Akira Kurosawa’s High and Low (1963) sees a return to a contemporaneous urban Japan, a transition from the feudal period examined in many of his films in the previous decade, such as Seven Samurai (1954), Throne of Blood (1957), The Hidden Fortress (1958), and the one-two punch of Yojimbo (1961) and Sanjuro (1962). Yet, many […]
Read More Akira Kurosawa Series – High and Low (1963)“Behold, within this place Now desolated, stood Once a mighty fortress Lived a proud warrior Murdered my ambition His spirit walking still Vain pride, then as now, will Lead ambition to the kill” Akira Kurosawa’s 1957 film Throne of Blood – his interpretation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, set in feudal Japan – opens and closes with […]
Read More Akira Kurosawa Series – Throne of Blood (1957)As someone who has been a massive fan of Star Wars for longer than I have been a major cinephile and film enthusiast, whispers of Akira Kurosawa’s 1958 film The Hidden Fortress have entered the conversation many times surrounding George Lucas’ space opera. I had always heard that Kurosawa was perhaps Lucas’ biggest inspiration […]
Read More Akira Kurosawa Series – The Hidden Fortress (1958)“In life, one finds friends in the strangest of places.” This is a quote spoken by a samurai warrior in 16th-century Japan, but it rings true centuries later all over the word. An array of variables and possibilities in everyday life produce endless permutations for the different relationships you build with people. Your best friends […]
Read More Akira Kurosawa Series -Seven Samurai (1954)