|
Saw three Kurosawa films in the theater over the weekend.
Stray Dog – I’ve seen all of the pre-Rashomon Kurosawa films I can find and this is my favorite. Lots of parallels with Drunken Angel but this is a much tighter story. Kurosawa nicely lays out the plot to show the methods the detectives use. Very good photography in the slums of Tokyo. Shimura and Mifune both put in wonderful performances.
Throne of Blood – Had no idea what to expect but completely loved this film. Has to be one of the best adaptations of Macbeth. I am definitely going to preorder the Criterion dvd.
Hidden Fortress – It’s been a while since I’ve seen this and this is a first on a big screen. I have a love/hate thing with this film. I love Mifune. The role of the general serving the princess is one of his best. The scene where is chases the scouts that leads to the duel is a classic. However, the peasants begin to grate on me after a while. They go through the greed / stupidity / begging cycle a few too many times. It was a treat seeing a very clean print in widescreen format.
|