Noticias

Final film of both Akira Kurosawa and Ishiro Honda, “Madadayo” was the official submission for the Best Foreign Language FIlm of the 66th Academy Awards and a more than fitting ending for one of the true masters of world cinema.

Buy This Title

by clicking on the image below

The story is based on the life of Japanese academic Hyakken Uchida, a professor of German who taught at the Imperial Japanese Army Academy and at Hosei University. The film begins during his last day at school, at 58 years of age, when he announces that he is retiring, with his wit and humour being met with rewarding reactions from his students, who are obviously sad to see him go. In 1943, he moves into a spacious house with his wife, with the support he would enjoy for the remainder of his life from his students becoming obvious when they visit him, and later on,...

Akira Kurosawa, a lover of horses since his youth, spent a lot of time at the Hippodrome in Meguro. In the 1940s, he wrote a screenplay titled “Jajauma Monogatari” (The Story of a Bad Horse), which was never realized. During a career stagnation after “Red Beard” in 1965, he made his only documentary film, “Song of the Horse“, in collaboration with Ryo Kinoshita and his production company Kurosawa Productions and Nippon TV.

The documentary is divided into two main parts: the first focuses on the birth and breeding of a racehorse, while the second part delves into horse races in Japan, particularly highlighting the story of Shinzan, a successful stallion. Preceding these parts is a prologue that places the narrative within a broader cultural context, exploring the historical relationship between humans and horses in Japan. The film also introduces the role of horses in Japanese religious customs and folklore.

Narration is provided by two actors,...

Taiwanese filmmaker Ang Lee added a prestigious honor Tuesday to his already exceedingly decorated career in the arts. The three-time Oscar winner was presented with the Praemium Imperiale at a black-tie ceremony in Tokyo. Often described as Asia’s version of the Nobel Prize, the award is handed out annually to artists working in various fields. A mark of the prize’s prestige, past honorees in the film and theater category have included true icons of film history, such as Federico Fellini, Akira Kurosawa, Jean-Luc Godard, Martin Scorsese and Catherine Deneuve.

“I’d like to think that my career is a never-ending school where I learn about cinema and about myself and about the world. There is no end to that learning,” Lee said during a news conference in Tokyo ahead of the awards ceremony. “As the first person from Taiwan to receive this award, I’m proud and deeply grateful.

In 1993, Akira Kurosawa’s final feature, “Madadayo,” was released. Following this, he would leave the director’s chair entirely after he suffered an injury to his spine, forcing him to spend the final years of his life in a wheelchair. After decades of filmmaking, his career as a director had come to an end. Yet, he wasn’t done artistically speaking, remaining active as a screenwriter. Unfortunately, things would worsen for him in the following years as his health gradually declined, further restricting him from being artistically creative. On September 6th, 1998, Akira Kurosawa died due to a stroke. The death of the renowned filmmaker was met with international mourning. However, his legacy would continue to live on thanks to overwhelming admiration from audiences for his filmography and numerous tributes. On top of this, many who worked alongside the beloved auteur sought to honor him. One such movie...

Tomorrow, March 23, is Akira Kurosawa's birthday. The iconic and influential director would have been 103-years-old had he lived long enough to see it, but that isn't to say he hasn't left a lasting legacy keeping him alive in the hearts of cinephiles. To celebrate the occasion, Criterion and Hulu have made available 24 of Kurosawa's films on Hulu free of charge to nonsubscribers (with commercial interruptions, and only in the U.S.) through midnight Sunday, March 24 and it includes all the hits and then some. Now I haven't seen all of Kurosawa's films, but I would like to at least offer up some suggestions for those of you looking for a starting point, or just a diversion from all this Ncaa Basketball. 1.) Seven Samurai - The obvious starting point is Seven Samurai. It's the film most everyone immediately associates with Kurosawa even if it isn't necessarily one they consider his best or their favorite.

Last month, Hulu made the entire Criterion Collection available for a few days, and now they're giving cinephiles another treat from the esteemed feature film collection. In case you didn't know, legendary director Akira Kurosawa's birthday is on March 23rd, and to celebrate the occasion, Hulu and Criterion have made all 24 of his films in the line-up available to watch for free from now until Sunday at midnight. This includes classics like Rashomon, Seven Samurai and Yojimbo along with his final film Madadayo. Sounds like the perfect opportunity for people to get acquainted with Kurosawa's filmography. Here's George Lucas talking about the influence Akira Kurosawa had on him from Hulu: All of the films total about 44 hours, so you can watch all of them if you're dedicated enough. Here's a list of the other Kurosawa films available for viewing: Drunken Angel, The Bad Sleep Well, The Hidden Fortress (which...

The 17th edition of the International Film Festival of Kerala (Iffk) has announced its lineup. The festival will run from 7th to 14th December, 2012 in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.

Some of the highlights of the lineup are festival favourites of the year Amour, Chitrangada, Samhita, The Sapphires, Drapchi, Miss Lovely, Me and You, Celluloid Man, and Baandhon.

Fourteen films will screen in the Competition section while seven contemporary films will be screened in “Indian Cinema Now” section.

Complete list of films:

Competition Films

Fourteen feature films from Asia, Africa and Latin America will compete for the coveted “Suvarna Chakoram” (Golden Crow Pheasant) and other awards.

Always Brando by Ridha Behi (Tunisia)

Inheritors of the Earth by T V Chandran (India)

A Terminal Trust by by Masayuki Suo (Japan)

Shutter by Joy Mathew (India)

Today by Alain Gomis (Senegal-France)

The Repentant by Merzak Allouache (Algeria)

Sta. Niña by Manny Palo (Philippines)

Present Tense...

The end of Akira Kurosawa’s career followed the trajectory of an epic, half-century-long narrative, climaxing in the late-period majesty of 1980’s Kagemusha and 1985’s Ran, and closing with a quiet denouement in minor, more intimate works like 1991’s Rhapsody In August and 1993’s Madadayo. In the time between these four films, the aging Kurosawa got some attention from Hollywood, first in a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 1989 Oscar ceremony, and later when several of his most prominent champions—Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, and Martin Scorsese among them—helped get Warner Brothers to support 1990 ...

Akira Kurosawa's Centennial last spring is still causing ripples. Splendent Media extends the celebration in a potentially controversial way. They have the rights to an enormous part of the Kurosawa catalogue should anyone want to purchase them for a remake. Kneejerk reaction is NOOOOooooooooo. But then you realize that Rashomon, The Hidden Fortress, and The Seven Samurai (and to a lesser extent many of his other films) have already been ripped off hundreds of times for movies and television. Hell, I've even seen an Off Broadway musical based on Rashomon!

So why would a straight up remake be any different?

Here are the 26 Kurosawa directed pics (of the 32 he made) that they're offering rights to:

Sanshiro Sugata (1943)

The Most Beautiful (1944)

Sanshiro Sugata Part2 (1945)

The Men who Tread on the Tiger’s Tail (1945)

No Regrets For Our Youth (1946)

One Wonderful Sunday (1947)

The Quiet Duel (1949)

Stray Dog (1949)

Scandal (1950)

Rashomon (1950) -- Honorary...

Update: It seems if you relied on streaming Criterion titles on Netflix that option will not be available by the end of 2011 as Criterion has posted on their Facebook page that all of the Criterion titles streaming on Netflix will be gone by the end of the year. They will, of course, continue to provide their titles through physical DVD and Blu-ray rental.

Today Criterion announced they have debuted more than 150 titles on Hulu Plus and over the coming months, that number is expected to swell to more than 800 films. Hulu is also expecting to bring the best aspect of Criterion's titles, the commentaries, documentaries, interviews, original trailers, essays and more to the service as well. This is being perceived as a big deal by everyone and their mother, but I wonder how many subscribers it will actually bring.

Looking over Peter Becker's post at Criterion, the best aspect...

Today is the day that a select group of Criterion loyalists have been anxiously awaiting for nearly a year now – or more precisely, since September 15, 2009. Those of you who recognize the 15th of each month primarily as “Criterion Upcoming Release Announcement Day” may remember last September’s Criterion news release a bit more clearly than some of the months before or since. It was the day that our favorite DVD publishers unveiled their plans to make the Ak 100: 25 Films by Akira Kurosawa super-deluxe box set their one and only new product for the following December.

That set off a storm of protest from those who were expecting something more, or perhaps different, or at least more affordable than the nearly $400 Srp behemoth that housed 25 films by the venerable Akira Kurosawa in honor of the centenary of his birth, including twenty that had already been released as regular Criterion DVDs...

Akira Kurosawa's Ran (1985) is currently playing in a new 35mm print, making the rounds of the nation's top art house screens this summer, in conjunction with the film's 25th anniversary and with the 100th anniversary of the birth of Kurosawa himself. Ran is a great film, and a very good choice if you're going to try and represent Kurosawa's career in one single stroke. It has the epic sweep and impressive battle sequences of his famed samurai films, but it also has a measure of dignity and reflection that mark many of Kurosawa's other, lesser-known films. (It is based on Shakespeare.) Ran was very well received and resulted in Kurosawa's one and only Oscar nomination for Best Director (he lost -- believe it or not -- to Sydney Pollack). But it was also the last hurrah of his career.

He went on to make three more films. Akira Kurosawa's Dreams...

To celebrate its 20th Anniversary, it appears as though the Tiff Cinematheque is set to pull out all the stops.

According to Criterion, the Tiff, formerly known as the Cinematheque Ontario, will be bringing out a rather superb and cartoonishly awesome summer schedule, that will include films ranging from Kurosawa pieces, to films from Pier Paolo Pasolini. Other films include a month long series dedicated to James Mason, Eric Rohmer’s Six Moral Tales, a tribute to Robin Wood, and most interesting, a retrospective on the works of one Catherine Breillat.

Personally, while the Kurosawa, Pasolini, and Rohmer collections sound amazing, the Breillat series is ultimately the collective that I am most interested in. Ranging from films like the brilliant Fat Girl, to the superb and underrated Anatomy of Hell, these are some of the most interesting and under seen pieces of cinema of recent memory, and are more than...

Price: Rs 999.00 Shipping Time: in 7 Days Shipping Region: India Shipping Cost: Rs. 35 Dearcinema Recommends Best Sellers

The Best 4 Movies from great director Akira Kurosawa are:

Rashomon:

One rainy day in 12th century Japan, a monk and a woodcutter sat deep in thought under the half broken city gate of Rashomon. A man rushed into the gate, seeking shelter from the pouring rain. After being asked, the monk and the woodcutter began to tell the newcomer their mysterious story. A famous robber named Tajyomaru attacked a samurai and his wife in a forest. The robber was captured and put on trial, however the accounts of the three participants were all significantly different from each other.

Ran:

This is a Japanese adaptation of Shakespeare's King Lear. An aging warlord decides to split his kingdom between his three sons, who will live in three separate castles. The two eldest sons are quite happy,...

DVD Links: DVD News | Release Dates | New Dvds | Reviews | RSS Feed

Ak 100: 25 Films by Akira Kurosawa (Criterion Collection) Sure, there are some of 2009's bigger film releases hitting DVD and Blu-ray this week, but this set from Criterion is undoubtedly the release of the week. This set offers 25 of Akira Kurosawa's films, four of which had never been released on DVD, and an illustrated book featuring an introduction and notes on each of the films by Stephen Prince (The Warrior's Camera: The Cinema of Akira Kurosawa) and a remembrance by Donald Richie (The Films of Akira Kurosawa).

I was not sent a copy for review, but DVD Beaver has an extensive three page look at the set right here. If you are interested, it is selling for $284.99 at Amazon as of the posting of this round-up. A list of the films included is directly below followed by a...

Shemaroo World Cinema has released a four-dvd pack of films of Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa.The collectors pack includes Kurosawa films namely Rashomon, Ran, The Quiet Duel and Madadayo. It also comprises a booklet that includes synopsis of all the four films and the filmmaker's profile along with certain trivia.Shemaroo has also packaged a 20-minute short film made by Whistling Woods International students called Any Which Way in the DVD set as a bonus.While the four-dvd pack is priced at Rs 999, the four films are also available individually ...

After Kadokawa already released a series of Akira Kurosawa’s films (Rashomon, Madadayo, Ran and The Quiet Duel) in a Blu-ray Disc Collection back in February, Toho Studio also decided to honour Japan’s probably most famous director with another collection bearing his name. The Akira Kurosawa: The Masterworks Blu-ray Disc Collection contains Seven Samurai, Kagemusha, Sanshiro Sugata, Sanjuro, Men Who Tread On The Tiger’s Tail, Sanshiro Sugata Part II and The Bad Sleep Well which are also available as single releases on October 23, 2009. Unfortunately Toho also decided to follow Kadokawa’s example and will not include English subtitles.

Share...