r/Kurosawa

Any particular order? It seems they might exist in a floating timeline of sorts. Maybe release order?

Hi!

I want to be respectful of the sub rules, so please correct me if I am out of line.

I am really excited to share a Toshiro Mifune project I have been working on.

No links, not asking for money. I really want to share this project with likeminded folks-fans of samurai, Mifune and Kurosawa films.

Would you guys be interested in seeing the process (sketches, prototype, concepts)?

With respect,
J

Cinepals: Just luxuriated in an enthralling period drama and whodunnit murder mystery set in the sword and armor world of Japan circa 1579.

THE SAMURAI AND THE PRISONER (in theaters) comes courtesy of director Kiyoshi Kurosawa (no relation to Akira) who’s known stateside for horror flicks like CURE. Both title characters can’t escape Arioka Castle, a fortress under siege from a bloodthirsty warlord. The samurai character Araki Murashige, is the stern but wily leader of Settsu province, who willfully skirts time-honored samurai rules regarding executing enemies and their unfortunate messengers He’s more pragmatic than caring, raising eyebrows by sparing the lives of those that might serve his interests.

Kanbei, the prisoner, is ensconced in a dirty dungeon and they develop a symbiotic relationship as Kanbei gets off advising Araki on strategies to keep enemies and backstabbing in-house betrayers at bay.

The tormented Araki is portrayed by Masahiro Motoki who starred in the 2008 Best Foreign Film Oscar Winner DEPARTURES. He has the gravity and wounded fire of Toshiro Mifune, somehow keeping his wits, and his subordinates respect, while cornered. Masaki Suda, an actor and singer, brings a mind-gaming theatricality and feline elan as the shackled prisoner who toys with his captor.

Kurosawa came up directing yakuza b-films and adapted the bestselling novel by Honobu Yonezawa, because the director prefers mysteries where authority figures, not hired gumshoes, must juggle punishing responsibilities while searching for clues. Visually, Kurosawa honors the pageantry of Japanese historical epics but the story has more on its mind than battles and red herrings delving into issues of Christianity vs. Buddhism and whether divine intervention is a delusion or an inevitable system of justice.

At two-and-a-half hours, THE SAMURAI AND THE PRISONER never flags and in one sitting it engaged me in its palace intrigues more than the bloody, action-packed but largely glum, humorless third season of HOUSE OF THE DRAGON (HBO) with its cliffhanger killings of key figures desultory vs. dramatic. Conversely, THE SAMURAI AND THE PRISONER pays off big time with an emotional and plot twisty bang or should I say clang?

https://reddit.com/link/1voek0d/video/2ai35g8tqdjh1/player

A scene from One Wonderful Sunday in which the protagonist boldly declares his disdain for a cup of crap coffee. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Hi everyone. A cinema close to me is playing:

- jojimbo (already saw this one)

-Seven samurai

- high and low

And

-ikiru

Which ones should I watch? Budget is tight, so seeing all four, or even three, will be difficult. We make decent money, but just bought a house and are celebrating our 6 year anniversary, so can't go wasting 200 euro on movies this month.