| movie title |
related
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average rating |
MPAA rating |
watch |
rent |
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| The Bad Sleep Well (Criterion Collection) (1960)
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| This ingeniously noirish revenge story about big business has it all, corruption, murder and the incomparable Mifune as the antagonist who exposes his higher-ups through a uniquely manipulative scheme. This Criterion edition arrives January 2006! |
| Dersu Uzala (1975)
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| Perhaps a bit on the sentimental side and a little stodgy around the edges (blame the Soviet hardliners at Mosfilm), this is nevertheless an enjoyable film, especially for Maxim Munzuk's delighful portrayal of Dersu. |
| Dodes'ka-Den (Criterion) (1970)
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Not Rated
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| Akira Kurosawa's Dreams (1990)
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| Drunken Angel (1948)
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| Expect a Criterion edition in the not too distant future... |
| The Hidden Fortress (Criterion Collection) (1958)
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Not Rated
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| This amusing tale has some breathtaking action sequences and is a thorough blast to watch (the enchanting fire dance scene being a high point). Mifune gives a terrific performance as the stoic, compassionate general, while Uehara's princess is simply captivating, with Chiaki and Fujiwara as a pair of squabbling peasants adding to the fun. A rare treat! |
| High and Low (Criterion Collection) (1962)
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Not Rated
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| Beautifully shot in Yokohama, this finely detailed, engrossingly suspenseful film is Kurosawa's most popular gendai-geki and one of the best police procedurals ever made; excellent performances by Mifune, Shumura and company. |
| Ikiru (Criterion Collection) (1952)
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| A bittersweet account of the final days in the life of a simple man (a beautiful performance by Takashi Shimura), who suddenly realizes his life has amounted to naught, and finds redemption through one last and noble gesture. |
| Kagemusha (Criterion Collection) (1980)
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| A visually stunning and enormously entertaining film containing several memorable set pieces. While Nakadai is hit-and-miss as Shingen's double (the shadow warrior of the title), he nevertheless succeeds in conveying the poignant aspects of the part, although Shintaro Katsu (originally cast in the title role) might have made more of its comic aspects. |
| Kagemusha (Criterion Collection) (Bonus Disc) (1980)
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| Special features include a documentary on the making of the film, Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create, plus Image: Kurosawa's Continuity, a reconstruction Kagemusha through Kurosawa's paintings and sketches, and Lucas, Coppola, and Kurosawa, in which the directors discuss their involvement in the film's production. |
| The Lower Depths (Criterion Collection) (1957)
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| comments coming soon... |
| Madadayo (1993)
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Not Rated
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| Episodic reflections about the end of a professor's long career, and Kurosawa ends his, with this tranquil and quietly observant film; it's an affectionate, if sentimental farewell. |
| Eclipse Series 23 - The First Films of Akira Kurosawa: The Most Beautiful (1944)
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Not Rated
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| No Regrets for Our Youth (1946)
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Not Rated
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| One Wonderful Sunday (1947)
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Not Rated
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| Ran (Criterion Collection) (1985)
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| Kurosawa's final masterpiece is a massive reworking of King Lear is a spectacular visual feast, while not as visceral as his adaptation of Macbeth, Throne of Blood, Ran has an epic sweep and an emotionalism all its own. This Criterion edition arrives in November 2005! |
| Ran (Criterion Collection) (Bonus Disc) (1985)
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| Special features include Chris Marker's documentary A.K., a documenatary on the making of the film, Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create, a new video interview with Tatsuya Nakadai, and Image: Kurosawa's Continuity, a video reconstruction of Ran through Kurosawa's paintings and sketches. |
| Rashomon (Criterion Collection) (1951)
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| A remarkable achievement and a landmark in Japanese cinema; Rashomon holds a very special place in Kurosawa's work, not only as the film that gave him an international status, but because of the way the film dealt with the nature of truth. |
| Record of a Living Being (1955)
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Not Rated
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| Apparently, the Criterion Collection commissioned new subtitles for this film and plan to release a DVD sometime in the future under the title I Live in Fear: Record of a Living Being. |
| Red Beard (Criterion Collection) (1965)
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| Mifune and Kurosawa's last collaboration apparently wasn't an easy undertaking and it ended their relationship. This bristling, medical melodrama set in Edo during the 1800s is a monumental and fitting end to a beautiful friendship. |
| Rhapsody in August (1991)
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| comments coming soon... |
| Sanjuro (Criterion Collection) (1962)
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Not Rated
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| Interestingly, Kurosawa wrote the treatment for Sanjuro before making Yojimbo, yet the results are not nearly as good as its processor and is lighter by comparison. Nevertheless, it is still a marvelous film, full of unexpected humor, abetted by Toshiro Mifune as the sly mercenary ronin. |
| Eclipse Series 23 - The First Films of Akira Kurosawa: Sanshiro Sugata (1943)
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Not Rated
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| Eclipse Series 23 - The First Films of Akira Kurosawa: Sanshiro Sugata II (1945)
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Not Rated
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| Seven Samurai (Criterion Collection) (1954)
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| An unrivaled masterpiece and one of the great films, this is humanistic filmmaking of the highest order; a sprawling canvas filled with wonderfully nuanced characters, action and suspense. The film is ageless. Expect a new remaster from Criterion in 2006! |
| Stray Dog (Criterion Collection) (1949)
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| comments coming soon... |
| They Who Step on the Tiger's Tail (1945)
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Not Rated
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| Throne of Blood (Criterion Collection) (1957)
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Not Rated
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| Kurosawa's vision of Macbeth is arguably the greatest adaptation of Shakespeare that has ever been committed to celluloid. The final scene as the forest closes in on Washizu is astoundingly breathtaking, not to mention mesmerizing performances by Isuzu Yamada and Toshiro Mifune. |
| Yojimbo (Criterion Collection) (1961)
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Not Rated
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| This breakthrough lone samurai film prefigured Sergio Leone's Fistful of Dollars and led the way for its sequel, Sanjuro. Masaru Sato's offbeat score perfectly compliments Mifune's cynical performance as the seemingly shiftless ronin who outwits a pair of rival gangs in a small town resulting in a healthy dose of hilarity and mayhem. |
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