Akira Kurosawa Digital Archive

[Steve Bildermann]

The archive presents over 20,000 pages of photos, screenplays, storyboards, notes and other materials, many for the first time.

Akira Kurosawa Digital library




Kurosawa productions on IMDB

Something you may not have known about Akira Kurosawa

Akira Kurosawa was of course not always a film director. In fact, inspired by his primary school arts teacher, the young Akira Kurosawa first made his mind to become a painter. He was not all that bad, either, for his work was exhibited as early as in September 1928 when the young artist was only just 18.

It was only later on (in 1936), and at least partly due to financial considerations, that Kurosawa applied to become an assistant director. Yet, despite of becoming one of the greatest artists ever to work in cinema, Kurosawa kept painting and drawing throughout his life.

Kurosawa paintings
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[Takechanpoo]

Kurosawa's Seven Samurai is the best film of world cinema by Empire

The perfect fusion of action and character, East and West, blockbuster and arthouse, Kurosawa's first entry into the samurai genre is one of the great masterpieces in any language. Kurosawa creates distinct memorable characters out of seven, luckless samurai hired to defend a poor farming village from marauding bandits, showcasing his heroes as rounded but dignified outcasts - Shimura's noble leader and Mifune's crazed hothead are the standouts. All human life is here as are debatably cinema's greatest battle scenes, the climactic showdown in the rain the stuff of cinematic legend.

The other his films are ranked.
Rashomon(22th), Ikiru(44th), Ran(98th)

[dimwit]

One of the biggest problem for me living in Japan oddly enough, is that I rarely get an opportunity to see some of the really good Japanese cinema of the 1960's and 70's. Having an elementary school child ensures that almost every visit to the theatre that I make will feature some sort of animated robot speaking in a squeaky high voice.