In a career that spanned nearly six decades, beloved filmmaker Akira Kurosawa made thirty films — including Seven Samurai, Rashomon, Yojimbo — that captivated the audience, transcended language barriers, and changed the way we think about visual storytelling and the medium of movies. This year, this week marks what would have been his 108th birthday, but though he has been gone for almost a quarter-century now, his legacy lives on through his many masterful works. In honor of this incredibly influential auteur (a cinematic sensei, if you will) and his annual solar return, we’ve gone back into the Fandor archives to curate a collection of our very finest Kurosawa content for your viewing pleasure. Watch, and we guarantee you’ll either discover a new favorite filmmaker or learn something new about an old favorite.
From Seven Samurai to Fury Road
There’s a reason that Seven Samurai remains Kurosawa’s most well-known and well-loved work: Its influence reaches far and wide, and can be seen in everything from The Magnificent Seven and yes, Fury Road to… well, just watch this video, and you’ll realize just how embedded in our consciousness— consciously or unconsciously — Kurosawa’s masterpiece actually is.
Watch this video in the player at top of this post.
Kurosawa Color
Trained as a painter, Kurosawa brought a meticulous and expressive sense of color to his later films like no other director before…or since. This video provides a breathtaking primer to the hues of his oeuvre!
Watch the video “Kurosawa Color”.
When Miyazaki Met Kurosawa
Way back in 1993, two of the world’s most recognized and celebrated cinematic visionaries sat down for a lively conversation at the base of Mt. Fuji. What happened next is one delightful slice of obscure movie history! Here are the highlights from their wide-ranging and fascinating exchange.
Watch the video “When Miyazaki Met Kurosawa”.
The Last Jedi and the Infinite Appeal of Akira Kurosawa
The Star Wars franchise owes a whole lot to the work of Akira Kurosawa! No matter if the director is George Lucas, J.J. Abrams, or Rian Johnson, you can find bits and pieces of homages to his storytelling styles in many of those movies set in a galaxy far, far away. This article reveals remnants of Kurosawa’s enduring impact on Hollywood, both in The Last Jedi and beyond.
