012: Runaway Train
(Konchalovsky 1985)
Rationale: Failed late 60s Kurosawa project.
Availability: Amazon.com (R1) or Amazon.co.uk (R2)

July 15, 2012: Tora! Tora! Tora!
(Fleischer-Fukasaku-Masuda 1970)
Rationale: Failed late 60s Kurosawa project.
Availability: Amazon.com (R1) or Amazon.co.uk (blu-ray)

August 1, 2012: Dodesukaden
(Kurosawa 1970)
Availability: see Kurosawa DVDs and Kurosawa blu-rays

August 15, 2012: Dora-heita
(Ichikawa 2000)
Rationale: Script co-written by Kurosawa and contemporary with Dodesukaden.
Availability: Amazon.com (R1)

September 1, 2012: Dersu Uzala
(Kurosawa 1975)
Availability: see Kurosawa DVDs and Kurosawa blu-rays

September 15, 2012: Princess Mononoke
(Miyazaki 1997)
Rationale: Shared themes with Dersu Uzala.
Availability: Amazon.com (R1) or Amazon.co.uk (R2)

October 1, 2012: Kagemusha
(Kurosawa 1980)
Availability: see Kurosawa DVDs and Kurosawa blu-rays

October 15, 2012: The Ballad of Narayama
(Imamura 1983)
Rationale: Near contemporary with Kagemusha.
Availability: Amazon.com (R1) or Amazon.co.uk (R2)

November 1, 2012: Ran
(Kurosawa 1985)
Availability: see Kurosawa DVDs and Kurosawa blu-rays

November 15, 2012: Tampopo
(Itami 1985)
Rationale: Contemporary with Ran.
Availability: Amazon.com (R1)

December 1, 2012: Dreams
(Kurosawa 1990)
Availability: see Kurosawa DVDs and Kurosawa blu-rays

December 15, 2012: Black Rain
(Imamura 1989)
Rationale: Shared theme with Rhapsody in August.
Availability: Amazon.com (R1)

January 1, 2013: Rhapsody in August
(Kurosawa 1991)
Availability: see Kurosawa DVDs and Kurosawa blu-rays

January 15, 2013: Grave of the Fireflies
(Takahata 1988)
Rationale: Somewhat shared theme with Rhapsody in August.
Availability: Amazon.com (R1) or Amazon.co.uk (R2)

February 1, 2013: Madadayo
(Kurosawa 1993)
Availability: see Kurosawa DVDs and Kurosawa blu-rays

February 15, 2013: After the Rain
(Koizumi 1999)
Rationale: Posthumously filmed from a Kurosawa script.

March 1, 2013: The Sea is Watching
(Kumai 2002)
Rationale: Posthumously filmed from a Kurosawa script.

March 15, 2013: The Masque of Black Death
(????)
Rationale: Posthumously animated from a Kurosawa script (to be released?).

DISCUSSION SO FAR

The following is an attempt to link to all the Film Club related discussion threads. I do my best to update this when the movie under discussion is about to change.

Rashomon (May 2008):

• The Audience,The Truth, and The Baby
• The Baby’s Function and the Identities of the Three Men
• The Relativity of Truth, or Plain Old-Fashioned Lying?
• The Medium
• The Priest’s Problem
• The Soundtrack
• The Symbolism
• The Wipe
• Why They Lie

Drunken Angel (June 2008):

• Changing the Season
• The Dream
• Jungle Boogie and Other Music
• Sanada’s Song
• Sanada: An Angel at the Lower Depths
• Shimura vs. Mifune
• Sanada: What’s in a Name?
• Some Similarities with Rashomon
• The Sorensen Documentary

Yojimbo (July 2008):

• 2 x 2D
• ‘A Fistful of Dollars’, ‘Last Man Standing’, ‘Django’ and ‘Yojimbo’
• All things Dashiell Hammett
• History and Fantasy
• Love for a Killer
• Pleasure Principle
• Tough guys?
• What does it all amount to?
• Yojimbo and the Revisionist Western

Stray Dog (August 2008):

• The End
• Sexuality and the case of the murdered woman
• The Title

High and Low (September 2008):

• The Burakumin Issue
• Mifune’s Penultimate Appearance

Red Beard (October 2008):

• The Apocalypse Now Question
• Kurosawa, Art and Existential Humanism
• The Mantis and Kurosawa’s Evil Problem
• Opening Titles (Roofs)
• Static
• The Well – A Technical Question
• Yasumoto and the Women

Ikiru (November 2008):

• Nippon Beer and Critique of Post-War Society
• A Painting
• The Remake
• The Seat of the Soul
• The Son
• Tilted Wipes
• Trains
• The Yakuza Boss

Madadayo (December 2008):

• Irony
• Kurosawa’s Goodbye?
• Laugh Track
• Stage Lighting
• Wordplay

Seven Samurai (January 2009):

• The Art of War
• Art is a Lie that Tells the Truth
• The Final Song
• Great Art vs. Great Discussions
• The Individual and the Collective Observed
• Is Hidetora (of Ran) an alter ego of Kambei?
• Spectacular Kills, Lonely Deaths
• Why No Personalities for the Bandits

The Quiet Duel (February 2009):

• Mangled Metaphors
• A Strange Cut
• Was the Theme Lost in the Shuffle?

Dersu Uzala (March 2009):

• Kurosawa’s Poem of Despair?

Throne of Blood (April 2009):

• As a Painting
• Faster Pussycat! Kill, Kill!
• Fate, Free Will and Villainy
• Lady Asaji, Psychopath or Victim?
• The Old Woman
• The Old Woman’s Song
• Washizu as a Pincushion

The Idiot (May 2009):

• Could it have been Salvaged?
• The Double Wipe
• Seeing, Representing

Kagemusha (June 2009):

• Differences Between the Two Versions
• The Dream
• Fire without Smoke (or: How to End an Epic)
• How to Begin an Epic
• Is it His Most Reactionary Film?
• Kagemusha and the Chinese Landscape Painting
• Shingen as Comedian

Record of a Living Being (July 2009)

• Drama vs Satire, with a doze of Dr Strangelove
• Family
• Final Scene
• The Madness of Nakajima
• Music
• Nuclear War and 9/11
• Racism?

The Bad Sleep Well (August 2009)

• Coppola and Scorsese
• Is the Ending Botched?
• Kurosawa, Capitalism and Redemption
• Why do they Sleep so Well?

Ran (September 2009)

• The Face of Sue
• Gods as Audience, Audience as Gods

The Lower Depths (October 2009)

• The Lower Depths vs Dodesukaden
• Pilgrim or Villain?
• Purpose of the Final Act

The Hidden Fortress (November 2009)

• The Princess Problem

Sanjuro (December 2009)

• The Camellias
• Corruption and Perception: How do the Good Function in an Evil System
• The Final Blow
• The Old Lady and the Samurai

Dodesukaden (January 2010)

• Did This Kitchen Need More Cooks?
• Role Reversals

Dreams (February 2010)

No discussion

Rhapsody in August (March 2010)

No discussion

Scandal (April 2010)

• Casting Yoshiko Yamaguchi
• Character Names
• Is Hiruta a Kurosawa Hero?
• Legal Realism (or Not)
• A Satire of the West?

Sanshiro Sugata (May 2010)

• The Jujitsu Teacher’s Daughter
• The Lotus, Truth and Beauty
• The mother of martial arts movies?
• A movie-like movie

The Most Beautiful (June 2010)

• Introduction: The Most Beautiful

What I did for this purpose was I counted the “votes” that (most of) you had cast for the different movies in the Planning the Akira Kurosawa Film Club thread. I pushed those films with many votes to the top, and then tried to arrange them to a suitable order for the rest of the year. Giving up with any thematic ordering, I decided to try to produce an ecletic mix, with both contemporary and period pieces mixed in order to provide some variety for our viewing and discussion pleasure.

This gave me the following list, with Drunken Angel scheduled for June.

June 2008: Drunken Angel
July 2008: Yojimbo
August 2008: Stray Dog
September 2008: High and Low
October 2008: Red Beard
November 2008: Ikiru
December 2008: Madadayo

While I think that the Drunken Angel decision is final, if you would like to discuss changing anything in this list, just say so. I am certainly open for ideas.

Note that I scheduled the much voted High and Low for September, so that anyone who so wishes can do their watching from the brand new R1 Criterion set that will be released on the 22nd of July this year.

We are saving some big guns for 2009. For example Ran, Seven Samurai or Throne of Blood none of them made it to the 2008 list. Which is perhaps only good, as some of these films are long and very complex, so we may need some practice before trying to tackle them.

I don’t know much about the release at the moment, so it is impossible for me to comment on its quality. The release includes a trailer as an extra feature.

The Madadayo DVD is available at Amazon.co.uk

The same company, Yume Pictures, is also putting out a region 2 The Quiet Duel (under the title The Silent Duel) on October 22. Again, this is very good news for European Kurosawa aficionados, as (to the best of my knowledge) no English-friendly region 2 release of the movie has been available before.

Details are still largely unknown to me, but I will update you once I know more.

The Silent Duel DVD is available at Amazon.co.uk

Thanks to Laurence for the heads-up on these releases!