Akira Kurosawa's Birthday
On March 23, 1910, in Tokyo in the family of a descendant of samurai Isamu Kurosawa, who worked as the director of the junior high school of the army institute of physical education, and his wife Shima, who had a merchant origin, the eighth child, Akira, was born.
Isamu Kurosawa adhered to Western traditions and saw the huge role of theater and cinema in children's upbringing and education, thanks to which Akira watched his first films at the age of 6. At school, Akira developed a love for drawing, as well as calligraphy and fencing.
An important role in instilling Akira's love of cinema was played by his older brother Heigo, who worked in Tokyo cinemas as a translator of foreign silent films. In the early 30s, in connection with the appearance of sound films, Heigo was left without work and committed suicide, and 4 months later, another brother of Akira died. He only had sisters left.
In 1935, the newly formed Photo Chemical Laboratories (P.C.L.) film studio, which later became famous as Toho, announced a competition to fill the position of an assistant director. Applicants were required to submit an essay analyzing the merits and demerits of Japanese cinema. Director of the film studio, Kajiro Yamamoto, liked the Akira Kurosawa's essay the most, and Kurosawa was hired.
For 5 years, Kurosawa worked at the studio, moving up the career ladder from third assistant director to chief assistant. And at the same time gaining the necessary experience and knowledge, since he did not have a special education. On the advice of Kajiro Yamamoto, Akira Kurosawa also mastered the profession of a screenwriter.
In 1941, Akira Kurosawa acted as the chief assistant director on the set of "Uma 馬 (Horse)". The director was Kajiro Yamamoto. But, being at the same time the director of the film studio, Yamamoto was often forced to be absent from the set. And during his absence, Kurosawa directed the filming process. Yamamoto was very grateful to Kurosawa for his work, and as a token of his gratitude in the credits, Kurosawa was credited not as an assistant director, but as a co-director of the film. And in 1943, Akira Kurosawa already completely independently directed his first full-length feature film "Sanshiro Sugata 姿三四郎 (Judo Story)".
For more than half a century of his filmmaking activities, Akira Kurosawa independently shot 29 full-length feature films and 3 more in collaboration with other directors. 13 movies of 29 entered the FilmGourmand's Golden Thousand, including "Kagemusha 影武者 (Kagemusha the Shadow Warrior)", "Ran 乱", "Rashômon 羅生門", "Дерсу Узала (Dersu Uzala)", "Shichinin no samurai 七人の侍 (Seven Samurai)", "Akahige 赤ひげ (Red Beard)", "Kakushi-toride no san-akunin 隠し砦の三悪人 (The Hidden Fortress)", "Tengoku to jigoku 天国と地獄 (High and Low)", "Ikiru 生きる (To Live)", "Yôjinbô 用心棒 (The Bodyguard)", "Kumonosu-jô 蜘蛛巣城 (Throne of Blood)", "Tsubaki Sanjûrô 椿三十郎 (Sanjuro)", "Warui yatsu hodo yoku nemuru 悪い奴ほどよく眠る (The Bad Sleep Well)". Thanks to this indicator, Akira Kurosawa takes the 2nd place in the list of 100 greatest film directors of the world cinema compiled by FilmGourmand.
In 1999, the American AsianWeek magazine, along with CNN, included Akira Kurosawa on the list of Asians of the Century. In total, there are 5 representatives of the Asian continent on this list, including, except Kurosawa, Deng Xiao-ping, Akio Morita, Charles Kao and Mahatma Gandhi.
Akira Kurosawa's cinematographic activity has been awarded a total of 70 film awards, including such prestigious ones as: 3 David di Donatello awards of the Italian Film Academy, 2 BAFTA awards of the British Academy Film Festival, Gold and Silver Lions of the Venice International Film Festival, Palme d'Or of the Cannes International Film Festival, Golden Prize of the Moscow International Film Festival (MIFF), Silver Bear of the Berlin International Film Festival, César Award of the French Film Academy, Award of the Japanese Film Academy, Bodil Award of the Danish National Association of Film Critics.
As for the American prestigious film awards, Kurosawa was never even nominated for the Golden Globe, and he was nominated for the Oscar once - for directing the film "Ran" in 1986, but American film academics that year preferred the American director Sidney Pollack - for directing the film Out of Africa. However, it should be given credit: in 1990, American film academics did award Kurosawa an Oscar in honor of his 80th birthday "For cinematic achievements that inspired, delighted, enriched and entertained a global audience and influenced filmmakers around the world." "For length of service", so to speak, - as a "letter of honor" for officials before retirement. Well, anyway. In addition to this honorary Oscar, Kurosawa was awarded honorary awards from the Japanese Film Academy and the Moscow International Film Festival.
In addition to film awards, Akira Kurosawa received state awards from a number of countries, including France, Italy, the USSR, the Philippines and, of course, Japan.
American film critic guru Roger Ebert wrote about Akira Kurosawa:
"He combined two qualities not always found together in filmmakers: He was a visual stylist, and a thoughtful humanist. His films had a daring, exhilarating visual freedom, and a heart of deep human understanding. He often made movies about heroes, but their challenge was not simply to win; it was to make the right ethical choice."
What a film critic writes about a filmmaker in a complimentary style is understandable and even trivial. Another thing is when other directors, usually very jealous of someone else's glory, pronounce words of praise about a director. But about Kurosawa the greatest directors spoke extremely enthusiastically. For example, Federico Fellini:
“I think he is the greatest example of how an author should be in cinema. I feel that his way of telling stories is by blood ties to mine. "
“The main thing is his modern heroes, contemporary problems, a way of studying life. ... A very profound artist who shows us psychological connections, the development of characters and storylines, a vision of the world, that his story about the Middle Ages makes us think about the modern world. You suddenly think that you already know all this. It works on the principle of recognition. And this is the greatest quality of art, according to Aristotle."
"Kurosawa's films pushed me to become a director."
"His influence on filmmakers from all over the world is deep and almost incomparable .... Kurosawa is my teacher and ... the teacher of many other filmmakers over the years."
In connection with the anniversary of the birth of the great Master, we invite fans of his work to remember his best films included in the FilmGourmand's Golden Thousand.
