• Kurosawa’s Birthday Month, Day 8

    Congratulations to yesterday’s winners, Matt V and Kyle! Matt V’s Kurosawa-related anagram was:

    Kagemusha = A Huge Mask

    Kyle’s was:

    Rashomon = Sham, or no?

    March is Akira Kurosawa month at Criterion. On the twenty-third, the great Japanese filmmaker would have been one hundred years old. For this centennial celebration, we will be posting trivia questions and other contests all month, and giving away a different prize every weekday.

    Today’s prompt:

    Among filmmakers working today, who can best be described as the heir to Kurosawa’s legacy, and why?

    Please respond to this prompt by commenting below, and we’ll choose our favorite tomorrow. You must leave a valid e-mail address to be eligible for the prize (High and Low on DVD).

    Contests

94 comments

  • By Woody
    March 10, 2010
    04:51 PM

    I would have to say Paul Thomas Anderson is the closest heir to Kurosawa's legacy. One the surface, it might appear that these two filmmakers have absolutely nothing in common. However, Anderson's films, much like Kurosawa's, are rich tapestries that are often centered around characters facing intense moral dilemmas. It is this overarching theme that ties the two filmmakers together rather than genre, plot, etc.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Landen Celano
    March 10, 2010
    04:51 PM

    A difficult question that no doubt will prompt a slew of different answers depending on what perspective its looked through. It feels cliché, but I'm going to say Martin Scorsese (a fan and protogé of Kurosawa,) in that his body of work is highly expansive however deals with very common themes in atmospheres and characters that he's familiar with. He's done for gangster films what Kurosawa has done with samurai films, though both directors branch off to make other projects -- period pieces, biopics, genre films.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Terry Carpenter
    March 10, 2010
    04:53 PM

    Takeshi Kitano, while not in size in scope I think he captures the poetry of Kurosawa's films in both silence and in beauty. Kitano's shots shows influence from the late director, both composing of painting like imagery.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Aldo Mora-Blanco
    March 10, 2010
    04:55 PM

    Well, to be honest, James Cameron....I hate da muddafucka, but dam does he know how to orchestrate an epic! You know where everyone is, you know who they attack, he sets up the action, he superficially sets up the characters, he is Kurosawa's heir.....he makes a Western like no one else today (as per Sam Peckinpah)....
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Joseph Parks
    March 10, 2010
    04:58 PM

    Among filmmakers working today, who can best be described as the heir to Kurosawa’s legacy, and why? This is easy: Lars Von Trier They have nothing in common of course, but Von Trier really loves himself and I could see him claiming this legacy.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By YiFeng You
    March 10, 2010
    05:00 PM

    honestly? can't think of anyone. none of the directors above take mis en scene as seriously as Kurosawa.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Mike Denbo
    March 10, 2010
    05:00 PM

    I would have to say that George Lucas is the most obvious choice. Although the highest points of his career are a while back, it can't be denied that the highlight of his career, the movie series his name is synonymous with, is a modification of Kurosawa's Hidden Fortress.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Lucas Kollauf
    March 10, 2010
    05:01 PM

    The Coen Brothers. Mainly because they both tell great stories and leave you thinking.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By McLean Sloughter
    March 10, 2010
    05:03 PM

    Steven Soderbergh seems to best embody Kurosawa's ability to simultaneously embrace the commerical and the non-commercial, to be equally comfortable with sweeping spectacle and with smaller and more subtle moments and films. While the subject matter of his films may differ from Kurosawa's, he approaches it with the same sort of sensibility.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Jaime Grijalba
    March 10, 2010
    05:04 PM

    There's really no heir of Kurosawa's Legacy today, there's no director that could match Kurosawa's art in framing, storytelling and emotion, there's just not one able to do what he did in his time working today. Obviously he is an influential filmmaker, being one of the major influences for George Lucas and his Star Wars films, but they really pale in comparison to the samurai and dramas from this japanese director. Besides, he isn't a really active filmmaker. Then there's Sergio Leone, which is a fine craftsman, able to make beautiful shots and great stories, sometimes influenced by Kurosawa's works, but he lacks in emotion. Besides, he's dead. Then we have Paul Thomas Anderson, which really is connected more with Altman, but he has made films that are beautifully shot, well written and full of emotion, just as Kurosawa's movies were, but he hasn't really got the Kurosawa style, specially when we talk about camera movements, while Anderson uses the tracking shot, Kurosawa was more akin with the pan and scan camera movements. Besides, he's too young. Maybe we'll have to look towards the newer generations that will live the second century of Kurosawa's influence to have a real heir, some director loyal to the legacy of Kurosawa.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Charles
    March 10, 2010
    05:05 PM

    In my opinion, I would have to say Steven Soderbergh. Looking at both Kurosawa's and Soderbergh's body of work, I can't help but see how similarly they overlap. Both Kurosawa and Soderbergh's use of elliptical storytelling have become practical boilerplates for style and form with Rashomon and The Limey, (and to a lesser extent soderbergh's out of sight and his HD films.) Kurosawa and Soderbergh have played in many genres and ever film showed a measured confidence as well as playfulness with the genre constructs. I also think that Steven Soderbergh, even when playing in lesser substantive genres and films (oceans, etc) he still manages to infuse a core of humanity within his characters and is always curious about them. His passion and love for his characters show in every slightly lilting camera frame. Soderbergh is, has always been, concerned with finding the core of his characters and thier motivations. And I think Kurosawa did too.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Daniel
    March 10, 2010
    05:06 PM

    A trick question, as there is not a single filmmaker that could arguably come close to being described as "Kurosawa's heir." Some may have been influenced and some may be compared, but there can be only one!
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Avri Rosen-Zvi
    March 10, 2010
    05:07 PM

    I'd say Hayao Miyazaki. Kurosawa's influence is maybe not as clear in his films, but his use of color, his composition and the way he incorporates myth into his work have much in common with the ideals of Kurosawa,
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Galen
    March 10, 2010
    05:09 PM

    I would say Steven Soderbergh. This is not so much because of any realy visual or thematic similarities between the two, but rather the ease with which they both can traverse the line between art house and popular cinema. Just as Kurosawa could make art house films (such as Rashomon) and swashbucklers (such as Hidden Fortress), Soderbergh can make a big budget romp like Ocean's 11 followed by a very small film like Bubble, but most importantly, can do see with equal skill.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By marcus schutzenhofer
    March 10, 2010
    05:09 PM

    id say jim jarmusch. his ability to capture the quiet moments as well as broad action seems familiar in Kurosawas abilities. these two have a great eye for composing a shot. they us the camera more to tell the story than dialog.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By A_Bord
    March 10, 2010
    05:12 PM

    Scorsese's oeuvre shares a remarkable number of traits with Kurosawa's. The most significant is each filmmaker's ability to refashion a genre in order to study the intricacies of a respective culture and leave a powerful, unique stamp on those that followed. Kurosawa didn't invent the Samurai genre, nor did Scorsese author the tropes of the gangster film. Significantly, each artist was able to mine the characteristics of a genre they admired and infuse their films with themes, characters and ideas that both modernize and transcend the rubric they were working under. There is no question that Scorsese's Goodfellas or Kurosawa's Seven Samurai were both inimitable reflections of the artist, their influences and the culture in which the films were made. So much so that there are entire generations of filmmakers that have co-opted that auteur spirit as their own. How many non-Kurosawa Kurosawa films have you sat through? How many non-Scorsese Scorsese films saturate the market? And yet with all the imitation, there is no mistaking the originals.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Angela Yeager
    March 10, 2010
    05:13 PM

    My pick is Wong Kar-Wai. Like Kurosawa he was easily able to switch between majestic, sweeping action epics with easily identifiable characters and then do an intimate character drama centered on a social cause. Like Kurosawa, he makes modern films of his time, and also historic dramas. And like Kurosawa, he is notorious for his perfectionism.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Bennett
    March 10, 2010
    05:17 PM

    I'd have to go with fellow Criterion director Lars Von Trier. Both men create aesthetically engaging films and put their own stamp on whatever they direct. Kurosawa and Von Trier's films are uniquely theirs yet also are the standards for their entire countries and representative of their respective film cultures. Both prolific men, they are capable of tackling whatever genre they choose and have proven their abilities to keep audiences enraptured regardless of the subject matter or constraints they face. Bonus points: Von Trier's Zentropa Entertainment released the Dogma 95 film Mifune.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Jesse M
    March 10, 2010
    05:17 PM

    Kurosawa was a director who was equally at home with the epic (7 Samurai, RAN) and the intimate (Red Beard, Drunken Angel), and who frequently combined them. He was linked to a couple of the genres of his time (Samurai, Noir), but never constrained by them. He made universal films that always seemed to include something of himself (masculinity and fatherhood, the tension between East and West). Most importantly, his career was massive... no director has ever created the number of signature films and masterpieces that Kurosawa has managed to create. The director who most closely approximates this... epic / intimate, genre-crossing, extensive career filled with unique "masterpieces", and universal films imbued with personal themes... is definitely Martin Scorcese.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Dustin Meadows
    March 10, 2010
    05:19 PM

    I would say either Edgar Wright or Christopher Nolan. With Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, Wright has clearly established himself as a director who pays meticulously close attention to details and his films are intricately constructed in such a manner that I notice something new almost every time I watch them. His films clearly come from someone who has a great appreciation of the great directors that have come before him, and while there isn't a glaringly obvious influence in his work I think he shares the same critical eye and relentless creative energy and attention that make so many of Kurosawa's films so memorable. Christopher Nolan excels in creating intricate and alluring stories with complicated characters and motivations, but chiefly succeeds at creating characters who are flawed or willing to act outside of traditional moral boundaries, sharing much in common with many of Kurosawa's protagonists like Sanjuro.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Jesse M
    March 10, 2010
    05:19 PM

    Landen - sorry my comment sounds similar to yours in some ways. I swear I didn't read it before I wrote mine.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Buddy Hedrick
    March 10, 2010
    05:20 PM

    Ang Lee is the closest person to Kurosawa today (although ultimately there can only be one Kurosawa). Like Kurosawa, Lee has shown a great ability to work in different genres of film, family melodrama (Ikiru for Kurosawa, The Ice Storm for Lee), original takes on what could have been simple westerns (Yojimbo, Sanjuro for Kurosawa, Brokeback Mountain and Ride the High Country for Lee), epic period pieces (Seven Samurai for K, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon for Lee). They also both have (or had) a great ability to adapt great works of literature to the screen in highly original and personal ways (Ran, The Idiot, Throne of Blood for K, Sense and Sensibility for Lee). Both directors have also been able to stretch out from dramas into comedic realms (Sanjuro for Kurosawa, Taking Woodstock for Lee), an ability that far too often gets overlooked. While there will never be another Kurosawa, Lee certainly seems to be the person who follows closest in his footsteps.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Blake K
    March 10, 2010
    05:24 PM

    I don't think there is a true heir to Kurosawa’s legacy. I have yet to see someone who has the same visual mastery, storytelling skills, and sensitivity to actor's performances. The only person who comes close to being called Kurosawa's heir, in my opinion, is Steven Spielberg. Yet even naming Spielberg comes with some qualifications. Spielberg in all his films has a wonderful visual aesthetic, but most will associate him with his commercial, blockbuster films. If you do consider his more dramatic works, say like SCHINDLER'S LIST, you can see some similarities to the depth that Kurosawa had. Yet often Spielberg comes off as simpler (and not as sophisticated) in his efficient use of images without words to tell a story. However Kurosawa consistently time after time tries to explore humanity and the meaning of life. Kurosawa was much more philosophical in both his presentation and choice of material. Sadly there is no one who has really picked up Kurosawa's mantle. But that is fine. That is what made Kurosawa, Kurosawa: His absolute uniqueness.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By benjamin
    March 10, 2010
    05:28 PM

    I am goinmg to have to go with Steven Spielberg. Cause Spielberg's doesn't stay in one genre. Or how about Kathryn Bigelow. Cause like Kurosawa, she began her career as a painter.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Benjamin
    March 10, 2010
    05:29 PM

    Damn you Blake K
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Peter Labuza
    March 10, 2010
    05:30 PM

    Jacques Audiard, although in a complete different language and exploring very different worlds, has many similar themes and styles to Kurosawa. His dramas have an intense moral ambiguity to them, leaving his main characters in the same state of many of Kurosawa's protagonists, take every choice carefully, and each choice has a direct moral consequence. There's also a stylistic similarity in his use of negative space and very direct framing of characters to show power—especially in Audiard's latest film, A Prophet. He also has a very realistic mise-en-scene without a necessarily realist camera. This is best seen in Kurosawa with High and Low as well as Stray Dog, and Audiard with films like The Beat That My Heart Skipped.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Kevin
    March 10, 2010
    05:35 PM

    I would have to say the heir to Kurosawa's legacy is Clint Eastwood. Now, I know that Eastwood doesn't write his material, and Kurosawa did, but I feel that the scope of the films that Eastwood is making along with the scope of his characters are the only ones that remind me of Kurosawa. The variation of genres and styles also lead me to the same conclusion. The fact stands that Eastwood is the only filmmaker today that makes films about characters and people, regardless of what is happening in the film. His worry is with the motivation and point of view of his protagonists and those who are their enemies. There is no living director out there that puts as much care into the complicated nature of his characters and their choices as Eastwood does. Eastwood's Mystic River compares to any of the mysteries that Kurosawa had created, just as Flags of Our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima compares to any samurai film that Kurosawa made. Even Eastwood's White Hunter Black Heart is much like Kurosawa's Dersu Uzala in the way that the main character's regrets move their choices and wants. No one can do what Akira Kurosawa did, but in the same token, no one can do what Clint Eastwood is doing today.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Matthew Vargas
    March 10, 2010
    05:36 PM

    To me Akira Kurosawa's heir would be Christopher Nolan. Nolan creates films with mysterious and isolated characters. The Young Man in Following, Bruce Wayne from the Batman films, and Leonard Shelby from Memento spring to mind. These characters end up affecting the community in some way be it big (Batman) or small (Shelby). Kurosawa deals with strikingly similar characters in his films. The old man Kanji in Ikiru is a solitary character that impacts the community and has the memory of his dead wife hanging over him (much like the Shelby character in Memento). The vigilante archetype that Kurosawa explored in Yojimbo and Seven Samurai has been completely absorbed by Nolan's Batman films. The ronin Sanjuro in Yojimbo and the samurai Kambei in Seven Samurai take on the role of guardians of the people. They affect the community in a large way. Nolan delves deeper into what makes these self appointed protectors tick. Kurosawa's impeccable mastery of non-linear plot construction is also very similar to Nolan's knack for storytelling. Rashomon's various differing stories and unorthodox plot arrangement make for a psychologically intriguing film. Nolan demonstrates a similar flair for this type of plot progression. Most notably in Memento where the order of events makes for a dazzling mind bending experience. It is apparent that Nolan has not only been influenced by Kurosawa but is worthy of being called the heir to his legacy.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Martin
    March 10, 2010
    05:37 PM

    A difficult question because so few in cinema history have ever been as prolifically acclaimed as Kurosawa. However, if I were forced to choose a contemporary it would probably be PT Anderson. Sure, he has nowhere near the breadth of Kurosawa's career but he has been unrelentlessly consistent in not just how great his films are but in tackling many genres too. Many may feel Kurosawa felt most comfortable in a Samurai setting or a noirish detective story, but he really mastered many different genres and modes of storytelling. He was also very interested in character as well as plot, which make his films so enjoyable. Andersion is undeniably interested in character, both the good and the band (and those who encompass both) and he has proved he can make period epics like Boogie Nights and There Will Be Blood as well as "art" pictures like Punch Drunk Love. I'm sure Anderson will never achieve the multitude that Kurosawa did, but he exhibits flexibility and an innate filmmaking ability that I think made Kurosawa such a singular figure in cinema.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Billy Ritchie
    March 10, 2010
    05:38 PM

    Quentin Tarantino. The name first came to me because their music choices are identical (I watched Yojimbo yesterday and realized his theme would be right at home in one of the Kill Bills). But the more I think about it, the more it fits. First, there's the obvious fact that Tarantino loves to do throwback tributes, not the least of which were the Kill Bill movies, love-letters to the samurai films of the 50's and 60's. But what's more, as Tarantino has come into his own, and his pulpy ultra-violent entertaining romps have developed into more well-rounded excellent movies, the thematic range he is able to cover is approaching that of Kurosawa. Take Inglourious Basterds. He's able to combine period war epic, hilarious dialogue, intensely personal moral quests, and beautifully tragic romance, all with his trademark style. Is this really so far from Seven Samurai? Are the Kill Bill movies really that far off from the Yojimbo movies? Sure, the plots are completely different, but they both are still hilarious adventures about a lone swordsman overcoming tremendous odds, with surprising bits of brilliant emotionality thrown in when you least expect it. Tarantino. The next Kurosawa. And, they both have awesome names!
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Stuart Collier
    March 10, 2010
    05:50 PM

    Werner Herzog. A strange choice, but one which has yet to be said. Both filmmakers have a profound interest in the individual, be it in his ruination or his triumph. Kurosawa either celebrates the individual (Ikiru, The Idiot, Seven Samurai) or detachedly surveys his downfall (Throne of Blood, Ran). Herzog is also interested in the sociological dynamics between individual and society (Woyzeck, Stroszek, The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser), but like Kurosawa, is also attracted to ambitious men, be it the monster whose egoism seals his demise (Aguirre) or the businessman whose audacious plans fail after much effort. Both directors place their individuals in confrontation with larger forces; for Kurosawa it is bureaucratic politics or rigid social norms, and for Herzog it is the savage wilderness or exclusionary village society. Both directors are attracted to ambitious on-location shoots and narratives of epic scale, but they allot just as much care on smaller, more obscure and personal projects. While each director is associated with different modes of filmmaking--Kurosawa is more classical and marketable, while Herzog is an off-beat art-house director--each one has an almost romantic fascination for their individual protagonists, be they hero, villain, or oddball.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Elijah
    March 10, 2010
    05:50 PM

    Wong Kar-Wai. Like Kurosawa, his films are visually interesting, and would not have near the effect if it wasn't for the striking images. Also, his characters seem to be in the same vein as Kurosawa, extremely expressive with their emotions, almost completely bare. He is able to do epics, and smaller dramas. Also, I might venture to say, while the style of music is not at all the same, and the way it is used is quite different, their films have incredible use of music.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By CHARLES DECKERT
    March 10, 2010
    05:54 PM

    In my opinion there are no prominent "heirs" to Kurosawa's style of filmmaking. His is one that cannot be imitated without obvious reference to his work, and thus is not a matter of legacy but just plain influence. However, one filmmaker I will mention that is working today that Akira Kurosawa had praised in his own native Japan was that of "Beat" Takeshi Kitano. Kitano's films, such as the acclaimed "Sonatine" and "Hana-bi", have been commented on as having had Kurosawa's artistic influence. If anyone is to be considered an "heir", at least in terms of aesthetics, I think it would have to be Kitano. Of course, Kurosawa's influence has been felt in the films of Scorsese and Lumet, but judging on the ideations associated with each director they can only be deemed as having his influence, much like Kitano, although in terms of how they carry out their storytelling.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Kevin Longrie
    March 10, 2010
    05:55 PM

    Though he's only made three films to date, I would have to say Julian Schnabel, and probably for different reasons than others would choose. Both Kurosawa and Schnabel are not only filmmakers, but painters. Schnabel was obviously a much more commercially successful and decidedly more abstract painter, but I think the painterly eye for detail influences both of their work immensely. Before each film, Kurosawa would paint several pieces for inspiration, many of which would end up acting as an near storyboard. This led to deliberate and powerful shot composition. The same holds true for Schnabel, whose films feel organic, even when they're abstract executed (see: perspective shifts in The Diving Bell and the Butterfly).
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Zach
    March 10, 2010
    05:57 PM

    While many are bound to point out the superficial differences between him and Kurosawa, I believe Wes Anderson is the closest match. Both directors can safely be described as "humanists," in the sense that both directors made films centered on quintessentially human dilemmas. In the oeuvres of each director, that human dilemma can often be boiled down to the need for human community. Anderson's films are obvious in this regard. In Kurosawa's films, consider Mifune's character in Seven Samurai, the child in Rashomon, the string of relationships in Red Beard, the slum in Dodes'ka-den, and the family units in numerous films like High & Low and Rhapsody in August. Both directors also co-wrote/co-write the majority of their films. Both are deemed perfectionists to the highest degree. Both make use of the most detailed mis-en-scene available to them. Both bodies of work are filled with the significance, power, and even beauty of death. The death scenes in Seven Samurai, The Lower Depths, Ikiru, Red Beard, and Dersu Uzala feel like source material for deaths and allusions to late loved ones in Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic, and The Darjeeling Limited. Both directors employ slow motion and a heightened or absent musical soundtrack at moments of key narrative importance often revolving around death. Both directors explore the nature of the "double," how important characteristics and connections are shared between two characters who seem otherwise completely different. The finale of the chase scene near the end of Stray Dog even features an overhead shot of the cop and the criminal exactly like the end of the chase scene in The Royal Tenenbaums of Chas and Eli. In each case, these figures spent much of the story at odds with one another either actively or passively. Both filmmakers employ lengthy takes and tracking shots, and both use(d) telephoto lenses to great effect. This flattening of the cinematic image creates a highly two-dimensional look reminiscent of a painting. It's been pointed out that Kurosawa was a painter prior to directing. While that can't be said of Anderson, his shots arguably look even more "painting-like" than Kurosawa's. No director can be said to follow exactly in Kurosawa's footsteps, and if s/he did, Kurosawa himself would likely chide the filmmaker for a lack of originality. Wes Anderson embodies the thematic concerns and many of the stylistic techniques that Kurosawa held dear without falling prey to imitation.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Elizabeth
    March 10, 2010
    05:58 PM

    He's no longer working (or alive) but Andrei Tarkovsky was undoubtedly Kurosawa's Russian equivalent. (And at a good two decades younger, arguably of the following generation.) Sure, he wasn't as prolific (but that's the fault of Soviet censorship more than anything), but he had the same mastery of theme, mise-en-scene and visual, epic storytelling as Kurosawa, and could do just as great works in the science fiction of Stalker or Solaris as the historical epic Andrei Rublev. And speaking of Andrei Rublev, that film's sequence of the Tartar attack is unparalleled by almost anything--except for maybe some of the battle sequences of Kurosawa. If I have to pick someone alive, I guess I'd go with Kiyoshi Kurosawa. Every time he has a new movie come out, I have a moment where I think, "Wait, hasn't he been dead for awhile?" And then I remember he's a totally different person.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Dan Chung
    March 10, 2010
    05:59 PM

    Heir - Terry Gilliam Though not of the same quality or aesthetic, Gilliam may have the most ambitious, broadly reaching visions in contemporary cinema, both qualities that would make Kurosawa proud. Some more similarities: -Genre-defying -humanist themes -painterly and colorful visuals -an impressive, unified body of work -masterful in micro as well as macro storytelling -applying a directorial style relevant to the content -alternating seamlessly between naivete and nightmare
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Robert W.
    March 10, 2010
    06:03 PM

    Zhang Yimou would be my pick for Kurosawa's heir. Like Kurosawa, he's an influential filmmaker who has managed to make many films in different genres (wuxia, period pieces, modern dramas, gangster films, seriocomic dramas etc.) that have done well outside his homeland. Zhang Yimou has also repeatedly used actresses Gong Li and Zhang Ziyi, much like Kurosawa, who enjoyed working with the same group of actors: Takashi Shimura, Tatsuya Nakadai, and Toshirō Mifune. Zhang's works are noted for their use of color, as Kurosawa's films are known for their use of sound. Also both utilize recurring themes through out their filmographies. Both directors have created many, memorable films that examine and celebrate the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Andrew T
    March 10, 2010
    06:14 PM

    As everyone has said, there is no heir to Kurosawa in my opinion because you can take Scorsese's pacing and von Trier's ability to evoke mood and all these different directors' strongest traits and together they get close to the consistent abilities of Akira Kurosawa except they can't watercolor. So I'm going to go with the general life of Kurosawa, and say that Francis Ford Coppola most embodies his "legacy." Coppola aided Kurosawa, as most will know by helping secure financing for Kagemusha(along with George Lucas and Steven Spielberg) giving him one of the few direct links to "The Emperor" Kurosawa, himself. Kurosawa even featured the both of them in a Commercial included in the Kagemusha Criterion DVD! Coppola got his start working for Roger Corman in much the same way Kurosawa got his start working with Kajiro Yamamoto in the late 1930s. Both eventually earned the status of being given their own projects working through each of these systems and produced brilliant work. Both were (in the nicest way) arrogant and self-centered, Kurosawa strong-armed Toho into finishing Seven Samurai just as Coppola would later do to get his epic, Apocalypse Now made. Both are considered huge players in World Cinema while not receiving quite as much general praise in their own countries. Kurosawa being deemed "too western" for much of his time and Coppola unable to get out from the shadow of The Godfather. Both eventually retreated to more low-budget humanist dramas later in life(Kurosawa= Rhapsody in Augst & Coppola= Jack), though that means we still have to wait for Coppola to make a return with his own Kagemusha or Ran. I'm gunning for that High and Low dvd!
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Theo
    March 10, 2010
    06:19 PM

    If there is one living auteur whom I would consider artistically related to the Japanese master, that would be Greek director Theo Angelopoulos. His cinematic language and aesthetic, distinguished by an epic, poetic quality, is reminiscent to Kurosawa’s. Their interest in history and love for tragedy can be easily realized through their films. Moreover, as long as Kurosawa was in life, they shared an honest friendship, as well as a great deal of respect and appreciation for each other’s work.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Rob
    March 10, 2010
    06:31 PM

    Kurosawa, throughout all of his films, explored one thing: human nature. What makes us do the things we do to each other. Why do we love, dream, hate, kill, kidnap, heal, avenge, lie to, protect, pursue, flee, betray, honor, rebel against one another. Sometimes he looks at man optimistically as in Ikiru or Red Beard, other times pessimistically (Rashomon, The Bad Sleep Well). These ideas, he dramatized arguably better than any filmmaker before or since. Having said that, the current filmmakers that come to mind as "heirs" (even though there cannot be such a thing) are the Coen brothers. Just as Kurosawa worked with Westerns and Noirs, the Coen brothers also tend to gravitate to the same genres. Stray Dog had a man looking for his gun, The Big Lebowski, a man searches for his rug. Ikiru, a man searches for meaning in life. A Serious Man, a man searches for meaning in his life. High and Low, a search for a kidnapper. Fargo, the same. The Bad Sleep Well, a man jumps out a skyrise window. The Hudsucker Proxy, the same. As the Coen brothers release their version of True Grit (a western), we can only expect to add to the similarities. Even with those congruences, the biggest reason why the Coens are most like Kurosawa is simply because they are the best storytellers we have today. At the end of the day, AK told the best stories, which is what film is after all. Both combine comedy with drama masterfully. Both have the actors they use, the genres they use, the styles they use, etc. But beyond that, the Coen's mastering of filmmaking sets them apart from their contemporaries, just as AK's set him apart from his.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Marvin Ortiz
    March 10, 2010
    06:32 PM

    Alfonso Cuaron Just like Kurosawa, he strives to reach at the core of humanity. He's unafraid to leave his country for his work and in his Mexican-set movies he uses the camera to show us a country at odds with the rest of the world. Cuaron makes a cinema of the people and for the people. And he can even shift between huge epics and intimate dramas like Akira Kurosawa did.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Daniel Plyam
    March 10, 2010
    06:40 PM

    I would have to say Martin Scorsese. In the fact that both of these legends have films thats deal within characters who contend in a dark or corrupt world.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Matthew E. B.
    March 10, 2010
    06:45 PM

    The heir to Kurosawa's legacy must have a history of films that will surpass time itself. This heir must have a resume including criminal dramas, wild adventures, detective noirs, epic wars, mystery, action, romance, and fantasy. This heir must impact with style, provoke the viewer, renovate linear storytelling, and either drag the audience through the screen into a hunt for gold from "Hidden Fortress" or heave them backwards into the real-life mortality of "Ikiru." In order to lay claim to, or come close to, the title of "Heir to Kurosawa's Legacy," one must have the philosophy to adapt Shakespeare, the creativity to convey dreams, and the emotion to bring forth both saints and villains. I find no one alive who can fill Kurosawa's shoes, but this opinion makes me content. To discover an "Heir to Kurosawa's Legacy," to me, would be as difficult as discovering an heir to the legacy of Hitchcock, Lang, or Tarkovsky. Maybe I'm just being melodramatic, but I hope film makers aren't looking to compare themselves with a man who was great at storytelling simply because he was great at it . . . and I'd be very displeased with those busy to do so.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Chris Estes
    March 10, 2010
    07:19 PM

    This is a hard one...I suppose I'd have to say Zhang Yimou. His films are often on the grand and epic scale we are used to seeing Kurosawa operate on. But he also has his films that weave a story of a person. Kurosawa has his epics like Seven Samurai, and Zhang has Hero. Kurosawa has his introspective pieces that question the nature of who we are, or even explore our hearts such as Ikiru, and Zhang tackles the same topics, at their core, in films like Riding Alone For Thousands Of Miles. Kurosawa's use of color in his later films, specifically Kagemusha, is very comparable to what Zhang does in films such as Hero, House Of Flying Daggers, and Curse Of The Golden Flower. And Curse Of The Golden Flower can certainly be seen taking cues from films such as Ran. I think one could go as far as to say that Zhang Yimou is China's Kurosawa.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By James C
    March 10, 2010
    07:24 PM

    I'm not sure anyone has come close to Kurosawa in terms of their legacy. The diversity he displays in the choice of subject is astonishing. In that respect, perhaps Quentin Tarantino is a candidate. Each one of his films touches on numerous themes surrounding the human experience and draws inspiration from many sources: the qualities that make Kurosawa so timeless.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Jason Whiton
    March 10, 2010
    07:25 PM

    Clint Eastwood has been able to work in a variety of pallets, as Kurosawa did. He's created work on both the intimate/chamber scale as well as the epic/historical. Most importantly, Eastwood echoes Kurosawa's focus on creating empathy and bringing his stories down to a deeply human level. Though Kurosawa's brush with Tora! Tora! Tora! was ill-fated, Eastwood was able to carry the torch in his own way through his international productions about the war experience. Eastwood brought such humanity and pathos to his pair of films, despite their massive scope. Eastwood is not afraid to tread close to the line of mellow drama, and like Kurosawa, his films are all the more emotionally satisfying and meaningful for his courage and spirit. Lastly, he is historically linked with Kurosawa as he played a major role in translating Kurosawa's work with Leone for a western audience. Before he evolved into the master filmmaker he is today, Eastwood got to portray one of Kurosawa's most memorable characters, Sanjuro (Yojimbo/Sanjuro), and ignited the spaghetti western boom in the 1960s. He is part of the Kurosawa story and carries the director's spirit in his work.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By J. Tomblin
    March 10, 2010
    07:31 PM

    I think, for me, the heir to Kurosawa's throne would most likely be Kieslowski, but since he has passed on, I cannot pick him for this. I will go with another filmmaker who I feel embodies Kurosawa more in intention than in tone. In my opinion, that filmmaker is Werner Herzog. When you think about the history of it, Kurosawa really brought Japanese cinema through many phases and through each phase he was the unequaled master of the art of filmmaking. When I think of other filmmakers who have made consistently interesting films over the period of decades, Herzog immediately jumps into my mind. His films, like Kurosawa's, are destined to delight generations of future discoverers of his craft. Aguirre, the Wrath of God, Fitzcarraldo, Woyzeck, and others will be just as greatly appreciated in decades to come as Ikiru, Rashomon, High and low and others are today. Really there are a couple of other choices that are equally valid, for me though, Herzog's film just have a staying power that some other directors dont seem to acheive, and for this I find him to be most akin to Kurosawa and his work.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Joanne Bernardi
    March 10, 2010
    07:44 PM

    Hirokazu Koreeda. His Hana: Tale of a Reluctant Samurai remakes the samurai genre to the extent that Kurosawa did, with humor and the unexpected (the "Loyal 47" members are effete ninnies in the background, for example--with the exception of the ever-undefinable Yoshio Harada. And he makes works well in contemporary life films as well. I get the sense that like Kurosawa, Koreeda's eye is behind the lens. BTW, Hana does Kurosawa's The Lower Depths (Donzoko)--similarly set, similar sensibilities, humor--justice.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Jaysin
    March 10, 2010
    07:44 PM

    I know it's already been said, but Hayao Miyazaki. The care and pain staking detail the two directors take to not only tell but express a story is unmatched. The use of colors and contrast are vivid, no matter what the scene is. Also, both directors love the constant idea of "movement," as seen through physical camera movement, fluid editing, or even staging where it shows the consistent movement among the scene. Both directors are so precise and masterful that it's hard to see how anyone could over look these graceful, almost invisible artistic designs.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By RYAN MCGLADE
    March 10, 2010
    08:08 PM

    Though I can truly think of no one who could live up to the title of heir to the great Kurosawa, Hong Kong master Wong Kar-Wai is one who comes to mind because he creates moving, emotional films with a distint and instantly recognizable style, just as Kurosawa did. Also, Kar-Wai has done for Hong Kong cinema what Kurosawa did for Japanese cinema, bringing it to the international stage like never before. In addition, both Kurosawa and Kar-Wai have created not only one, but MULTIPLE film masterpieces, and have one time or another been considered at the forefront of Asian cinema. While many directors could, in one way or another, be considered successors to Kurosawa because of his indelible impact on the world of filmmaking, one that undoubtedly comes to mind is the auteur behind such modern classics as "Chungking Express" and "In the Mood for Love".
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By KOJI YAMAMOTO
    March 10, 2010
    08:10 PM

    NOBODY. If you name any director today, he or she made at least 4 or 5 bad films. But Kurosawa never made a bad film. When it comes to his films, some of them are better than the other. And they're never really "bad". I tried to think of a director who never made a bad film but I couldn't think of anybody.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Dylan Cassidy
    March 10, 2010
    08:11 PM

    Taiwan filmmaker Hou Hsiao-Hsien is, I think, Kurosawa's spiritual successor. His films seem very natural and have the aesthetic air that Kurosawa's films have. A City of Sadness by Hisao-Hsien is the film I most compare to Kurosawa's work. It deals with a tragedy like much of Kurosawa's work and has an epic quality to it that was Kurosawa's trademark. The character's in Hisao-Hsien's films go through change in their society that parallels the way Kurosawa portrayed his characters, for example Takashi Shimura's character in Ikiru and Toshirio Mifune's character in Rashomon. Although I believe these two filmmaker's are great in their own respect and it is impossible to determine an heir to a legacy, Hsiao-Hsien's body of work reminds me of Akira Kurosawa.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Todd LaPlace
    March 10, 2010
    08:31 PM

    I can't believe I'm so late to the Hayao Miyazaki party. I think he's definitely the new heir. His storytelling techniques and shot structure and composition are reminiscent of Kurosawa. I definitely agree with the other people that chose him.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Anthony
    March 10, 2010
    08:40 PM

    there is no answer for this question because no one makes films like that anymore. You take Malle, Kurosawa, Fellini ~ the were artistic minds that laid the foundation for cinema. There are very few directors like this they don't exist and films in the realm aren't made anymore simply because the majority of people want to watch big budget action and need a big body count. If i had to pick one it would be Yojiro Takita who directed "Okuribito". Seriously if you haven't seen it go right now and watch it. It was profound in it's scope and beauty. (you should already be watching the movie! :))))
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Narukami
    March 10, 2010
    08:43 PM

    One is tempted to say George lucas for his well documented use of Hidden Fortress as inspiration for Star Wars. Or Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Scorsese as master story tellers in the same way Kurosawa was -- everything they do in a film serves the story and the story telling process. However... In this case I am going with Terrance Malick for his use of images to tell the story. Like Kurosawa he is confident enough in his art and his craft to let his images speak without the need for verbal embellishment. The Thin Red Line is a case in point. Like Ran, the film uses music and silence in equal measure to compliment and heighten the visual experience. The images are not only eloquent, they speak volumes. Indeed it would be great if a DVD of the Thin Red line were released that isolated the dialog from the music so it would be possible to watch the film with just the music. One could do the same with Ran. Kurosawa and Malick use color and shadow to not only create mood and texture, but to convey meaning the words alone can not. The images allow, nee compel, the viewer to think, to fill in gaps, to imagine and to understand the story in ways they might not have considered when they first sat down in the theatre.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Christopher R
    March 10, 2010
    08:47 PM

    Yoji Yamada While he is no heir when considering his filmography in its entirety, the Samurai Trilogy from Yoji Yamada is an heir of sorts. The story and characters are very well written (Kurosawa's strength) and the framing of each scene is amazing as well. These movies are the closest that I have seen to Kurosawa's work.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Jes Gonzalez
    March 10, 2010
    09:03 PM

    Of current directors, only Wes Anderson has a style that causes me to want to watch and own a copy of all his movies. The only other directors I've felt that way about are Buster Keaton and Akira Kurosawa.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Justin Morgan
    March 10, 2010
    09:03 PM

    Based soley on how important he is to the film world, I would have to go with Scorsese. I don't think another filmmaker compares to Kurosawa's magnitude and scope as a film director. His style is unique, and I think any person too similar would simply be boring from him. With that said, Scorsese because I believe a massive amount of people will connect to his work like Kurosawa. Audences knew the power of both their films during the process of making them, and on Scorsese's hundredth birthday, I'm sure Criterion will be around holding a similar contest.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By GORDOLF
    March 10, 2010
    09:17 PM

    I hope that the inner child in me does not undermine my nomination, but the modern perpetuator of Kurosawa’s legacy in my estimation has to be celebrated Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki. Miyazaki’s repertoire of films stimulates viewers to appreciate those fundamental qualities that enhance the experience of being human. In the spirit of Kurosawa, Miyazaki propagates whimsical elements of nostalgia and the unbounded joyfulness of what life has to offer. Just like the master craftsman that was Kurosawa, I cannot look unfavorably upon any Miyazaki film regardless of how hard I try. Although the medium has changed, the integrity of Kurosawa’s work is ever present and quality directors such as Miyazaki are a rarity among modern filmmakers.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Kyle Tracey
    March 10, 2010
    09:19 PM

    Ang Lee. The one filmmaker working today that defines the world of cinema, who embraces the love of all things that make a movie perfect is Ang Lee, and not just because he's asian. You can make the comparison of Kuroasawa to Lee because of their eastern esthetics, but you can make the comparison also because they have western influences. Kurosawa was influenced by John Ford, Lee is influenced by Bergman and Billy Wilder. They can make a movie as foreign to american audiences, but make you want to see it because you can relate to their situation, i.e. Ikiru and Eat Drink Man Woman. They compare to each other by the one thing that ties themselves together, the love of film.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Patrick Bull
    March 10, 2010
    09:21 PM

    What most people ignore about Kurosawa is the Absolute power he placed on editing: he thought of himself mainly as an editor, and would leave the set at night to pick and choose from his three cameras what went best and where. Only Martin Scorsese's films can claim to be edited as skillfully and powerfully as Kurosawa. Because of Thelma Schoonmaker, Scorsese is the dramatic heir to the late, great, editor Akira Kurosawa. (Terence Malick also comes to mind, for he also places great importance on the editing of his films. However, he doesn't edit for the dramatic effect that Kurosawa or Scorsese/Schoonmaker create.)
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Ralph Lawson
    March 10, 2010
    09:25 PM

    Quentin Tarantino. I say this mainly because he appropriates, adapts, and reconfigures genres (both eastern and western) in ways which make them fresh and energetic while maintaining the familiarity of the core tropes. In doing so, he reveals a faithfulness to and love of the films which have come before his own work and deftly finds the balance between art and entertainment.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By REO
    March 10, 2010
    09:29 PM

    Sadly, none.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Dan
    March 10, 2010
    09:38 PM

    I think that if anyone had a claim to Kurosawa's estate it would be Guillermo del Toro. Try not to look at his Hellboy series (though those are also good movies), and look at The Devil's Backbone and Pan's Labyrinth. Like Kurosawa del Toro is not afraid to show the dirt inherent in real life. His sets exhibit the same lived in and loved in look as Kurosawa's. Watch Rashomon and then Devil's Backbone and try and tell me that the dilapidated gate and crumbling orphanage don't look the exact same in the rain. Both Kurosawa and del Toro's characters exist in the same bleak but vital worlds where honor is second to survival, where ingenuity is more powerful then strength. Both directors begin the movie making process by making many elaborate sketches, both follow their visions with religious zeal. The themes of their movies are always the triumph of life against the many forces- some real, some imagined- that are constantly trying to tear it from us. But, and here's the kicker, among directors they are amongst the best at utilizing silence. Silence is a powerful storytelling tool, but it's hard to use, and both Kurosawa and del Toro use it perfectly.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Jim Williamson
    March 10, 2010
    09:45 PM

    Francis Ford Coppola. His work, like Kurosawa's, ranges from the epic (the Godfather films), to the intimate (The Conversation, Rumble Fish), and he continues to experiment after decades of production.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Brent Smith
    March 10, 2010
    10:11 PM

    There are clearly a whole lot of filmmakers working now that bear the Kurosawa influence, but I think that Park Chan-Wook more than any other carries the torch. He shares Kurosawa's visual perfectionism, likes to use the same actors in multiple films, and though he has yet to actually adapt the bard, his films often feature the same Shakespearean themes of tragedy and revenge.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Mark Hendrix
    March 10, 2010
    10:19 PM

    I'm going with Chan-Wook Park on this one. It's still early in his career, so time will tell if he proves to be as consistent and prolific as Kurosawa, but so far so good. I can think of no one else that makes films that feel so authentically Asian, but simultaneously carry a strong Western influence. He deals with Korean cultural issues in a radical way that is spellbinding to watch (as Kurosawa did with the Japanese society). His career started with the Vengeance trilogy, but with Thirst last year, he made it clear that he's not going to be typecast into making movies in the same mold year after year. I look forward to seeing the direction his films take and hope in 30 years time he's left a diverse legacy of quality films as Kurosawa did.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Andrew Strauss
    March 10, 2010
    10:27 PM

    Yoji Yamada is the heir to Kurosawa. He is able to expand the Samurai genre into more than being action films. He is able to mix human drama within the context of a samurai film. Twilight Samurai and Hidden Blade could have been both directed by Kurosawa. His films remind me of Kurosawas later color Samurai epics such as Ran and Kagemusha, they are about madness and have nihilistic themes. Love and Honor and Twilight Samurai deal with madness just Kurosawa did. They also have a Shakespearean quality to the story that Kurosawa always loved and are influenced by directors such as Mizoguchi and Ozu which Kurosawa loved also.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Bret Bynum
    March 10, 2010
    10:30 PM

    This question is too hard to answer. I've never come across any director that I could compare to Kurosawa. Though maybe his style can be compared to other directors, he always has a way of making every movie he makes his own. But if I had to pick one, I'd say Martin Scorsese because he too also has that ability to make every movie he makes his own. My final answer is Martin Scorsese.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By James Liu
    March 10, 2010
    10:56 PM

    I'd make the case for one film by one filmmaker -- Master and Commander: the Far Side of the World by Peter Weir. Watch the behind-the-scenes featurettes on the DVD, and what emerges is a painstakingly thorough effort to recreate the effect of life on a 19th century British ship of the line. The lengths which Weir and his crew went to, to help create this sense of authenticity border on Kurosawan absurdity, from sending a cameraman on a ship rounding Cape Horn, then using CGI to incorporate this footage seamlessly with a model of the ship tossing back and forth in a tank; to all the different variations on firing and miking guns and cannons; to teaching the entire crew how to actually run a ship of the line, using their rank and insignia on the set to create distinctions between officers, midshipmen and crew; to the cunning mix of live action, planted explosives,and CGI shrapnel to simulate cannonballs tearing through a ship's deck; to the lead actors learning to play string instruments so that the musical interludes looked realistic. All of this, like in the great Kurosawa films, sum up together to transport you into another world, whose reality is never called into question. Nothing happens on screen that Weir doesn't want to be there, that doesn't help to advance the plot, and the dense contrapuntal layering of multiple different actions and reactions is reminiscent of Kurosawa's finest work in Seven Samurai. And like Kurosawa, Weir has an eye both for the pageant of grand battle and for the telling human story that bubbles underneath. I'm sure that if Kurosawa had CGI and a batch of ships, he'd make a film like Master and Commander.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Dustin
    March 10, 2010
    11:31 PM

    Quentin Tarantino--- I see QT has already been mentioned, but I would mention Sergio Leone as a middle man between Kurosawa. If Leone were still alive and making films, I would choose him. Not only did he remake one of Kurosawa's films (Yojimbo into A Fistful of Dollars) but he used similar camera techniques. Extreme close-ups juxtaposed with long shots, stuff like that. Tarantino has said that Leone is one of his favorite filmmakers and he uses these same techniques. I think what makes QT an interesting filmmaker is his love of movies and his appreciation for film history. The same thing could obviously be said of Martin Scorsese, but, as silly as it sounds because Marty has never made a Western, I would name him heir to John Ford's legacy. Someone has already mentioned the similarity between Kurosawa's and Tarantino's use of music in some instances and I would agree with that also.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Chris Martin
    March 10, 2010
    11:43 PM

    Let's draw some parallels... The next Jimi Hendrix? Beatles? Stanley Kubrick? Alfred Hitchcock? Of the greatest artists of that question always seems to be asked, yet the answer remains the same. No one. Whomever is named in this thread as an heir by thematic, technical, or narrative comparison is simply someone who has borrowed elements of Kurosawa's filmmaking and deserves no such title. One who is named due to their ability to create film to a degree so powerful and unique as Kurosawa would deserve to have the same question asked of themselves. Such an artist would be worthy enough not stand in the shadow of another. To say that Kurasawa has an heir is to diminish and belittle his artistry. He deserves more respect than that from us, his fans.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Matt Kovar
    March 11, 2010
    12:51 AM

    I think each filmmaker in their own right take on a unique approach to telling stories regardless of their influences. One quote I really like of Kurosawa's about making films goes something like that a film should should easy to follow, or straightforward in its intentions, and enjoyable to watch. As to which filmmaker of today can create pictures similar of such awe inspiring, captivating, and powerful draw, I would have to go with Wong Kar-wei for one. Like Kurosawa he beautifully weaves all elements of production to create his stories. Also, when I finish a Kar-wei film, I leave it with a feeling that I've learned something and look forward to the next time I'll see it again. I think it's safe to say that any director can be put in the same class as Kurosawa when you can buy copy of one of their films having never seen it and already know it's not only going to be pretty damn great, but a favorite, too.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Joe
    March 11, 2010
    01:15 AM

    IF YOUR ANSWER IS "NOBODY" THEN WHY ANSWER?! ITS ALREADY BEEN SAID. JUST PICK THE CLOSEST ONE, SOMEONE CAN ALWAYS BE SECOND. Takashi Miike His ability to transcend genre, to take his contemporary surroundings and infuse them in whatever he is working on (eg. horror, epics, period pieces, even childrens stories) and his ability to influence the cinema(and world) around him. Like Kurosawa, he doesn't just exist, he allows you to exist with him.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By geoffrey
    March 11, 2010
    01:28 AM

    Mel Gibson! but don't be upset; most heirs to the throne are inbred. Mel Gibson makes epic historical-like movies, paints with racial slurs and both have done Shakespeare. Ransom=High and Low / Man without a Face=Red Beard .
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Dan E
    March 11, 2010
    01:38 AM

    It's difficult to come up with a proper response to a question like this. Certainly Kurosawa is one of the all time masters of his craft. But to say that there is no one out there deserving of his legacy is to willfully forget any number of genuinely great filmmakers working today. To say that there is no heir to Kurosawa is to neglect the current elder statesmen like Scorsese, Coppola, and Zhang Yimou. To say that is to refute the talents of Michel Gondry, Bong Joon Ho, and Jafar Panahi. Those of you who say that Kurosawa's legacy will die with him forget the innumberable wonderful filmmakers who do a variation on what he does everyday. Kurosawa's legacy is one of both breadth and depth. He was able to work in a number of genres, telling stories both great and small. He made movies about men and communities. In this way, his successor is fellow Criterion director David Fincher. Fincher's debut took place firmly in the studio realm with Alien 3, where he made his aesthetic very clear. He continued to develop his personal style with more studio projects, like Se7en and Fight Club, all while dabbling in genre (detective stories, science fiction). As his career has progressed, his scope has grown. The intimacy of The Game has become the broad view of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. All the while, Fincher has taken the time to look at the lives of men and how they react to circumstances. Fight Club takes a look at the development of a hyper-masculine society and the woman who out-mans the men. Throw in a lot of black humor, and it sounds a lot like Yojimbo to me. Benjamin Button is the story of a man whose very nature makes him acutely aware of his own mortality. Sounds at least a little like Ikiru. Both Fincher and Kurosawa create unmatched images of beauty with their cameras. The rain drenched days and nights of Se7en reflect the bleakness of the setting until its ending, just as the rain of Rashomon reflects the pessimism of its characters until its ending. There are many worthy successors to the legacy of Kurosawa, but David Fincher is the most apt choice.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Geoffrey Stebbins
    March 11, 2010
    02:20 AM

    Wow. Christopher Nolan. Action movies and film noir. Plus an early breakout film that plays heavily on the theme of individual perspective. (Memento/Rashomon)
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Andrew
    March 11, 2010
    04:57 AM

    Based on the fact that he worked with Kurosawa toward the end of his career and directed After the Rain (Ame Agaru) using his screenplay, I would vote for Takashi Koizumi as being the one to whom Akira Kurosawa passed the torch.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Daniel Kroenke
    March 11, 2010
    08:07 AM

    Rather than looking for similarities in style, I would look for a director who continues Kurosawas legacy of a "humanistic cinema" as film critic and historian David Thomson put it in his introduction to "Ikiru" at the Berlin Film Festival in February. While almost every film deals with the human condition somehow, Kurosawa dug deep into ethical questions concerning human dignity both in temporary and historical settings. A director who shares not only the same cultural background, but got to know the Japanese studio system and started working at Shochiku studios when Ozu was still active there, is Yoji Yamada. He learned how to do those popular, classic Japanese family dramas and comedies there. Much, much later in his successful career he went to the same studios Kurosawa had worked at and created his well-know samurai-trilogy (Twilight Samurai, 2002; The Hidden Blade, 2004: Love and Honor, 2006), only to make those movies in the same humanistic tradition, but with a very modern approach of depicting the decline of the Japanese warrior class. Yamadas latest films, shown at this years Berlinale, mark a return to contemporary Japan, but the theme of human dignity stays. "Otouto /About Her Brother)" tells the story of a widowed elderly mother and her younger troublesome brother, who she takes responsibilty for, even if it means her financial bankruptcy. The brother finally lies in death bed, ill with stomach cancer like the Tokyo bureaucrat in "Ikiru". The other film shown at the Berlinale was "Kyoto Story" is half romance, half documentary, the latter one describing the life in Daiei shopping street, after the famous Daiei studios - were Rashomon and Ugetsu were filmed in the 50s - were shot down. The (mostly rotten) state the city community is in, is another of Kurosawas more subtle examined topics, e.g. the swamp-likeness in after-war Tokyo ("Drunken Angel", "Ikiru"). But if you watch Yoji Yamadas latest films you get the feeling - nothing film scientific in this remark - that those are in the best tradition of Kurosawas humanistic ideas and questions and might have well been written by him.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Tomek
    March 11, 2010
    10:03 AM

    Zhang Yimou is the most obvious choice, but since he was already mentioned I'd say Peter Weir is the man. While he's not as prolific nor influential filmmaker as Kurosawa, just as the Australian always puts the individual on pedestal. Mosquito Coast, Dead Poets Society, Fearless, Truman Show, Master and Commander - whether it's historical, high-budget cinema or modest contemporary movie, it's always deeply human story about essential values and man's struggle with the bounds put on him by government, television, family or by himself.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Alexander Bucsis
    March 11, 2010
    10:15 AM

    Granted, if ever there was a filmmaker to surpass Akira Kurosawa, it wouldn't be one inhabiting today's cinematic landscape. Yet countless directors flock to Kurosawa's endless well of beauty and knowledge, taking from it the tools to mark in ways both subtle and pronounced a distinctive place in the annals of cinema. What Kurosawa represents, as Takeshi Kitano put it, is "the ideal definition of cinema: a succession of perfect images." For me, one film springs to mind as attaining this level of accomplishment in recent years: Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood. In that film, every frame is a marvel in itself. Perhaps because he takes after Robert Altman––himself an ardent admirer of Kurosawa––that Paul Thomas Anderson reflects the Japanese master more clearly and vibrantly than any other working filmmaker. The rich imagery and adventurous camerawork of his often sprawling tales boil down to the likewise simplest and most complex of all nature's aspects: human interaction. And much like Kurosawa, Anderson's films show the optimism of human relations overcoming the impossibility of human relations. It is true that Anderson is still developing his skills, but judging by his filmic progression thus far, he inhabits his specific track all by himself.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Green Rahman
    March 11, 2010
    12:30 PM

    I don't think that to carry a legacy one has to be just like that. So I don't think Brian De Palma is carrying Hitchcock's legacy just because he makes 'hitchcockian' movies or Terry Gilliam is carrying Fellini's legacy just because his films are 'felinesque'. It goes much deeper than that. To be an heir to a legacy is to digest the 'ideas' of the filmmaker that he so densely packs into his films from whose DNA strand an entire dinosaur can be made. Films are the ambers that carries 'ideas'. Ingmar Bergman said that he makes utilitarian products that, just like tables and chairs, should be useful to people. So Satyajit Ray was carrying Renoir's legacy and Abbas Kiarostami is carrying Satyajit Ray's. But there were many others whom Renoir inspired including Kurosawa. So there are several filmmakers that are heir to Kurosawa's legacy but talent like that is very very rare. Steven Spielberg and Hayao Miyazaki (whom Donald Richie calls 'that cartoonist fellow') comes to mind. Kurosawa would be proud of them.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Doug Bray
    March 11, 2010
    01:08 PM

    Just about everyone, no one can avoid being directly influenced, or at least secondarily influenced by techniques or style of storytelling used by Kurosawa. Take for instance multiple cameras capturing one scene. And what action movie doesn’t have slow-motion shots interspersed with real time shots, inspired by ‘Seven Samurai’. Almost becoming cliché now, modern moves tend to have extreme weather as a reflection of the emotions on screen, think ‘Shawshank Redemption’, or any romantic movie. Now, needless to say no one has ever matched the master, but everyone has taken a jab at it. Endless is the credit modern film owes to the ‘sensei’ Akira Kurosawa.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Connor Warriner
    March 11, 2010
    01:23 PM

    I'd have to say John Woo. In his earlier days, he was an assistant director at Shaw Studios just as Kurosawa was at Toho in his early days. Where Rashomon became an basically the first international Japanese success, The Killer became Hong Kong's first real international success. Not to mention the parallels that exist between many of Chow Yun Fat's characters and many of Toshiro Mifune's He had a few wishy-washy outings later (Face/Off, Windtalkers, Paycheck, etc.) and started slowing down, but came back with epic "Red Cliff," just as Kurosawa slowed after Dodes'kaden and came back with epics Kagemusha and Ran. Their careers share a ton of similarities. If not the heir to Kurosawa's legacy, Woo has Kurosawa's soul.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Russ Brown
    March 11, 2010
    01:53 PM

    I think I would have to go with Ridley Scott. He is by no means the artist that Kurosawa was (but who is? or ever will be for that matter). They both struggle with studio intervention, feature painterly compositions, many of their best films are historic, and both have reputations of dominating their film sets. The big difference is that when Ridley Scott attempts something outside of his safety zone he tends to fail while Kurosawa could make a great film out any story.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Andy Johnson
    March 11, 2010
    02:23 PM

    This is a particularly tough question. Nearest I can figure, though, might be the Coen Brothers. Assuming the two of them counts as one directior. They are responsible for a variety of films both original and from other sources, like books and the like. They have explored several genres, have constructed a wonderful period piece, as well and contemporary material. The comparison isn't perfect, but I honestly doubt any director now or ever compares perfectly to Kurosawa's lengthy and impressive career.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Marshall Muse
    March 11, 2010
    02:36 PM

    Kurosawa was one of very few directors that, when you watch a movie of theirs that you had not seen before, you think to yourself "NOW THAT WAS A KUROSAWA FILM." A term that my good friend Sean Carter (who undoubtedly will give his input later today) introduced me to was 'auteur.' Kurosawa left his mark on his films in ways that few people have ever matched. His ability to expand into different genres is absolutely amazing, and is something that directors today are notoriously bad at achieving. In my opinion, in order to be a great director, you have to be able to make great movies, in various genres, all which clearly have "your" mark on them, and do it consistently. These criteria, though simple, fit very few people. I have seen plenty of Steven Spielberg films and not had any idea that they were his. George Lucas? Meh. Ridley Scott? Definitely not. Christopher Nolan? Not enough of an auteur. The list could go on and on. Not that these aren't respectable directors, they just are not on the same level as AK. When it comes down to it, there is a handful of people that are true auteurs. Akira Kurosawa - Every film of his is recognizable. Alfred Hitchcock - Again, recognizable. Sergio Leone - Come on. Martin Scorsese - Any film lover knows a Scorsese film when they see it. But many of these men are more "contemporaries" to Kurosawa than anything else. Who then, is Kurosawa's heir? Who makes consistently great movies in varied categories? Who can match his visuals, his characters, and is a true auteur in every sense of the word? Quentin Tarantino. He may or may not be yours or my favorite director. However, it is undeniable that when you watch a QT film, YOU KNOW IT's A QT FILM. His visuals are impeccable, his dialogue is classic, and his love for film is obvious within his works. I think that is all I need to say to get my point across without dragging things out. QT.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Eugene Golbin
    March 11, 2010
    03:28 PM

    As many of the above answers pointed out, there cannot be a single, true heir to Kurosawa. Like all great artists, Kurosawa contributed to the language of his medium, but with an innate ability to create extremely accessible and commercial movies. In this context, there is no contemporary director like Kurosawa. But I like to think that his gifts and vision live on in the work of the current generation of auteurs; from Eastwood's longevity, Scorses's cinematic sensibilities, Tarantino's genre subversions, Soderbergh's stylistic morphings, Wong's artistry, and Lucas's/Cameron's taste for the epic. All of these directors owe a direct debt to Kurosawa for revolutionizing the process of telling stories through moving pictures and carry on his legacy with their work.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Jason Dickason
    March 11, 2010
    04:55 PM

    Filmmakers tend to be more of anarchists than monarchs. It's a key trait found in most of the great artists really. So I'm not sure what you mean by "heir." But if you mean a filmmaker who's body of work is as impressive and iconic, who's stories will hold as firmly as milestones in cinema history, who is more than a great director, but one of the still living giants of the media, I would put my vote on Scorsese. And after all, he was the Van Gogh of Akira Kurosawa's Dreams.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By Apostolos
    March 11, 2010
    06:09 PM

    Among filmmakers still working today I believe the most deserving heir to Kurosawa's legacy is South Korea's own "master" Im Kwon-taek. Having now directed 100 films over the past several decades and currently working on his 101st, Im has made films throughout a tumultuous period of Korean history which is strikingly similar to the difficult post-war stretch Japan suffered while Kurosawa was creating his masterpieces. Like Kurosawa, Im's career is so vast that his work encompasses several landmark films in many different genres. Kurosawa proved his art-house savvy with films like Rashomon and The Idiot, but could also make some mean action adventure flicks like Seven Samurai and Yojimbo. In much the same way Im has given us outstanding action films like The General's Son and Low Life, and at the same time beautiful and poignant art-house pieces like Sopyonje and Painted Fire. Both directors are also unique in that their films are better recognized and respected internationally than at home. For all the glory and reverence we attribute to Kurosawa, he sadly never won any Academy Awards for any of his films (although he later received an honorary award). Im also has suffered from a lack of recognition. He is perhaps the greatest director no one has ever heard of, which is a shame. Im won an honorary Golden Berlin Bear in 2005, Kurosawa was nominated twice but never won. Im won Best Director at Cannes in 2002 for Painted Fire, yet another reward Kurosawa deserves to own several but has none. Kurosawa was nominated several times for Venice's Golden Lion but only won once, for Rashomon. Im also has a couple of nominations but no awards. I feel Im's and Kurosawa's careers mirror in this way. Both were recognized for their achievements far too late in their careers, if at all, and both will continue to maintain a profound influence on their craft for future generations to enjoy, if and when they get around to noticing. Kurosawa will forever be remembered as a master of cinema who played an integral part in globalizing the awareness and appreciation of Japanese culture. Im westernizes the beauty and depth of Korean culture, still a mystery to most, in an equally magnificent way. Im is still with us, his struggle is present and his tragedy has not yet been realized. It's not too late to explore and support this man's fantastic repertoire of films.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By David Smith
    March 11, 2010
    06:55 PM

    There have been quite a few good choices, some of my ideas have been taken, but let me throw a name out there that I'm surprised I didn't see listed yet. David Lynch Both are men who have no quarrels with experimenting and pushing the limits of film making. They both wholly utilized all of the viewers senses throughout their features, which I find to be one of the most intriguing aspects of film. They both have their differences in style, no question, but David's resume has been full of memorable and masterful pieces of work, while Kurosawa is, well, Kurosawa. They are innovators who know precisely how they want to tell their stories and execute it flawlessly. There are countless names out there one could compare stylistically or that are greatly inspired by the great director, but I feel Lynch will do the best job carrying on the legacy of top notch, original, and innovative film making...
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By matt maniaci
    March 11, 2010
    07:10 PM

    Steven Spielberg Regarded (by the West) as most successful directors from their respective countries • Well loved and respected by the masses • Epic-scale productions in various genre's • Oscar winners • Historical topics recreated dramatically with populist style.
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

  • By VMS
    March 11, 2010
    07:31 PM

    Tarantino, only because of how they both approach the economy of filmmaking. Both share obsessive control over every detail in the frame. The editing is meticulous and shines searing light on those details when needed. The dialogue contains only what is necessary. (No, that's not a joke)
    Reply

    • Or using your Criterion.com account.

      You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

Or using your Criterion.com account.

You are logged in to your Criterion.com account as . Log out.

Categories

RSS

Archive

Month
Year
 
  • All
  • January
  • February
  • March
  • April
  • May
  • June
  • July
  • August
  • September
  • October
  • November
  • December
  • 2012
  • 2011
  • 2010
  • 2009
  • 2008
  • 2007
  • 2006
  • 2005
  • 2004
  • 2003
  • 2002
  • 2001
  • 2000
  • 1999
  • 1998
  • 1997
  • 1996
  • 1995
  • 1994
  • 1993
  • 1992
  • 1991
  • 1990
  • 1989
  • 1988
  • 1987
  • 1986
  • 1985
  • 1984
Go

Recent Comments

  • “SubUrbia! SubUrbia! SubUrbia! SubUrbia! SubUrbia! SubUrbia! SubUrbia! SubSubUrbia! SubUrbia!Urbia! SubUrbia! SubUrbia! SubUrbia! SubUrbia! SubUrbia! SubUrbia! SubUrbia! SubUrbia! SubUrbia! SubUrbia . . .”

    Viny on Slacker Twenty Years Later,
    about 16 hours ago.

  • “I love this movie. I just feel thoroughly charmed after watching it.”

    Brooke Randell on M. Hulot’s Holiday,
    about 18 hours ago.

  • “I don't think I'll buy it then. How about renting it? ”

    film dispatch on Three Reasons: Amarcord,
    about 18 hours ago.

  • “Criterion: You gave Solaris a great new version and upgraded to BluRay. Any plans to do that with this one any time soon? Please?”

    StephenM on Andrei Rublev,
    1 day ago.

  • “Can someone now please tell me where I can find an audio version of that beautiful music in the intro?”

    Mitch on Three Reasons: People on Sunday,
    1 day ago.

Newsletter

SIGN UP to receive info on new releases, Top 10 lists, contests, giveaways, and special offers