Critical Perspectives on Akira Kurosawa

This volume offers a nuanced approach to Akira Kurosawa's evolving view of history through both his most famous and less-known films.

The volume is comprised of four roughly chronological sections, spanning from early career works to the first half of his career golden age, through the second half of his golden age until his twilight years. Readers will follow every stage of his career to see how he was deeply involved with a highly personal exploration and interpretation of Japanese history as well as Japanese culture and philosophy, and, as such, refocusing our attention on history (and culture) and its value to Kurosawa is vitally important. Touching on all thirty of the films he made over the course of his career, this volume is a holistic exploration.

Examining in detail the traces of Kurosawa’s stylistic influence on—and from—the earliest film projects on which he worked, the contributors to this collection offer valuable insights into a filmmaker’s storytelling techniques and his changing view of history.