722. Ran

Ran
1985
Directed by Akira Kurosawa

Really, who could complain about a Kurosawa movie based on a Shakespeare play?  It sounds like perfection to me.

Ran is basically King Lear, although apparently Kurosawa only realized how heavily it was based on the play until he was well into the writing process.  Since everyone knows the story of King Lear, I will not go into too much detail with the plot summary.  There are a few notable differences, like the fact that Hidetora Ichimonji (the Lear character) has three sons, instead of three daughters.  Good.  Heaven knows we need more male representation of this List.

I was shocked about how violent this film was.  I guess I am not used to seeing Kurosawa in color.  With all the blood spatter and dead bodies it ended up looking like a Tarantino film.  I was perfectly fine with this.  You know my motto, if it's not sexual violence, it's okay violence.  In films, at least.  Wow, that is a really sucky motto.

You will definitely enjoy this if you are a Shakespeare fan or a Kurosawa fan.  And if you aren't either of those things, get off my blog subhuman.  I'm just kidding, I would love to hear your strange thoughts.

RATING: ****-

Interesting Facts:

Kurosawa's wife died during production.  Kurosawa halted filming for just one day.

578. Dersu Uzala

Dersu Uzala
1974
Directed by Akira Kurosawa

I watched this back when I was greedily viewing anything that Kurosawa was remotely involved in.  This was certainly not what I expected.  For one thing, the film is in Russian.  There were also no wipe effects!  Still, it is a great film.  Kurosawa could direct an infomercial and I would be impressed.

Arseniev is the leader of an expedition troop and uses a nomadic tribesman named Dersu Uzala as a guide.  Of course, he is looked down on as a crazy old man in the woods.  But it quickly becomes clear that he isn't the clueless one.

That was a pretty shitty plot summary, but I felt like I would spoil it if I revealed anymore details.  I won't give anything away, but the ending hit me pretty hard with the feels.

Of course this is a beautiful movie, since Kurosawa was involved. The relationship between Dersu and Arseniev has to go down as one of the greatest bromances of all time.  And hey, now I can technically say that I found a Russian film I enjoy.

RATING: ****-

Interesting Facts:

Only six members of his crew were Japanese.

320. Kumonosu-jo

Kumonosu-jo
Throne of Blood
1957
Directed by Akira Kurosawa

All right, if you haven't read Macbeth already, get off this blog immediately and go read it.  It is available everyone online, along with easy translations for people who have trouble with Shakespeare.  Go to it.

I am assuming that if you have reached this paragraph, you have followed my instructions so we can move on.  This is considered the best screen adaptation of Shakespeare play and while I don't think I am ready to make such a bold statement, I can definitely see the merit of that claim.

The beauty of Shakespeare is that only our his plays culturally universal, but they are also relevant during any time period. This is the story of Macbeth (which is probably fresh in your mind seeing as how you just read it) set in feudal Japan.

I worship Kurosawa and the ground he walks on.  Not only are all his films beautiful but they are suspenseful and entertaining.  Combine Shakespeare and Kurosawa and you have true art.

RATING: *****

Interesting Facts:

Real arrows were used in the famous arrow scene.

Set was built on Mount Fuji.

278. Shichinin no Samurai

Shichinin no Samurai
The Seven Samurai
1954
Directed by Akira Kurosawa

I do not even know where to begin with this movie. It is one of my favorites and definitely my favorite action movie (sorry Die Hard).

This movie is about a village that is constantly attacked by bandits.  They decide to hire seven samurai to defend it. The motley crew that doesn't get along at first but gradually becomes a family is such a cliche now but this is truly the first instance of that.  Also, this is the first movie to have slow motion action sequences.  That was really random but I just get way too excited talking about this movie.

Ignoring the cinematic achievements, this is one of the most exciting, entertaining movies I have ever seen.  The film moves at a pretty fast pace, but the director still gives us time to development an attachment to each character so you actually care about the last battle.  I know as I type these words I am not doing the film justice, partly because I am getting burnt out (six posts in a row will do that to you), and partly because you just kind of have to go ahead and watch it for yourself to understand its magnificence.

RATING: *****

Interesting Facts:

First use of the shot of the enemy coming into view as they crest a hilltop.

Considered to be the first modern action movie.

Kurosawa's ancestors were samurai.

246. Ikiru

Ikiru
To Live
1952
Directed by Akira Kurosawa

Japanese movies have completely blown me away.  Each one I watch is incredibly beautiful, emotional, and entertaining.  Granted, this one was a bit too sappy for me but it is still awesome!

This film is about a boring government worker who discovers that he has stomach cancer.  He then wants to make a difference in the world before he dies but realizes that it is actually almost impossible to change the world by yourself.

This is truly one of the most depressing movies I have ever seen.  It didn't make me cry or want to slash my wrists, but it certainly stayed with me for a couple weeks.  Hard to describe but really beautiful; Kurosawa is definitely one of the best directors of all time.

RATING: ****-

Interesting Facts:

Kanji Wantanabe was originally supposed to be a gangster and not a government bureaucrat.

225. Rashomon

Rashomon
1950
Directed by Akira Kurosawa

I read the trivia for this movie before I watched it and I immediately knew I was in for a treat (scroll down to see why).  Japanese cinema is always a treat.  Recently at a family dinner I said that my favorite action movie was Seven Samurai and I was practically booed out of the room.  But haters gonna hate and these movies are awesome.

A samurai is murdered in the forest.  A priest, his wife, and a woodcutter are all witnesses to the murder.  We hear and watch each of their stories, with the plot being slightly different each time depending on the person's agenda.  This kind of unreliable narrative has been done many times since (I was about to give some examples but I don't want to ruin any movies for you).  Actually, it was done before in Citizen Kane but Kurosawa swears he  saw Citizen Kane for the first time two years after he was done with this film.  Either way, it is extremely well done here; each time you watch the story unfold, your perspective changes until you mind is blown and you can't do anything productive for the rest of the day.  At least, that is what I am telling myself.

So the story is intriguing and entertaining until the last minute.  The actors are all excellent as well though her eyebrows are really weird; check it out:

But I digress.  Finally, the directing and cinematography are truly inspired; the film is beautiful 100% of the time.  A must watch movie.

RATING: *****

Interesting Facts:

Slugs kept raining down from the trees so the cast and crew had to slather themselves with salt to keep them away.

The word "Rashomon" was recently added to the Oxford English Dictionary with the definition "of or relating to the film Rashomon.

First time someone pointed the camera directly at the sun.

To make the rain show up against the backdrop, the crew put black ink in the rain.  This is clearly visible on the cast's faces in some scenes.

Often cited as the reason the Academy added The Best Foreign Film category.