Youngblood on Film: Kurosawa Centennial at the Belcourt

posted by Tony Youngblood

Nashville’s historic Belcourt Theatre continues to impress with astute scheduling choices.  Consider last Sunday’s rare screening of Jean Eustache’s 3 1/2 hour The Mother and the Whore, Bela Tarr’s nearly 8 hour Satantango screening from a few years back, and the upcoming Akira Kurosawa 12 film retrospective.

If Kurosawa were alive today, he would be 100 years old; and that is reason enough for the Belcourt to screen 12 of his films.  There’s nothing necessarily astute about a Kurosawa retrospective   –after all,  he’s the undisputed king of art house cinema.  What makes the Belcourt’s summer-long retrospective so special is the films they selected. . . and the films they left out.

Noticeably absent are a few of the heavies: Rashomon, Yojimbo, Throne of Blood, and Dreams.  The Belcourt understands that out of all Kurosawa’s films, these are the ones Kurosawa fans have probably already seen in the theatre (and Seven Samurai, which is in the retrospective — I suppose because you can’t have a Kurosawa show without it).  Rashomon has played the Belcourt on at least two separate occasions in the last three years.  By deliberately leaving these films out, the Belcourt has made way for some of Kurosawa’s lesser known works, his overshadowed masterpieces, and some truly rare screening opportunities.  Here’s part one of my guide to the retrospective:

RAN
1985, Screening Fri-Mon, June 11-14

Kurosawa’s color-infused 16th century epic based on Shakespeare’s King Lear sports a brand new 35 millimeter print, and what a perfect way to kick off the retrospective.  Along with Powel & Pressburger’s The Red Shoes and Kurosawa’s own Kagemusha (which sadly isn’t in the retrospective), Ran contains some of the most brilliant color photography ever exposed.  Frequently tops “best film ever” lists and is among my favorite Kurosawa films.  A must see.

THE HIDDEN FORTRESS
1958, Screening Sat-Mon, June 19-21

Perhaps because it inspired Star Wars, The Hidden Fortress actually gets screened quite regularly in art house cinemas.  Luckily, the 16th century adventure film about two gold-hungry peasants helping smuggle a princess and her guardian across enemy lines bears repeat viewings.  This is the first in the series that stars the inimitable Toshiro Mifune.  The Hidden Fortress may be my favorite adventure film of all time.  Unless you’ve seen it projected on 35mm recently, this is a must see.

RED BEARD
1965, Screening Sat-Mon, June 26-28

Many critics grant Ikiru the honor of Kurosawa’s most humanist film, but my money goes on Red Beard.  The film follows a naive young doctor’s experiences in a 19th century public health clinic under the watchful eye of a demanding and matter-of-fact senior doctor (Toshiro Mifune).  Often overlooked because of its lack of samurai battles or gangster shootouts, Red Beard is a deeply moving film on the value of human life and the importance of kindness.  The most humanist film ever made and easily my favorite Kurosawa.  A must see.

THE BAD SLEEP WELL
1960, Screening Sat-Mon, July 3-5

Predating American corporate dramas by more than 20 years, The Bad Sleep Well thrusts Hamlet into the late 50′s corporate boardroom.  Seeking revenge for his father’s work-driven suicide, Toshiro Mifune changes identity and marries the boss’s daughter, methodically compiling information to take the company down.  I have yet to see this film and am very excited for my first time to be on the big screen at the Belcourt.  A must see.

DODES-KA’DEN
1970, Screening Sat-Mon, July 10-12

Kurosawa’s premiere color film takes a macro-cosmic looks at the poorer-than-dirt inhabitants of a post-war Tokyo slum.  Kurosawa was enduring personal and financial struggles during the production, and the film’s box office failure was too much for him.  He attempted suicide by slashing himself over 30 times with a razor.  Luckily, he survived and went on to make some of the best films of his career: Kagemusha, Ran, and Dreams.  Dodes-Ka’Den will play the Belcourt in a new 35 millimeter print and will be my first screening of this important work.  A must see.

SANSHIRO SUGATA and
THE MEN WHO TREAD ON THE TIGER’S TAIL

1943, 1945, One screening only Wednesday, July 14th, 7pm

The true gems of the retrospective, here we have a double feature of Kurosawa’s first and third films, screened on 16 millimeter.  Sanshiro Sugata and The Men Who Tread on the Tiger’s Tail are not often listed  among Kurosawa’s best films, but they can tell us so much about where the young artist was headed.  Screenings of the two films are practically unheard of; do what you can to be at the Belcourt Wednesday, July 4th.  A must see.

Here ends the first half of my guide to the Kurosawa Centennial.  Stay tuned later in the summer for part two including entries on Stray Dog, Seven Samurai, I Live in Fear, Drunken Angel, and Ikiru. (Update: Check out part two here.)

Tony Youngblood is a pretentious film and music snob who produces the experimental improv music blog and podcast Theatre Intangible. His favorite films include Eric Rohmer’s The Green Ray, Abbass Kiarostami’s The Wind Will Carry Us, Ingmar Bergman’s The Magician, Lee Chang Dong’s Oasis, and Rob Reiner’s This Is Spinal Tap.

This entry was posted on Monday, June 7th, 2010 at 11:52 pm. It is filed under Belcourt Theatre, Blog, Directors, Events, Youngblood on Film and tagged with film review podcast, movie review podcast. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.