Akira Kurosawa - Film Maker Project RTVF 272

Akira Kurosawa is a name well known by most anyone who is a fan of film. And rightfully so, since many regard him to be one of the most influential directors on modern cinema. After a grueling 30 films, over the span of 57 years, one has to wonder where he started and what he offered/added to the field of film. Surprisingly, Kurosawa original passion was that of painting. Akira was initially introduced to films and cinema through his older brother, Heigo. After not being able to support himself with his painting, Akira would apply to be an assistant director at a small film studio known as P.C.L. This studio would later be know as ToHo, and would be where Kurosawa would get his start and much of his acclaim. After 5 years as an assistant director, under the tutelage of Kajiro Yamamoto, and spending much of his time honing his craft as a screenwriter; Kurosawa was finally able to begin directing his own films with studio ToHo.

After his stint as an assistant director Kurosawa would begin filming his first films. His initial three films were all during World War 2 and met with varying degrees of success. After the war, Kurosawa's works incorporated a young actor by the name Toshiro Mifune. Mifune would be critiqued as a Japanese Marlon Brando and would help Kurosawa achieve his initial bit of recognition. This was done primarily with films like; The Quiet Duel, Stray Dogs, and most of all Drunken Angel. After this set of films he would direct a film called Rashomon that would be the first part of Kurosawa's major offerings to the film industry. Rashomon would at first seem not that major of a point in Kurosawa's career, but would actually end up being submitted to the Venice Film Festival. At the festival, the film would receive the highest prize, a Golden Lion. After receiving this illustrious award the film's right would be purchased be the American studio R.K.O., ushering in an era prosperity for Japanese films overseas. And overall, this would open up the Western market to Japanese films for years to come and led to the commercial success of several other Japanese directors.

Kurosawa would continue to direct many more films that would be wildly popular in both Japan and overseas; specifically Europe and America. Some examples of his later work would be; Seven Samurai, Throne of Blood, The Hidden Fortress, Yojimbo, Ran, and the Palme d'Or winning film Kagemusha. Additionally, many of Kurosawa's screenplays/films would heavily influence other directors. Some examples of this would be George Lucas and his initial Star Wars film being heavily adopted from the Kurosawa film, “The Hidden Fortress”. Along with Lucas, was Sergio Leone and his film “Fistful of Dollars”, which was essentially a shot by shot copy of Kurosawa's film Yojimbo.

While the film director did fall out of favor with both audiences and the industry much later in his life, he offered many masterfully woven stories through out his career. Additionally, his unique style is still inspiring young and old directors to this day and will likely do so for years to come.

Ryan Monsour

RTVF 272

Film Makers Project

The Hidden Fortress

In this Kurosawa film, the director takes an unusual approach and places the focus of a fair portion of the film on characters that are not meant to be the main ones. The two peasants, Tahei and Matashichi, are placed in front of the audience to explain the story through their struggles for nearly the first quarter of the film. Through them, we experience the struggles they have and understand, to an extent, their mind set / why they act the way they do. After their, essentially, lengthy introduction we get to the actual protagonists of the film, Princess Yuki and Makabe Rokurota the former general of the Akizuki clan.

The story of the film is basically a coming of age tale for the character Princess Yuki. The plot explains that her clan, the Akizuki, has been overthrown and that she is the last surviving member of the royal family. Toshiro Mifune, plays the former general to the Akizuki clan, Makabe Rokurota, and is essentially the young (naïve) princess' bodyguard. Throughout the film Mifune's character keeps the peasants in line as best he can and manages to get them to agree to help him escort the princess to safer lands. In return the peasants, Tahei and Matashichi, will receive some of the Akizuki clan's remaining gold that they are secretly helping to transport in bundles of wood. The peasants are rarely helpful and often impede the progress of the main characters. In addition, whenever they are not blundering, the peasants usually make attempts to steal the gold, and thus not helping the princess/general achieve their mutual goal of safety. The film involves many tense setting where our protagonist are nearly captured and are forced to fight for their lives. Eventually, after several fights and close calls they are all captured by Rokurota's (the general's) rival. But after Princess Yuki express all that she has learned from her travels, especially those with the peasants, the general's rival sides with them and helps them escape to safer lands. After all is said and done, the two greedy peasants are given a full and elaborate explanation of what they were doing and why. Thus, leading not just to Princess Yuki's character to grow, but to the two peasants as well. Afterward they are given their reward, and a clear change in character and mind set can be seen in the two miscreants.

To elaborate on Princess Yuki, essentially, coming of age; there is scene early in the film stating that her sister (who was sent out as a decoy), has served her purpose. Basically stating she has been killed due to the assumption that she was Yuki. Later in the film, while Yuki and the others have been captured and are waiting for an almost certain death, she expresses all she has learned due to her sister's and the peasant's sacrifices. Kurosawa uses these explanations to express the moral message of the film. Another fantastically directed scene, was the one involving Rokurota (Mifune's) fight with his rival. While this scene was not there to express any moral meaning, the way it was choreographed, staged, and edited together spoke volumes to the directors skills in all field of film making.

In addition to being an exceptional film, “The Hidden Fortress” is very well know as being the inspiration to Episode Four of the Star Wars films. The original Star Wars film was also initially told through the misadventures of two minor characters, R2-D2 and C-3PO. While having the main characters make their appearance later in the film. Obi-Wan Kenobi, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Han Solo all fill the protagonist roles much like general Rokurota and princess Yuki. Also, just like the film Star Wars, the minor and major characters are trying to transport something precious that will lead to an empire falling or rising.

Both cases of film making are well done and serve as an important benchmark in film for their respective eras.

Chris Rivers

Professor Sheehan

RTVF 272

5/18/13

Seven Samurai

Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai released in1954 is considered to be his masterpiece and one of his most influential movies. It is the first of ten movies he made with actor Toshiro Mifune from 1954 to 1965. Seven Samurai is one of Kurosawa’s most popular movies and inspired the Hollywood remake, The Magnificent Seven; as well as many other westerns such as The Good, The Bad and The Ugly and The Wild Bunch. The film Seven Samurai is an action filled epic about a small community of farmers who are plagued by bandits that force the villagers to give up their precious crops and leave them starving every season. The villagers of the farming community in feudal Japan commission a misfit band of samurai warriors to defend the community against a marauding group of bandits. Kurosawa wastes no time in creating the momentum of the film. It’s simply offered in the film’s opening sequence—a daunting view of horses galloping at sunrise. The villagers realize that they must do something to stave off the plundering bandits and decide that must seek help, and the film is off and running, as the villagers go in search of the samurai warriors that they need to defend them. The plot is quickly revealed to us, as we meet each of the chosen samurai and their leader, the great Takashi Shimura. The samurai set the plan into action on what the villagers will need to do in order to fight off the group of bandits. Kurosawa weaves backstory into the film a storyline that enriches the plot. The samurai that the villagers are seeking help from are the same class of samurai that they had persecuted in the past. The story of Seven Samurai is not simply a story of Good versus Evil, but a story of realization, reconciliation and retribution. This brings about the question of why would these samurai help the villagers, and why would they do it for virtually nothing but a only a few handfuls of rice for food? The answer is for the adventure. These samurai have been in many battles, but it is only from this battle will they ultimately be able to test themselves. There is no great reward, and the odds of them winning are microscopic. That is precisely why they fight and what they stand for as samurai. These well-seasoned warriors strive to experience that intimate sense of “honor” that is so prized by the Japanese. Witnessing this rag-tag band of samurai defend the village makes for a climax as powerful as ever has been seen on a motion picture screen. Kurosawa strived to model each of the seven samurai after historical samurai. He was inspired by his family’s samurai linage and wanted to pay homage to their honorable history. The samurai begin training the villagers and compiling a defense plan for the community. The villagers somewhat resist the plan initially but, eventually come around to the samurai way of thinking. The fields are harvested and flooded; the village is fortified; villagers are trained in battle, and a dangerous raid on the bandit village is conducted, throughout all of theses exercised a bond of trust and camaraderie is created between the villagers and the samurai.  Katsushirō, the youngest of the samurai begins a flirtation with Shino a farmer’s daughter who has been masquerading as boy to protect her from lustful samurai. The battle is in full force and the samurai’s plans are working beautifully but Kikuchiyo abandons his post to capture a musket from the bandits so that he can impress the other samurai and in doing so he allows the bandits access to the village. The bandits pillage the village and kill several villagers and one of the samurai, Gorobei, before being driven out of the village. That night the villagers and the samurai are demoralized by their defeat. The villagers assemble all the food and sake that they have been stockpiling to have one last feast before what they believe to be their impending demise. During this Katsushirō and Shino sneak away to consummate their love only to be discovered by her father who begins to beat Shino because she has been deflowered and is no longer pure. Shimada stops the beating and it begins to rain, which sums up of the defeat of the day. Kurosawa uses rain as a common tool to express the emotion of the narrative. In the final battle many of the villagers and all but three of the samurai are killed, leaving Shimada and Katsushirō to contemplate the battle. The next day the farmers are rejoicing and replanting their crops. In the final cinematic shot Kurosawa leaves us with the daunting image of graves of all the villagers and the samurai on the hill with their swords in their graves to mark their sacrifice

Chris Rivers

Professor Sheehan

RTVF 272

5/18/13

Yojimbo

Akira Kurosawa’s 1961 offering Yojimbo (The Bodyguard) , is a definite change of pace from his other samurai based epics. It stars Kurosawa staple Toshiro Mifune as Sanjuro, a wandering swordsman for hire who comes upon a small village dominated by two warring factions. Sanjuro is your perfect anti-hero, he does all the right things but in the wrong ways or for the wrong reasons, inspiring many later hero characters. Kurosawa’s love for fellow director John Ford’s films is highly evident in the very American western, John Wayne feel it has, despite its’ rural Japanese setting. The more American musical score also helped to mold the feeling of the film, as it differed from the standard traditional Japanese music used in most of the other films from Japan at the time. Yojimbo is also notable due to its’ English adaptation by Sergio Leone, A Fistful of Dollars which spawned actor Clint Eastwood’s film career his position as the anit-hero, The Man With No Name trilogy and the genre of the Spaghetti Western. Another obvious influence of this film can be seen in Quentin Tarantino with the unique style of dialog, Japanese and western fusion, and sword and bullet wounds that yield huge amounts of spurting blood. The film begins with Sanjuro walking into a desolate town where he is approached by several of the townspeople. He enters a restaurant owned by an elderly gentleman who explains to him the dynamic of the village and how the state of the town came to be. The town has two self-proclaimed mayors, and two rival gangs that control all comings and goings. Sanjuro, despite the old man’s pleadings for him to leave the town, decides to stay and resolve the situation. The next scene is one we saw in class, recreated in A Fistful of Dollars. Sanjuro exits the restaurant and remarks to the undertaker to get coffins ready as he passes. He then approaches the men of Ushitora’s gang who had earlier insulted him as he first entered the village. In a level of cool I had previously only thought Eastwood of conveying Sanjuro remarks on how the men have cute faces and that they are fake warriors bragging about their supposed past misdeeds all the while chewing on a stick that would later become Eastwood’s signature cigar. Upon Sanjuro’s challenge the three men in front make a move to attack him but are instantly cut down by Sanjuro’s blade. The other members of the gang retreat in fear, and Sanjuro leaves to seek payment and employment with Ushitora’s rival, Seibe. Seibe is desperate for Sanjuro’s help and reluctantly agrees to his hefty price. Sanjuro however, overhears Seibe and his wife plotting to kill him to get their money back after they have vanquished Ushitora. Upon the next day’s high noon battle in the street Sanjuro reveals that he knows of their plan and leaves them to fight Ushitora without him. He then climbs and sits on the bell tower so as to watch the forthcoming fight, in what is an amazing low angle shot that captures both gangs on either side ready to engage with Sanjuro smiling in the tower between them. The battle is stopped before it begins however as it is announced that an inspector is on his way. During the inspector’s stay both gangs court Sanjuro for his services and he uses this as a tool to pit them against each other. Sanjuro promises himself to Ushitora’s gang in order to gain access to the woman the captured and are holding. He kills the guards holding her and sets her free to escape with her family, framing the whole thing on Seibe and his gang. The rivals destroy each other’s businesses in retaliation but Sanjuro is soon discovered as the true perpetrator and is held captive and beaten by Ushitora. During his interrogation on the whereabouts of the woman he freed Sanjuro is thrown around the room which breaks a lock, allowing him to escape. After his escape from Ushitora, Sanjuro is smuggled out of the village by the old man to a small hut so that he may heal his wounds. Soon after, the old man is captured whilst trying to bring food and medicine for him. Upon hearing this Sanjuro makes out for the village to rescue the old man in a final showdown. Sanjuro appears at the end of the street in classic old west showdown fashion. In a surprisingly more modern style choreographed fight scene Sanjuro dispatches the entire gang with a series of spinning slashes, stabs and one throwing knife for an unlucky member. In a severely western feel to the end of the film, Sanjuro leaves as the flawed hero of the people, rescuing them from tyranny.

Ryan Monsour

RTVF 272

Film Makers Project

Throne of Blood

Kurosawa’s 1957 film “Throne of Blood” was a very impressive accomplishment for the director and as a film for various reason. It takes a classic piece of literature, “Macbeth”, and manages to not focus strictly on what was written. Instead the film focuses more on the actions and deeds of the characters, all the while not straying too far from Shakespeare’s original version of the play. Additionally, the film has many very memorable scenes that follow the original play very well, but, at the same time, add a very unique Japanese flair. Also, impressive was some of the well coordinated stunt work near the end of the film that would eventually go on to inspire other scenes in future movies.

The idea of altering a work of art into a film format is more than simply complex. There are a plethora of ways to approach doing so; unfortunately this rarely turns out well and leaves much to be desired. This is particularly true of works that are considered the pinnacle of achievement. Shakespeare is no exception this, especially when dealing with film adaptations. But herein lies Akira Kurosawa’s secret to success with “Throne of Blood” it is not a direct textual adaptation of “Macbeth”. Instead it takes the over arcing themes and basic story and sculpts them into a form that suits the silver screen. Since a direct translation of the original play had lost much of its written wit, Kurosawa used the story and adapted it into a form that is still clearly “Macbeth” but at the same time modernized to suit a Japanese and eventually international audience. Kurosawa does this by setting the film in feudal Japan instead of 16^th century Scotland. Further more, the set design and location shooting help to give the film a foreboding sense of paranoia along with an eerie feeling of lingering doom. All this was exactly as the director had intended it. Additionally, set parts of the book, such as the three witches at the beginning and end of the play, would be adjusted to fit the film and the feeling the director was trying to convey. An example of this, is that the three witches are transformed into one for all intents and purposes of the film. But the single witch is presented in a very Japanese form, much like how a witch would be portrayed in Japanese Noh theater. Thus adding a level of complexity while changing a classic tale, but being able to still keep the overall feeling and plot line. On that note, much of the film is portrayed in the style of Noh theater. From the bare sets, the music, and even in the way the actors seemed to almost overly stylize their movements. This fusion of European and Japanese theater helps to pull the film further from just a straight adaption and places it in a league all its own.

Along with the unique way Kurosawa adapted the story of “Macbeth”, he also made great use of his actors and even went so far as to place them in harms way to get them to really feel the role they were playing. Kurosawa was well know for doing this. From his second film onwards he would make his actors essentially live the life of the character they were to portray. “Throne of Blood” was no exception to this. His star actor Toshiro Mifune, lived the feudal life for several months while filming on location near Mt. Fuji. In addition, in Mifune's characters famous death scene, where his own soldiers turn on him, actual arrows were used. They were fired by a coordinated set of stunt archers who took physical cues from Mifune. The reason for this risk was to get Mifune to have the most realistic facial expression possible. Most would agree it worked like a charm.