Master Filmaker Akira Kurosawa

"I believed at the time that for Japan to recover, it was important to place a high value on the self. I still believe this." - Akira Kurosawa

As the first Japanese film director with international notoriety, Akira Kurosawa had a reputation as an artist and scholar that was tremendously admired. In addition he had remarkable stylistic influence on international filmmaking. Many who are interested in films or filmmaking are deeply impressed by the level of Kurosawa's vision and his numerous film achievements. Also, the universal themes of ethics; and the humanism of Akira Kurosawa's films made him a fantastic representation of Japan's cultural reshaping post World War II. Mr. Kurosawa’s work is not confined by politics, age, or gender, but is shaped by the challenges of existence and being human.

Born in 1910 to a family of samurai background; formally trained as a painter and deeply influenced by his brother, who translated foreign films for the Japanese audience. Which gave him great exposure to international film of many genres. Eventually this exposure would channel into the film works or Akira Kurosawa. As well as his philosophy of humanism and social consciousness that drive his themes; the life lesson quest for happiness with others runs through his historical action films and dramas set in postwar Japan. Exposing the corrupt, the loss of personal identity and the struggles of social pressure that plague modern living.

Mr. Kurosawa’s career covered almost 60 years. He is generally characterized as a hard working director deeply dedicated to the craft of filmmaking. This dedication is apparent by his extensive resume as a screenwriter, director, and film editor. Filmmakers in Japan or anywhere else in the world have rarely matched Kurosawa. His entire body of work carries ethical strength, intelligence and artistic influence that very few directors can challenge. What seemed to most invigorate him were his plans for the next film. He also expected the same level of dedication and energy from his cast and crew. Kurosawa was a director to be compared to the greatest writers of any century, a true master of storytelling.

Throughout Akira’s career he pursued filmmaking in an exploratory manor. Using film techniques that were equally controlled and experimental. His use of slow motion photography during battle scenes would become commonplace in action films. Seven Samurai is the basis for John Sturges’s The Magnificent Seven; a fantastic mark of this Japanese director’s influence on the west, which influenced him as well. Kurosawa noted his strong appreciation of John Ford’s Stagecoach for its style and aesthetic. Another film, Hidden Fortress would eventually have tremendous impact on a young American filmmaker; George Lucas utilized the plot and character structure of this film to create Star Wars. In the 2002 film Hero, the strong influence Rashomon can still be seen.

Kurosawa explored many masterful cinematic concepts through camera work and editing. He used the telephoto lens to create abstract compositions. In addition to employing three cameras to establish a scene, enabling him shoot one scene from multiple angles and depth without disrupting the performance. These techniques grew to become part of the vernacular of film. Many hours of film would not exist without his thoughtful exploration of the cinematic craft. Countless, highly regarded, film directors of the last 50 years, acknowledges Kurosawa as a master filmmaker and story teller. Francis Ford Coppola, a great admirer of Kurosawa, said "Most directors have one masterpiece by which they are known, or possibly two. Kurosawa has at least eight or nine."

The stories, the settings, the actors and the language of Kurosawa’s films are Japanese. Yet, the essential messages are global and universal. Within the borders of his films the viewer will find man's struggle for fulfillment and self-perfection and the conflicts of good and evil. These are the foundation of this man’s films. Kurosawa continually revisited these themes that are familiar to all of us. As a recognized master of film technique and storyteller for all peoples, Kurosawa stands apart from other Japanese filmmakers. Although these films were made for the Japanese audiences, his works have attained international notoriety and admiration. This has reinforced Kurosawa a master artist and philosopher.

Two major films by Kurosawa are Ikiru and Seven Samurai the films were made back to back in 1952 and 1954, both appear on many critics' lists of 10 or 20 "finest films of all time." Though made by the same director and nearly the same time, the works are thoroughly different. Ikiru is a modern drama, an existential portrait of a single, unimportant,