Kurosawa

Kurosawa is internationally recognized as one of the great auteurs whose films continue to inspire directors around the world. In this course we will analyze Kurosawa's style and technique in over a dozen films from the 1940s to the 1990s, including Seven Samurai, Ikiru, Ran, and Kagemusha. We will examine Kurosawa's relationship to the Hollywood Western and to filmmakers Clint Eastwood, Stephen Spielberg, and George Lucas. We will give special attention to the moral questions Kurosawa raises in films about ancient warriors, small-time gangsters, everyday men and women, and Shakespearian heroes. 3 hrs. lect./ 3 hrs. screen.