The Humanistic Cinema of Akira Kurosawa

Summary

This video script celebrates Akira Kurosawa's profound influence on cinema, highlighting his signature use of movement and thematic exploration of human vulnerability and the quest for happiness. Kurosawa's films, spanning various genres, are characterized by their visual style and deep humanism, often depicting characters confronting mortality, deception, and self-deception. The script delves into the director's portrayal of a world in constant flux, urging viewers to find harmony and meaning amidst life's uncertainties, and is brought to viewers by MUBI, an online cinema offering a curated selection of exceptional films.

Takeaways

• 🎬 Akira Kurosawa is celebrated as an influential filmmaker with a diverse body of work spanning various genres and settings.
• 🌏 Kurosawa drew inspiration from global sources, including Shakespeare, Dostoevsky, and Hollywood director John Ford, reflecting a wide range of cultural influences.
• 🌀 A defining characteristic of Kurosawa's style is the use of movement in storytelling, including nature, characters, groups, objects, and the camera itself.
• 📸 Kurosawa's films are known for their visual style, combining long lenses, intensity, and slow-motion to create a dramatic and emotionally impactful experience.
• 🎼 Director Sidney Lumet likened Kurosawa's work to Beethoven, highlighting the full and unmistakable sound that characterizes his films.
• 🌟 Kurosawa's films have inspired numerous movies and even a video game, demonstrating their enduring impact on the cinematic landscape.
• 🤔 Kurosawa's central thematic question is 'Why can’t people be happier together?', which he explores through various narratives and character dynamics.
• 🏞️ The films often depict a world in constant motion, reflecting the transience of life and the struggle against the forces of nature and mortality.
• 🕊️ Kurosawa's characters frequently grapple with their own self-image and the conflict between their beliefs and the reality of the world around them.
• 🔍 The theme of truth and deception is prevalent in Kurosawa's work, with Rashomon exemplifying the complexity of truth and the unreliability of human perception.
• 🌳 Kurosawa's films suggest that happiness and harmony can be achieved by embracing change and the natural world, rather than resisting it.

Q & A

Who is MUBI and what do they offer?

MUBI is an online cinema streaming service that offers a curated selection of exceptional films from around the globe. They provide a new film every day, including timeless classics, cult favorites, and acclaimed masterpieces, and offer a free trial for new subscribers through the link MUBI.com/likestoriesofold.

What is Akira Kurosawa's contribution to the history of cinema?

Akira Kurosawa is considered one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema. He is known for his work spanning various settings and genres, with a signature style that includes the use of movement in storytelling, and has inspired countless films and even a video game dedicated to his name.

What are some of the literary and cinematic influences on Kurosawa's work?

Kurosawa's work has been influenced by a variety of sources including the history of Japan, Shakespeare, Dostoevsky, and Hollywood director John Ford. His films often adapt and reinterpret these influences within his unique cinematic vision.

How does Kurosawa use movement in his storytelling?

Kurosawa incorporates movement in various forms such as the movement of nature, characters, groups, objects, scenery, and the camera. He also uses long lenses to enhance the sensation of movement and combines moments of intensity with slow-motion to emphasize drama and emotional weight.

What is the central theme or question that Kurosawa explores in his films?

The central theme that Kurosawa explores in his films is encapsulated in the question: 'Why can’t people be happier together?' This theme is reflected in the conflicts and struggles of his characters as they confront their own mortality, deception, and the search for truth and trust.

How does Kurosawa present the world or universe in which his characters live?

Kurosawa presents a world characterized by eternal movement, including elements like rain, snow, wind, dust, fire, and water. This world is greater than the characters themselves, evoking a sense of vulnerability and uncertainty about their survival and the stability of their identities.

What role does the concept of time play in Kurosawa's films?

Time in Kurosawa's films is a powerful force that contributes to the characters' struggles. It is often represented through the changing world, the passing of eras, and the confrontation with mortality, as seen in films like 'Dersu Uzala' and 'Rhapsody in August'.

How does Kurosawa address the issue of truth and deception in his films?

Kurosawa addresses truth and deception by showing how lies and self-deception play major roles in the conflicts of his characters. Films like 'Rashomon' and 'The Bad Sleep Well' highlight the destructive consequences of deception and the difficulty of ascertaining the truth.

What is the significance of the mentor figures in Kurosawa's films?

Mentor figures in Kurosawa's films serve as guides that help the protagonists break out of their self-imposed limitations and move towards a more fulfilling and meaningful life. They represent higher principles of justice and the potential for happiness and harmony.

How does Kurosawa suggest we can overcome the unhappiness and disconnection in our lives?

Kurosawa suggests that we can overcome unhappiness and disconnection by acknowledging our attachments, looking past them, and finding ways to connect with a deeper essence within ourselves. He shows that despite the harshness of the world, we can find meaning and work towards something that fulfills us.

What is the connection between Kurosawa's passion for filmmaking and his films' messages?

Kurosawa's deep passion for filmmaking is reflected in the messages of his films, which often communicate the importance of embracing change, finding harmony, and trusting in the power of human connection and conscience.

Outlines

00:00

🎬 Kurosawa's Cinematic Legacy and Movement

This paragraph introduces Akira Kurosawa as a seminal figure in cinema, known for his diverse range of films beyond just samurai stories. It highlights his influence from global literature and cinema, and his unique style characterized by the use of movement in storytelling. Kurosawa's films are noted for their physical and exaggerated performances, the motion of groups and objects, and the strategic use of camera and long lenses to enhance the sense of movement. The paragraph also mentions how Kurosawa's work has inspired many, including a video game, and emphasizes the emotional depth and humanism in his films, as noted by film critic Roger Ebert.

05:12

🌪️ Confronting Mortality and Change in Kurosawa's Films

The second paragraph delves into the thematic elements of mortality and change in Kurosawa's work. It discusses how his characters face physical threats and the broader implications of cultural and historical change. Kurosawa's samurai films, set in times of chaos, feature ronin who symbolize a lost era of order. The paragraph also touches on the temporal movement in his films, such as the encroachment of civilization in 'Dersu Uzala' and the lingering effects of World War II in 'Rhapsody in August.' The main theme that emerges is the struggle to find stability in a world of constant flux and the vulnerability this brings.

10:19

🕵️‍♂️ Lies, Deception, and the Quest for Truth

This paragraph explores the themes of deception and the elusive nature of truth in Kurosawa's films, exemplified by 'Rashomon' and its multiple, conflicting narratives. It discusses how lies and deception are central to the interpersonal conflicts in his stories, such as in 'The Bad Sleep Well,' where a man seeks revenge through a web of lies. The paragraph also addresses the importance of trust in relationships and how Kurosawa's characters often struggle with self-deception, which is a greater barrier to happiness than lies told to others.

15:25

🌿 Disconnection from Nature and the Search for Identity

The fourth paragraph examines the disconnection of Kurosawa's characters from the natural world and their search for identity. It describes how characters in films like 'Ikiru' and 'Dersu Uzala' grapple with their self-image and the existential crises that arise from their disconnection from nature and societal norms. The paragraph highlights the societal illnesses that contribute to this disconnection, such as warfare and nationalism, and suggests that despite the harsh realities, there is potential for change and reconnection with our better nature.

20:34

🤝 Overcoming Conflicts and Finding Harmony

The final paragraph concludes with a message of hope and harmony. It emphasizes Kurosawa's belief that despite the challenges of life, we can strive for a more meaningful existence by working together and acknowledging our interconnectedness. The paragraph mentions films like 'Seven Samurai' and 'Stray Dog,' where mentor figures guide the protagonists towards a more fulfilling life. It ends by reflecting on Kurosawa's passion for filmmaking and promoting MUBI as a platform for exploring exceptional cinema.

Keywords

💡Akira Kurosawa

Akira Kurosawa is a legendary Japanese filmmaker renowned for his influential work in cinema history. He is known for his samurai films, though his work spans various genres and settings. Kurosawa's style is characterized by a unique use of movement and a deep human understanding, which is a central theme in the video. His films have inspired countless others and are considered classics, reflecting his significant impact on the art of filmmaking.

💡Movement

Movement in Kurosawa's films is a key element of his storytelling technique. It encompasses the physical actions of characters, the movement of groups and objects, as well as the camera's motion. The video emphasizes how Kurosawa uses movement to create a dynamic visual experience, contributing to the films' intensity and drama. For example, the script mentions the 'movement of nature' and 'movement of characters' to illustrate the dynamic world Kurosawa's characters inhabit.

💡Influence

The concept of influence in the video refers to the impact Kurosawa's work has had on subsequent filmmakers and the broader cinematic landscape. His innovative techniques and storytelling methods have inspired a multitude of films, either directly or indirectly, showcasing his enduring legacy. The video also mentions a video game dedicated to his name, indicating the breadth of his influence beyond traditional film.

💡Humanism

Humanism in the context of the video reflects Kurosawa's focus on human values and experiences in his films. Film critic Roger Ebert is quoted describing Kurosawa as a 'thoughtful humanist,' highlighting the deep human understanding that underpins his visual storytelling. This humanistic approach is what makes his films resonate with audiences across cultures and time.

💡Mortality

Mortality is a central theme in the video, representing the characters' confrontation with their own physical existence and the inevitability of death. Kurosawa often presents his characters facing threats to their survival, such as illness, enemies, or natural forces, which underscores the fragility of life and the struggle against the passage of time.

💡Truth

The concept of truth in the video is explored through the idea that it can be elusive and subjective. In films like 'Rashomon,' Kurosawa challenges the notion of objective truth by presenting multiple, conflicting accounts of the same event, leaving the audience to question the reliability of each character's narrative and the nature of truth itself.

💡Trust

Trust is a recurring theme in the video, particularly in the context of interpersonal relationships and the challenges of believing in others. Kurosawa's films often depict characters struggling with deception and lies, which hinders their ability to trust one another. This theme is exemplified in the script's mention of 'The Bad Sleep Well,' where trust is manipulated for revenge.

💡Self-Deception

Self-deception is a key internal conflict in Kurosawa's characters, where they struggle with their own self-image and beliefs. The video references Kurosawa's own words about human beings' inability to be honest with themselves, which often leads to characters facing obstacles due to their rigid self-conceptions. This self-deception prevents them from finding happiness and fulfillment.

💡Connection

Connection in the video refers to the bond between individuals and their environment, as well as their inherent nature. Kurosawa's characters often experience a disconnection from the natural world and from their true selves, leading to unhappiness. However, the video also suggests that despite this disconnection, there is always the potential for reconnection and finding meaning.

💡Harmony

Harmony is presented as a potential outcome when individuals overcome their internal and external conflicts. The video suggests that Kurosawa's films encourage the idea of finding harmony in the face of adversity by working together and facing challenges as a collective, rather than as isolated individuals.

💡MUBI

MUBI is an online cinema streaming service mentioned in the video that offers a curated selection of exceptional films from around the world. It is presented as a platform that aligns with Kurosawa's passion for cinema, providing a home for diverse and influential films, and is offered as a recommendation to the audience interested in exploring the art of filmmaking.

Highlights

Akira Kurosawa is among the most influential filmmakers in cinema history.

Kurosawa's work spans various settings and genres, with influences from global literature and Hollywood.

Kurosawa's storytelling is defined by the use of movement, including nature, characters, and camera work.

Long lenses and slow-motion are used to enhance the sensation of movement and drama.

Sidney Lumet compared Kurosawa's style to Beethoven for its fullness and impact.

Kurosawa's films resonate due to their action, visual craft, and deep human understanding.

Kurosawa's central theme questions why people can't be happier together.

Movement in Kurosawa's films represents a world of change and uncertainty.

Kurosawa's characters often confront their mortality and the transience of life.

Ronin in Kurosawa's samurai films symbolize the loss of a stable past and the chaos of their times.

Time as a force is depicted through the changing world and the end of eras in Kurosawa's stories.

Kurosawa explores the difficulty of ascertaining truth and the resulting trust issues among characters.

Deception and lies are central to the conflicts in many of Kurosawa's films.

Internal conflicts arise from characters lying to themselves and their struggle with self-image.

Kurosawa's characters resist the world's movement, leading to stagnation and unhappiness.

The disconnection from nature and societal issues contribute to the characters' unhappiness.

Kurosawa suggests that despite disconnection, there is potential for change and reconnection.

Mentor figures in Kurosawa's films guide characters towards a more meaningful and harmonious life.

Kurosawa's passion for filmmaking is evident in the enduring impact of his work.

MUBI is a curated streaming service offering a selection of exceptional films, including Kurosawa's.

Transcripts

This video is brought to you by MUBI,

an online cinema streaming handpicked exceptional films from around the globe.

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Akira Kurosawa is undoubtably among the most important and most influential filmmakers in the history of cinema.

Though probably best known for his Samurai stories, his work spans a variety of settings and genres,

taking inspiration not only from the history of his native country Japan,

but from all over the world.

He has adapted Shakespeare, Dostoevsky, and was a great fan of Hollywood director John Ford.

Over the course of more than 50 years of filmmaking,

one signature trademark that came to define Kurosawa’s style was the way in which he used movement in his storytelling.

As the channel Every Frame A Painting already covered in their video;

Kurosawa often included and emphasized the movement of nature, the movement of characters,

whose performances tend to be very physical and exaggerated,

the movement of groups, objects, scenery, and movement of the camera.

The channel Cinema Cartography also adds how Kurosawa often used long lenses that enhance the sensation of movement,

and how he combined moments of intensity with slow-motion to keep you on edge without becoming overwhelmed,

and to emphasize the drama and emotional weight of the action.

All of these elements together resulted in what director Sidney Lumet called a Beethoven-like fullness.

For me, Kurosawa is the Beethoven of movie directors. It is that recognizable full sound that Beethoven had that is so unmistakable.

It is no surprise then that, over the years, Kurosawa’s work has inspired countless films,

either directly or indirectly.

He even has a video game that is pretty much dedicated to his name.

But the real reason his films have resonated with so many people across the world, and

across time, is not just because of the exciting action and well-crafted, spectacular images.

As film critic Roger Ebert pointed out; he was a visual stylist,

but he was also a thoughtful humanist.

“His films had a daring, exhilarating visual freedom,” – he wrote –

“and a heart of deep human understanding.”

Today, let’s explore what exactly this entails, uncover the deeper meanings of Kurosawa’s work,

and create a more thematic understanding of this master of cinema.

To begin connecting the many films Kurosawa has made,

it is probably easiest to turn to the director himself, who once said:

“I suppose all of my films have a common theme. If I think about it, though, the only theme I can think of is really a question:

Why can’t people be happier together?”

“Why can’t people be happier together?”

if this is the central question that Kurosawa engages in his films, then how exactly does he do so?

First, there is the matter of presenting context.

What is the world, the universe, that Kurosawa’s characters live in?

Well, here again we can begin with the most immediately observable, the most visually striking aspect of his films: movement.

As mentioned before, Kurosawa often emphasizes the movement of the elements, rain, snow,

wind and dust, fire and water.

It paints an image of a world much greater than ourselves.

It is a world of eternal movement, one that is constantly changing, constantly in motion.

In this world, nothing stands still, nothing lasts forever, including us.

It invokes a sense of vulnerability, a sense of fear in the face of this almost natural state of uncertainty,

uncertainty about the world around us, and therefore; uncertainty about our own survival within it.

Many of Kurosawa’s characters find their main conflict in this confrontation with their own mortality.

If they are not directly battling the forces of nature,

they are likely facing some kind of illness, a predatory enemy, an imminent defeat in battle, or some other threat to their physical being.

But, as Kurosawa also shows, this is not solely a matter of physical mortality and the resulting struggle for individual survival,

it is also about the collective level, about cultures, histories, about shared symbols and meanings that are just as much subjected to movement and change.

Take for example how Kurosawa’s samurai films,

unlike the samurai films of other Japanese filmmakers at the time,

are typically set in the feudal periods of the 16th and 17th century, an era of chaos and civil war,

and tend to feature the less noble ronin, samurai who no longer have a master and wander the land, often finding work as mercenaries.

In addition to facing their own mortality,

these ronin also embody the memory of something larger that has been lost,

they remind us of a time of order and stability, a time that has now passed.

This temporal movement, mostly experienced through this underlying feeling of a changing world, a passing age,

is present in many of Kurosawa’s stories.

Dersu Uzala shows a wilderness slowly being swallowed up by civilization,

Rhapsody in August explores the lingering, yet fading impact of World War II as life moves on for the newer generations in Nagasaki,

And out of all of Shakespeare’s works,

Kurosawa directly adapted Macbeth and King Lear, both stories of rulers coming to the end of their reign.

Though not as visual as heavy rainfall or fiery destruction,

time is just as powerful a force in Kurosawa’s films that leaves his characters struggling for something to hold on to,

struggling to find something solid within this world defined by fluidity.

Here, we can begin to see Kurosawa’s main theme emerging.

For if we are but vulnerable beings too small to make sense of it all, where can place our trust?

Doesn’t the truth become unreachable?

In Rashomon, a heinous crime is recounted by some of the people involved, leading to widely different stories.

Along the way, we are presented with arguments as to why the other testimonies could be false,

and in the end, it becomes obvious that every character had their own reason to lie, or at least, to bend the truth a little.

But surely there has to be one true way the story went down?

There has to be one factual reality behind all these conflicting perspectives?

We never find out.

Kurosawa deliberately leaves us wondering, thereby emphasizing our fundamental lack of access to what goes on inside another human being.

As such, the inability to ascertain what is true becomes a serious obstacle when it comes to trusting someone,

which leaves us understandably suspicious and wary of each other.

Lies and deception often play a major role in the interpersonal conflicts of Kurosawa’s films.

The Bad Sleep Well, in which we follow a man who marries into a wealthy family,

while secretly scheming for revenge against the father of his bride, whose corrupted business practices

led to his own father’s suicide, is probably the most obvious example of this.

In what is arguably among Kurosawa’s bleakest films,

the destructive consequences of getting lost in a web of lies with nothing certain or definitive to rely on are clearly demonstrated.

Even if there are no deliberate deceptions going on, the issue of trust still plays an important role in many of his stories.

Take for example how the young doctor in Red Beard is asked to put his faith in that his new, somewhat unconventional master

is not taking advantage of his higher education.

Or how many of the victories and defeats that the young samurai experience in Sanjuro

is directly related to their trust in the older, more experienced ronin that agreed to help them.

But what is the biggest conflict for Kurosawa’s characters, and the main reason they can’t be happier together, as he would put it,

is not just that they lie to each other, but more so, that they lie to themselves.

“Human beings are unable to be honest with themselves about themselves.”

– Kurosawa wrote in his memoir – “They cannot talk about themselves without embellishing.”

And so, in the end, many of the obstacles and challenges these characters face are internal ones.

Kurosawa’s worlds of eternal movement do not only pose a threat to the safety of his characters, to their possessions or their physical wellbeing,

they are a threat to the very essence of their identities, to that self-image by which they define themselves.

The farmer struggling with the competing testimonies in Rashomon really is struggling with his own self-image as an honest man,

an image that is challenged as the many lies around him confront him with his own.

The gangster struggling with tuberculosis in Drunken Angel really is struggling with his own self-image as a tough guy,

as someone who doesn’t let himself be knocked down by anything.

And the young doctor struggling with his placement in Red Beard’s clinic for the poor

really is struggling with his own self-image as someone who is meant to be more important.

All of Kurosawa’s characters, in some way or another, cling to certain beliefs that ultimately conflict with the world and the people around them;

beliefs that they are so desperate to hold on to that they often rather perish than face the mirror.

And this, perhaps, is their real tragedy.

They cannot be happier together because they cannot be happier with themselves.

They are trapped by their own rigid ideas of who they are, who they should be.

They cannot accept their own realities.

As a result, they become detached, they lose their connection to some deeper essence within,

to that which gives us energy, vitality, that which drives our passions.

In Ikiru, we follow an aging government worker whose diagnosis with terminal cancer propels

him into an existential crisis as he realizes he hasn’t done anything meaningful with his life.

As the narrator states,

the passions he once had have been completely worn down by the minutia of the bureaucratic machine and the meaningless business it breeds,

leaving him but an empty shell of a human being.

To quote a character from another Kurosawa film;

In other words, if Kurosawa’s characters exist in a world of eternal movement,

their tragedy arises from resisting that movement.

They become stagnated when they should be in motion.

Madadayo beautifully visualizes this with a professor who refuses to leave his house

after it has been destroyed by air raids in the Second World War.

Essentially, they have detached themselves from the way of nature, and have grown unhappy because of it.

They lost themselves in a world of their own abstractions,

an artificial construction that was meant to provide comfort, yet ended up imprisoning them.

We see this disconnection from the natural world in the literal sense in Dersu Uzala,

in which a Russian explorer befriends a local hunter who is ultimately taken back to civilization

where he is unable to find comfort.

And we see it in Dreams, which has multiple references to our growing environmental issues.

But Kurosawa also does not refrain from pointing out the many other societal illnesses that keep us stuck in our place,

that prevent us from connecting to our better nature.

Such as warfare and nationalism.

Social injustices;

And regressive notions of masculinity;

But what all this is meant to tell us, is that this unhappiness is not our natural state of being.

This world is not the world as it is, it is the world as we have created it.

And this also means that it is not how we are inevitably doomed to end up.

We may become disconnected, but we are never fully detached, Kurosawa seems to say here.

We can always turn things around, or at least: we can make the effort,

like the government worker does in Ikiru as he uses his last bit of time to realize a playground for the children.

In fact, in Stray Dog, in which a detective loses his gun and grows increasingly desperate about the harm that can done with it,

Kurosawa even seems to argue that it is inevitable.

That ultimately, our conscience is more powerful in keeping us connected, than our ego is in keeping us detached.

And as he subsequently shows us, it is by acknowledging that, by looking past our own attachments,

that we see the world opening up behind it,

and find that there indeed different paths, that we can change our ways.

Early in Seven Samurai, we see how the veteran Samurai shaves his head and poses as a monk to resolve a hostage situation.

According the Samurai code, this probably wasn’t a honorable act.

And yet, there is an important lesson here as he demonstrates how there are higher principles of justice more important than rigid codes of conduct.

Many of Kurosawa’s films feature these mentor-like figures who remind us of who we can be.

Who work towards the happiness and wellbeing of all people.

These mentors often help break our frustrated protagonists out of their own bubbles,

guide them to a more fulfilling, a more meaningful life.

And show them that they can be happier together.

This, I think, is what Kurosawa ultimately seeks to communicate.

He reminds us that despite being faced with a harsh world, we can find more harmony instead of conflict if we face it together.

He shows that despite being subjected to eternal movement, we can find something meaningful to work towards,

something that fulfills us, no matter how small it is in the grand scheme of things.

And lastly, despite Kurosawa showing us how difficult it can be for us to trust each other,

in doing so, he also shows us how beautiful it can be when we do.

Kurosawa once said; “take myself, subtract movies, and the remainder is zero,”

which just goes to show how deeply passionate he was about filmmaking.

And even though he is no longer with us, that passion remains in the continued creation of beautiful cinema.

And if you’re looking for a great platform that provides a home for such films, I highly recommend MUBI.

MUBI is a curated streaming service showing handpicked exceptional films from around the globe.

Every day, they present a new film, whether it's a timeless classic, a cult favorite, or an acclaimed masterpiece,

there’s no better way to explore the riches of cinema.

They feature hundreds of carefully selected films, and you can try it for free for 30 thirty days by going to MUBI.com/likestoriesofold.

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