This seminal figure of Japanese cinema began his career with 1943's Sanshio Sugata, as his exploits spanned another 50 years until his final film, 1993's Madadayo. Between those bookends, Kurosawa made some of the most beloved motion pictures of all time, including Seven Samurai, Ran and Yojimbo.
To spell out all of the ways Kurosawa’s movies influenced subsequent decades of cinema would take an eternity. Most notably, though, The Hidden Fortress significantly influenced Star Wars. Meanwhile, The Magnificent Seven was an American remake of Seven Samurai. Every time that Western tale gets updated for a new generation, Seven Samurai also gets another lease on life.
Soon, the Texas Theatre will give Dallas-Fort Worth moviegoers a rare opportunity to see these works again on the big screen.
Below is a look ahead at all of the directorial efforts being brought to the Texas Theatre (in 4K restorations, no less) as part of the Texas Theatre's Kurosawa Retrospective Series.
Stray Dog
July 25, 7:00 PMFittingly, the first of these screenings concerns one of Kurosawa's earliest works. This cut follows a Tokyo cop in search of a Colt pistol stolen from him.. This proto-buddy cop movie let Kurosawa and his frequent cinematographer, Asakazu Nakai, deliver truly extraordinary imagery with their vision of Tokyo heavily rooted in film noir hallmarks. This project's also anchored by two of the greatest actors of all time (and constant fixtures of Kurosawa's filmography), Toshiro Mifune and Takashi Shimura. Needless to say, there are endless reasons why Stray Dog is a must-see on the big screen.
Rashomon
July 26, 7:00 PMIronically, for a movie so firmly centered on the fluidity of memory, Rashomon is an indisputably unforgettable exercise. This drama follows four radically different perspectives recounting the aftermath of two horrific crimes. Crammed with so much sharp writing and achingly human performances in just 88 minutes of screentime, Rashomon is exquisite cinema that probes the bendability of reality.
Seven Samurai
August 2, 3:00 p.m. and August 3, 5:15 p.m.One of Kurosawa’s greatest gifts as an artist was his keen sense of blocking. He knew how to perfectly arrange characters in tight frames to create both striking imagery and potent visual reflections of the cast’s internal worlds. That gift was especially apparent in Seven Samurai, which gave Kurosawa a deep ensemble cast to work with. Whether the titular leads are sitting around planning or engaging in swordfights, visual mastery seeps into every inch of Seven Samurai. It’s also just such an engrossing film that its 207-minute runtime soars right by.
The Hidden Fortress
August 7, 7:00 p.m.The Kurosawa feature that most directly inspired the original Star Wars. Beyond its connection to one of the most famous American films ever made, though, The Hidden Fortress is still a great yarn on its own. The film is a tale of mistaken identity (specifically concerning two peasants escorting two people who are secretly a general and princess) rife with grand spectacle and expansive imagery that’s bound to look perfect on the big screen. It may have been a spark for much of the last 50 years of pop culture, but there’s still nothing quite like The Hidden Fortress.
Throne of Blood
August 10, 3:00 p.m.It's impossible to fully count the number of cinematic Macbeth adaptations that have existed over the years. However, even among that dense collection of films, Throne of Blood is one of the most stirring and inventive interpretations of the story. The innate moral rot that's always informed Macbeth is especially realized here with Kurosawa's vivid emphasis on vacant spaces in wide shots. Just as striking is Isuzu Yamada's turn as Blood's equivalent to Lady Macbeth. Think you’ve seen it all when it comes to Macbeth adaptations? Just wait until you witness Throne of Blood.
Ikiru
August 13, 7:00 p.m.We all have a finite amount of time on this Earth. Someday, death will come for us all. That’s not a pleasant reality to contemplate. However, art can make it a bit easier to digest inevitable hardships. That’s especially true when the piece of art is as perfect as Ikiru. Arguably Kurosawa’s greatest accomplishment, the film follows stuffy, withdrawn bureaucratic Kanji Watanabe (Takashi Shimura) learning he'll soon die of stomach cancer. Now, Watanabe has to figure out how to make the most of the minimal time he has left. What follows is an endlessly moving exploration of what constitutes a fulfilling existence, told with a quietly towering performance from Shimura. As profound as it is tear-inducing, Ikiru is the pinnacle of cinema.
Ran
August 17, 3:00 p.m.After decades of directing, Kurosawa delivered one of his greatest accomplishments with 1985's Ran. Though not his first film shot in color, it is the one where the master of monochromatic filmmaking really embraced all the possibilities of vibrantly colorful storytelling. This adaptation of Shakespeare's King Lear is nothing short of a laudable accomplishment. A mid-movie battle sequence alone, where protagonist Hidetora (Tatsuya Nakadai) is ambushed, is crammed full of astonishing pacing, visuals and craftsmanship. That level of finesse permeates the whole movie while a dazzling color palette is inescapable. Ran is one of the greatest testaments to Kursoawa’s gifts for visual storytelling that could only exist on the big screen.
For more information on these screenings and to purchase tickets, click here.
