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Post by Fox in the Snow on Apr 30, 2020 3:21:43 GMT
Finally saw Throne of Blood, I think the only major Kurosawa film I was missing. I still have quite a few to see, but lets rank/rate ‘em. My ratings of Ikiru and Seven Samurai probably go a bit against the grain, but I just didn’t get as much out of those two as a lot of his other films.
9
Ran
Dersu Uzala
8
The Idiot
Throne of Blood
Red Beard
Kagemusha
Rashomon
7
High and Low
Yojimbo
Sanjuro
The Hidden Fortress
6
Seven Samurai
The Bad Sleep Well
The Quiet Duel
Ikiru
Scandal
5
I Live in Fear
The Lower Depths
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Post by Deleted on May 17, 2020 9:06:05 GMT
9 Ran
Dersu Uzala8 The Idiot
Throne of Blood
Red Beard
Kagemusha
Rashomon7 High and Low
Yojimbo
Sanjuro
The Hidden Fortress6 Seven Samurai
The Bad Sleep Well
The Quiet Duel
Ikiru
Scandal5 I Live in Fear
The Lower DepthsI don't necessarily like rating movies numerically. Hard for me to give a number to art. I either like it or I don't. I also think everybody's rating system is different so it's sometimes hard to gauge what the numbers mean. Having said that I don't think I've ever seen a Kurosawa film that I haven't liked. Most of them I would and have watched more than once. Dersu Uzala is also one of my favorites. That film basically saved his life. I'll also add Drunken Angel , Stray Dog and Dreams. I haven't seen Scandal. What do you think it was about Ikiru that you didn't like?
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Reynard
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Post by Reynard on May 17, 2020 15:06:03 GMT
Rashomon (1950) 8/10
Ikiru (1952) 10/10
Seven Samurai (1954) 9/10
The Bad Sleep Well (1960) 4/10
Yojimbo (1961) 5/10
Dodes'ka-den (1970) 7/10
Ran (1985) 10/10
Akira Kurosawa's Dreams (1990) 9/10
Rhapsody in August (1991) 8/10
I have seen some more, but it's been too long and there's no point in rating movies that I hardly remember anything about.
Ran, Ikiru and Akira Kurosawa's Dreams are my favorites. Dreams isn't usually ranked among his best but I love it. It's interesting that Kurosawa made this, his most beautiful film, after Ran, his darkest work. Maybe he went through some kind of personal catharsis when working on Ran. Rhapsody in August is another personal favorite that is not talked that much. I like how bittersweet it is.
The Bad Sleep Well was Kurosawa's attempt at making a political movie and it just doesn't work for me at all. No doubt it was made with best intentions, but I felt that Kurosawa was like a fish out of water with this kind of material.
Dodes'ka-den is very difficult film to like, far from great and seriously overlong, but it becomes quite interesting viewed from Buddhist / metapsychical point of view.
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Post by Fox in the Snow on May 17, 2020 21:46:23 GMT
9 Ran
Dersu Uzala8 The Idiot
Throne of Blood
Red Beard
Kagemusha
Rashomon7 High and Low
Yojimbo
Sanjuro
The Hidden Fortress6 Seven Samurai
The Bad Sleep Well
The Quiet Duel
Ikiru
Scandal5 I Live in Fear
The Lower DepthsWhat do you think it was about Ikiru that you didn't like? I can't quite put my finger on it, I just found it difficult to engage with and was a little bored at some points. It also wasn't that interesting visually. Maybe I just wasn't in the right frame of mind. I will probably give it another go at some point as I know how highly regarded it is.
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Post by Fox in the Snow on May 17, 2020 21:48:36 GMT
Rashomon (1950) 8/10 Ikiru (1952) 10/10 Seven Samurai (1954) 9/10 The Bad Sleep Well (1960) 4/10 Yojimbo (1961) 5/10 Dodes'ka-den (1970) 7/10 Ran (1985) 10/10 Akira Kurosawa's Dreams (1990) 9/10 Rhapsody in August (1991) 8/10 I have seen some more, but it's been too long and there's no point in rating movies that I hardly remember anything about. Ran, Ikiru and Akira Kurosawa's Dreams are my favorites. Dreams isn't usually ranked among his best but I love it. It's interesting that Kurosawa made this, his most beautiful film, after Ran, his darkest work. Maybe he went through some kind of personal catharsis when working on Ran. Rhapsody in August is another personal favorite that is not talked that much. I like how bittersweet it is. The Bad Sleep Well was Kurosawa's attempt at making a political movie and it just doesn't work for me at all. No doubt it was made with best intentions, but I felt that Kurosawa was like a fish out of water with this kind of material. Dodes'ka-den is very difficult film to like, far from great and seriously overlong, but it becomes quite interesting viewed from Buddhist / metapsychical point of view. I'm probably most interested in Dodes 'ka-den and Dreams of the ones I've not seen. I know Dodes in particular is quite divisive.
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Reynard
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Post by Reynard on May 17, 2020 22:57:27 GMT
I'm probably most interested in Dodes 'ka-den and Dreams of the ones I've not seen. I know Dodes in particular is quite divisive. The only time I've seen Dodes'ka-den was at a 35mm screening held at small independent / art house cinema. People do not come to such screenings without knowing what they are getting into, but still about one hour into Dodes'ka-den is was quite clear that some members of the audience just couldn't wait for the film to end. It's probably Kurosawa's least interesting film aesthetically, or at least to me it was.
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Post by Deleted on May 18, 2020 5:19:31 GMT
What do you think it was about Ikiru that you didn't like? I can't quite put my finger on it, I just found it difficult to engage with and was a little bored at some points. It also wasn't that interesting visually. Maybe I just wasn't in the right frame of mind. I will probably give it another go at some point as I know how highly regarded it is. That's interesting. Did you like Umberto D?
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Post by Fox in the Snow on May 18, 2020 5:57:02 GMT
I can't quite put my finger on it, I just found it difficult to engage with and was a little bored at some points. It also wasn't that interesting visually. Maybe I just wasn't in the right frame of mind. I will probably give it another go at some point as I know how highly regarded it is. That's interesting. Did you like Umberto D? I liked it more than Ikiru. It felt more "cohesive" for want of a better term.
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Post by rudeboy on May 21, 2020 13:38:42 GMT
10
High and Low
Seven Samurai
9
Red Beard
Ikiru
Throne of Blood
8
Dodes'ka-den
Dersu Uzala
Rashomon
Yojimbo
7
Stray Dog
Ran
Kagemusha
6
No Regrets for Our Youth
One Wonderful Sunday
5
Drunken Angel
The Hidden Fortress
4
The Idiot
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Post by Deleted on May 24, 2020 9:28:59 GMT
That's interesting. Did you like Umberto D? I liked it more than Ikiru. It felt more "cohesive" for want of a better term. The reason I found that interesting is what you said about Ikiru are along my thoughts on Umberto D. I like both very much and find them both relatable in many ways. In Ikiru one man doesn't live until he finds out he's going to die and in Umberto D. one man finds something to make him want to live. The only thing that I didn't care for in Umberto D is I thought the dog was relied on too much.
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Post by Fox in the Snow on May 24, 2020 12:24:49 GMT
I liked it more than Ikiru. It felt more "cohesive" for want of a better term. The only thing that I didn't care for in Umberto D is I thought the dog was relied on too much. It is a little on the manipulative side.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 8, 2020 6:40:00 GMT
I really liked The Idiot. I zero in on that one because it's the one I see talked about very little for what I consider it to be. Nearly 3 hours, based on a Dostoevsky, Setsuko Hara in the only role of her I know where her character isn't laudable and dutiful. She was great. Especially next to...I don't the opposing actress's name, but Setsuko's height, black wardrobe and all around demeanor made her very threatening by comparison, and in general.
I like one of the early scenes at the party, with the conversation that keeps unfolding and unfolding. That's something I think Akira Kurosawa does really well. I felt myself leaning in as the crowd in the room was leaning in.
The idiot himself was great too. He really sells that zero compulsion to play to an agenda, just a babe in the woods when it comes to anything but being integral and honest. It's not called The Idiot for nothing.
On your list, I haven't seen those two 5's or The Quiet Duel. There's still several I haven't seen, most of which are quite early or quite late. Not on your list that I've seen, I liked Stray Dog and No Regrets for Our Youth. Not on your list, I haven't seen Dodes'ka-den or Drunken Angel.
Sanjuro is probably my favorite. Sanjuro, Throne of Blood, The Idiot, Rashomon, Dersu Uzala...Seven Samurai is interesting for me because it's almost too even for anything to really stand out. In that regard, it's practically sublime. It's really good, but lets just say I started with The Idiot because I was immediately drawn to it of all his films outranking Seven Samurai, if not for being a well rounded total package then at least for being darker with messier people. It's also violent in a way I like because it happens off screen so it lingers uncomfortably, and in context, is domestic assault and murder.
It's possible The Idiot is my second or third favorite of his entire catalogue. For a film that got scathing reviews at the time according to the IMDb trivia, I thought it was one of his best.
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Post by Eva Yojimbo on Jun 30, 2020 9:35:48 GMT
Kurosawa vies with Bergman as my second favorite filmmaker behind Hitchcock.
10/10:
1. The Seven Samurai
2. Ikiru
9.5/10:
3. Throne of Blood
4. Kagemusha
5. Ran
9/10:
6. Yojimbo
7. Rashomon
8. High and Low
8.5/10:
9. Dersu Uzala
10. Sanjuro
11. Stray Dog
12. Dodes'ka-Den
8/10:
13. The Hidden Fortress
14. Sanshiro Sugata
15. The Lower Depths
7.5/10
16. Red Beard
17. Drunken Angel
7/10:
18. I Live in Fear
19. No Regrets for Our Youth
20. The Bad Sleep Well
6.5/10:
21. Sanshiro Sugata 2
6.0/10
22. Scandal
23. The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail
4.0/10:
24. The Most Beautiful
3.0/10:
25. One Wonderful Sunday
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