T H E C I N EM A O F AkirKau rosawa The Warrior's Camera S T E P H E N P R I N C E PRI N CE T O NU N IV ERSI T YP RES S PRINCETON , NEW JERSEY Copyrig©h 1t9 91b yP rincetUonni versPirteys s PublishbeydP rincetUonni versPirteys 4s1,W illiaSmt reet, PrincetNoenw, J ers0e8y5 40 Int heU niteKdi ngdomP:r incetUonni versity OPxrfeosrsd, AllR ightRse served LibraorfyC ongreCsast aloging-in-PuDbaltiac ation PrincSet,e phe1n9,5 5- Thew arriocra'mse r:a thec inemoaf A kirKau rosaw/a byS tephePnr ince. p. cm. Includbeisb liograprheifcearle nacnedsi ndex. ISBN0 -691-031(6c0-l6o: t ahcid-fpraepee r) ISBN0 -691-008(5p9a-0p: e arcid-fpraepee r) 1.K urosawAak,i r1a9,1 0- --Critiacnidsi mn terpretation. lT.i tle. PN1998.3.K87P179951 791.4'30 23'30 92--dc20 90-36647 Thibso ohka bse enc omposienLd i notMreolni &o Orp tima PrincetUonni versPirteys bso okasr ep rintoenda cid-fpraepee r, andm eett heg uidelifnoerps e rmanenacned d urability oft heC ommittoeneP roductiGouni delines foBro okL ongeviotfty h eC ouncil onL ibraRreys ources Printiendt heU niteSdt atoefsA mericbay P rincetUonni versity PresPsr,i ncetNoenw, J ersey 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 (Pbk1.0) 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 F O R M Y P A R E N TS Contents Illustrations ix Acknowledgments xiii Introduction xv 1 ViewinKgu rosawa 3 2 TheD ialectoifcS st yle 32 3 WillpoweCra nC ureA llH umanA ilments 67 4 ExperimenatnsdA daptations 114 5 Forma ndt heM odernW orld 155 6 Histoarnyd t heP erioFdi lm 200 7 TheL atFei lms 250 Notes 293 FilmDsi recbtyeA dk irKau rosawa 327 Bibliography 329 Index 339 Illustrations FrontispiTeocseh.i Mriof unaesW ashiiznu ThronofeB lood. 1.A kirKau rosawa. 4 2.K urosaownal ocatdiuorni tnhgfe i lming ofS eveSna murai. 12 3.T hei nflueonfKc uer osadwiar:e ct re- makeass i nT heM agnifiSceevnetn (196f0r)e,ea ldya ptferdo Sme ven Samurai. 19 4.a nd5 .T hei nflueonfKc uer osawa: lessoinnws i de-sccroemepno siatnido n thset ylizoaftv iioonl ence. 20 6.K urosadwiar eTcotssh iMriof unoen thsee otf H igahn dL ow. 29 7.K ajiYraom amotHoo'rss oen,w hich Kurosaswear vaesda ssisdtiarnetc tor. 39 8.S urrounbdyeh do wliwnign dSsa,n shiro (SusuFmuuj ictoan)f roHnitgsa fkoitr h eir climacdtuiecSl a.n s hiSruog ata. 49 9.S tialb lo ya th earSta,n shgiernot tleyn ds toS ayoS.a nshiSurgoa ta. 53 10.T hei ndiviadluoanalen dd etermian ed: younfga ctwoorryk perra ybse fobreeg in- nintgh see arfcohar m issilnegn Tsh.e MosBte autiful. 54 11.S ervitnhgne e edosfw artiSmaen,s hiro symbolitcharlalsyt hheAesm erican boxeirnS anshSiurgoa tPaa,rI tI . 57 12.T hea ntiocfas t imibdu,m bling porter (KeniEcnhoim oto) untdheheri csutto rical dramoafY oshitsune'sT hfelWyih goh t in Treaodnt hTei geTra'isl . 59 13.a nd1 4.D reamosft heoiwrn c offseheo p cheearni mpovericsohuepdla em,i tdh e postwraurb blOen.eW onderfSuuln day. Diseaassae s ocimaelt aphaoy ro:u ng doct(oTrso h iMriof unbea)t tslyepsh ilis inp ostwJaarp aTnh.eQ uieDtu el 74 15.T hec orrulpatw yHeirr u(tTaa kaSshhii- muraaln dh ivsi ct(iTmo shiro Mifune). Scandal. 76 X I L L U TSR A TI O N S 16.Y uki(eS etsHuakroab )e fohreert ransformaasat p iroinv,i leged profesdsaourg'hst Neor R.eg reftosOr u rY outh. 79 17.M atsuna(Tgoas hMiirfou nset)r ugwgilteShsa nad(aT akashi Shimurtah)de,o ctwohro w ishteosc urhei dsi seabsoedday n d spiriinKt u rosawaal'lse goDrriucnakleA nn gel. 82 18.M atsunfaaglaul nsd etrh ien flueonftc hege a nbgo sOsk,a da. DrunkeAnn gel. 87 19.C ompetivnigs utaeln siionnS str aDyo gW.h ilSea t(oT akashi Shimurqau)e stiaow nist netswsog, e issheaot f afs parkilne r thceo rnoeftr h fer ame. 90 20.M uraka(mTio shMiirfou naen)dS athou nfto trh kei llSetrr.a y Dog. 96 21.W atanab(eT'ask aSshhiim urian)t enspeelrys ocnoanlf rontation witdhe atahl ientahtoessae r ounhdi ma ndc halletnhgseeo sc ial ordeIrk.i ru. 104 22.W atanatbreit eors e acohu tt oT oybou td iscovtehrahste r e- mains aIlkoinreu.. 108 23.K urosa"wtah,le a sotft hsea murai." 115 24.T heK urosawa hero(.T aKkaamSsbhheiiim urianS) e ven Samurai. 119 25.T heb and(iTto shMiirfou naen)dt hwea rri(oMra sayMuokrii ): charac"tgeorisan sgt rianty h teh icokfet th ehiera rts." Rashomon. 129 26.R ashomonf'osr eismta gewraysm eanbty K urosatwoea m body thdea rlka byrionftt hhhe u manh eart. 131 27.T oshiro MainfdMu ansea yuMkoir ais t hReo gozhainndM ysh- kinch aracitneT rhesI diot. 140 28.W ashi(zTuo shMiirfou nmee)e thsi esn di na f usilolfaa dre- rowsT.h ronoef B lood. 145 29.T hep aintesrtlyoylf eT hronoefB looBdl.e achsekdyf ,o ga,n d desolpaltaei cnrse aatc eo smfirca mfeo trh itsa loefh uman ambitiaonndv iolence. 148 30. Spatfiraalg mentaantdti hosent reosfls i nefaorr imn T heL ower Depths. 153 31.A nxietoifte hsne ucleaagreN :a kaji(mTsaoh irMoi funceo)n - templattheaes p ocalyipnRs eec orodfa LiviBnge ing. 161 32.N akajicmaan neostc atphese o cisapla coefh ifsa miRleyc.o rd ofa LivinBge ing. 169 33.C ompulsioofan t so rtuKruerdo sahwear (oT oshMiirfou nTeh)e. BadS leeWpe ll. 177 I L LU S RT A TI O NS X·I 34.D isturbaonftc hemeso derunr baenn vironmTehneBt a.d S leep Well. 186 35.W hilteh peo liacnedh iwsi fleo ookn G,o nd(oT oshMiirfou ne) prepatrhelesu ggatgheaw ti lcla rhriyfs o rtutnote h kei dnap­ perT.h em ultiaprleeoa fsc omposivtiisouna alnii zmep acted socisapla cHei.g ha ndL ow. 191 36.T okur(oT atsNuaykaa dtaria)c tkhske i dnapapset rhp eo lice mobilfioztreh heu ntH.ig ha ndL ow. 194 37.S pacaess ocimaelt aphaow ri:n doowfg laasnsd w irsee parat­ intgh emG,o ndcoo nfrotnhtkesi dnapwpheorh ast ormented himH.i gha ndL ow. 197 38.K ambe(iT akaSshhiim urfal)a.n kbeyGd o rob(eYio shIinoa ba) andK atsush(iKroKo i murdae)c,l atrheatsth fea rmearnsds a- muramiu sstt rugtgolgee tahsoe nre S.e veSna murai. 211 39.T hew eigohftt he dead parnodm itoshfcee o mmuniitnSy e ven Samurai. 213 40.K ikuch(iTyoos hMiirfou naen)dK yllz(oS eMiijyia gucihni ) thfei nal baav totrltoeefr,x a in, msutde,ae nldd, e atShe.v en Samurai. 219 41.T hev ioleonfct ehs ei xteenth-ccievnwitalur irsny a f aitrayl e conteTxhteH. i ddeFno rtress. 221 42.S anju(rToa shMiirfou neen)j otyhsce a rnafgreo hmi wsa tch­ towepre rcihnY 6jimbD6i.r ecMtaosra hiSrhoi nocdrai ticized Kurosafwoatr h iism agery. 224 43.E viuln leashaset dh,ve i oleonfct ehge a ngstaenrdts h emierr - chanbta ckecrosn sumtehste o wnY.6 jimb6. 229 44.P reparfiontrgh seh owdowSna,n juarr6m hsi msewlifta hd ead man'ssw orYd6.j imb6. 232 45.S anjuvraon quishhiefsso aen da lteegro( Tatsuya Nakadai). Thissc eniesa k eym omenitn t hvei sualizoafvt iioolne innc e the samurai film: mSoamnejnutrso 'bshe afsscow urostero ,d deeptlhya hti fso ec'hse sertu pitnsa g eysoefbr l ooSda.n jur6.2 34 46.Y asumo(tYoll zKoa yamlae)a rtnhsse e croeftl si faen dd eath froNmi id(eT oshMiirfou nien)t ,h seu premmaes ter-prueplial- tionsohfiK pu rosawcai'nse mRae.dB eard. 237 47.N iidaen dY asumoctaor trhybe a ttecrheidl d, Gttoto hyeo , safeotfty h cel inHiucm.a ns uffeirnicnrge aisnae d sa rkening worlRde.d B eard. 241 48.A sN iidaen dY asumottroty o s avCeh obtoh,e cyo nfrtohnmety s- teroyfd eatahn dt hlei miotfms e dickanlo wledRgeedB. e ard. 246