Today, the world knows Japanese cinema. Whether anime, 1950s Godzilla movies, or rogue samurai, Japanese movies have undoubtedly caused a splash the international realm of modern and contemporary film. Master Director, Akira Kurosawa, etched his mark deeply in his home country of Japan during the late 1940s. Worldwide fame took hold soon after.
Who Made Akira Kurosawa Become a Director?
Born in 1910, Akira Kurosawa was one of eight children descended from a samurai family. His passion for creating began with an elementary teacher praising his artwork. After that, he became a painter, but not for long. Kurosawa’s first mentor was his older brother, Heigo. Kurosawa traveled to Tokyo while they lived together. Heigo’s first job was translating Western movies in Tokyo cinemas. He exposed Kurosawa to Western writers like Maksim Gorky and Western movies.
Despite mentoring and expanding his younger brother’s range, Heigo committed suicide in 1933. Shaken, Kurosawa nonetheless moved forward, although his older brother’s death affected his later filmmaking.
When Did Akira Kurosawa Make His First Film?
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Sign up to our Free Weekly NewsletterKurosawa’s first hit came mid-World War II in 1943 with Sanshiro Sugata. Equally panned and praised, this movie displayed topics that the director would continue in future films. First came the relationship between father and son, especially with the main character modeling himself on his father. Nature played its part too, whether as driving rain or thick fog, often to show characters’ moods.
One character type Kurosawa loved was the rascal. Usually played by the talented Toshiro Mifune, the rascal could be a loner, mercurial, cynical, mean, or ambiguous. Yet an event or situation would change their perspective. These rogues made their presence felt in movies like The Seven Samurai, Sanjuro, and Rashomon. These traits added to the character’s complexity.
What Movie Established Kurosawa’s Reputation Globally?
By 1950, Akira Kurosawa had established a solid movie-making reputation in Japan. International recognition indeed lurked around the corner. Kurosawa’s big break came at the 1951 Venice Film Festival as Rashomon won the Golden Lion. In 1952, Rashomon won an American Academy Honorary Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Kurosawa introduced the “Rashomon Effect,” which involves telling the same story from several inconsistent viewpoints. Suddenly, the story gained more depth, making audiences wonder what is really the truth.
Foreign awards propelled Japanese films – especially Kurosawa’s – to a worldwide audience. Two years later, in 1953, Kurosawa directed the iconic The Seven Samurai. Considered one of the best films ever made, The Seven Samurai possessed Kurosawa’s affection for American Western’s good guy bad guy theme. Hired by desperate villagers to fight bandits, a straightforward band of outlaws takes on a noble task despite past misdeeds. The 1960 American film The Magnificent Seven borrowed much from Kurosawa’s film, becoming nearly as famous. The mixing of Westerns and Samurai genres occurred frequently until the 1970s.
How Did Kurosawa Movies Inspire Foreign Directors?
Kurosawa films became a source of inspiration for many upcoming American and European directors. With his experimental techniques, such as dramatic lighting, distinctive and original themes, complex character development, or unconventional storytelling methods (Rashomon Effect), these new directors borrowed heavily from his library of ideas.
These directors used films like The Seven Samurai, 1954, or Yojimbo, 1964, as a starting point for their own work. Collaborating with the talented Toshiro Mifune again, Yojimbo’s plot tells of a rogue samurai pitting two sides against each other. The rogue aimed to eliminate both factions and clean up the town.
Italy’s Sergio Leone, the Spaghetti Western master, claimed Yojimbo was the source for Fistful of Dollars. Martin Scorsese paid homage to Kurosawa’s use of moral ambiguity and the human spirit. George Lucas stated that Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars came from 1958’s A Hidden Fortress. More recently, Quentin Tarantino used Kurosawa’s nonlinear storytelling technique and complicated characters.
Why Was Kurosawa Criticized in Japan?
Despite fame and fortune, no director can please all audiences. Harsh criticisms rolled in from all sides. At home, many Japanese felt his characters were too rogue and did not conform to traditional obedience. Western critics felt his films evidenced little of Japanese culture.
By the 1970s, Kurosawa’s star gradually waned. A 1970 movie flopped, leading to funding problems for future projects. Health issues appeared to be slowing him down. As television ate away at movie audiences, Kurosawa’s role in the film industry took a back seat, aside from his brief return to directing in 1985, with the film Ran.
What Is Kurosawa’s Legacy?
Kurosawa’s opened Japan’s storytelling tradition to the world, combining them with Western movie techniques. As such, his impact is still felt across the film industry, even since his passing in 1998. He is considered one of the 20th century’s greatest directors, whose contribution has shaped much of the cinematic landscape that informs filmmakers young and old today.
