November 3, 2005
Akira Kurosawa: Part I of II
Kurosawa is a hard subject to tackle. He’s easily regarded as the best foreign director of all time. And his filmography is quite extensive. So in my two part series here, I will attempt to tackle what I think are his most well known films. And just for the heck of it (and because they’re the ones I’ve finished watching), I’m going to start with his later films.
Kurosawa is one of the most accessible of the ‘classical’ or ‘great foreign’ directors. His films are cool and his star is charismatic. Jap-o-philes and anime fans make an easy transition to his films. Many times I have seen YOJIMBO next to TENCHI MUYO on the DVD shelf.
And his films hold up very well. A lot of them are similar to Westerns and some are based on Shakespeare -- so they are not too alienating to American audiences. The samurai heroes of his films are like the heroes of westerns or the chivalrous knights of Europe. Some critics complained that Kurosawa’s films were too Western -- his greatest influence being director John Ford.
But his storytelling ability resonates today. Despite the slow pace of several of his films and their lengthy running times, they are easy to watch and I don’t find them as boring or dragging as some other older or foreign films. He always keeps you engaged.
So, in two weeks you’ll learn about how Kurosawa got started, how RASHOMON introduced him to the world and about his successful and prolific period in the 50s. But today we’ll start in medias res, with a 50 year old director on the downside of his peak...
The 60s
The 1960s for Kurosawa started with his Hamlet adaptation, THE BAD SLEEP WELL (1960). And while Hamlet is considered the greatest of Shakespeare’s works, this film is not considered as highly as Kurosawa’s other Shakespeare adaptations RAN (1985) and THRONE OF BLOOD (1957). While the 50s is generally considered the high point of Kurosawa’s career, when he directed about a film a year including what are considered to be his best films THE SEVEN SAMURAI, IKIRU and RASHOMON -- the 60s brought about new changes and difficulties.
He made 5 films between 1960 and 1965 all in black and white and all starring Toshiro Mifune. But the last of these films, RED BEARD was his last in black and white and last collaboration with his charismatic star. His career in the 60s has an air of winding down. So much so that he couldn’t get financing after ‘65 because of his reputation as a dictator and how expensive his films could be (and how not terribly successful the last couple had been).
YOJIMBO (1961)
YOJIMBO, which means ‘The Bodyguard’ tells the tale of a lovable ronin (ex-samurai) named Sanjuro played of course by the lovable Toshiro Mifune. He stumbles upon a town that is at war with itself. Two gangs attempt to take control of the town’s assets. Sanjuro is hired as a bodyguard for both sides in turn but secretly (and not so secretly) attempts to set them against each other.
This is one of the most enjoyable films of Kurosawa's from an entertainment standpoint. Mifune is at his most charismatic. He’s always cool in his attempts to wipe out a couple dozen no-good types. The film has comedy and action and a reasonable running time.
But Sanjuro's plans are interrupted when the son of one of the leaders, Unosuke (Tatsuya Nakadai), unexpectedly returns. And he’s brought with him -- a gun and a brain. This may complicate things for our hero, but he doesn’t give up on his attempt to make the town a reputable place again.
Sanjuro sweeps through the town, ridding it of its bad element and then wanders off. It makes you wonder how many times he may have done this (we know at least twice due to the sequel!) -- putting his life in danger to help strangers. We never get a really good understand of why he does it, but it almost doesn't matter.
This film was remade as A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS, directed by Sergio Leone, starring Clint Eastwood. It’s an easy transition because this film is very much a Western despite starring a samurai and taking place in Japan. Ford’s influence is obvious. Also, it was nominated for an Academy Award for costume design and Mifune won best actor at the Venice Film Festival.
This film is very popular amongst non-cinefiles because it’s very accessible. It’s a great place to start with Kurosawa even if it doesn’t represent the large scale epics he’s mostly known for.
SANJURO (1962)
SANJURO is the sequel to YOJIMBO and the filmmakers don’t work terribly hard coming up with a plot of consequence. Some bad politicians (led by ‘The Superintendent’) have kidnapped a good politician (the clan leader known as ‘The Chamberlain’) and are going to force him to confess to something I think they are actually guilty of. At least, I think that’s what happened. Anyway, they don’t spend much time explaining it to you because it doesn’t much matter. Sanjuro shows up almost immediately and takes over the group of 9 men who hope to free the Chamberlain and reveal the truth (as it is somehow all their fault in the first place).
He tells them what to do, they hardly ever listen and he’s always right. And Sanjuro is up to the same tricks as in YOJIMBO -- in fact, some of the very same tricks.
This group of nine men are samurai. But they are well-to-do young men of the samurai class. With their refined manners they differ greatly from the gangsters of YOJIMBO and the poor farmers of SEVEN SAMURAI (a film in which Toshiro Mifune he plays a similar role). They represent a new class for him to play off his street intelligence and bad manners against.
And partially because of that dichotomy, this film is somewhat funnier than YOJIMBO. YOJIMBO has an overall amusing tone (for most of it anyway) while SANJURO has some flat out jokes. And while they kill less people in this movie, the tight action scenes are slightly more thrilling.
Sanjuro’s main nemesis in the film is Muroto, the brain behind the corrupt politicians. He’s played by the same actor as the antagonist from YOJIMBO -- Tatsuya Nakadai. But he’s very quickly outsmarted by Sanjuro and isn’t as equal of an enemy as Unosuke in YOJIMBO.
What’s the best about this film is of course Toshiro Mifune as the character which seems to best fit him. It’s not dissimilar to several other characters he plays for Kurosawa -- the disrespectful rogue with a king heart -- but Sanjuro seems to be the culmination of all those other roles.
But the character is superhuman in this film. In YOJIMBO he’s human and can be defeated, but in this film you never worry about his well-being. The film feels more like digestible entertainment which, I think, is why YOJIMBO is generally better regarded.
But for a viewer who liked YOJIMBO, this is a satisfying extension of that look at a very special rascal.
The 70s
In 1970, Kurosawa was able to make a film again, his first in five years and this time it was DODESUKADEN, which was a realistic piece about the slums of Tokyo. He got financing by founding his own company with three other prominent Japanese directors. But due partially to the depressing subject matter, the film flopped and the company never made another film.
Kurosawa was officially box office poison and no one would finance him (to be fair, no one would finance him before this). This led to a suicide attempt in 1971 which he survived (although he reportedly slashed his wrists 30 times). And he eventually found financing to make another film in 1975 -- in Communist Russia. The film DERUSU UZARA (which was filmed in the Russian language) actually won him his first and only Academy Award for Best Foreign Film.
The 80s
When the 80s rolled around, Kurosawa still wasn’t having an easy time. He dreamed fervently to adapt King Lear. He painted many storyboards and constantly thought of his dream project. He once again had to turn to foreigners to get financing to film anything. He found his patrons in Hollywood icons George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola. They gave him money for his lavish production of KAGEMUSHA, a film he would later call simply a dress rehersal for his dream Lear adaptation RAN.
KAGEMUSHA (1980)
Even with Kurosawa himself dismissing KAGEMUSHA as a dress rehearsal for RAN, the film can certainly stand on its own merits. KAGEMUSHA means “Shadow Warrior”. The premise of the film is that when the leader is killed, his double is brought in as his dying request to pretend that he’s still alive so that battle may continue.
The dead leader, Shingen (Tatsuya Nakadai), asked for the double to be in place for three years after his death. The film follows the three years of battles the double must lead. He is backed up by a council and Shingen’s own son. They all do their best to keep the truth from their own troops and more importantly, the enemy.
The film is based on true historical events and legends culminating in Kurosawa’s recreation of the Battle of Nagashina which took place in 1573. The film switches with ease from the intimate rooms of the puppet string pullers to the wide expanses of the battlefield.
The film won the Golden Palm at Cannes (tying with another great movie, ALL THAT JAZZ). And it was nominated for Best Foreign Film at the Oscars as well as Best Art Direction. It was nominated for 4 BAFTAs and Kurosawa won Best Director. It also won Best Foreign Film at the French awards, the Cesars.
The greater themes of this film are some of Kurosawa’s most interesting. With the double in place, it confirms the illusionary nature of leadership. In the end, during the great battle, we see the leaders very removed from the action. The double is forced to watch from afar. But the leaders also watch as we do. They are spectators in their own war. Kurosawa’s later films are largely anti-war and this film has moments of that.
At times the ‘shadow’ metaphor gets a little overused in the film. Shingen’s son speaks of being in his father’s shadow and all that. It’s an easy fault to ignore, but Kurosawa has in the past also been guilty of beating the audience over the head with certain themes, symbols and plot points.
The end of the film really contains all the real meaning of the story, but I hesitated to talk about it too thoroughly so you may have some enjoyment in watching it if you ever do. But in my opinion the most striking part of this epic is actually the personal journey of the double. In the end he is a much different man than when he started -- both redeemed and condemned.
The more I think about this film, the more I like it. It’s much more than simply a ‘dress rehearsal’.
RAN (1985)
As you might expect of the dream project of Kurosawa, that he had thought about and planned for years, it was certainly one of his most lavish productions. Hundreds of extras, years spent making the costumes -- the tales of the production abound.
The story is that of Shakespeare’s KING LEAR, which I know you have read, but I will summarize anyway. And summarize at length evidently: In a meeting with two prominent families to decide whose daughter should be betrothed to his youngest son, Lord Hidetora (Tatsuya Nakadai) suddenly decides to retire and divides his land up amongst his three sons. Taro (Akira Terao) will receive the First Castle and essentially be ruler (although Hidetora will retain his title), Jiro (Jinpachi Nezu) will receive the Second Castle and Saburo (Daisuke Ryu) the Third.
Saburo speaks out against the plan infuriating his father and causing him to be banished. But one of the suitors finds him to still be a worthy man and takes him in as his son-in-law regardless.
It’s worth noting that this opening section of the film takes 20-30 minutes to play out. The characters are on top of a hill and discuss all this at some length. To be honest, this first section is a bit, well, slow. But if you sit through it, you’ll be rewarded as the rest of the film moves forward at a quicker speed with it’s more gripping scenes and subject matter. And what do those scenes include?
Well, Taro’s wife Lady Kaede (Mieko Harada) is how-you-say -- Evil. She manipulates him in a grab for power. He eventually banishes his own father in order to truly be in charge. But then even he is targeted by his younger brother Jiro who then takes control. Lady Kaede entrances him too, causing him to order the murder of his own wife Lady Sue.
Ok, it’s starting to get confusing -- but it’s Shakespeare, what do you want? The simple point of it is that the third son Saburo was right all along about what would happen and is truly the only one loyal to his father. And the father, Lord Hidetora, after being banished, roams the lands with his jester growing increasingly mad.
True to Shakespeare, the emotions and relations are complex and compelling. It’s a morality tale of sorts and it is painful to watch it play out as you see a family destroy itself.
By the time he finally got to make this dream picture Kurosawa hardly had any eye sight left. But he had spent a decade painting storyboards for the feature for his crew to refer too.
And he creates a visually stunning masterpiece with this film. The look of the film is grand and lavish. He uses very wide shots pretty much all of the time. Surprisingly, the audience never feels too disconnected from the characters (who act slightly over the top, as in some theatrical productions, to get their performance to the audience who is far away), and the approach gives you a greater sense of the scope and grandeur.
The Japanese would still not finance Kurosawa and his big ideas and this time it fell to the French to help him realize his ultimate dream. It was nominated for 4 Oscars including Best Director and won Best Costume Design. It was nominated for 6 BAFTAs and the National Board of Review named Kurosawa the best director of the year.
“My favorite Kurosawa” is a rotating accolade from me depending, I suppose, on which film speaks to me the most at that time in my life. But the film that has been my favorite Kurosawa for the longest period of time was certainly this one. There’s no denying that the decades of madness and genius of Kurosawa all lead up to this film. His visual audacity and outstanding storytelling ability are working at their highest levels in this film. It’s as great an adaptation of Shakespeare’s work as any other I’ve seen from any country.
But from a feminist point of view, this film makes you wonder about Kurosawa’s view of women. The main female figure in this film is Lady Kaede, a Lady Macbeth figure, who in the end is really the only victorious character. Does that mean women are portrayed well? Not when she is as manipulative and downright evil as she is. She is truly the antagonist of the film. Kurosawa also adapts Macbeth as THRONE OF BLOOD. And it’s the women who unmasked the shadow king in KAGEMUSHA. Women are hardly even present in many of his films, particularly the historical ones but they are often helpless or manipulative. Yet sometimes they are strong and forward but I’m not sure they’re portrayed well this way. But I suppose this is a topic for another day....
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The 90s
After finally achieving his dream in directing RAN, the rest of Kurosawa’s career slowly comes to an end with three interesting pieces. First is DREAMS, 8 short films based on Kurosawa’s own dreams. It is followed by RHAPSODY IN AUGUST, an anti-war film centered around an elderly woman and lastly another war time story NOT YET based on the true story of a prominent professor. It seems that Kurosawa’s anti-war feelings grow in his pictures throughout his lifetime. World War II seemed to continue to resonate with him as it rules the lives of the characters in his late films.
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DREAMS (1990)
First, I’ll tell you a bit about the short films that make up this feature. The first is SUNSHINE THROUGH THE RAIN in which a young boy witnesses a fox marriage ritual that humans are forbidden to see. Next is THE PEACH ORCHARD in which seemingly the same young boy (all the main characters are really Kurosawa himself) meets the dolls that represent the peach trees that have been cut down -- but since he loves the trees, they show them to him one last time. In THE BLIZZARD, four men who are hiking in the snow covered mountains fall victim to a snowstorm until a supernatural woman comes to comfort them. Then THE TUNNEL in which a returning military commander faces the those who died under his command. Next is CROWS in which the Kurosawa character wonders through Van Gogh style landscapes following Van Gogh (played by Martin Scorsese) in an attempt to learn from him. In MOUNT FUJI IN RED, six nuclear reactors explode leading to the Kurosawa character and the people he runs into to deal with the consequences of inevitable nuclear fallout. Seemingly a sequel dream is THE WEEPING DEMON which is a look into a future when humans (as well as nature) have mutated. And lastly is VILLAGE OF THE WATER MILLS in which an old man in a town of water mills discusses living in harmony with nature.
It’s generally agreed upon that this film is not entirely satisfying as a whole. But I think it has some of the most striking and memorable images of Kurosawa’s distinguished career.
Dreams are a window into the brain of a person, and after many years of films, this is a welcome chance to try to understand Kurosawa’s artistic genius. It’s hard to critique this film without getting psychological. But it shows everything from childhood nightmares (related to nature) to nuclear winter which recalls WWII. The war plays prominently and subtly in many of Kurosawa’s films and clearly the traumatizing event has invaded his dreams as well. In THE WEEPING DEMON the screams of the dying and rivers of blood makes you wonder what the survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki went through. It’s easily the most disturbing of the pieces.
The first two dreams, representing the child, have the most hope to them but are also cynical (in the first one the child marches off through a truly beautiful setting into what might be certain death). None of these shorts are truly happy.
He contrasts the nuclear stories with the last tale which takes place in a place so beautiful -- as many mills flow in the water we see man and nature living together. The old man says they try to live the way man used to. It’s a more positive look of how things could be. As if the nuclear stories are a warning and VILLAGE OF THE WATER MILLS is Kurosawa’s recommendation for a better future.
Man and his environment is the most consistent theme in the disjointed pieces. They can be in harmony such as Van Gogh’s view of the world or disjointed as when the dolls berate the child for cutting down the peach trees or the world is destroyed by nuclear power. Despite the child being kicked out of his home, Van Gogh cutting off his ear, and many evidently throwing themselves in the river to kill themselves after the nuclear explosions -- there is a bit of hope in each tale. In THE BLIZZARD, the four men are saved from certain death (although they do not save themselves). They face literal winter (as opposed to a nuclear one) and are not attempting to conquer it, just survive in it and perhaps that’s why they’re allowed the happiest ending.
IN TWO WEEKS: Kurosawa Part II (or should I say part I?) -- a look at the early films and his most successful and prolific period of filmmaking including the classics such as RASHOMON, IKIRU and THE SEVEN SAMURAI.
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