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Post by mikef6 on May 17, 2017 16:12:38 GMT
Mifune: The Last Samurai / Steven Okazaki (2015). This documentary takes us quickly (and at times superficially) through the life of the legendary Japanese actor, Toshiro Mifune, stopping to highlight some of his best films. It was written by the director (a one-time Oscar winner with three other nominations for Documentary Short Features) and Mifune and Kurosawa biographer Stuart Galbraith IV. Many of Mifune’s co-stars and others involved in his films talk about working with him and what kind of person and actor he was. His eldest son worked along side of him for many years and shares personal insights. There is a valuable few minutes at the start which trace the history of the Samurai movie in Japanese culture with some rare restored footage from the silent era. The famous break between Mifune and Kurosawa after 16 movies in 18 years is still unexplained. Even people closely connected with the two men at the time – even Kurosawa’s eldest son - cannot tell why they went their separate ways. There was no obvious argument or blow-up between them. Even though both men made noises to others about wanting to work together again, it never happened. After Kurosawa hired Shintaro Katsu (of Zatôichi fame) to star in the double role in “Kagemusha” and then fired him on the first day of filming, Kurosawa immediately ordered his staff to find out if Tatsuya Nakadai was available; apparently he never even thought of Mifune. (Nakadai was great in the role.) I think Martin Scorsese said it best during his interview for this documentary: “We want them to stay together. We want the collaboration to continue, to create, you know? But people grow and they grow differently, sometimes. Sometimes people, especially in a collaboration, use each other up at a certain point. Nothing more they can give each other than, I guess, their respect and love and that’s it.”
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Post by hi224 on Jun 30, 2017 6:10:40 GMT
Mifune: The Last Samurai / Steven Okazaki (2015). This documentary takes us quickly (and at times superficially) through the life of the legendary Japanese actor, Toshiro Mifune, stopping to highlight some of his best films. It was written by the director (a one-time Oscar winner with three other nominations for Documentary Short Features) and Mifune and Kurosawa biographer Stuart Galbraith IV. Many of Mifune’s co-stars and others involved in his films talk about working with him and what kind of person and actor he was. His eldest son worked along side of him for many years and shares personal insights. There is a valuable few minutes at the start which trace the history of the Samurai movie in Japanese culture with some rare restored footage from the silent era. The famous break between Mifune and Kurosawa after 16 movies in 18 years is still unexplained. Even people closely connected with the two men at the time – even Kurosawa’s eldest son - cannot tell why they went their separate ways. There was no obvious argument or blow-up between them. Even though both men made noises to others about wanting to work together again, it never happened. After Kurosawa hired Shintaro Katsu (of Zatôichi fame) to star in the double role in “Kagemusha” and then fired him on the first day of filming, Kurosawa immediately ordered his staff to find out if Tatsuya Nakadai was available; apparently he never even thought of Mifune. (Nakadai was great in the role.) I think Martin Scorsese said it best during his interview for this documentary: “We want them to stay together. We want the collaboration to continue, to create, you know? But people grow and they grow differently, sometimes. Sometimes people, especially in a collaboration, use each other up at a certain point. Nothing more they can give each other than, I guess, their respect and love and that’s it.” wasn't it due to wearing a fake beard versus growing a real one for red beard actually?.
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