I recently went on a Kurosawa binge and while I enjoyed this one, it’s grandeur was probably lost on me as someone who isn’t super familiar with Shakespear. My absolute favorite was definitely High and Low as I was shockingly riveted by this black and white crime-drama from 1963. Typically black and white movies don’t pique my interest and I only watch them out of ‘respect’ to the classics, but this one felt like it could have been made exactly the same today just in color.
Kurosawa was a god among us.
Next, give Takeshi Kitano’s catalog a go. 🤌🏼❤️🔥
Oh, and by the by, many have tried over the decades to translate Lone Wolf & Cub to the screen, and very few (if any) have found success at any level in their attempts. Kurosawa once described it as “cinematic perfection in every frame” when he declined to take on one such project. 🤘🏼
p.s. A fun start to said filmography: Zatōichi — though, Takeshi’s Castle is an insane series, and testament to the man’s ability to come up with gold when given nothing at all by the execs (IIRC, <$10k — which all went to the gameshow’s “winner”)
That Kurosawa / Mifune combo is going to be hard to beat but I’ll check them out. Thanks for the rec!
Those two were an inimitable duo, and one of my all-time top go-to teams.
For more historically accurate and shamefully repressed to this day Sengoku-era revelations: check out Gohatto.
(FWIW: the wiki is rife with spoilers, and has none of the subtlety & grace of the film itself, so maybe just watch the film before reading the article, sorry.)
Agreed on both points, High and Low was the highlight for me over more spectacle focused films. Amazingly thought out movie with some very powerful character driven scenes.
I’m glad someone is singing RAN’s praises. It’s frankly unfair that a man, late in life and originally from the black and white days, created this masterpiece full of color that shames most movies made since.
