Kurosawa Akira

Grew up on foreign films during the pre-war years. Kurosawa was particularly influenced by John Ford westerns.

Found early success in school as an artist. This talent proved invaluable as a director, particularly in his later color films.

Joined PCL (later Toho) in 1936 and became an assistant director under Yamamoto Kanjirô. He worked with fellow assistant directors Honda Ishirô and Taniguchi Senkichi. Honda and Kurosawa remained lifelong friends until Honda's death in 1993.

He walked in on auditions for new actors and cast the deciding vote to accept an unknown Mifune Toshirô. Kurosawa scripted Mifune's first film Snow Trail (1947), and they would go on to collaborate on 16 of Kurosawa's own films, from Drunken Angel (1948) until Red Beard (1965). Their relationship soured during Red Beard's production; the protracted shooting schedule prevented Mifune from appearing in other films for his own fledgling production company.

Kurosawa's film Rashomon (1950), while not a critical success in Japan, was "discovered" by Giuliana Stramigioli, Italian ambassador to Japan, and selected for exhibition at the Venice Film Festival. Japanese studios were not interested in such events due to the cost of printing for the exhibition, so Stramigioli bore the costs herself. Rashomon's success stunned the Japanese studios and catapulted Kurosawa to international fame.

Kurosawa was a master storyteller and his works have influenced other major works worldwide. Rashomon (1950) plot device, known as the "Rashomon effect," influenced a whole host of films, including Jet Li's Hero (2002). Seven Samurai inspired a number of high profile remakes and reinterpretations, such as The Magnificent Seven (1960) and A Bug's Life (1998). Yojimbo (1961) famously inspired Sergio Leone's A Fistful of Dollars (1964), who failed to secure permission to adapt Kurosawa's screenplay. Leone settled with Toho and granted the studio exclusive distribution rights in Japan, where the film was retitled The Return of Yojimbo. The Hidden Fortress (1958) has been cited by George Lucas as an inspiration for Star Wars (1977). Lucas would later co-produce Kurosawa's Kagemusha (1980) with Francis Ford Coppola.

Kurosawa's career took a turn for the worse in the mid 60s and early 70s. His perfectionism caused several film productions to run over schedule and budget, a contributing factor to his breakup with Mifune. His conflict with studios came to a head when he was fired from Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970) and replaced by Masuda Toshio and Fukasaku Kinji.

He had a late career rennaissance with films like Kagemusha (1980) and Ran (1985), and his later works were just as highly acclaimed as his earlier works.

Kurosawa suffered a stroke and died while working on the screenplay for After the Rain, which was completed and released posthumously in 2000.