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1[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kurosawa.jpg]]
2[[caption-width-right:300:''"It is wonderful to create."'']]
3
4->''"Like Kurosawa, I make mad films\
5'Kay, I don't make films\
6But if I did, they'd have a samurai."''
7-->-- '''Music/BarenakedLadies''', "One Week"
8
9Akira Kurosawa (黒澤 明, March 23, 1910 – September 6, 1998) was a famous UsefulNotes/{{Japan}}ese director, mainly known in the West for his samurai films, such as ''Film/SevenSamurai,'' ''Film/{{Ran}},'' and ''Film/{{Yojimbo}}.'' Other notable films include: ''Film/{{Rashomon}},'' ''Film/TheHiddenFortress,'' ''Film/ThroneOfBlood,'' ''Film/{{Ikiru}},'' ''Film/DersuUzala,'' and ''Film/{{Sanjuro}}.''
10
11Born on March 23, 1910, Kurosawa is widely considered one of the best and most important directors of the 20th century. His 1950 film ''Rashomon'' was a world-wide smash, getting far more attention overseas than any prior Japanese film[[note]]Teinosuke Kinugasa's ''Film/APageOfMadness'' actually did circulate in the silent era in Europe, and Creator/MikioNaruse's ''Wife! Be Like a Rose!'' also played in America[[/note]]. It became the first non-American and non-European film to achieve international success, and it is considered a watershed moment in the birth of what is considered world-cinema. Japan had a film industry that was already quite fecund and productive by TheFifties boasting many great films and film-makers from the silent to the sound era, but [[SmallReferencePools within the wider culture]], Kurosawa is still ''the'' Japanese film-maker.
12
13He made films that were very influential on many American and European film directors. They include Creator/GeorgeLucas (the ''Franchise/StarWars'' series was heavily influenced by ''Film/TheHiddenFortress''), John Sturges (''[[Film/TheMagnificentSeven1960 The Magnificent Seven]]'' is a direct remake of ''Seven Samurai'') and Creator/SergioLeone (''Film/AFistfulOfDollars'' is a direct remake of ''Yojimbo''). His "Big Four" films (''Rashomon,'' ''Ikiru,'' ''Seven Samurai,'' and ''Ran'') are routinely included in lists of the best films of all time.
14
15Excepting ''Ikiru,'' all of Kurosawa's films from 1948's ''Drunken Angel'' to 1965's ''Red Beard'' featured the actor Creator/ToshiroMifune. In 1965, the two had a falling out during the production of ''Red Beard'' and did not speak or see each other until a brief, tearful reunion in 1993. There were rumors that they [[WhatCouldHaveBeen would have collaborated on Kurosawa's next film]] after his upcoming project ''Film/{{After the Rain|1999}},'' but they both died within a year of each other, with Kurosawa dying before ''After the Rain'' began filming. There was another chance in 1975, as the Soviet producers originally wanted Mifune in the title role of ''Film/DersuUzala,'' but it was prevented largely by Mifune's schedule. After 1965, there were only a few times where one spoke ill of the other, but otherwise they thought of each other -- and their films together -- with high regard.
16
17The other actor most identified with Kurosawa is Takashi Shimura. Shimura appeared in Kurosawa's first film, 1943's ''Sanshiro Sugata'' and appeared almost every other one of Kurosawa's films through 1965's ''Red Beard''. Unlike Mifune, however, Kurosawa and Shimura never had a falling out and remained friends until Shimura's death in 1982. Kurosawa wrote a small role for his friend in 1980's ''Film/{{Kagemusha}},'' which was cut from the Western release of the film (but has since been added back on Creator/TheCriterionCollection's DVD).
18
19Kurosawa's films are notable for being stunning visually, with beautiful backgrounds, sometimes verging on SceneryPorn. Try watching ''Ran'' and not falling in love with some of the shots, or considering it the most beautiful movie ever made.
20
21He was a notorious PrimaDonnaDirector, to the point where he earned the nickname "Tenno" or "The Emperor". Kurosawa's personality and demeanor made him unpopular in the Japanese film industry,[[note]]''Ran'' did not get a nomination for best foreign language film because the Japanese film board refused to submit it, out of spite[[/note]] and his films were often divisive within Japan. Japanese critics often slammed Kurosawa for being "too Western" and they had a point. Kurosawa adapted Western stories from Shakespeare, Gorky, and Dostoevsky, ''Yojimbo'' was an adaptation of Dashiell Hammett novel ''Literature/TheGlassKey'', and ''High and Low'' was an adaptation of a novel by Creator/EdMcBain. As noted above this went in the other direction as well, as ''Seven Samurai'', ''Yojimbo'', and ''Ikiru'' easily translated into {{Foreign Remake}}s.
22
23Kurosawa also differed from earlier Japanese film-makers (like Creator/KenjiMizoguchi and Creator/YasujiroOzu) for being [[RatedMForManly quite macho]] and having very few prominent female roles compared to his predecessors and the general women-centric nature of Japanese cinema. Kurosawa also tended to write his own dialogues as he became more successful and rely less on screenwriters; Japanese critics often noted sardonically that his films improved in subtitles noting that to a Japanese audience, his movies often came off as sentimental, hokey, and as per Creator/YukioMishima, having the maturity of a ten-year old.
24
25Nonetheless Kurosawa's visual invention and creativity found public favour, and a number of his films had populist themes and subjects. The jidaigeki genre of HistoricalFiction had been seen as high art before Kurosawa, with strict attention to detail and setting, but Kurosawa was keen on introducing anachronistic elements, and contemporary sentiments into period movies, making them allegorical and fantastic. For instance ''Film/{{Rashomon}}'' musical score adapts Maurice Ravel's ''Bolero'', his Samurai films drew inspiration from American Western, and he introduced the concept of adapting Shakespeare to feudal Japan which greatly inspired Shakespeare scholars and producers. Kurosawa's films often pivoted on the conflict between the young and the old, while taking the side of the rebels, misfits and nonconformists, who voice criticism of the past. As Kurosawa grew older however, his vision darkened, culminating in ''Ran'', which is considered his bleakest and darkest film.
26
27One of his ProductionPosse was Daisuke Kato. Kurosawa's daughter had married Kato's son.
28
29[[WhatCouldHaveBeen One of Kurosawa's disappointments was that he never was able to make a]] ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}'' film, as Toho turned down his requests to do it, fearing that Kurosawa's epic style would completely demolish the usual budget of the franchise. (It should be noted that he and ''Godzilla'' creator Creator/IshiroHonda were lifelong friends, the latter starting out as assistant director for Kurosawa before making it big on his own. They would once again collaborate for Kurosawa's final five films.)
30
31Despite his long and revered career, Kurosawa only won one competitive Oscar, when ''Film/DersuUzala'' was awarded the MediaNotes/AcademyAwardForBestForeignLanguageFilm in 1975. He also received an honorary Oscar in 1952 for ''Film/{{Rashomon}}'' before a formal foreign language Oscar had been established. In 1986, Kurosawa earned his only nomination for the MediaNotes/AcademyAwardForBestDirecting for ''Ran''. He wound up on the ballot after Japan controversially snubbed ''Ran'' as their submission for the foreign language category despite it being one of the most critically acclaimed films of the year, and other film directors petitioned the Academy to consider Kurosawa over their own work. Kurosawa lost that Oscar to Sydney Pollack, although he was invited to present Best Picture with Billy Wilder and John Huston. In 1990, Kurosawa received an Oscar for Lifetime Achievement at the 1990 [[MediaNotes/AcademyAward ceremony]]. Said award was presented to him by Creator/StevenSpielberg and Creator/GeorgeLucas and he accepted it in person. Kurosawa was the first Japanese, and first Asian, film-maker to receive the award.
32
33He passed away on September 6, 1998 at the age of 88, working on movies all the way to the end.
34----
35
36!! Filmography:
37[[index]]
38* ''Film/SanshiroSugata'' (1943) - Kurosawa's official debut as a director.
39* ''Film/{{The Most Beautiful|1944}}'' (1944)
40* ''Film/SanshiroSugataPartII'' (1945)
41* ''Film/TheMenWhoTreadOnTheTigersTail'' (1945, not released until 1952) - This and the preceding two were propaganda movies that Kurosawa and Shimura were forced to write, direct and star in (respectively) during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII despite the fact that both were pacifists. They didn't get wide release in America until Creator/TheCriterionCollection box set ''[=AK100=]'' in 2009, mostly because after the war, Kurosawa saw them as an OldShame (although they all remained in his filmography unlike ''Those Who Make Tomorrow'').
42* ''Film/NoRegretsForOurYouth'' (1946)
43* ''Those Who Make Tomorrow'' (1946) - A co-direction with his mentor Kajiro Yamamoto, Kurosawa was essentially forced to co-direct the film and was so disgusted with it that he left it out of his filmography, which most Western film scholars and Wikipedia also do.
44* ''Film/OneWonderfulSunday'' (1947)
45* ''Film/DrunkenAngel'' (1948)
46* ''The Quiet Duel'' (1949)
47* ''Film/StrayDog'' (1949)
48* ''[[Film/{{Scandal1950}} Scandal]]''
49* ''Film/{{Rashomon}}'' (1950)
50* ''Film/{{The Idiot|1951}}'' (1951)
51* ''Film/{{Ikiru}}'' (1952)
52* ''Film/SevenSamurai'' (1954)
53* ''Film/ILiveInFear'' (1955)
54* ''Film/ThroneOfBlood'' (1957)
55* ''Film/{{The Lower Depths|1957}}'' (1957) - An adaptation of Creator/MaximGorky's [[Theatre/TheLowerDepths social satire]], transported to Edo-era Japan.
56* ''Film/TheHiddenFortress'' (1958)
57* ''Film/TheBadSleepWell'' (1960)
58* ''Film/{{Yojimbo}}'' (1961)
59* ''Film/{{Sanjuro}}'' (1962)
60* ''Film/{{High and Low|1963}}'' (1963)
61* ''Film/RedBeard'' (1965)
62* ''Film/{{Dodeskaden}}'' (1970)
63* ''Literature/DersuUzala'' (1975) - Adapted from a Russian novel, this is Kurosawa's only non-Japanese language film.
64* ''Film/{{Kagemusha}}'' (1980)
65* ''Film/{{Ran}}'' (1985)
66* ''Film/AkiraKurosawasDreams'' (1990)
67* ''Rhapsody in August'' (1991)
68* ''Film/{{Madadayo}}'' (1993)
69[[/index]]
70----
71!!Kurosawa screenplays:
72* ''Uma'' (1941) - Assistant director, editor, co-screenwriter. Kurosawa is sometimes listed as an uncredited co-director because he took over the later stages of production from director Kajiro Yamamoto. Once thought to be lost, still hard to find.
73* ''Film/SnowTrail'' (1947) - Directed by Senkichi Taniguchi. Starred Toshiro Mifune (in his screen debut) and Takashi Shimura, both of whom became long-time Kurosawa collaborators.
74* ''Film/VendettaForASamurai'' (1952) - Directed by Kazuo Mori, this is an account of the true events of the duel at Kagiya Corner.
75* ''Film/RunawayTrain'' (1985) - Originally planned as Kurosawa's English-language debut, finally filmed without his participation after nearly 20 years of DevelopmentHell.
76* ''Film/{{After the Rain|1999}}'' (1999) - Directed by his friend Takashi Koizumi after Kurosawa's death.
77* ''The Sea Is Watching'' (2002) - Directed by Kei Kumai after Kurosawa's death.
78* ''Oni'' (????) - A film that would have focused on a blonde-haired WesternSamurai simply known as Oni. The screenplay would later serve as the basis for Team Ninja's ''VideoGame/{{Nioh}}'' though not without extensive changes.
79----
80!!Tropes:
81* CreatorBacklash:
82** He was so disgusted with ''Those Who Make Tomorrow'' that he left it out of his filmography, which most Western film scholars and Wikipedia also do as he was forced to co-direct the film with mentor Kajiro Yamamoto.
83** He considered the ''Sanshiro Sugata'' duology and ''The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail'' as this due to being propaganda movies that he forced to write and direct during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII since he was a pacifist. This is the main reason why these had NoExportForYou in the US.
84* CreatorBreakdown:
85** Fell into this in 1971 after the failure of ''Dodesukaden'' to the point that he actually attempted suicide.
86** And again during the production of ''Ran'' when his wife Yoko Yaguchi passed away and the death of sound engineer Fumio Yanoguchi during postproduction.
87* ExecutiveMeddling:
88** Was subjected to this while making ''The Quiet Duel'': the original ending was that Dr. Fujisaki would go mad from syphilis, but American Occupation Forces ordered changes to the script out of concern that people with syphilis would be too horrified to seek treatment.
89** In his autobiography, he notes that he had to fight with the Japanese censors over his early films due to them considering them "too Western". Eventually, he tried to make something more Japanese... at which point WWII ended and the film was promptly banned by the new American censors for being too traditionally Japanese.
90* {{Fanboy}}: He was a ''huge'' fan of Creator/JohnFord who was his biggest influence and who he styled himself after, even following Ford's habit of reusing actors and crew members. He was only too happy when the two got a chance to meet and he found out that Ford had seen and enjoyed his films.
91* HighPressureBlood: TropeCodifier, in the end of ''Sanjuro''. It was an accident -- the blood pump had been out of order, and sprayed the blood overall. Kurosawa decided to keep the scene.
92* {{Jidaigeki}}: Many of his most well-known movies are set in this period, usually the UsefulNotes/{{Sengoku|Period}} era.
93* LargeAndInCharge: He stood over 6 feet tall, and towered over his actors.
94* MagnumOpusDissonance: Kurosawa stated after its release, he considered ''Film/{{Ran}}'' to be his masterpiece. While that film is well-regarded and many fans would agree with Kurosawa, the consensus among fans and critics is that ''Film/SevenSamurai'' and ''Film/{{Rashomon}}'' are his greatest works.
95* PrimaDonnaDirector: He was a notorious perfectionist when making his films and would fly into a rage whenever someone got something wrong.
96* ProductionPosse: His usual actors were Creator/ToshiroMifune, Takashi Shimura, Daisuke Kato, Minoru Chiaki, Creator/TatsuyaNakadai and Kamatari Fujiwara. Occasionally he had Bokuzen Hidari, Izusu Yamada, Seiji Miyaguchi and Isao Kimura, too.
97* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Notable examples, such as:
98** ''Film/RunawayTrain'', which he was going to direct in the late Sixties and would've been his first English film. However it didn't materialise until Creator/TheCannonGroup picked it up with Creator/AndreiKonchalovsky directing it instead, though his screenplay was still used for the film.
99** He wanted to direct a ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}'' film (he was close friends with Creator/IshiroHonda), but Creator/{{Toho}} turned him down as they were terrified by the thought of the budget that might be required to realize Kurosawa's vision.
100** He was going to co-direct ''Film/ToraToraTora'' with Creator/DavidLean. Lean pulled out early in production. Kurosawa continued on for a while, until he was told that the Japanese section had been shortened to 90 minutes (the script Kurosawa had written was four hours long). Despite this, Kurosawa ''did'' begin production, but was replaced by Kinji Fukasaku and Toshio Masuda after three weeks. Some sources say he tried to get himself fired and succeeded. His experiences with ''Tora! Tora! Tora!'' and the failure of his next film ''Dodeskaden'' led to his CreatorBreakdown in 1971.
101** ''Film/{{After the Rain|1999}}'' and ''The Sea is Watching'' were planned to be his next projects after shooting ''Madadayo''. He managed to complete the screenplays for the films but after finishing the latter screenplay in 1995, he slipped and broke the base of his spine, which caused him to be paralysed and resulted in his health to deteriorate. His death three years later resulted in his close friend Takashi Koizumi directing the former and Kei Kumai directing the latter, three years after the release of the former.
102** There were rumours that he and Creator/ToshiroMifune were going to reunite on a future project after they reconciled in 1993 at Ishiro Honda's funeral but their deaths within a year of each other ended this.
103** His longtime wish was to die on the set while shooting a movie. Sadly, he fell short of this as he died ''just'' before filming ''Film/{{After the Rain|1999}}'' began.

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