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context: movies > directors
|
Toshiro Mifune in Seven Samurai |
Akira Kurosawa, 1910-88
Kurosawa found a freedom, as the US withdrew from Japan, which suited his force of character. He was nicknamed the Emperor for his authoritarian approach to direction. He made his name with films taking a strong approach to social issues. These films were uncompromising and demanding. This was carried forwards into his more famous samurai films - there are major questions of morality raised in these, and he rarely offers tidy answers to any. He's often been called the greatest editor ever: he commonly spent as long editing and cutting a movie as he had spent directing it. It's easy to not notice how many cuts there are, so skillfully are they used.
Japanese or Western?
His actors
A few of his films:
Rashomon
Ikiru
Seven Samurai
backwards: Mizoguchi
forwards: Ichikawa