Kurosawa Centenary Done Right at U of M
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16 August 2010
1 September 2010
Nice to hear that, Coco! I like how they proceed almost chronologically. It’s a pity of course that they have had to leave out Record of a Living Being, The Lower Depths and The Bad Sleep Well.
1 September 2010
Houston is also having an extensive showing of Kurosawa’s films as well:
1 September 2010
Lord, telamonides, I envy those living inthe Houston area~!
1 September 2010
I only wish that I could go see all of them. I have seen a few on the big screen so I will probably skip those. I definitely want to see some of the films that I have not seen yet, but I really need to see 7 samurai, Kagemusha, and the Yojimbo films.
2 September 2010
Wow, seeing Kagemusha on the big screen…! I envy that! So few people really care much about that one, and yet, it is profoundly moving for me.
I’ve seen a few on the big screen, but most lok forward to The Hidden Fortress (such a guilty pleasure!) and, really, the one I tremble at the thought of seeing is Seven Samurai. I wouldn’t even qualify by saying “I think” it is one of the greatest films ever made. It just simply is one of the finest of all human creations in film!
And, these are entirely new prints. That’s absolute madness! I can’t even stay in my skin when I think about it!
2 September 2010
I’d like to see Kagemusha on the big screen. For some reason, I never even knew about its release — maybe because I was in law school at the time.
I saw Ran on the big screen when it was released, and I had the honor of seeing Seven Samurai on the big screen at a local art theater. I think that was the second time I saw it — the first time, as mentioned elsewhere, was on TV as part of a PBS series on classic foreign films during which I also got to see Throne of Blood, Yojimbo, and Sanjuro, along with such European classics as The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Metropholis, Ivan the Terrible, Potemkin, Jules et Jim, The Great Escape, and the Seventh Seal.
I saw The Hidden Fortress for the first time three or four years ago as part of my town’s film festival; I was tired and fell asleep for a few minutes in the middle, which may have influenced my less-than-stellar opinion of the film. I have since watched the entire movie on DVD, but its failure to hold my interest throughout is a mark against it. The sweep of the movie, the setting, and the cinematography is well served by the big screen, though, and the scene on the steps is even more dazzling.
University of Michigan Center for Japanese Studies
FALL 2010 FILM SERIES
“Re-Viewing Kurosawa”
In the 1950s, Kurosawa Akira (1910-1998) led Japanese cinema onto the world stage, astonishing viewers with the emotional depth and the technical adroitness of his films. On the centennial of his birth, this series provides a once-in-a-generation chance to see Kurosawa’s classics again—including his incomparable early samurai films—in fresh, new 35mm prints.
Friday, September 24
Rashōmon
Directed by Akira Kurosawa
1950 / 88 min. / 35mm / In Japanese with English subtitles.
Friday, October 1
Ikiru
Directed by Akira Kurosawa
1952 / 143 min. / 35mm / In Japanese with English subtitles.
Friday, October 8
Seven Samurai
Directed by Akira Kurosawa
1954 / 207 min. / 35mm / In Japanese with English subtitles.
Friday, October 15
Throne of Blood
Directed by Akira Kurosawa
1957 / 109 min. / 35mm / In Japanese with English subtitles.
Friday, October 22
Hidden Fortress
Directed by Akira Kurosawa
1958 / 139 min. / 35mm / In Japanese with English subtitles.
Friday, October 29
High and Low
Directed by Akira Kurosawa
1963 / 143 min. / 35mm / In Japanese with English subtitles.
Friday, November 5
Yōjimbō
Directed by Akira Kurosawa
1961 / 110 min. / 35mm / In Japanese with English subtitles.
Friday, November 12
Sanjurō
Directed by Akira Kurosawa
1962 / 96 min. / 35mm / In Japanese with English subtitles.