Rhapsody in August is a fine film, but I don't consider it "top tier" Kurosawa. Gere's performance is nothing special, but it was adequate for what was required.
This movie seems to be one where everything is a build up to the final scene....and a pretty amazing final scene it is.
Most all great - at best the mix of humor, tough-minded philosophical intensity (and thoughtful complexity), & technical virtuosity never stops being amazing...
Well apart from my top three I've only seen the others once each Rob, so they haven't grown on me or had the same impact on me they seem to have had on you guys. My fault, I should have found the time to watch some of them again.
Low scores? Kidding me? You ain't seen low scores, check out some of the other famous director threads and see the ratings they've been handing over to films like Jaws, Gone With the Wind, Ben-Hur, 2001, Lawrence of Arabia, Bridge on the River Kwai etc
Updated with Rhapsody in August - B+, a beautiful testament/eulogy to Nagasaki but with just enough off, particularly the odd ending, that I couldn't quite put in the "loved it" category.