Kurosawa Akira

[Li Hoo Cheong]

It is strange that our list has only one posting on Kurosawa, to many
the greatest living director before his recent death, besides news on
his death.  This is because no one wants to state the obvious, and to
say something meaningful would take up some thoughts and much time.

Kurosawa made 30 films in his long career of 56 years, and his films
can be grouped under three periods.  <Sugata Sanshiro> (43) to 
<Rashomon> (50) is the initial period of maturing, <The Idiot> (51)
to <Red Beard> (65) is the glorious era of diversity, vitality and
greatness.  The majority of his films in this period are also very
entertaining.  From 1966 to 1998, his declining years, he made only
seven films: Dodes'ka-den (70), Dersu Uzala (75), Kagemusha (80),
Ran (85), Dreams?