Akira Kurosawa
Directing
Akira Kurosawa (黒澤 明) was a Japanese filmmaker and painter who directed thirty films in a career spanning over five decades. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers in the history of cinema. He displayed a bold, dynamic style, strongly influenced by Western cinema yet distinct from it; he was involved with all aspects of film production. Kurosawa entered the Japanese film industry in 1936, following a brief stint as a painter. After years of working on numerous films as an assistant director and scriptwriter, he made his debut as a director during World War II with the popular action film Sanshiro Sugata (1943). After the war, the critically acclaimed Drunken Angel (1948), in which Kurosawa cast the then little-known actor Toshiro Mifune in a starring role, cemented the director's reputation as one of the most important young filmmakers in Japan. The two men would go on to collaborate on another fifteen films. Rashomon (1950), which premiered in Tokyo, became the surprise winner of the Golden Lion at the 1951 Venice Film Festival. The commercial and critical success of that film opened up Western film markets for the first time to the products of the Japanese film industry, which in turn led to international recognition for other Japanese filmmakers. Kurosawa directed approximately one film per year throughout the 1950s and early 1960s, including a number of highly regarded (and often adapted) films, such as Ikiru (1952), Seven Samurai (1954), Throne of Blood (1957), Yojimbo (1961) and High and Low (1963). After the 1960s he became much less prolific; even so, his later work—including two of his final films, Kagemusha (1980) and Ran (1985)—continued to receive great acclaim. In 1990, he accepted the Academy Award for Lifetime Achievement. Posthumously, he was named Asian of the Century in the Arts, Literature, and Culture category by AsianWeek magazine and CNN, cited there as being among the five people who most prominently contributed to the improvement of Asia in the 20th century. His career has been honored by many retrospectives, critical studies and biographies in both print and video, and by releases in many consumer media.
Known for
Directing56
movieMadadayo
1993
Director
movieRhapsody in August
1991
Director
movieDreams
1990
Director
movieRan
1985
Director
movieKagemusha
1980
Director
movieDersu Uzala
1975
Director
movieDodes'ka-den
1970
Director
movieSong of the Horse
1970
Director
movieRed Beard
1965
Director
movieHigh and Low
1963
Director
movieSanjuro
1962
Director
movieYojimbo
1961
Director
movieThe Bad Sleep Well
1960
Director
movieThe Hidden Fortress
1958
Director
movieThe Lower Depths
1957
Director
movieThrone of Blood
1957
Director
movieI Live in Fear
1955
Director
movieSeven Samurai
1954
Director
movieIkiru
1952
Director
movieThe Idiot
1951
Director
movieRashomon
1950
Director
movieScandal
1950
Director
movieStray Dog
1949
Director
movieThe Quiet Duel
1949
Director
movieDrunken Angel
1948
Director
movieOne Wonderful Sunday
1947
Director
movieThose Who Make Tomorrow
1946
Director
movieThe Most Beautiful
1944
Director
movieSanshiro Sugata
1943
Director
movieHorse
1941
Assistant Director
movieThe Monkey King
1940
Assistant Director
Enoken's Cropped Hair
1940
Assistant Director
movieRoppa's Honeymoon
1940
Assistant Director
movieEasy Alley
1939
Assistant Director
movieEnoken’s Shrewd Period
1939
Assistant Director
movieEnoken's Surprising Life
1938
Assistant Director
movieComposition Class
1938
Assistant Director
movieTojuro's Love
1938
Assistant Director
movieSubterranean Heat
1938
Assistant Director
movieThe Beautiful Hawk
1937
Assistant Director
movieEnoken's Chikiri Kinta Part 2 – Returning Is Scary, but the Weather Will Clear If You Wait
1937
Third Assistant Director
movieEnoken's Chikiri Kinta Part 1 – Momma, the Hat: The Nice Way
1937
Third Assistant Director
movieAvalanche
1937
Assistant Director
movieJapanese Women's Textbook
1937
Third Assistant Director
movieA Husband's Chastity: Fall Again
1937
Third Assistant Director
movieA Husband's Chastity: If Spring Comes & Fall Once Again
1937
Third Assistant Director
movieA Husband's Chastity: If Spring Comes
1937
Third Assistant Director
movieSaga of the Vagabonds, Part Two: Forward at Dawn
1937
Third Assistant Director
movieSaga of the Vagabonds, Part One: Tiger and Wolf
1937
Third Assistant Director
movieTokyo Rhapsody
1936
Third Assistant Director
movieEnoken’s Ten Millions Sequel
1936
Third Assistant Director
movieEnoken’s Ten Millions
1936
Third Assistant Director
movieParadise of the Virgin Flowers
1936
Assistant Director
Writing84
movieHighest 2 Lowest
2025
Original Film Writer
movieLiving
2022
Original Film Writer
movieThe Magnificent Seven
2016
Original Film Writer
movieAt the Gate of the Ghost
2011
Original Story
movieThe Last Princess
2008
Original Story
movieTsubaki Sanjuro
2007
Writer
movieIkiru
2007
Screenplay
movieHigh and Low
2007
Original Film Writer
tvSamurai 7
2004
Original Concept, Original Film Writer
movieThe Sea Is Watching
2002
Screenplay
movieDora-heita
2000
Screenplay
movieAfter the Rain
2000
Screenplay
movieLast Man Standing
1996
Original Film Writer
movieMadadayo
1993
Screenplay
movieRhapsody in August
1991
Screenplay
movieDreams
1990
Writer
movieRunaway Train
1985
Original Film Writer, Story
movieRan
1985
Screenplay
movieBattle Beyond the Stars
1980
Original Story
movieKagemusha
1980
Screenplay
movieDersu Uzala
1975
Screenplay
movieStray Dog
1973
Original Story
movieThe Magnificent Seven Ride!
1972
Original Concept
movieDodes'ka-den
1970
Screenplay
movieZatoichi Meets Yojimbo
1970
Original Concept
movieGuns of the Magnificent Seven
1969
Original Concept
movieThe Last Day of Hsianyang
1968
Original Film Writer
movieReturn of the Seven
1966
Original Concept
movieSanshiro Sugata
1965
Writer
movieRed Beard
1965
Screenplay
movieThe Outrage
1964
Original Story
movieA Fistful of Dollars
1964
Original Story
movieJakoman and Tetsu
1964
Screenplay
movieHigh and Low
1963
Screenplay
movieThe Fencing Master
1962
Screenplay
movieSanjuro
1962
Screenplay
movieYojimbo
1961
Screenplay
moviePlay of the Week: Rashomon
1960
Original Film Writer
movieThe Magnificent Seven
1960
Original Film Writer
movieThe Hidden Fortress
1958
Screenplay
movieAdvance Patrol
1957
Screenplay
movieThe Lower Depths
1957
Screenplay
movieThrone of Blood
1957
Screenplay
movieTomorrow I'll Be a Fire-Tree
1955
Screenplay
movieVanished Enlisted Man
1955
Screenplay
movieSeven Samurai
1954
Screenplay
movieMy Wonderful Yellow Car
1953
Screenplay
movieIkiru
1952
Screenplay
movieSword for Hire
1952
Screenplay
movieThe Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail
1952
Writer, Screenplay
movieThe Den of Beasts
1951
Screenplay
movieThe Idiot
1951
Screenplay
movieBeyond Love and Hate
1951
Screenplay
movieRashomon
1950
Screenplay
movieFencing Master
1950
Adaptation
movieJiruba no Tetsu
1950
Screenplay
movieScandal
1950
Screenplay
movieEscape at Dawn
1950
Screenplay
movieStray Dog
1949
Writer
movieThe Quiet Duel
1949
Writer
movieLady From Hell
1949
Writer
movieThe Portrait
1948
Screenplay
movieDrunken Angel
1948
Writer
movieSnow Trail
1947
Screenplay
movieOne Wonderful Sunday
1947
Screenplay
movieFour Love Stories
1947
Screenplay
movieSanshiro Sugata, Part Two
1945
Screenplay
movieThe Admirable Isshin Tasuke!
1945
Screenplay
movieWorld of Love
1943
Writer
movieSanshiro Sugata
1943
Screenplay
movieHorse
1941
Writer
A Fistful of Dollars Remake
Original Film Writer
Acting30
movieBabenco: Tell Me When I Die
2020
Self (archive footage)
movieKurosawa's Way
2011
Self (archive footage)
movieA. K.
1985
Self
Editing20
movieMadadayo
1993
Editor
movieRan
1985
Editor
movieKagemusha
1980
Editor
movieRed Beard
1965
Editor
movieHigh and Low
1963
Editor
movieSanjuro
1962
Editor
movieYojimbo
1961
Editor
movieThrone of Blood
1957
Editor
movieSeven Samurai
1954
Editor
movieIkiru
1952
Editor
movieThe Idiot
1951
Editor
movieRashomon
1950
Editor
movieSanshiro Sugata
1943
Editor
Production11
movieKagemusha
1980
Producer
movieDodes'ka-den
1970
Executive Producer
movieSanshiro Sugata
1965
Producer
movieHigh and Low
1963
Associate Producer
movieYojimbo
1961
Producer
movieThe Bad Sleep Well
1960
Producer
movieThe Hidden Fortress
1958
Producer
movieThe Lower Depths
1957
Producer
movieThrone of Blood
1957
Producer
movieStray Dog
1949
Associate Producer
movieFlirtation in Spring
1949
Producer
Art5
movieAfter the Rain
2000
Title Designer
movieDreams
1990
Storyboard Artist
movieRan
1985
Storyboard Artist
movieKagemusha
1980
Storyboard Artist
Crew4
movieThe Draft!
2023
Thanks
movieAvalanche
1937
Second Unit