Yes! I’m picking it up in Chicago at the Gene Siskel Film Center where it’s playing through May and June. It’s been awesome! It really is a treat seeing these films on the silver screen.
Sadly, I missed Drunken Angel, but I’ve caught the half dozen since, and am bent on catching as many of the next ten as possible—hopefully all of them. I have a membership and take advantage of their Saturday double feature discount, so it’s hell of a bargain too.
Last Saturday was Stray Dog and Throne of Blood. You’ll love it. I can’t wait until next Saturday: Seven Samurai.
Enjoy!
I saw Yojimbo, The Hidden Fortress, Seven Samurai, and High and Low in Durham, NC. It was great to see those amazing classics on the big screen. Nothing like seeing Yojimbo, going out for a nice dinner, and coming back to the theater for High and Low :) Close to a perfect day. I can’t recommend it highly enough!
I’m officially seeing Yojimbo at berkeley aswell, and possibly stray dog. But in august for sure I’m seeing Dodes’ka-den, I love that goddamn movie.
Kurosawa All Wrapped Up
I just completed my odyssey with the local Akira Kurosawa film retrospective. Of the seventeen films in the lineup, I caught sixteen of them in the theater. Before now I had only seen a half dozen or so of Kurosawa’s films. It has been an enriching and worthwhile experience. I’m happy I had this opportunity and took advantage of it. My appreciation for Kurosawa has grown immensely, as well as that of some of his favored actors, most notably Toshiro Mifune.
What I found in Kurosawa is a man who can portray meaningful stories, whether set in ancient or contemporary Japan or the Siberian wilderness, and imbue them with humanity—doing so consistently, film after film. It’s a case where the heart of the director is evident in his films. I have seen much of what Kurosawa portrays in countless other films, but rarely done so well as in his hands.
They were all delightful films in their own right. It’s hard for me to rank his films because so many of them are remarkable, but I have found that the last one viewed often is my “favorite,” until I see the next one, whether it’s one I’ve seen before or for the first time. I wouldn’t call it a disappointment, but the only one that really fell flat—and speaking only in relativity to Kurosawa’s other films—was I Live in Fear. Other than that, there were many, many enjoyable highlights:
Seven Samurai: This film may not have benefited the most from being projected onto the silver screen, due to its 4:3 aspect ratio, but what a thrill to see this masterpiece on the big screen!
Red Beard: One that I had never considered, mostly because it’s name conjured up images of romantic castles or ghost pirates in a samurai setting. I was awed by the raw humanity of this film, the power of understanding and forgiveness. Rarely has emotion washed over me so during a film.
Dersu Uzala: A visual wonder and touching portrayal of profound friendship. I was taken most with the visual imagery and the portrayal of the sublime beauty and magnificent fury of all four seasons. I can’t imagine even beginning to comprehend the appreciation this film deserves on anything but the big screen.
Dodes’Ka-Den: A mostly plotless film that looks into the lives of people living in a squalid village, witnessing their plights—humorous, heartbreaking, sordid, and hopeful as they may be; such as life really is. This film epitomized for me the sentiment that watching a Kurosawa film is as much or more about enjoying the journey rather than reaching a particular destination.
High and Low: A gripping and suspenseful manhunt thriller with intriguing plot twists.
Yojimbo: Fun and entertaining, plain and simple. Mifune is wonderful as the wandering ronin, casual and cool but not to be fucked with.
The Hidden Fortress: Admittedly, I went to this one primarily because of its indelible relationship with Star Wars. What I found was a movie that is enjoyable in its own right, but also appreciated the fond memories from its association to a childhood favorite.
Ran: Fucking wow! What more can be said about this one?
All the others were a treat, too, but my comments on them would fall within the realm of those already mentioned, so for the sake of (relative) brevity will resist the temptation to mention them all and risk being too repetitive.
As far as the actors go, there is a lot of impressive work in these films, but Toshiro Mifune stands head and shoulders above the rest. It was fun to see his range in his roles as well as to see him age oh so gracefully from an early collaboration with Kurosawa in 1949’s Stray Dog as a fresh-faced rookie cop dealt a difficult dilemma (I missed his first Drunken Angel at the theater, but did pick it up later on home video) to his, sadly, final collaboration in1965’s Red Beard where he portrays a wizened doctor, austere yet full of empathy, from a wild samurai wannabe in Seven Samurai to a grizzled ronin for hire in Yojimbo, from an animalistic bandit in Rashomon to a distinguished businessman with a heart in High and Low, and everything in between. I do believe this man has become my favorite actor, of any era, from any continent.
In summary, this experience with a wide cross-section of Kurosawa’s work was gratifying beyond expectations. It has only left me wanting for more and I look forward to filling in the blanks, no matter how long it may take. The only thing I can wish for is that others have this opportunity, take advantage of it, and enjoy it as much as I have!
Throne of blood was so good. Now one of my favorite films. When the arrow went through Mifune’s neck, everyone in the audience gasped OHHHH! Great stuff Janus/Criterion, can’t wait for Yojimbo! I wasn’t suprised my friend and I where the youngest ones there.
Erik Villasenor
I’m excited to see my first Kurasawa film in an actual theatre. I’m seeing Throne of Blood on June 6th and then Dodes’ka-den in August, Janus is holding a Centennial Kurasawa tour and I was wondering if anyone else is pretty happy about it too or if they’re going.