Six films to screend in Memory of Akira Kurosawa
JAKARTA (JP): In September last year, Japan's best-known director Akira Kurosawa died at the age of 88 after devoting his life to putting Japanese cinema on the international stage.
His 30 films have influenced a generation of directors both in Japan and other parts of the world.
Kurosawa, dubbed the emperor of Japanese cinema, was renowned for his haunting lyricism, technical mastery and the brilliance with which he melded traditional Japanese theatrical forms with epic presentation.
In memory of the legendary director, six of Kurosawa's movies will be screened at the Usmar Ismail Film Center in Kuningan, South Jakarta, from Feb. 9 to Feb. 14. The six-day event has been organized by the Japan Foundation and the Usmar Ismail Film Center.
Kurosawa's black and white Shizukanaru Ketto (Quiet Duel), based on a tragic lay by Kazuo Kikuta, will be screened at the opening of the event on Feb. 9 at 7 p.m. and the following day at 4 p.m.
The 1949 film, which stars Toshiro Mifune, Miki Sanjo and Takashi Shimura, is set in a military hospital in 1944 and focuses on the dilemma facing a doctor after he contracts a venereal disease from a patient during surgery.
On Feb. 10, the film center will screen Kurosawa's 1950 work Shubun (Scandal) at 7 p.m. and at 4 p.m. on the following day. The 104-minute film stars Toshiro Mifune, Yoshiko Yamaguchi and Takashi Shimura.
In this, his 11th film, Kurosawa tried to express his anger at the injustice and prejudice of his society through a scandal involving a famous singer and a new actress who became the victims of those looking for sensational news.
Kurosawa's Hakuchi (Idiot) is next on the list. The 1951 film will be screened twice, on Feb. 11 at 9 p.m. and at 4 p.m. on Feb. 12.
The 170-minute film, adapted from Dostoyevski's novel, is about Kameda, a World War II prisoner of war who escapes execution but is then diagnosed as an idiot during treatment for depression in a hospital in the U.S.
On his return to his homeland, Kameda falls in love to a woman and has to fight his friend to win her love.
Ikiru (Doomed to Live), which received the Silver Bear award at the Berlin Film Festival, will be screened on Feb. 12 at 9 p.m.
Takashi Shimura and Himori Shinichi star in this 1952 movie which recounts the tale of a submissive government employee who is disappointed with his only child. The official takes stock of his situation and decides to dedicate the rest of his life to achieving something worthwhile.
A discussion featuring two speakers is planned for Feb. 13 at 10 a.m. The first speaker, Hartanto, is the dean of the Film and Television Department in the Jakarta Arts Institute Film. He will speak on the subject of Kurosawa's cinematographic accomplishments, while Leila S. Chudori of Tempo will discuss the man and his work.
In the 1954 Kurosawa film Shichinin no Samurai (Seven Samurai) villagers terrorized by a gang of bandits seven warriors to protect them. The film will be shown on the evening of Feb. 13 at 7 p.m.
The film won widespread acclaim when it was released and inspired The Magnificent Seven, a famous Hollywood western starring Yul Brynner and Steve McQueen.
Kurosawa's 30th and last film, Madadayo (Not Yet), is a revealing story about the relationship between a retired university teacher and his former students. It rounds of the event on Feb. 14 at 7 p.m. The movie, which was released in 1993, also marked the 50th anniversary of Kurosawa's career as a film director.
Born in Tokyo in 1910, Kurosawa was the youngest of eight children. He married actress Yoko Yaguchi in 1950 and had two children, a son called Hisao and a daughter named Kazuko.
Kurosawa turned to the cinema after failing to get into art school.
His first film credit was as an assistant director in the 1936 film Senman Choja. But it was in 1943 that he directed his first film, Sugata Sanshiro.
His breakthrough came in 1950 with the release of Rashomon. In 1951 the film won the Golden Lion award for best picture at the Venice International Film Festival -- the first time the work of a Japanese director had ever received international recognition. The film went on to win an Oscar for best foreign film in the following year.
Kurosawa's second Oscar came in 1975, with Dersu Uzala, a Russian production set in Siberia.
The Cannes Film Festival honored Kurosawa in 1985 with a special trophy for achievement upon the release of his 28th film, Ran, an adaptation of Shakespeare's King Lear,
In 1990, he became the first Japanese citizen to receive an honorary Academy Award for his lifetime achievements.
Although revered abroad, Kurosawa had a love-hate relationship with his homeland.
Most of his works used Japanese themes like the warrior spirit, but he often had to look elsewhere for financial and artistic support. On example of this was in 1980, when George Lucas and Steven Spielberg persuaded 20th Century Fox to back the making of Kagemusha (the Shadow Warrior), Kurosawa's 27th film.
Those interested in watching Kurosawa's films can obtain further information from the Japan Foundation on 021-5201266 or the Usmar Ismail Film Center on 021-5268458.