History Creator / AkiraKurosawa

Despite his long and revered career, Kurosawa only won one competitive Oscar, when ''Film/DersuUzala'' was awarded the UsefulNotes/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 UsefulNotes/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 [[UsefulNotes/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.

Excepting ''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/AfterTheRain1999,'' 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.

* ''Film/AfterTheRain'' (1999) - Directed by his friend Takashi Koizumi after Kurosawa's death.

** ''Film/AfterTheRain'' 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.

** 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/AfterTheRain'' began.

Excepting ''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/AfterTheRain,'' 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.

The 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 DVD).

He 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'' and ''Yojimbo'' easily translated into {{Foreign Remake}}s.

Kurosawa 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 and 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.

Nonetheless 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.

One of his ProductionPosse was Daisuke Kato. Kurosawa's daughter had married Kato's son.

[[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.)

* CreatorBacklash: 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.
* CreatorBreakdown: Fell into this in 1971 after the failure of ''Dodesukaden'' to the point that he actually attempted suicide.

* DiedDuringProduction: Averted as he had completed the screenplays for ''Film/AfterTheRain'' and ''The Sea is Watching'' prior to his death.
* ExecutiveMeddling: 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.

* 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.
* {{Jidaigeki}}: Many of his most well-known movies are set in this period, usually the [[UsefulNotes/SengokuPeriod Sengoku era]].

* OldShame: 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.

** 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/AfterTheRain'' began.

Akira Kurosawa (黒澤 明, March 23, 1910 – September 6, 1998) was a famous Japanese 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}}.''

But if I did, they'd have a samurai.''

[[caption-width-right:300: [[Music/BarenakedLadies Like Kurosawa, I make mad films / K, I don't make films / But if I did, they'd have a samurai.]]]]

->''"It is wonderful to create."''

-->-- '''Akira Kurosawa'''

* Fanboy: He was a ''massive'' 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.

He 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. This went in the other direction as well, as ''Seven Samurai'' easily translated to Hollywood as ''Film/TheMagnificentSeven'', and ''Yojimbo'' was remade as both ''Film/AFistfulOfDollars'' and ''Film/LastManStanding''.

He passed away on September 6, 1998 at the age of 88.

[[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 franchise creator Creator/IshiroHonda were lifelong friends, 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.)

[[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.