Akira Kurosawa

Birthday: 23 March 1910, Tokyo, Japan

Height: 182 cm

After training as a painter (he storyboards his films as full-scale paintings), Kurosawa entered the film industry in 1936 as an assistant director, eventually making his directorial debut with Sugata Sanshirô (1943). Within a few years, Kurosawa had achieved sufficient stature to allow him greater creative freedom. Yoidore tenshi (1948)--"Drunken Angel"--was the first film he made without extensive studio interference, and marked his first collaboration with Toshirô Mifune. In the coming decades, the two would make 16 movies together, and Mifune became as closely associated with Kurosawa's films as was John Wayne with the films of Kurosawa's idol, John Ford. After working in a wide range of genres, Kurosawa made his international breakthrough film Rashômon (1950) in 1950. It won the top prize at the Venice Film Festival, and first revealed the richness of Japanese cinema to the West. The next few years saw the low-key, touching Ikiru (1952) (Living), the epic Shichinin no samurai (1954), the barbaric, riveting Shakespeare adaptation Kumonosu-jô (1957), and a fun pair of samurai comedies Yôjinbô (1961) and Sanjuro (1962). After a lean period in the late 1960s and early 1970s, though, Kurosawa attempted suicide. He survived, and made a small, personal, low-budget picture with Dodesukaden (1970), a larger-scale Russian co-production Dersu Uzala (1975) and, with the help of admirers Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas, the samurai tale Kagemusha (1980), which Kurosawa described as a dry run for Ran (1985), an epic adaptation of Shakespeare's "King Lear." He continued to work into his eighties with the more personal Yume (1990), Hachi-gatsu no rapusodî (1991) and Maadadayo (1993). Kurosawa's films have always been more popular in the West than in his native Japan, where critics have viewed his adaptations of Western genres and authors (William Shakespeare, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Maxim Gorky and Evan Hunter) with suspicion - but he's revered by American and European film-makers, who remade Rashômon (1950) as The Outrage (1964), Shichinin no samurai (1954), as The Magnificent Seven (1960), Yôjinbô (1961), as Per un pugno di dollari (1964) and Kakushi-toride no san-akunin (1958), as Star Wars (1977). Hide

Human beings are unable to be honest with themselves about themselves. They cannot talk about themse Show more Human beings are unable to be honest with themselves about themselves. They cannot talk about themselves without embellishing. Hide

It is quite enough if a human being has but one field where he is strong. If a human being were stro Show more It is quite enough if a human being has but one field where he is strong. If a human being were strong in every field it wouldn't be nice for other people, would it? Hide

Create a list » User Lists Related lists from IMDb users Greatest Moviemakers a list of 3 Show more Create a list » User Lists Related lists from IMDb users Greatest Moviemakers a list of 35 people created 29 May 2011 My Favorite Directors a list of 30 people created 05 Sep 2011 My Favourite Directors a list of 30 people created 23 Feb 2013 Favorite Directors a list of 45 people created 20 May 2015 35 Greatest Directors of All-Time a list of 35 people created 9 months ago See all related lists » Hide

For me, film-making combines everything. That's the reason I've made cinema my life's work. In films Show more For me, film-making combines everything. That's the reason I've made cinema my life's work. In films painting and literature, theatre and music come together. But a film is still a film. Hide

When I start on a film I always have a number of ideas about my project. Then one of them begins to Show more When I start on a film I always have a number of ideas about my project. Then one of them begins to germinate, to sprout, and it is this which I take and work with. My films come from my need to say a particular thing at a particular time. The beginning of any film for me is this need to express something. It is to make it nurture and grow that I write my script- it is directing it that makes my tree blossom and bear fruit. Hide

Good Westerns are liked by everyone. Since humans are weak, they want to see good people and great h Show more Good Westerns are liked by everyone. Since humans are weak, they want to see good people and great heroes. Westerns have been done over and over again, and in the process a kind of grammar has evolved. I have learned much from this grammar of the Western. Hide

To have not seen the films of Ray is to have lived in the world without ever having seen the moon an Show more To have not seen the films of Ray is to have lived in the world without ever having seen the moon and the sun. Hide

In all my films, there's three or maybe four minutes of real cinema. In all my films, there's three or maybe four minutes of real cinema.

I like unformed characters. This may be because, no matter how old I get, I am still unformed myself Show more I like unformed characters. This may be because, no matter how old I get, I am still unformed myself. Hide

With a good script, a good director can produce a masterpiece. With the same script, a mediocre dire Show more With a good script, a good director can produce a masterpiece. With the same script, a mediocre director can produce a passable film. But with a bad script even a good director can't possibly make a good film. For truly cinematic expression, the camera and the microphone must be able to cross both fire and water. The script must be something that has the power to do this. Hide

Human beings share the same common problems. A film can only be understood if it depicts these prope Show more Human beings share the same common problems. A film can only be understood if it depicts these properly. Hide

So long as my pictures are hits I can afford to be unreasonable. Of course, if they start losing mon Show more So long as my pictures are hits I can afford to be unreasonable. Of course, if they start losing money then I've made some enemies. Hide

The characters in my films try to live honestly and make the most of the lives they've been given. I Show more The characters in my films try to live honestly and make the most of the lives they've been given. I believe you must live honestly and develop your abilities to the full. People who do this are the real heros. Hide

I believe that what pertains only to myself is not interesting enough to record and leave behind me. Show more I believe that what pertains only to myself is not interesting enough to record and leave behind me. More important is my conviction that if I were to write anything at all, it would turn out to be nothing but talk about movies. In other words, take 'myself', subtract 'movies', and the result is zero. Hide

Being an artist means not having to avert one's eyes. Being an artist means not having to avert one's eyes.

[on Mikio Naruse] Naruse's Method consists of staging one very brief shot after another; but when we Show more [on Mikio Naruse] Naruse's Method consists of staging one very brief shot after another; but when we look at them placed end-to-end in the finished film, they give the impression of one long single take. The fluidity is so perfect that the cuts are invisible . . . A flow of shots that looks calm and ordinary at first glance reveals itself to be like a deep river with a quiet surface disguising a fast-raging current. Hide

Akira Kurosawa's FILMOGRAPHY

as Director (4) as Creator (7)

Ame agaru [Audio: Japanese]

Last Man Standing

Seven Samurai

Rashomon

Sanjuro [Sub: Eng]

Ran

Yojimbo [Sub: Eng]

The Magnificent Seven

The Bad Sleep Well