Akira Kurosawa/ foreign movies?

Question

I love his movies. My favorite is Ran. Seven Samurai has to be the most popular but I still like Ran better. I thought Throne of Blood was pretty good too though. What is the best Akira Kurosawa movie in your opinion and why? Also, any especially good foreign movies you might want to list and why.

Answer 1

I can't quarrel with anyone else here. Seven Samurai, if you're paying attention, is better than its fine imitation, The Magnificent Seven, as Yojimbo is better than A Fistful of Dollars, first of the Eastwood spaghetti westerns.

My personal favorite is Rashomon (1950?), which signalled to the world that Japanese culture was leaping into a new era.

Anyone reading this far is probably aware of the best recent foreign movies, so I'll limit myself to a half dozen older ones, in no particular order.

M (1930), Fritz Lang's first foreign success after Metropolis, featuring a stellar performance by Peter Lorre as the child-murderer.

La grande illusion (1937), the finest anti-war picture ever made. Jean Gabin and Eric Stroheim are both magnificent.

La passion de Jeanne D'Arc (1927), a Danish film made in France, with possibly the greatest performance in history. Dreyer's film actually made in Denmark during the War, Vredensdag, deserves as much attention.

La battaglia di Algeri (1965), an Italian film with its dialog in French and Arabic. It remains relevant 42 years later to anyone interested in occupying forces and terrorist attacks.

Roma, citta aperta (1945?), an Italian film spoken in Italian and set in Italy, made only a few months after the Allies had taken the city.

Los Olvidados (1950?). Though made by a foreigner, the finest film ever produced in and about Mexico.

Nosferatu. You can read this to mean either the Murnau original or Herzog's great remake, Nosferatu Phantom der Nacht (actually produced in both German and English versions, as films used to be made during the early-talkie period). The Herzog films feature Isabelle Adjani, the most beautiful woman ever created. Not that this influences my opinion in the slightest.

These are all off the top of my head, and I seem to have exceeded my 6-movie limit. But really I could take a must-see list to well over 100, if anyone had the patience and I the time.

Answer 2

As good as the samuraiu epics are like yojimbo, Throne of Blod and Sanjuro are...there are two Kurosawa classics that continue to go unseen by many.
Dreams by Akira Krosawa
This is essentially eight separate short films, though with some overlaps in terms of characters and thematic material - chiefly that of man's relationship with his environment. 'Sunshine Through The Rain': a young boy is told not to go out on the day when both weather conditions occur, because that's when the foxes hold their wedding procession, which could have fatal consequences for those who witness it. 'The Peach Orchard': the same young boy encounters the spirits of the peach trees that have been cut down by heartless humans. 'The Blizzard': a team of mountaineers are saved from a blizzard by spiritual intervention. 'The Tunnel': a man encounters the ghosts of an army platoon, whose deaths he was responsible for. 'Crows': an art student encounters 'Vincent Van Gogh' and enters the world of his paintings. 'Mount Fuji in Red': nuclear meltdown threatens the devastation of Japan. 'The Weeping Demon': a portrait of a post-nuclear world populated by human mutations. 'Village of the Watermills': a sunny portrait of a village whose population is entirely at one with nature.

AND

The Bad Sleep Well.
Japanese legend Toshiro Mifune plays Koichi Nishi, the seemingly stoic bridegroom who is trying to get ahead by marrying the boss's daughter, Kieko (Kyoko Kagawa), who was crippled as a girl. The bride's brother, in a shocking display, exposes the groom's motives during his wedding toast and threatens his new brother-in-law with death if he disappoints his sister. But Nishi is not who we think. He was born the illegitimate son of the man who Kieko's father, Iwabuchi (Maysayuki Mori), manipulated into suicide. Now Nishi wants revenge for his father's death. As Nishi slowly destroys Iwabuchi's life, he makes the fatal error of falling in love with his wife, who already loves him. Their unconsummated marriage stands between these two like a palpable pillar of stone. But just when we think the stone has been tossed aside by love, Iwabuchi finds out who his son-in-law really is.

Shot in black and white, this film falls just short of being brilliant. Mifune is amazing in his portrayal of this complex man who lets his father's past destroy his own future, and Maysayuki Mori's performance as the evil Iwabuchi is understated but nonetheless chilling.
Delicious stuff....in the hands of a master.
These are my two favorites by him.

Answer 3

Shichinin no samurai (1954) (screenplay) ... aka Seven Samurai (uk) ... aka Shichi-nin no samurai (Japan: decision transliteration) ... aka The Seven Samurai (u . s . a .) for my area, it somewhat is the epitome of Kurosawa video clips, and while you're a fan, you have probable considered this distinctive circumstances!

Answer 4

yeh i saw throne of blood. i thought it was a great interpretation of shakespeares macbeth. Pans labyrinth i would recommend or anything by pedro almodovar.

Answer 5

dreams is my fav kurosawa flick.