LONG TAKE

Perspectives on the great Japanese director Akira Kurosawa from critics, family, and the man himself.

This assortment of pieces about Kurosawa (1910-1998) serves as a kind of sequel to his 1983 memoir, Something Like an Autobiography, comprising essays, interviews, and other pieces shedding light on his later work and his own perspective on it. In many ways, the director of pathbreaking films like Throne of Blood, Rashomon, and The Seven Samurai comes off as curiously conservative, even cantankerous in his approach to filmmaking—he speaks about his admiration for Western director John Ford, advocates for a hard-driving approach on the set, and laments the rising generations’ lack of rigor. And there’s a sense that the book isn’t giving an entirely complete portrait of his later years—for instance, plenty of space is given to his 1990 anthology film, Dreams, but little to his acclaimed 1985 film, Ran. Still, aficionados of Kurosawa’s work—and Japanese cinema in general—will find plenty to enjoy here. The centerpiece of the book is a list of the director’s 100 favorite films, curated by his daughter, Kazuko; silent classics like Broken Blossoms abound, as do arthouse favorites by Satyajit Ray and François Truffaut, but there are also surprising picks like the sword-and-sandals epic Ben Hur, and many Japanese selections as well. In her introduction and endnotes, translator McKnight does an excellent job clarifying the particulars of the Japanese film industry and cultural norms. But the collected pieces demonstrate how throughout his career Kurosawa was constantly striving to balance a uniquely Japanese perspective with his commitment to film as a global art. “The role of cinema is getting even more urgent because it can help people all over this planet live together in peace,” he said.

A valuable contribution of Kurosawiana for his committed fans.