Youngblood on Film: Kurosawa Centennial at the Belcourt Part 2

posted by Tony Youngblood

The Kurosawa Centennial continues at the Belcourt Theatre in Nashville, Tennessee. Here’s the second part of my preview of the retrospective. (Part one here.)

Stray Dog
1949, Screening July 16th – 19th

This Toshiro Mifune crime drama is film-noir Kurosawa style and considered by many to be the director’s best pre-Rashomon film. In a plot that would be grifted time and time again, Mifune plays a rookie cop whose gun is stolen. He and his superior (Takashi Shimura of Ikiru fame) hunt for the thief.  Meanwhile, the gun is used in a robbery and murder, Mifune grows more and more discombobulated, and personalities collide. The sweat is palpable. With a brand new 35mm print, Stray Dog is one of Kurosawa’s first masterpieces and a must see.

Seven Samurai
1954, Screening July 24th-26th

Most of the films playing in the Kurosawa Centennial have not been show at the Belcourt in the last few years. The exception is Seven Samurai, a film commonly touted as one of the best films in history. “You can’t really ignore that one,” says Belcourt programming director Toby Leonard in the Film Talk interview. “It’s probably the fourth time we’ve played it in 10 years, but it is absolutely essential on so many levels.” If you’re like me, you’ve seen Seven Samurai so many times that it won’t be the end of the world if you miss it here; but for those who have been living under a rice patty, Seven Samurai is a must see.

I Live In Fear
1955, Screening July 31st-Aug 2nd

One of the most striking criticisms of war ever put to film, I Live In Fear stars Toshiro Mifune as an elderly man so afraid of a nuclear attack that he tries to move his family to South America. The film mixes the irrational fears of war with the very real threats that plagued post-war Japan. The film was released just 10 years after the atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and only three years after bans on atomic bomb discussion in Japan were lifted by the U.S. occupation forces. A daring, reflective (and sometimes overwrought) statement that is only more prescient in today’s climate. A must see.

Drunken Angel
1948, Screening Aug 7th-9th

I was quite mesmerized by Drunken Angel when I saw it during its last Belcourt run, and I can’t wait to see it again. In a village caged by mob rule, an alcoholic doctor (Takashi Shimura) strikes an uneasy friendship with the young Yakuza firebrand (Toshiro Mifune) he’s treating for tuberculosis. Through sly tricks and sheer obstinacy, the doctor brings about an awaking in the young thug and helps transform the town in the process. In the guise of film noir, Kurosawa delivers another humanist masterpiece. A must see.

Ikuru
1952, Screening Aug 14th-16th

There are two types of Kurosawa fans: those who prefer Seven Samurai and those who prefer Ikiru. That may be overly-simplistic, but no other Kurosawa film rivals the venerable samurai epic in its critical acclaim. While my favorite Kurosawa remains Red Beard (the Belcourt screening a few weeks ago cemented that), I’ll take the insight and compassion of Ikiru over the swashbuckling and style of Seven Samurai any day. Ikiru stars Takashi Shimura as an aging City Hall chief who develops cancer and must reevaluate his meaningless existence. He seeks the pleasures of night and the comforts of family; but nothing can fill the void until a few simple acts of kindness lead to a complete transformation in him and the people around him. A masterwork for the ages, Ikiru is a must see.

Thus ends my Kurosawa Centennial Preview part two.  To read about the films in part 1 (including the yet-to-screen Dodes-Ka’Den, Sanshiro Sugata and The Men Who Tread on the Tiger’s Tail click here.)

Tony Youngblood is the current Foursquare Mayor of the Belcourt Theatre, a film and music snob, and producer of 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 Tuesday, July 6th, 2010 at 7:07 pm. It is filed under Belcourt Theatre, Blog, Cinemas We Love, Repertory Cinemas, 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.