Akira Kurosawa is not viewed quite the same in Japan as he is out of Japan. When I ask Japanese acquaintances about Mr. Kurosawa, unless I am speaking to a serious film enthusiast, Kurosawa is quite often referred to as, "a guy who made a bunch of old movies."
Akira Kurosawa's films predate many film-goers in Japan now, and newer movies are of more immediate relevance to present day Japanese. This does not mean Kurosawa is not respected or known in Japan, but there are young adults there who have never seen a Kurosawa film, and many who might never see one in their entire lives.
Because of the worldwide acclaim some of Kurosawa's films have received and due to the well-deserved praise many high profile western filmmakers have given him, Kurosawa has entered the minds of Westerners as the quintessential Japanese filmmaker. Though many Japanese think of Akira Kurosawa as simply an important Japanese film pioneer, many Westerners will likely continue to view Kurosawa as the ultimate icon of Japanese cinema for some time to come.
So where does that leave us, and why did I create a special Kurosawa category here at the Savage Japan Movie Review website?
The answer is that this website is likely to be read primarily by Westerners, and many Westerners will come to the world of Japanese cinema looking for Kurosawa, the name they know best from that world.
Akira Kurosawa has made some exceptional and important films and deserves his place in history as a legendary director and significant influence on movies around the world. And though Kurosawa made quite a few box office bombs and maybe even a few films with questionable artistic merit, he does represent a relatively safe starting point in Japanese cinema and provides a reasonable assurance of quality. Several of Akira Kurosawa's films really do fall into a must-see category.
With the Kurosawa reviews my intention is to provide enough information for casual Japanese film enthusiasts to pick out some of the Kurosawa films that might be best suited to their tastes, but I do hope to receive feedback from Akira Kurosawa aficionados as well as anyone who feels like commenting on any review found here at Savage Japan Movie Reviews.
Dan Savage
Dan@SavageSnow.com
