Shakespearean hearts of darkness pump the lifeblood into "Throne of Blood," one of Akira Kurosawa's greatest films. Loosely based on "Macbeth," the movie is a blood-soaked tragedy set in feudal Japan of the 16th century. "Throne of Blood" is widely regarded as one of the most successful film adaptations of a Bard play. Kurosawa dares to edit … [Read more...]
‘Kagemusha’: Kurosawa’s shadow world
Akira Kurosawa's suicide attempt was almost a decade behind him. He hadn't made a film in almost five years, and Japan's major studios had rejected his latest project, an epic tale of warlords clashing in the 16th century. "I thought another script of mine would vanish into the void," the aging director recalled years later. This time, … [Read more...]
‘The Yakuza Papers’: Gangsters high and low
They have sniveling down to a fine art in Kinji Fukasaku's "The Yakuza Papers." Sniveling, weeping, groveling and myriad other abasements of the spirit. There's little nobility found in the clashes between Fukasaku's low-rent Japanese gangsters, only the "Battles Without Honor and Humanity" promised in the subtitle. "The Yakuza Papers" consists … [Read more...]
‘Spirited Away’: Miyazaki meets Disney
The union of showbiz superpower Disney and Japanese animation master Hayao Miyazaki would seem a case of strange bedfellows. The Walt Disney Co., the mass producer of children's entertainment. Miyazaki, the painstaking auteur behind "Princess Mononoke." Disney, the house of happy endings and familiar themes. Miyazaki, the creator of films … [Read more...]
