Ranking Akira Kurosawa's Filmography

After discussing every Akira Kurosawa film in detail on the show, we conclude our retrospective with the herculean task of trying to rank all of his films. Listeners, you’re in luck, because you’re getting two lists for the price of one! We each have our share of basic and hot takes, and hope that you have enjoyed going through this Japanese master’s filmography as much as we have. If we were able to teach you something new, introduce you to a film you otherwise may not have seen, or even just give you a chuckle every once in a while, we want to thank you for listening to Sanshiro’s Boys.

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Be sure to leave a comment and let us know how you’d rank Akira Kurosawa’s films! If you want to keep up with what we’re watching now that this project is over you can email us at sanshirosboyspodcast@gmail.com or find us on social media

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Madadayo (1993)

Akira Kurosawa’s final film Madadayo (Not Yet) recounts the stories of famed Japanese writer Hyakken Uchida and functions as a meta-commentary of the director’s historic career. Sanshiro’s Boys celebrate the 1993 film’s immaculate vibes, Kurosawa’s unproduced next film The Ocean Was Watching, and sadly, his death. 

Be sure to check in with us for our wrap up episode next week where we rank all of Akira Kurosawa’s films!

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Rhapsody In August (1991)

This is the one Richard Gere is in! Yes, that Richard Gere. In 1991, Akira Kurosawa returned one last time to a subject matter that has cropped up several times throughout his filmography: nuclear anxiety. Rhapsody In August, a small, intimate family drama, re-examines the scars of a nation still grieving over the atomic bombing of Nagasaki as their world becomes more interconnected to the West. We won’t lie, this is a difficult film to find, but we did manage to get our hands on a copy of it. Listen to Sanshiro’s Boys to figure out if you should too!

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Dreams (1990)

Despite starting his historic career in the 1940s, Akira Kurosawa was still making movies into the early 90s. He rang in the decade with a unique picture: Dreams, which consists of eight vignettes based on Kurosawa’s actual dreams. It also has one of the most unpredictable cameos of all time. Without much overarching plot to go on, Sanshiro’s Boys delve into the director’s psyche and try to discern if one man’s dream is another man’s nightmare.

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Ran (1985)

Last week we said goodbye to the OG Kurosawa king, Takashi Shimura. This week, we say goodbye to Tatsuya Nakadai, and boy did he go out with a bang. Nakadai headlines Akira Kurosawa’s third, final, and largest Shakespeare adaptation: Ran. This Japanese version of King Lear was created with a historic budget, vibrant colors, and produced some of the director’s most iconic and incredible imagery. Kurosawa’s final foray into epic filmmaking may be his best yet. 

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Kagemusha (1980)

After the success of Star Wars, George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola teamed up to executive produce Kagemusha (The Shadow Warrior), Akira Kurosawa’s triumphant return to large-scale filmmaking that took home the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1980. Sengoku period Japan comes to life with a historic budget and massive, colorful armies to tell the story of the legendary Takeda clan’s downfall. With domestic and international distribution, this is the rare Kurosawa film with multiple versions, the differences between which we go into detail on. 

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Tim has a particular soft spot for this one and has a published article available on the Asian cinema website Filmed In Ether dissecting Kagemusha’s use of shadows and how they aptly reflect the film’s legacy 40 years later. Read it here: https://www.filmedinether.com/features/kagemusha-40-year-anniversary-kurosawa/

Akira Kurosawa's Influence On Star Wars (1977)

For our not at all subtly teased bonus episode, we’ve decided to shake up the formula and record a full length commentary to the original Star Wars. As much as possible, we discuss real-time comparisons and allusions to Kurosawa’s work in this film and throughout the franchise. If you’ve ever wanted to simulate watching a movie with Sanshiro’s Boys, feel free to pull up the cut of the film available on Disney+ by syncing the film with the timecode 00:04:30. 

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Dersu Uzala (1975)

After the darkest period of his life, Akira Kurosawa was able to go abroad and make a film in the Soviet Union. The end result was Dersu Uzala, an adaptation of the touching true story of “Capitan” Vladimir Arseniev and the titular Goldi hunter who mapped the Ussuri region of Siberia together. As his only film shot outside of Japan, his only film not in Japanese, and his only film shot on 70mm, Dersu Uzala certainly stands out amongst Kurosawa’s formidable filmography. It also earned him the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Listen to Sanshiro’s Boys discuss how well it fits in with the rest. 

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Song Of The Horse (1971)

Honestly, we have no clue what we’re even talking about this week. This movie is so weird and we can’t believe it even exists. Song of the Horse is Akira Kursoawa’s sole venture into the television world for a… documentary? Sort of… Dubbed a “visual poem” and the director’s “lost masterpiece” by the DVD box, it is truly unlike anything Sanshiro’s Boys have covered before. Special thanks to akirakurosawa.info for providing basically all of the information we could find about this. You can read more about the film here: https://akirakurosawa.info/song-of-the-horse/ 

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Dodes'ka-den (1970)

Last week we said goodbye to Toshiro Mifune, but this week we’re saying hello to color! Dodes’ka-den, which translates to “clickity-clack,” launched the last act of Akira Kurosawa’s career, yet isn’t talked about much. After watching it, we can certainly confirm that it is, indeed, difficult to talk about. Tune in to Sanshiro’s Boys and hear us try to make sense of it! 

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Red Beard (1965)

Sanshiro’s Boys close out the 16-film partnership between Akira Kurosawa and Toshiro Mifune with 1965’s Red Beard. This emotional epic transports us to the 19th century with extreme period accuracy and functions as a true manifesto for the director’s humanism. Chris has been meaning to watch this movie since the 7th grade. Did it live up to his expectations? 

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High And Low (1963)

One of the many subgenres that owes a debt to Akira Kurosawa is the “police procedural.” To that end, 1963’s High and Low is his masterclass in suspense, detective work, class commentary, and ethical dilemmas. In one of his final Kurosawa roles, Toshiro Mifune plays Kingo Gondo, a wealthy industrialist extorted by a mysterious kidnapper who has captured his son and held him for Japan’s highest ransom. Only… the boy was actually his chauffeur’s son. Will Gondo still pay the outrageous ransom for someone else’s child? Can the cops catch a man who has conceived a seemingly perfect crime? Listen to Sanshiro’s Boys and investigate with us!

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Sanjuro (1962)

Following the enormous success of Yojimbo, Akira Kurosawa created his second and only sequel: Sanjuro. This satire of the average chambara film sees Toshiro Mifune reprising the titular role, once again opposite Tatsuya Nakadai in a completely different role. Sanjuro is another fun Kurosawa adventure and may be his most overt comedy, but how does it stack up to its predecessor? Tune in to Sanshiro’s Boys, or rather this week, Sanjuro’s Boys, and find out!

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Yojimbo (1961)

Sanshiro’s Boys are kicking off 2021 by discussing one of Akira Kurosawa’s most popular and often-imitated films: Yojimbo. Toshiro Mifune shows off his unmatched sword fighting skills as a wandering ronin caught between two rival gangs. We also get our first of many appearances of iconic Japanese actor Tatsuya Nakadai, as well as the return of Rashomon cinematographer Kazuo Miyagawa. This is truly what peak performance looks like.

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The Bad Sleep Well (1960)

With the official formation of his own production company, Akira Kurosawa makes a big return to contemporary times with The Bad Sleep Well. This neo-noir presents us with a scathing and still-topical critique of corporate corruption wrapped in a loose adaptation of Hamlet. It's not quite the show we wanted to release on Christmas morning, but alas here we are. 

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The Hidden Fortress (1958)

We’re not reviewing Star Wars (yet), but we are here today to talk about its major inspiration: The Hidden Fortress from 1958. Akira Kurosawa outdoes himself yet again with bigger production value, new fighting styles, great comedy, and a surprise cameo that had us losing their minds. Join Sanshiro’s Boys as we take our first steps into a larger world, and a wider frame!

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The Lower Depths (1957)

Akira Kurosawa made a more successful return to Russian literature with The Lower Depths. Released the same year as Throne of Blood, yet quite the opposite in scale, this adaptation of Maxim Gorky’s early 1900s play features a strong ensemble of Kurosawa regulars for an atmospheric examination of poverty in Edo Period Japan. The Lower Depths is more loosely plotted than his other films, so this was certainly a difficult one to talk about, but Sanshiro’s Boys are going to try! 

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Throne Of Blood (1957)

Sanshiro’s Boys return for Tim’s very first Akira Kurosawa movie: Throne Of Blood from 1957. This extraordinary adaptation of Macbeth transposes Shakespeare to feudal Japan through heavy fog and forests. Toshiro Mifune owns the screen as he descends into madness, as does Isuzu Yamada playing the rare Kurosawa villainess - Lady Asaji. The first of many large scale looks at the ancient armies of Japan’s past, this fusion of East and West is one not to be missed!

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I Live In Fear / Record Of A Living Being (1955)

I Live In Fear, also known as Record Of A Living Being, isn’t talked about a whole lot, despite being Akira Kurosawa’s follow-up to Seven Samurai. Quite the departure from hours of intense action, this 1955 film follows an old man trying to get his family to move to Brazil in order to avoid another atomic bomb striking Japan. As you might expect, Toshiro Mifune and Takashi Shimura are both in this one, but you may be surprised which of them is playing the old man… Sanshiro’s Boys are halfway done with their show and here today to discuss the sad backstory behind this film, say goodbye to Kurosawa’s close friend and composer Fumio Hayasaka, and try to figure out if this little-known film is worth rediscovering. 

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Seven Samurai (1954)

Seven Samurai is Akira Kurosawa’s magnum opus. It’s a simple story about a poor farming village that hires seven samurai to protect them from an impending bandit raid, but there’s far more to it than that. Seven Samurai provides excellent character studies, thrilling action, hilarious comedy, and heart-wrenching tragedy. Kurosawa’s longest film is widely considered to be not only his best, but one of the greatest of all time. Will Sanshiro’s Boys agree that this is what peak performance looks like? 

Listen here: https://linktr.ee/sanshirosboys