Monday, January 25, 2021

A heartfelt salute to the man himself, Akira Kurosawa

 

Image source: sensesofcinema.com

When the topic of the greatest Asian film directors in history is brought up in a conversation, there's a name that's always mentioned first. Akira Kurosawa's influence has transcended race and culture. In fact, countless of the most iconic films in Hollywood such as "Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope" and "The Magnificent Seven" to seemingly unlikely films like the Pixar classic "A Bug's Life" and Roger Corman's cult film "Battle Beyond the Stars," all carry the immortal Asian director's influence. Joe Cianciotto

Image source: tcm.com

Kurosawa's most popular film, "Seven Samurai" itself has spawned several remakes and Western re-imaginings, from John Sturges' and Antoine Fuqua's versions of "The Magnificent Seven," to Fuqua's "Tears of the Sun" and "King Arthur," to Takeshi Miike's "13 Assassins" just to name a few. Joe Cianciotto.

And that's just one of Kurosawa's films.

Kurosawa's storytelling style of "Rashomon" shows different character perspectives of the truth and has also been incorporated by countless directors throughout the years. And then there's "Yojimbo," which, as opposed to a group in "Seven Samurai,s" created one of the first lone-wolf anti-heroes, a precursor of many action heroes from Dirty Harry to John Wick. Joe Cianciotto.

What about you? What are your favorite Akira Kurosawa and Akira Kurosawa-inspired films? Feel free to share them with us in the comments section below. Joe Cianciotto.

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