When you think of Japanese directors, names like Takeshi Miike, Hayao Miyazaki, Kenji Mizoguchi, and Hirokazu Koreeda all come to mind. But, there’s one filmmaker who many consider to be the greatest Japanese director of all time; one who has influenced cinema across the globe. That director is, of course, Akira Kurosawa. Few can argue against Kurosawa’s status as a legend of Japanese cinema, as he has directed insanely influential movies like Seven Samurai, Yojimbo, Ran, Ikuri, High and Low, and many, many more. Now, new and old fans can enjoy Kurosawa’s movies on the big screen once again, this time in stunning 4K.
Akira Kurosawa was born in 1910, and made his directorial debut with Sanshiro Sugata in 1943. Across his 50+ year career, Kurosawa made classic after classic, many of which would go on to inspire the likes of George Lucas and Spike Lee. Kurosawa released his final film as a director, Madadayo, in 1993. His most lauded work, Seven Samurai, was restored in 4K and rereleased in theaters last year. Now it’s time for even more of his most acclaimed works to receive the same treatment.
Akira Kurosawa: A Retrospective Reimagines the Director’s Greatest Films in 4K
Film Forum recently released the trailer for Akira Kurosawa: A Retrospective, a limited rerelease of Kurosawa’s best movies. The selected films have been remastered in 4K by Toho Co., Ltd. Many of them are being shown in the US for the first time at the event. The festival takes place at the Film Forum in New York City from July 18th to July 31st.
The full line-up features some of Kurosawa’s most critically lauded and most influential movies, with Throne of Blood, Stray Dog, High and Low, The Hidden Fortress, Ikiru, Yojimbo, and its sequel, Sanjuro, all being screened. As previously mentioned, Seven Samurai has already been restored in 4K and won’t be at the event. However, the 4K restoration is now available for physical purchase.
One of Akira Kurosawa’s Greatest Films Is Being Remade
The screening also coincides with the upcoming release of Spike Lee’s remake of High and Low. Lee has already remade one classic Asian movie, that being Park Chan-wook’s Oldboy, which was released in 2013 and starred Josh Brolin. Highest 2 Lowest is Lee’s new film, and reimagines High and Low‘s classic thriller story in America, with Denzel Washington taking the lead. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May, and is set to be released in theaters on August 22nd, before streaming on Apple TV+ in September.
Following its Cannes premiere, Highest 2 Lowest received decent reviews from critics. It currently sits at 89% on Rotten Tomatoes, with many praising Denzel Washington’s performance, as well as the supporting cast, which includes Jeffrey Wright, Ilfenesh Hadera, Dean Winters, and A$AP Rocky. The official synopsis reads, “When a titan music mogul (Denzel Washington), widely known as having the ‘best ears in the business,’ is targeted with a ransom plot, he is jammed up in a life-or-death moral dilemma.”
H/T: Film Forum YouTube
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