A Message from Akira Kurosawa: For Beautiful Movies (2000 Video) User Reviews

2.18.2024

[EasonVonn · 8/10 · 17 February 2024]

Included in the CC Raw Lust highlights, it's sort of a more matter-of-fact look at Kurosawa's creative style and his understanding of cinema than Toad's Oil, dissecting Kurosawa from ten perspectives: source material, script, subplot, shooting, lighting, art direction, costumes, editing, music, and directing.

The editing part is still very agreeable, while filming and cutting, only the script is really tired to write, with the crew together to improve the script is also quite good, is a little bit of the feeling of on-set tyrant.

Finally, when it comes to how to teach others how to make movies, he said in a very pretentious manner that "talent can't be learned". He doesn't want to convey anything in his movies, but rather wants to resonate with others, and he has trouble explaining what a movie is.

A practicing director who forgets to study technique can't make it. Oil painting composition. The story of well-drawn characters is naturally interesting.

Kurosawa's passion for films overflows the whole way through.

[HankCoT · 7/10 · 28 March 2024]

Segmented by the preeminent parts of what makes a feature, this documentary gives us only but a fragment of how this master works to give us, as he calls them ''beautiful movies''. That being said, this limited pursuit is of no detriment for fans of his (like myself), as every subject approached here gives so much intrigue and wonderment for the artist in question and his craft ; Wether its by showcasing some backstage footage that hints at the process of his filmmaking style, or from the help of interviews in which he regales us with his views on the medium, Kurosawa's passion for the medium overflows the whole way through.

Movies worthy of viewing

[lreynaert · 10/10 · 27 October 2013]

Akira Kurosawa understood wonderfully well one of the crucial aspects of art: art is not the expression of (the artist's) personal emotions, but the engendering of emotions in the heart of the spectator (listener, reader); in other words, the spectator should really share the joys and pains of the characters on the screen. In order to 'arouse' emotions in the viewer, the movie story has to reflect 'real' life. Movies have to be 'humanistic'. Therefore also, the directing must be focused on 'natural' acting, on doing things 'naturally'. With his whole heart, a director has to mold the different elements of a movie into a 'beautiful' (worthy of viewing) final product of art.

In this documentary, Akira Kurosawa comments on all aspects of the movie making process, from the seeds of a story (a novel or a dialog heard in a train station), over the shooting itself (using sometimes simultaneously up to 8 different cameras), to the confection of the soundtrack (music should not be a distraction, but can be used as a counterpoint of the action or the editing). His shooting contains some very characteristic camera movements, like the panning with a telephoto lens which gives the impression of a moving camera, or the combination of panning and focusing. Akira Kurosawa relied also on key members in his crews, like Sano Takeji for light and colors, Takeo Sato for camera work or Fumio Hayasaka for music. His movies have the highest remake rate in the movie history.

This documentary is a must see for all movie buffs, and certainly for all Akira Kurosawa fans.