• Kurosawa’s Birthday Month, Day 10

    Congratulations to yesterday’s winner, Franciscus Rebro! Franciscus wrote this response to our question about favorite behind-the-scenes facts from the making of Kurosawa films:

    My favorite behind-the-scenes anecdote about Kurosawa’s film involves the director’s relationship with the peerless Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu, who scored several Kurosawa films and hundreds of movies by less famous composers. While working on the score for Ran, Akira and Toru couldn’t agree over the music to use during the first incredible battle scene. Takemitsu wanted the music in this scene to be composed entirely from battle sound effects, like the cries of men and horses, explosions and gunshots, and other sounds not playable on traditional instruments. On the other hand, Kurosawa at the time was deeply inspired by the orchestral works of Mahler, and in the end the director would not budge on his position to use a heavy, emotionally moving string score in this battle. At the climax of the piece, all musical sounds suddenly cut out to silence, and a single fatal bullet is fired, killing one of Lord Hidetora’s sons in one of the most impacting moments of the film and arguably Kurosawa’s entire oeuvre.
    As effective as the score ended up being, Takemitsu always lamented not being given full artistic control over that scene, and it would be fascinating to hear his original plan for it, which very likely would have sounded pretty radical, perhaps along the lines of his early experimental tape piece Sky, Horse and Death. Nevertheless, it’s a credit to Kurosawa that he was so unyielding in his artistic vision, and that the results are exquisite.

    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:

    What’s your favorite remake of a Kurosawa film?

    Please respond by commenting below, and we’ll choose a winner on Monday. You must leave a valid e-mail address to be eligible for the prize (an Ikiru DVD).

    Contests

128 comments

  • By RYAN MCGLADE
    March 12, 2010
    06:11 PM

    Definitely my favorite remake of a Kurosawa film would be "The Magnificent Seven". A fantastic film in its own right, and though it can never compare to its source material, the immortal "Seven Samurai", the 1960 remake is an all-time classic of the Western genre. Though it is seemingly futile to remake a Kurosawa film, "The Magnificent Seven" is as good an attempt as there will ever be, putting an original Western spin on Kurosawa's legendary tale.
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  • By Mark Hendrix
    March 12, 2010
    06:12 PM

    "A Fistful of Dollars" hands down. Leone made another great film by remaking "Yojimbo" nearly shot by shot, but somehow avoids feeling like a complete ripoff. Clint is able to make the character his own in his defining role.
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  • By elijah
    March 12, 2010
    06:15 PM

    My favorite remake is Bug's Life. It uses the same storyline as Seven Samurai. It's not a direct remake which is good because it gives it a chance to put it's own unique take on it.
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  • By Robert W.
    March 12, 2010
    06:34 PM

    My favorite remake of a Kurosawa film would be the anime series "Samurai 7". It was a Japanese production of 26 episodes from 2004, based on Kurosawa's legendary "Seven Samurai". The main difference is the setting, as the series features bandit mechas, a flying castle and other futuristic elements. It's a time where high and low technologies exist side by side. The samurai still use katana, and display superhuman abilities much like the Jedi. Although it's a completely different take on Kurosawa's story, his basic plot of the villagers hiring samurai to defend against bandits remains intact through out the series. Great to see his influence even in the genre of anime!
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  • By Joseph
    March 12, 2010
    06:36 PM

    Although not a remake per se, I think that Star Wars is a brilliant homage to The Seven Samurai, making it more accessible to a western audience and in turn inspiring young cinemaphiles to seek out the source material.
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  • By will morris
    March 12, 2010
    06:38 PM

    my personal favorite is the magnificent seven because i really like the idea that Kurosawa helped usher in the at that point tiny career of steve mcqueen.
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  • By Connor
    March 12, 2010
    06:39 PM

    Life As A House...coincidentally, an Ikiru remake.
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  • By Brandon
    March 12, 2010
    06:40 PM

    Maginficent Seven has to be my favorite remake. It is hard to touch a Kurosawa film but M7 does a decent job.
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  • By Parham P.
    March 12, 2010
    06:42 PM

    A Bug's Life. Nothing captures the essence of Seven Samurai like the natural instints of insects.
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  • By DanO
    March 12, 2010
    06:42 PM

    “A Fistful of Dollars”
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  • By Erica L Pardee
    March 12, 2010
    06:42 PM

    A cross between 'A Fistful of Dollars' & 'Last Man Standing' (both 'Yojimbo')
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  • By Stefan
    March 12, 2010
    06:43 PM

    I think Fistful of Dollars really takes the cake. It's an excellent remake in that while it's a remake, it adds its own originality and creativity to make it a unique movie that can stand on its own. I think what I like best is the final climatic showdown, instead of the knife defeating the superior gun, we have the steel plate defeating the superior gun. It provides an interesting twist and it's quite well done.
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  • By Raul
    March 12, 2010
    06:43 PM

    I will never forget seeing Yojimbo for the first time. It grit and realism was just startling for a young man. I remember being just haunted by the samuri...then I saw Clint's version. Absolutely amazing how they captured the feel of Yojimbo...another very haunting atmospheric film.
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  • By Mike Denbo
    March 12, 2010
    06:43 PM

    I have to say that the best remake is Star Wars. I grew up believing that the greatest movie of all time was A New Hope and while I've since changed my mind about the very best, I am still a huge Star Wars fan. Lucas managed to combine Kurosawa's unusual decision to tell the story through the eyes of minor characters with one of the richest universes ever fabricated in cinema history. The fact that Star Wars is still so popular to this day (despite the prequel movies) is evidence of just how well Lucas was able to retell Kurosawa's Hidden Fortress.
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  • By Adam
    March 12, 2010
    06:45 PM

    “The Magnificent Seven” You know it to be true.
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  • By Cynthia
    March 12, 2010
    06:45 PM

    'Life As a House' which was inspired by 'Ikiru'.
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  • By jeremy r
    March 12, 2010
    06:47 PM

    I'm going to have to go with "Magnificent 7" and "7 Samurai" as well. Love 'em both!
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  • By J.K. LeBel
    March 12, 2010
    06:49 PM

    Mine would be A Fistful of Dollars, not necessarily for the film, but for the character it spawned. While it is practically the same film as Yojimbo, only with the setting and characters changed, the iconic Man With No Name made his first appearance here. So, what is essentially one filmmaker blatantly stealing from another became a blessing in disguise. Yojimbo is the superior film, but if there were no A Fistful of Dollars, it is likely there would be no The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, and in turn no Clint Eastwood.
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  • By keanan mccabe
    March 12, 2010
    06:50 PM

    fistful of dollars and last man standing... its odd that last man standing is the closest to the dashel hammet story that ive heard yojimbo is based on... it kind of all came full circle
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  • By Dustin Meadows
    March 12, 2010
    06:50 PM

    My favorite Kurosawa remake is Pixar's A Bug's Life. I was already a Pixar fan to begin with, but when I realized that they drew the core inspiration from Seven Samurai I was even more enthralled with the studio. A Bug's Life is wonderful because it borrows just enough of the premise to leave room to add their own elements and help the film stand out on its own. The plight of Flik's colony under the threat of Hopper's "bandits" is entertaining and the true beauty of the film is that its accessible to both a young and old crowd and is actually responsible for turning me onto Seven Samurai and Kurosawa's films in the first place. I think that A Bug's Life shares a similar tone in terms of its dramatic content, sense of humor and epic scale that came to be cornerstones of Kurosawa's body of work and as such I think it's the remake which also best encompasses Kurosawa's style.
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  • By Jon
    March 12, 2010
    06:52 PM

    Count me in for "A Bug's Life."
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  • By Alexander Bucsis
    March 12, 2010
    06:52 PM

    Though unofficial––and resulting in a successful lawsuit on Kurosawa's behalf––my favorite of the Kurosawa remakes is the great Sergio Leone's A Fistful of Dollars. It, let's say, borrows heavily from Yojimbo and yet––miraculously––gets away with it. It served as an introduction to a remarkable director and star––not to mention an equally remarkable pairing––as well as what was to become affectionately known as the 'spaghetti western' genre. I can only hope it turned more than one eager viewer onto the originator of it all. And let's face it, if you're going to lift the premise of a film, what could possibly be better source material.
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  • By Mike M
    March 12, 2010
    06:53 PM

    That Australian Macbeth was a great remake of Throne of Blood.
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  • By Movie Mike
    March 12, 2010
    06:54 PM

    I love Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress. Star Wars is not so much a remake, but a reinterpretation of that film. It is uncanny how much the characters in Star Wars resemble the characters in The Hidden Fortress. The scene where Darth Vader is choking one of the imperial commanders, and he says " your devotion to that ancient religion has not given you clarevoyance enough to find the rebels hidden fortress". A direct homage within the film! Amazing!
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  • By Robbie I.
    March 12, 2010
    06:56 PM

    Remakes should NOT be taken seriously.... Here's why: Transposing Seven Samurai into a western was a no-brainer, since that's what it was to begin with. Sadly, this also meant that the result was boring and frankly, felt uninspired (I'm talking to you Magnificent Seven). An interesting and only successful spin, however, was taking the quintessential western story of Seven Samurai and turning it into a very funny comedy with Three Amigos in 1986. Instead of valiant warriors, you get washed-up actors mistaken for fighters. ("Tell us 'we will die like dogs.'") This twist on the idea was again rinsed out and reused in A Bug's Life in 1998 with circus performers this time, and then once AGAIN in Tropic Thunder in 2008 with, again, washed-up actors. With an unfortunate remake currently in the works, this time surrounding soccer?!...there appears to be no shortage of unfortunate Seven Samurai incarnations...only a shortage of original ideas.
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  • By Matthew Walker
    March 12, 2010
    06:57 PM

    I've always been a big fan of spaghetti westerns, and of course as a student of such, Django is always within a top 10 list. This is pretty much an unabashed remake of Yojimbo. The idea of playing two different gangs, its popped up many different times, but the Italians had a knack for stealing ideas for this genre, and making them completely their own. Because of its gritty action, this spawned countless sequels, and ironically spawned its own spin-offs. To me the amazing thing is how this film indirectly made filmmakers inspired by Kurosawa, without even seeing a frame of Yojimbo. It certainly makes a case for a genre to take a film and make it, and create a completely different universe around it.
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  • By Chalkie
    March 12, 2010
    06:58 PM

    My favourite remake of a Kurosawa movie is Roman Polanski's "Macbeth" (a remake of Kurosawa's "Throne of Blood". Alright... technically it's not really a remake when it's been adapted dozens of times from a play by some english guy.
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  • By Robert Pina
    March 12, 2010
    06:59 PM

    Tsubaki Sanjuro by Yoshimitsu Morita (2007).
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  • By Michael
    March 12, 2010
    06:59 PM

    "Macbeth". Billy Shakespeare so nicked "Throne of Blood".
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  • By Ben Friday
    March 12, 2010
    07:01 PM

    I know it's a bit more recent and not a direct remake, but I loved Zhang Yimou's Hero. The film employed the same "multiple-perspectives" narrative device used so famously in Rashomon, and of course no one can watch this film without noticing the magnificent use of color, which evokes many of Kurosawa's full scale storyboard paintings as well as his films like Ran, Kagemusha, and Dreams. I know comparing a modern day Chinese film to a timeless Japanese legacy is a bit like comparing apples to oranges, but I honestly think it's another example of how many excellent films may have never been made had it not been for the great Kurosawa paving the way.
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  • By Toni J
    March 12, 2010
    07:01 PM

    A Fistful Of Dollars. Not as good as the two later parts of the Dollars Trilogy, but still good film. Good soundtrack and atmosphere. It's funny that Kurosawa, who was influenced by John Ford's westerns, directed Yojimbo that later inspired Sergio Leone in creating spaghetti western, a new type of western film. And of course it was also Mr. Eastwood's breakthrough performance. So it's not only my favorite Kurosawa-remake but also the most important of them.
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  • By Mr. Mike
    March 12, 2010
    07:01 PM

    "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants"--that story is so "Seven Samarai".
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  • By Jared
    March 12, 2010
    07:02 PM

    In my opinion, "The Magnificent Seven" is probably the best remake of a Kurosawa film. It was a stroke of genius to reimagine Kurosawa's warriors-for-hire as gunslingers-for-hire in the wild west. Kurosawa's version is uniquely Japanese, rich with the history and cultural codes of his homeland. You would think that such a specific story might not work in a different context, but "The Magnificent Seven" succeeds in making the story fit into the mythology of the American west. The characters are transferred cleanly, altered without sacrificing the core of each individual, and made relatable to an American audience. And despite being a remake, "The Magnificent Seven" stands extremely well on its own and, due to its strength as a mainstream film, probably caused more people to look back at Kurosawa's original than other remakes. It wears its influence on its sleeve, unlike some other mainstream Kurosawa remakes (Star Wars) whose connection to Kurosawa isn't as widely known.
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  • By Fredrik
    March 12, 2010
    07:04 PM

    A Fistful of dollars. Since a pist off Eastwood is as close as you get to a pist off Mifune and it really captures the gritty feel of Yojimbo
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  • By Ross Bonaime
    March 12, 2010
    07:04 PM

    I know it has already been said, but definitely "A Bug's Life"
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  • By Rick
    March 12, 2010
    07:05 PM

    The Outrage, starring Paul Newman and Edward G. Robinson (oh, and Shatner's in it, too). The concept of Rashomon has been used countless times (I'm quite fond of the X-files episode "Bad Blood" and the All in the Family episode when Archie and Meathead tell conflicting versions of the same story to explain what happened to the refrigerator), but The Outrage was an intentional remake of the Kurosawa film. The characters all give conflicting reports of a rape and murder in the American west. Great stuff.
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  • By matthew
    March 12, 2010
    07:05 PM

    hmmm....it's a tough one.......dave.. which is a remake of Kagemusha. for real...government offical falls ill, his cabinet finds a man to replace him, replacement decides to live the life of his vassal for the greater good.
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  • By Kevin Longrie
    March 12, 2010
    07:06 PM

    I was going to say "A Bug's Life," but then I remembered Star Wars. It's strange to think that one of the largest, most central elements of US popular culture wouldn't have been possible with Kurosawa. I think it also speaks to how universal the stories were that Kurosawa told--that they can be transposed not just to westerns or modern dramas or bugs, but space fantasy. Strange indeed.
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  • By James McKain
    March 12, 2010
    07:07 PM

    My favorite remake of a Kurosawa film is -- and bear with me, here -- is James Muro's remake of Dodesukaden: Street Trash. Granted, the film is far from a masterpiece, and is a poorly conveyed, stiffly acted b-movie, but you asked for my favorite remake of a Kurosawa film, and not the best, so allow me to indulge in my subjective inclinations for this film. While the original film is an indictment of Japanese bourgeois society without being overly didactic, the remake is, well, not to put a finer point on it, about older, alcoholic, homeless folk melting after imbibing a sixty-year old, undefined substance. Street Trash, in a very roundabout way, *does* accomplish what Dodesukaden was able to do: the latter introduced the viewer to a series of characters that lived on the fringe of then-contemporary Japanese society, yet never indulges in a saccharine sentimentalism in an attempt to get the viewer to go along for the ride. So does Street Trash -- although Kurosawa's descriptive, spectatorial lens is replaced with a series of gross-out moments; Kurosawa's subtle, satirical humanism moves aside to afford Muro's blatant irony some legroom. Many of the characters who suffer a hideous, disgusting death in Muro's films, while contemptible, die at the hand of an uncaring society; a society that would rather keep those individuals on its very edge. It seems as if both films convey some sense of injustice committed at the expense of those people operating on the margin of society, however (in the midst of it all, Kurosawa's characters forge friendships, awkward romances, and Muro's characters, well -- Muro's characters melt). Having said that, Street Trash is absolutely hilarious! Really, as much as I like films like A Fistful of Dollars or Star Wars, they seem more like shot-for-shot remakes or tip-o'-the-hat homage (respectively) rather than a creative re-envisioning of the film itself. Street Trash, despite its flaws (and stupidity!) at least makes an attempt at accomplishing this motif. I embarrassingly extend my hand in congratulations, Mr. Muro.
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  • By Gordon Miller
    March 12, 2010
    07:08 PM

    Even though Kurosawa had to sue Leone, have to go with Fistful of Dollars. Clint fills Toshiro's role perfectly. PS I would really like to win as I have never seen Ikiru
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  • By Tony P
    March 12, 2010
    07:09 PM

    Star Wars by a pretty wide margin. Sure, it's pretty loose as far as remakes go, but all the elements are there: the wonder of being thrown into a completely different culture, a huge war above the comprehension of the main characters, and the two dudes who go through it all complaining the whole way.
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  • By Patrick Halloran
    March 12, 2010
    07:11 PM

    It'd have to be "A Bug's Life." I enjoy "The Magnificent Seven" and "A Fistful of Dollars" immensely, but I think "A Bug's Life" may be my favorite remake because of its ability to introduce an extremely young generation to Kurosawa's works early. Admittedly "A Bug's Life" isn't a direct remake of "The Seven Samurai," but the dedication to Mifune makes it immensely clear who was on Pixar's mind when they made the film. "The Seven Samurai" and its direct remakes are fairly alienating for young children for any number of reasons, be it content or issues like subtitling, while "A Bug's Life," with its captivating visuals, approachable character design and bright colors are (obviously) tailored to capturing the minds of children. As much as I'd love to sit a kid down to a Kurosawa or Tarkovsky and expect them to love and/or "get" it, I'm a realist and know how utterly impractical that is for most (but not all) children. Thankfully, however, "A Bug's Life" is a film that a kid can watch and love, and when they're older be introduced to a film like "The Seven Samurai" by way of saying something like "this film is an obvious inspiration on "A Bug's Life." It may not be the *best* of the Kurosawa remakes, but it's my favorite because of its unique position to influence and shape a whole generation of future cinephiles. Also, as a humorous honorary mention, "Street Trash" for "Dodes'ka-den."
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  • By Vanessa
    March 12, 2010
    07:12 PM

    My favourite is The Magnificent Seven (I'm not saying it's the best though), simply because it always reminds me of watching it with my dad when I was probably too young to watch it. He loves westerns and introduced me to a lot of the greats.
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  • By Richard LaRue
    March 12, 2010
    07:13 PM

    Whenever I hear someone talking about Kurosawa remakes I always hear about the likes of 'Fistful of Dollars' & 'Magnificent Seven' but I rarely hear credit given to Walter Hill's 'Last Man Standing,' starring Bruce Willis, which was an actual official remake of 'Yojimbo.' In my opinion Martin Ritt was one of the great action directors and this movies influences can be seen in most major action movies today especially in regards to cinematography and it's use of selective color. It didn't do very well in the box office and was critically panned for not being fun but I don't think a fun hollywood action movie would have been very true to the source material and Ritt did a wonderful job updating the story for more modern times.
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  • By Joe Arista
    March 12, 2010
    07:17 PM

    I have to say Star Wars is the best remake. I loved how Lucas took the Hidden Fortress and made it into a space odyssey. I especially love the characters Tahei and Matashichi that were transformed into the classic droids R2-D2 and C3PO. The Death Star is the journey that Luke Skywalker and his friends take that is similar to the one that General Rokurota Makab and his companions take when they go through and fight in enemy territory. And of course the fight scene between General Rokurota Makab and the enemy general is almost the same with the fight scene between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader.
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  • By Ricardo Ornelas
    March 12, 2010
    07:19 PM

    I would have to go with two films. The Magnificent Seven (Seven Samurai) and A Fistful Of Dollars (Yojimbo). The Magnificent Seven is a classic of the western genre. While it is a shorter version, it still keeps in tact all the main characters that made Seven Samurai great in the first place. The action may not be as great as Seven Samurai but it is highly entertaining to watch especially after learning that it is a remake of Kurosawa's film. Also an honorable mention, A Bug's Life. A Fistful Of Dollars is a favorite of mine. Sergio Leone, while not as great as Kurosawa, is one of the greatest directors of the 20th century and his career pretty much started with this film, even though he had made a film previous to this one. It is also the first film that involved the pairing of Clint Eastwood and Leone and the role that Eastwood is pretty much known for. While Leone would definitely argue that it ISN'T a remake, it certainly takes the whole story of Yojimbo and the main character and brings it to a western environment. A Fistful Of Dollars is just as important as Yojimbo because without it there wouldn't be The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and Clint Eastwood would have still been doing little bit parts on tv shows and very small movies that have no significance. Bless Kurosawa for coming up with such simple and timeless stories that can be reinterpreted into so many other movies.
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  • By Ryan
    March 12, 2010
    07:20 PM

    A Fistful of Dollars. Love it.
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  • By Justin
    March 12, 2010
    07:24 PM

    There have been plenty of remakes based on Akira Kurosawa's filmography. "A Fistful of Dollars," however, may be the only to exceed its counterpart ("Yojimbo"), all the while giving birth to another extraordinary talent. Although Sergio Leone's film has garnered its fair share of criticism (and lawsuits) for being a shot-for-shot remake, Leone recognized that "Yojimbo" was a sensational treat made by a gifted individual, as it fused together engaging action with sardonic humor with strong character development. Leone did not, as many would believe, "copy" Kurosawa, but rather paid tribute to someone who changed the landscape of film with each subsequent picture. In order to flourish, a student must follow in the teacher's footsteps, adopting each lesson into their own line of work one step at a time. As "For A Few Dollars More," "The Good, The Bad and the Ugly" and "Once Upon A Time In America" has shown us, it is without a doubt that this student has carved his own niche in the world, all the while respecting those that came before him. "A Fistful Dollars," however, also has another individual to thank: Clint Eastwood. With undying respect to the legendary Toshirō Mifune, Eastwood took the basic foundation of Mifune's character and flipped in on its axis, creating an anti-hero that would redefine the meaning of "cool" for future generations. Without Kurosawa, we would not have had Leone in our lives. Without Leone, Quentin Tarantino would still be working at a video store, wondering what to do with his life. "A Fistful of Dollars," like "Yojimbo" before it, is a timeless masterpiece and should be essential viewing for any and all fans of motion pictures.
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  • By Carman
    March 12, 2010
    07:24 PM

    I like to think of Zhang Yimou's Hero as kind of an parallel Rashomon. It borrows the multiple perspectives concept, but instead of giving a hopeful outlook to contrast the dreary black and white rainstorm, it offers a pessimistic view of nationalism to contrast the vivid and colorful cinematography of Christopher Doyle. Where Rashomon may have been a parable about Japan and WWII, Hero can be seen as how the government in China uses their own version of history for its own means.
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  • By Narukami
    March 12, 2010
    07:25 PM

    Battle Beyond The Stars This is cheating really, because it is not my favorite, but nobody has mentioned it yet and it does have the distinction of being written by John Sayles and starring, among others, Robert Vaughn. He has worked on two of the three remakes of The Seven Samurai -- not a bad record.
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  • By Barry Levitt
    March 12, 2010
    07:26 PM

    "A Bugs Life". What a beautiful retelling of Kurosawa's timeless classic Seven Samurai.
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  • By David
    March 12, 2010
    07:29 PM

    The Magnificent Seven; no remake ever truly compares to the original but a back to back viewing of this and Seven Samurai is a beautiful thing.
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  • By R E O P
    March 12, 2010
    07:30 PM

    The Magnificent Seven because out of all of the Kurosawa remakes it has the strongest cast. When a movie has Yul Brynner, Charles Bronson, and Steve McQueen you know it can't be bad.
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  • By Jim Tudor
    March 12, 2010
    07:35 PM

    For strict remakes, it's gotta be "A Fistful of Dollars", but for homage, the force of Kurosawa will be with "Star Wars" - always.
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  • By Stephen Williamson
    March 12, 2010
    07:38 PM

    Star Wars.
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  • By Jaime Grijalba
    March 12, 2010
    07:44 PM

    My favorite has to be Star Wars series, being a pseudo remake of The Hidden Fortress, but not only for what George Lucas said about the story being told from the perspective of two minor characters, as it happens in both movies, but also certain characters and scenes that are mirrored all over the episodes. For example the General Tadokoro is a Lando-type character, in one moment he's against the protagonist, to then attack those who chase them and finally joining them (also, they're both Generals). Then, obivously, there's the wipe style editing, present in all Star Wars movies and most of the films that Kurosawa directed. The princess double is used all over the first and second episodes of the Star Wars movies, which was obviously lifted from the same incident in Hidden Fortress, where Rokurota's sister was handed as the princess and then killed. The final scene of The Hidden Fortress in which the princess appears (another borrowed element), the position of the camera, the composition of the shot and the custome of the princess are mimicked on the scenes with Padme in The Phantom Menace. There are many scenes and characters that reminded me of Star Wars as I watched Hidden Fortress, we cannot really trust what Lucas was saying in his interview, no matter how he tries to avoid telling it's a remake, it's influence is all over the six films.
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  • By Matthew Law
    March 12, 2010
    07:44 PM

    So, lots of people have already said Fist full of Dollars, but I don't know if any of them have really nailed why it's such a good remake. For me it's the fact that it completely takes Kurosawa out of his strongest context while managing to loose nothing of the core feeling of the film. A vagabond warrior is a vagabond warrior no matter where you put him, be it feudal japan or the wild west or outer space, and fist full of dollars is THE Kurosawa remake that managed to carry the same weight as the original while looking completely different from it.
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  • By Ben Middleton
    March 12, 2010
    07:53 PM

    While "Fist"s is a better made filmed remake of "Yoj" I kinda liked "Last man Standing" because it brings Dashiell Hammett's story back to the depression era backwater town. But in the end "Bugs Life" is great simply because it's a fun kids film.
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  • By Hasan Nadir Derin
    March 12, 2010
    08:02 PM

    A Fistful of Dollars
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  • By pannonica
    March 12, 2010
    08:05 PM

    Dashiell Hammett and Lillian Hellmann's unfilmed screenplay of Red Harvest, for sure. What a rip off of Yojimbo (but excellent use of a time machine).
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  • By Ehron Asher
    March 12, 2010
    08:07 PM

    Kurosawa has influenced most filmmakers, whether they know it or not. His films have been remade, his style emulated and his stories retold countless times. Some remakes have been direct, such as “The Magnificent Seven” and “A Fistful of Dollars”. Others have been indirect, such as “Star Wars” or “The Dirty Dozen”. The Rashomon effect, based on the device used in “Rashomon” of showing multiple variations of the same story told from different viewpoints, has been used with varying degrees of success (depending on your point of view, of course) over and over again. In my mind, no one can remake a Kurosawa film or retell a Kurosawa tale that could eclipse the Emperor. That being said, there was a film made 5 years after “Ikuru”, in 1957, which was made by another master of cinema, Ingmar Bergman… and it comes close. Bergman, who had said that his “admiration for the Japanese cinema was at its height” in the 1950’s, and that he felt that some of his films in that period were just a “lousy imitation of Kurosawa”. The film is “Wild Strawberries” (“Smultronstället”), which I believe is an indirect retelling of “Ikuru”. In it, Bergman’s protagonist is a disillusioned elderly physician who reflects on his life as he travels to receive an award for his lifetime of medical practice, and as he does so, his sense of impending death forces him to reevaluate his life. Over the course of the film, he realizes that the choices he made throughout his life left him with an empty and lonely life, without any meaning or value. In the end, he achieves redemption through forgiveness, acknowledgment of his past deeds and acceptance of himself and his fast-approaching death. “Ikuru” is my favorite Kurosawa film, one unlike any other. And Bergman did much more than “a lousy imitation of Kurosawa” in his retelling of it from a Swedish point of view.
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  • By Nick Boisson
    March 12, 2010
    08:08 PM

    Easily, A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS. Kurosawa himself was inspired by westerns and to turn one of his films into one of the greatest westerns of all time as well as marking the beginning of the Spaghetti Western movement, A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS is one hell of a fantastic remake!
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  • By Gene O'Brien
    March 12, 2010
    08:21 PM

    My favorite remake of a Kurosawa film is the one that doesn't get made.
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  • By Joshua Jordon
    March 12, 2010
    08:28 PM

    My pick is a bit odd, but it really comes down to one's age, and not liking westerns growing up. But I really always loved Last Man Standing with Bruce Willis. Which meant that Kurosawas was the remake artist to me growing up, just becasue of the odd order of things.
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  • By Kevin Linke
    March 12, 2010
    08:42 PM

    I'm going to have to say A Fistful of Dollars. I love Leoni's style, and this is one of his best pictures. Absolutely gorgeous. I also feel that Sergio Leoni and Akira Kurosawa share much of the same vision in film making, at least in virtuoso.
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  • By Michael Avolio
    March 12, 2010
    08:46 PM

    A Fistful of Dollars. Leone takes Kurosawa's story and gives it his own taste and swagger. And who but Eastwood could follow Mifune? That said, I have high hopes for the David Mamet -written High and Low remake. And I can't believe no one's mentioned it, but Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet is a pretty nifty remake of The Bad Sleep Well.
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  • By Ross McClintock
    March 12, 2010
    08:49 PM

    I would say the best remake of Kurosawa's would be A Fistful of Dollars. The dollars trilogy were some of the 1st movies I ever owned on dvd. I would watch A Fistful of Dollars most frequently on school nights because of the short running time (I was in 8th grade then and didnt want stay up too late). I would come into school the next day whistling the tune of the theme by Ennio Morricone and squint pretending I was Clint Eastwood, thinking I was the baddest kid on the block. The love of westerns, especially Leone's carried over into high school where a friend and I decided to act out the final shoot out of Fistful in homeroom, hoping to impress some girls. That backfired when I cut my hand on a desk while "drawing" and got stitches. To this day even though I have matured some A Fistful of Dollars holds a very sacred place in my heart. When I discovered that is was a re-make of a Samurai movie, Yojimbo, I jumped on the chance to view the original, inadvertently exposing myself to the films of Akira Kurosawa. Discovering Yojimbo and Kurosawa (one of my favorite directors) through Sergio Leone (another one of my favorites) just feels so right.
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  • By Andy Johnson
    March 12, 2010
    08:52 PM

    For me, there are really only two choices to this question; Fistful of Dollars or The Magnificent Seven. I loved Life is a House, and never made the Bug's Life connection until reading the comments here, but I just love westerns to much. The casting in Magnificent Seven is great, the acting and directing are awesome as well. It's a faithful recreation in all but a few aspects. One, I think, is what bothers me the most. So many more of the protagonists live. Seven Samurai had more of an emotional end to it. The characters who'd fought for exceptance or challenge, or even love, in a way, fall one way or another. This is emotianal, no matter what your connection to the characters. Magnificent Seven, in typical Hollywood fashion, changes this for an ending considered more satisfying. There's no 'Looks like only we survived yet again, my friend moment.' Don't misunderstand though, Magnificent Seven is still great. This is why my choice is Fistful of Dollars. It's even more a faithful re-creation of Yojimbo, but somehow it's got that seperate feel. Clint Eastwood makes that character his, no debate to it. The role is portrayed a little, er, Hollywood-er? I'm thinking of the part where Yojimbo has to be carried from the village for fear of his life. Clint, by comparison, probably is in danger, but stays more in control, a stronger stance, with his scoul. Sergio Leone obviously loved Kurosawa's work, and it very much shows. He is also a wonderful director; camera work, actors, scenery, all were nearly flawless. So this is why I can say with great confidence that Fistful of Dollars is my favorite Akira Kurosawa remake.
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  • By Justin Morgan
    March 12, 2010
    09:00 PM

    A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS My favorite remake of a Kurosawa film would be A Fistful of Dollars; however, I full-heartedly feel no remake is better than the Kurosawa film they are originally based off of. I have seen Seven Samurai before the Magnificent Seven, and could not stomach it, even with the rave reviews. I do not see a magnificent western, but rather a Seven Samurai clone disguised as something else. Perhaps the reason why I enjoy A Fistful of Dollars so much more is because frankly I have seen it before Yojimbo, and though the films are extremely similar, I found myself forgiving Sergio Leone due to his masterful mise-en-scène and how well the intensity of film translated into the adaptation. Personally, I am much more acceptable to nods to the great filmmaker and references, such as the edits throughout the Star Wars trilogy, but if I would have to chose one remake of a Kurosawa film, I would have to go with A Fistful of Dollars. The film had me on the edge of my set, nearly as well as Yojimbo. If we didn't have Akira Kurosawa, I would hate to imagine a world so strongly influenced by the filmmaker, the legend.
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  • By Justin Morgan
    March 12, 2010
    09:03 PM

    Correction from last message: I would hate to imagine a world without such a strong influences as those set by the filmmaker Kurosawa, the legend.
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  • By Woody
    March 12, 2010
    09:41 PM

    Hands down it would have to be Sergio Leone's Fistful of Dollars, which is of course a remake of Yojimbo. It beautifully illustrates what a universal story the original film was with archetypal characters at home in any genre. I look forward to a sci-fi remake.
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  • By Danny Crocker
    March 12, 2010
    09:43 PM

    While Star Wars resonates a lot for me, and the Magnificent Seven is one of only a handful of truly magnificent westerns, my favorite Kurosawa remake has to be the sensei's radical reimagining of Jean Renoir's take on Maxim Gorky's The Lower Depths. While Renoir's work weaves deftly throughout a variety of locales illustrating the stories of a handful of memorable characters, Kurosawa instead uses archetypes to capture, display, chide and reveal an entire society. Though distinctly re-imagined for an Eastern audience, Criterion's wondrous presentation of both of these works reveal how indebted Kurosawa is to Renoir's film, to Gorky's original play, and ultimately, to both the period of the film's setting and to the period in which it was made. Conversely, the film shows how indebted we are to Kurosawa's innovations, imagination, and profound emotional sensitivity for not only this, and Star Wars and all the rest of the derivative works, but for the notion of what the camera, the characters, and the emotional center of a film can do to and for its audience.
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  • By Cory
    March 12, 2010
    09:49 PM

    I would have to go with the Magnificent Seven. It did not have quite the power and message of the original, but overall it was a great film. I particularly liked the Kyuzo character in the remake, who was a nice homage to the original Kyuzo.
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  • By Matthew Martin
    March 12, 2010
    10:07 PM

    I wouldn't really count Star Wars since that was based on many different films (The Hidden Fortress being one of them). And from many of the good and great remakes (such as A Bug's Life, Last Man Standing, Ransom and A Fistful Of Dollars), I must go with The Magnificent Seven. It is such as a good remake but also good enough to become its own movie and not seem like a remake. As for the worst remake of a Kurosawa movie, I will pick King's Ransom by a wide margin.
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  • By ABEIJA
    March 12, 2010
    10:11 PM

    A Fistful of Dollars Spagetti westerns would never be stunning without the Japanese method of distension, perfected by Akira Kurosawa. As Bosley Crowther stated that nearly every Western cliche could be found in this "egregiously synthetic but engrossingly morbid, violent film." Uniquely, Yojinbo itself is an answer to charges by Japanese film critics that Kurosawa was too heavily influenced by the films of the West. Much of the film's settings are clichés taken straight out of B-Western film. In the end, A Fistful of Dollars announces characters with almost operatic motifs and drives the mood and suspense of the narrative with themes that stay with you for days after.
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  • By Brandon Nowalk
    March 12, 2010
    10:14 PM

    While I'm a card-carrying Leone fan, my favorite remake is a tie between two TV shows that stretch the definition. First, Veronica Mars concludes its first season (penultimate episode) with an emotional Rashomon "remake" wherein Veronica finally investigates her rape a year prior, but it's more than a simple takeoff of Rashomon's inventive plot/structure. The episode uses Kurosawa's unreliable flashback conceit and grave subject matter to delve into the same philosophical depths, questioning whether a crime even took place, the disparity between legal and moral sin, and ultimately whether truth is knowable. Without spoiling it, as Rashomon concludes on a note of angst, the episode finds resolution but ends with a tinge of despair as Veronica finds herself literally alone, her trust compromised at every turn. Second, Parks and Recreation, quickly becoming the best comedy on television, is a kinda sorta homage to/remake of Ikiru, where an Indiana Parks Department official is dedicating her life (so far) to turning a pit into a playground just to achieve one positive good through bureaucratic government. She doesn't have cancer, and the show is just beginning, but like Ikiru, Parks and Recreation segues its red tape satire into a celebration of life. It uses comedy and a foundation of sweet relationships to the same effect as Ikiru's catharsis, and while there's no scene quite as transcendently moving as swinging in the snow (a high task indeed), Parks and Recreation is a worthy open-ended spiritual remake.
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  • By Bret Bynum
    March 12, 2010
    10:29 PM

    This one's extremely simple for me. Star Wars.
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  • By Mikko Lamberg
    March 12, 2010
    10:30 PM

    Not the best, but one of my weird favorites is World Gone Wild, a postapocalyptic trash film starring Bruce Dern. Dern collects a rag tag bunch of adventurers to defend a lonely village against desert bandits. The adventures include a cowboy, a black man in purple tights and veil and a motorcyclist. The villains are led by Adam Ant! And when the bad guys attack Dern starts to smoke pot and lets the other good guys do the job. Not maybe one of the most original and artistic version of Seven samurai but a very, very fun and different film!
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  • By Andrew Strauss
    March 12, 2010
    10:35 PM

    My favorite remake is The Usual Suspects. I love how the film, like Rashomon, takes multiple points of view to try to solve a crime. I also love how it shows that events even if its the fact can still be not what actually happened. Half of what a person sees is not the truth and nothing they say can be truthful. Even though just one event happened every single person has a different story and believes something completely different happened. Another remake would be Last Man Standing. This movie is a remake of Yojimbo and takes place during the 20s - 30s with Bruce Willis taking out two gangs in a small town that he is passing through. There are man other Kurosawa remakes that I can name but these two are the most recognizable.
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  • By Richard LaRue
    March 12, 2010
    10:46 PM

    In response to Ehron Asher's claim of 'Wild Strawberries' being a remake of 'Ikiru' I would like to quote Bergman when he came up with the idea of the story while traveling and passing by his grandmother's old house as he states "So it struck me - what if you could make a film about this; that you just walk up in a realistic way and open a door, and then you walk into your childhood, and then you open another door and come back to reality, and then you make a turn around a street corner and arrive in some other period of your existence, and everything goes on, lives. That was actually the idea behind Wild Strawberries." So I would say 'Wild Strawberries' is a unique work of art which coincidentally shares some similar themes to 'Ikiru' and should not in any way be considered a remake.
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  • By Jaysin
    March 12, 2010
    11:11 PM

    It would be easy to say a film that was a remake of a Kurosawa film, but my favorite remake is cinematic. In fact, it is another 2D medium: comic books. Marvel Comics came out with a side company called Max, where they dealt with darker issues and concepts, one of them being Luke Cage's solo book entitled "Cage." There is little doubt from the very beginning that the book is a remake of "Yojimbo" where Cage enlists his services for two rival street gangs only to watch them destroy each other instead of the innocents around them. A thoroughly excellent read. And I might have to add the anime remake of "Seven Samurai", entitled "Samurai 7", was very entertaining, although I think most of the character arches were lost in translation.
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  • By Jaysin
    March 12, 2010
    11:12 PM

    ....and of course Star Wars from Hidden Fortress. Of course.
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  • By Patrick Bull
    March 12, 2010
    11:19 PM

    Blasphemy.
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  • By Matthew E. B.
    March 12, 2010
    11:21 PM

    Obvious and clear: Serio Leone's "A Fistful of Dollars" is my favorite remake of a Kurosawa film. It connects two vastly different cultures with a single thread--the samurai from Japan and the gunslinger from American's deserts. These two genres (and yes, I am justly calling the "samurai film" a genre) are connected in more than just story, but both helm the names of world-famous stars and directors. Having both simplicity and complexity distributed to the right plot elements, character motivations, and style, "Yojimbo" could have been remade into a mess a thousand different ways. What result might we have been dealt if merely one puzzle piece had not been assembled within either film?
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  • By Anthony Holly
    March 12, 2010
    11:28 PM

    The Star Wars series. Kurosawa's work greatly influenced Lucas's work which has greatly influenced the modern Sci-Fi genre as we know it. Both director's and their respective works have been so revolutionary to film as a whole, their works will be with us forever.
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  • By Green Rahman
    March 12, 2010
    11:32 PM

    I think there is a major difference between 'remake' and 'remix'. If you buy the rights from the owner, in this case Toho Studios or Kurosawa, and they approve of it and your intentions are as clean as the contractual agreement, then it maybe called a remake. However, there are certain remakes that are useless photocopies like 'Psycho'. Come to think of it almost all of remakes of Hitchcock's movies are useless. During the long interview sessions with Hitchcock, Truffuat expressed his disgust about remakes, especially 'The 39 Steps'; 'Why use a medium shot there to shot the hoodlums!', exclaimed Truffaut. 'They have no film-sense '- added Hitchcock. Even Renoir was furious when Hollywood remade one of his movies. He called it 'an absolute trash'. It was directed by Fritz Lang. But that does not make remakes useless altogether, if they are 'updates + remixes'. This is because even Spielberg and Scorsese did 'remakes', To be quite frank I like remakes like 'Ocean's 11' and 'Inglorious Basterds'. If you call them remakes that is. That's what I am talking about. Please leave Hitchcock,Renoir, John Ford and of course Kurosawa alone. I have seen many remakes of Kurosawa films and they are all trash (compared to the original).
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  • By Tom Helberg
    March 12, 2010
    11:33 PM

    The Magnificent Seven. Please give me a prize.
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  • By Michael
    March 12, 2010
    11:55 PM

    Hate to jump on the bandwagon...but Magnificent Seven....which even says it is based on the Seven Samurai in the opening credits. I find Yul Brenner to be perfect in the Kambei role. Amazing remake right down to James Coburn's death scene when he throws his switchblade in homage to Seven Samurai....Brilliant. Michael
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  • By Zach Savage
    March 12, 2010
    11:59 PM

    While it wasn't an actual film, Stephen King's fifth Dark Tower book, "Wolves of the Calla", was essentially Seven Samurai redone in a grim fantasy setting, and with killer robots. It's one of the last great books King was written, and I can't help but feel that his career would only be improved by doing some horror adaptions of more Kurosawa films.
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  • By Ehron Asher
    March 13, 2010
    12:11 AM

    In response to RICHARD LARUE's response to my earlier post: First of all, I'm not sure why you singled out my post to criticize, when so many of the people here have chosen "Star Wars" as their favorite remake (of The Hidden Fortress)... even though "Star Wars" is not a direct remake, either. 2nd: Rather than simply repeat the same answers that everyone else has given here, I felt I would try to look a bit deeper into the different ways filmmakers have 'remade' Kurosawa's films -- including retelling, re-purposing, re-imagining, or re-packaging to make relevant to a given time, place or culture. If you re-read my post, I hope you'll see that what I was trying to say was that Kurosawa's films have heavily influenced filmmakers in style, theme and story - whether or not they are direct remakes or not -- or whether or not a filmmaker even realizes it or not. I am an aspiring writer/filmmaker... and I know that all of the original ideas I have all spring partly from my life and partly from other films that have inspired me. Knowing that Bergman was a very big fan of Kurosawa's, and that he admitted trying to emulate his style and storytelling on more than one occasion (but, specifically on The Virgin Spring), and that Ikuru preceded Wild Strawberries by 5 years... I am suggesting not that it was a direct remake, but that like all creative people... we are inspired and influenced not only by our personal experiences, but also the work of others. Respectfully, Ehron
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  • By Sean Carter
    March 13, 2010
    12:27 AM

    A Fistful of Dollars Better? Arguable. Worse? Also arguable. But if imitation is the best form of flattery, the last thing it should be is insulting.
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  • By James Liu
    March 13, 2010
    12:28 AM

    Not a direct remake, but I'd nominate Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven. Eastwood owed the invention of his archetypal Western gunfighter character to Sanjuro Man-With-No-Name, and here he repays the debt. Like in Yojimbo, a man walks into a town where noone is totally clean, and manages to wipe everyone out. Like in Yojimbo and Seven Samurai, the savagery is executed in lightning strokes, with all the messiness and fumbling of a real battle. Eastwood even seems to borrow that rain of spiritual purification from Rashomon and Seven Samurai.
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  • By Scout Tafoya
    March 13, 2010
    01:42 AM

    I would have to go for Martin Ritt's The Outrage. Though it pays nothing like reasonable tribute to the masterwork it takes its story from, but it is both entertaining and a perfect example of just what a Hollywood remake means for a nuanced and exciting new movie and has, since the first I saw it, come to embody all the plans Hollywood has for the Kurosawas of the world. The story of Rashomon is bulldozed in favor of western scenery which Laurence Harvey, Claire Bloom and Paul Newman take turns chewing, leaving almost none for supporting players Edgar G. Robinson, William Shatner and Howard De Silva to get between their teeth. The story isn't about Kurosawa's breathless direction or revolutionary ideas about narrative or the effortless performances, it's about how people step into the framework and try and make you forget subtlety altogether. As with The Magnificent Seven, the remake is about filling small shoes with enormous feet who have no business stepping there. Rashomon was perfect, it didn't need a remake, but The Outrage is so far in the other direction, it's easier to watch it as a commentary on the Hollywood sensibility, and thus, doesn't wind up impinge your memories of the original.
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  • By Colin Brooker
    March 13, 2010
    02:05 AM

    I would have to say A Fistful of Dollars. Not simply because it's a great moving starring Clint Eastwood, but it led to the other Leone/Eastwood films culminating with The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly! But, I'm also be big fan of the Seven Samurai based A Bug's Life.
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  • By Jeremy Webb
    March 13, 2010
    02:08 AM

    One remake of a Kurosawa film I like is Hoodwinked from Rashomon. While stories with multiple viewpoints are common these days, I like the fact that this animated kids' movie made use, as did Rashomon, of the unreliable narrator who's self interest causes the viewer to doubt the veracity of each character's testimony.
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  • By Alcebiades Diniz
    March 13, 2010
    02:29 AM

    Star Wars: A New Hope, a decent rearrangement of Kurosawa's Hidden Fortress.
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  • By Bill Bryant
    March 13, 2010
    04:25 AM

    After much reflection I would have to go with A Fistful Of Dollars, for the amazing film that it is and all that followed after it. It was the beginning of great things for the careers of all involved and effectively created the iconic images & touchstones that fans of the genre love to this day.
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  • By Drew
    March 13, 2010
    04:31 AM

    "Zoolander" was a pretty good remake. I don't know what Kurosawa film it was recreating, or if it was at all. But that's a pretty good movie.
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  • By Lisa Fornillo
    March 13, 2010
    07:18 AM

    "Samurai 7" definitely! I love the way it continues and carries the story all the way to the political machinations of the society.
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  • By Henry Musikar
    March 13, 2010
    08:16 AM

    Magnificent Seven, hands down! A great Western based on on of my top 10 favorite movies, Seven Samurai, which echoed Westerns. Ya gotta love that!
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  • By Henry Biedenkapp
    March 13, 2010
    08:22 AM

    For this question, I'd pick something that I'm looking forward to actually being remade : Martin Scorsese's long-gestating project to remake Akira Kurosawa's High and Low is finally getting under way, with Mike Nichols on board to direct and David Mamet to adapt. Martin Scorsese is one film-maker who doesn't make "remake" sound like a dirty word. The director of The Departed and Cape Fear has long been interested in reworking Akira Kurosawa's 1963 thriller High and Low, and now looks set to make this reinvention a reality. Scorsese isn't directing, however: he's handed that task to Mike Nichols, Variety reports. The project looks to be a high-profile, classy production all round. As well as the Oscar-winning credentials of Nichols and Scorsese, Glengarry Glen Ross screenwriter David Mamet has also been brought on board to adapt the original. Seven Samurai director Kurosawa's film was actually based on an American novel by Ed McBain. It centres on a businessman who has mortgaged all he owns to raise the money for a crucial business deal. The executive is then told that his son has been kidnapped and prepares to hand over everything he has in return for the boy's safe return. The twist in the tale is that the snatched child turns out to be the offspring of his driver, who the kidnappers mistook for their real quarry. The businessman then has to decide if the boy's life is worth sacrificing everything he owns. Scorsese commissioned the script from Mamet in 1999, so this one has been a long time coming. He will now take an executive producer's role on the project. ...Steven Spielberg's DreamWorks is currently developing a new version of 1952's Ikiru. Meanwhile, the Weinstein Company is eyeing another remake of Seven Samurai itself. (Source: Ben Child guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 29 October 2008) If I had to choose my favorite Kurosawa remake that I've seen - it would be "Magnificent Seven" rather than "Star Wars".
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  • By Jason Dickason
    March 13, 2010
    10:04 AM

    It's certainly not a remake in the traditional sense of the word, but Richard Linklater's Tape is most certainly a Rashomon like story. Both are stories of how events can be interpreted differently. But unlike so many films that replay scenes to create a point of view, both Tape and Rashomon's subject is points of view. Kurosawa wanted to create a story with a strong minimalist style when he developed Rashomon. Linklater certainly took the same approach quite successfully in Tape. His one room set and digital video cinematography gave the film a feeling of freedom to focus in on it's characters perspectives and intentions. It's really that ability to get so involved with a simple story's characters, and their points of view, that made me fall in love with both films. Their simplistic style gives them both a feeling of freedom for both the viewer and, I think, the filmmakers. And it's in that freedom that we can get so lost in these studies of perpective. Now I've got the Criterion of Rashomon, of course, but I'm still waiting for that Criterion treatment of Tape...
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  • By Jim Williamson
    March 13, 2010
    11:02 AM

    My favorite would have to be Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. George Lucas is said to have used the synopsis of The Hidden Fortress from the classic Donald Richie book The Films of Akira Kurosawa for the basis of his outline. The overwhelming success of that film brought Kurosawa's ideas to an even larger audience.
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  • By Cahn Curtis
    March 13, 2010
    11:32 AM

    How can it not be a Fistful Of Dollars! Oh wait there is the Magnificent Seven. Shoot!
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  • By Justin P Ward
    March 13, 2010
    12:42 PM

    (I'm going to go out on a limb here) Takashi Miike's SUKIYAKI WESTERN DJANGO. An insane mish-mash of Yojimbo, A Fistful of Dollars & Django with Japanese actors speaking their (deliberately cliched Western) dialogue phonetically in an English language that's obviously not their native tongue. This film's wild. Many say it's crap but I think I'm convinced it's an absurdist deconstruction of the cross-cultural whiplash undergone by Westerns over the last century. In this case: "Red Harvest" (USA) inspired Yojimbo (Japan) -> remade as A Fistful of Dollars (Italy)-> remade as Last Man Standing (USA)... and it all comes beyond full-circle with Sukiyaki Western Django (Japan). Oh yeah, the Japanese is mainly spoken by Quentin Tarantino in a cameo that adds to the strangeness.
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  • By Doug Bray
    March 13, 2010
    04:28 PM

    Although not technically a remake, Kihachi Okamoto’s Kill is based on the same source novel as Kurosawa’s Sanjuro. The differences are obvious and Kurosawa’s is much more streamlined, but the charm of Kill wins me over. Interestingly enough Tatsuya Nakadai acts in both films, but in Kill takes what was Mifune’s lead. Having watched the production of the story twice and from different perspectives, Nakadai does a great job of making the role his own. Kill wins by a nose and a stretch over Fistful of Dollars as the best Kurosawa remake.
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  • By Cristian Chaves
    March 13, 2010
    04:39 PM

    Anyone remember a man called Mario Bava ... and his colorful, sexy reinterpretaion of Kurosawa´s RASHOMON ... FOUR TIMES THAT NIGHT? Just for the question mark.
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  • By Mark
    March 13, 2010
    06:34 PM

    My favorite is a Fistful of Dollars, closely followed by A Bug's Life and Star Wars. Not only is Fistful of Dollars my favorite Kurosawa remake but it is also my favorite Leone.
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  • By Joe
    March 13, 2010
    07:35 PM

    "Bug's Life" !
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  • By BrettW
    March 13, 2010
    10:33 PM

    I am going to hold out until the Scorsese/ Mike Nichol's remake of High & Low comes out. When you have two masters under the influence of a legend like Kurosawa, magic is bound to happen.
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  • By Anthony
    March 13, 2010
    10:34 PM

    Well to be honest Hidden Fortress!! Obviously because it spawned Star Wars and all that jazz but more importantly was the domino effect. The foundation for future filmmakers, actors and artists that was brought about from the inspiration of Kurosawa's work on a young George Lucas. Where would the world be if there was no George Lucas or Star Wars? Lets face it Star Wars made Mr. Lucas. So if there was no Hidden Fortress there would be no Star Wars. and if there was no Star Wars what effect would that have on a generation that was inspired to work in filmmaking, animation, visual effects and acting, As much as I love Kurosawa lots of people would never have watched his movies or learned of him if Star Wars was not made. It's always horrible how some people still don't want to watch movies with subtitles. May the force be with you! (and may the force bring me lkiru because its my fav movie)
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  • By Dan Thompson
    March 13, 2010
    11:22 PM

    Although it boasts an excellent cast, cinematographer, and director, The Outrage (1964) is in the long run a pretty bad remake of Rashomon. But often you can learn quite a lot by comparing a pale remake with the original. Directed by Martin Ritt and starring Paul Newman, Laurence Harvey, Claire Bloom, Edward G. Robinson, Howard Da Silva, and a wonderfully over-the-top William Shatner and set in a Twilight Zone inspired "Old West town" and filmed with the stiff "live look" of a Playhouse 90 TV drama. The end result seems claustrophobic and pushed. After watching The Outrage I wanted to get back to Rashomon as fast as possible. Armed with the missteps of the remake I could better see Kurosawa's genius. His camera is so graceful and the pacing is so smooth in comparison with the plodding, theatrical feel of the 1964 version.
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  • By Gabriela P
    March 14, 2010
    12:14 AM

    I usually hate about 98% of all movie and music remakes but surprisingly I am not filled to the brim with anger at the thought of a Kurosawa remake. Instead I ask, "Can you remake a Kurosawa movie?" Physically yes you can but can you really? My little brother, little sister, and (maybe my older brother) I loved a A Bug's Life; I didn't know it was loosely based on the Seven Samurai.
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  • By Ryan
    March 14, 2010
    12:29 AM

    Saving Private Ryan Not a remake but Steven Spielberg pays tribute to Kurosawa's Ran when the soldier picks up his severed arm in the Normandy Beach scene.
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  • By The Baker
    March 14, 2010
    09:43 AM

    I'm a really big fan of Star Wars, one of my favorite movies. But to me it's more a question of a huge inspiration from the storyline of Hidden Fortress than a clear remake. Then even if Star Wars would be the one I like to watch the most, I'd say the closest to a complete remake is A Fistful of Dollars. The Leone film takes not only the events Yojimbo, but even dialogue lines and technical aspects. It's the closest it's original film. It's not just a transposition in another context, but really an hybrid, joining the best of the western genre and the best (which is a lot) of the original movie. Conclusion, A Fistful of Dollars would be my favorite remake.
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  • By Dylan Richards
    March 14, 2010
    10:04 AM

    Star Wars which is a terrific remake of THE HIDDEN FORTRESS i normally hate when classics are remade but Star Wars took the basic story outline of Hidden Fortress and made it better by putting it in space and adding Droids
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  • By Matt Kovar
    March 14, 2010
    10:16 PM

    My favorite Kurosawa remake is absolutely Fistful of Dollars. Because I watched Fistful of Dollars and loved it I discovered Kurosawa films. I have no idea how I would have become exposed to Kurosawa without Fistful of Dollars. And unlike so many remakes out there, Fistful of Dollars really stands up on its own outside of the fact that it is a remake. There's really no comparison between the two.
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  • By Matt Kovar
    March 14, 2010
    10:18 PM

    ...no comparison besides the obvious.
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  • By Nick Hartel
    March 15, 2010
    12:15 AM

    Without a doubt "A Fistful of Dollars" is my favorite Kurosawa remake. Even though it's a remake, it feels different due to the personal touch of its director, Sergio Leone. Leone wisely uses what worked in "Yojimbo" but improves in two distinct areas: the finale and the score. I can't honestly remember much of "Yojimbo's" score but Ennio Morricone's epic orchestration is forever seared into my brain. Much of the film's atmosphere is dependent upon both the score and the performance of the leading man. I can't think of a single Western actor who is a better fit for a Toshiro Mifune role, than Clint Eastwood. Eastwood perfectly captures the mystique of the Eastern ronin as the now iconic, nameless gun-for-hire. The leading man factor is by and large, why the Prohibition Era themed remake, "Last Man Standing" didn't work. There wasn't a leading man alive who could equal the performance of Mifune or Eastwood. Finally, referring back to the finale, "Fistful," Leone has the edge by taking the theme of mastered simplicity and adding a momentary slice of the supernatural, when Eastwood's character takes bullet after bullet to the heart, but keeps on coming. At the end of the day they are thematically the same, but "Fistful" acknowledges the larger than life aspect of the film's hero.
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  • By Michael
    March 15, 2010
    04:11 AM

    A Fistful of Dollars is my favourite Kurosawa remake. There were but a few stylistic characteristics that were remade by Leone however, the theme is the only attribute truly being replicated in Fistful. Leone brings so much of his own artistry to Fistful that it becomes the very essence of what we know to be cinema. A Fistful of Dollars is cinema. Yojimbo is cinema.
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  • By David Smith
    March 15, 2010
    05:26 AM

    I know I'm a little behind the curve, but let me throw my hat into the ring and tell you why I consider "A Bugs Life" to be the best remake. I've noticed in other people explanations, they've mentioned that it's not a direct remake, but for me, that's one of the most appealing aspects. Nobody wants to see the same exact thing duplicated time and time again, not matter how great the original is. Don't you remember the monstrosity Gus Van Sant made out of the shot for shot remake of Psycho? After that, nobody wants to see a classic meddled with ever again. But when one takes a basic premise, such as Seven Samourai, and pours gallons of creativity into it and produce it in a relatively young medium, the film ceases to be so much a remake as it becomes a re imagining. This is when remakes, for me anyway, tend to succeed. Expanding on what is great rather than merely duplicating it. Now, to sum up my incoherent rambling into one sentence, consider this. To take an absolute masterpiece of cinema, alter it to appeal to mass modern audiences of all ages, create it using CGI which the filmmakers developed themselves, to change the characters and make them bugs, and to actually have it succeed! There's no doubt in my mind that this is the best Kurosawa remake! As an animator, I know how much work is involved and it's no easy task. Just as it's no easy task writing and filming an epic masterpiece, but Kurosawa seemed to do it with ease...
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  • By Zach
    March 15, 2010
    10:15 AM

    I am going to give a pair of films by Hong Kong director Johnnie To: Throw Down and PTU, which were inspired by Judo Saga and Stray Dog repectively. What strikes me as how similar and unique both directors are. Both have never stuck to one genre: Kurosawa varied from lighthearted comedy to Samurai films to noir while Johnnie To has done romantic comedies and ganster films. Also both play around with these genres conventions and allow us to see them in a new light. These are also not direct remakes and both retain To's unique playfulness and stylization.
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  • By marcus
    March 15, 2010
    11:00 AM

    a no-brainer. FISTFUL OF DOLLARS. scene for scene, its really is a remake.
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  • By Chris Martin
    March 15, 2010
    02:17 PM

    I know I'm late, but my favorite Kurosawa remake is the anime series "Samurai 7". It may be a little long-winded at times, but it is the same brilliant thematic elements tied together with ultra-futuristic robotic warfare. It's interesting how closely the militarization of the real world may end up mirroring elements of combat in "S7". It's the past vs the future, organic vs the inorganic, good vs evil... themes that current imperialist countries are using to drive their devolved military foreign policies. And quite the entertaining show, nonetheless.
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  • By Warren
    March 15, 2010
    03:54 PM

    This is a hard question. How does one judge what a remake should consist of? Sure retelling a story with a different setting is a possibility, but is that really a remake when it comes to a Kurosawa film? To me, answers like Magnificent Seven, Star Wars, Fist Full of Dollars, The Outrage, these are too obvious and way too easy. A remake should embody the spirit of the original while being its own film. It’s one thing to have inspiration, but truly another to take something original and remold it to something also original. That is why my pick for a remake is Mystery Men (Seven Samurai). Now before you laugh, …. ok stop laughing. Think about this. In Mystery Men, they are thrown together, they recruit each other, they don’t quite get along, there are self conflicted sidelines, and in the end they battle wave after wave to save the world using their own strengths and trusting in each other. One could argue that the small Japanese village is the world to the villager, and this would not be a loose interpretation. However we also must give credit that instead of just changing the backdrop and dressing Samurai up in Western clothing and giving them guns, we change the entire feel of the movie to a comedy. It is not an easy task when you think about it. Think of many movies, you could do a spoof on them and that of course would be funny, but how simple is it to take an idea and truly make its own story and funny? Mystery Men to me is the ideal remake. To take the unique vision of a genius, and really contort it with your own vision to have a very new, fresh, and original idea is the goal of a remake.
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  • By Mark Kawakami
    March 15, 2010
    04:03 PM

    My favorite remake is Pixar's "A Bug's Life". Very few remakes really get one critical aspect of Seven Samurai right: The hero of the story isn't Kikuchiyo, it isn't Kambei and it isn't Katsushiro. It's Rikichi, the farmer who lost his wife to the bandits. He's the first to propose fighting, leads the quest to find the Samurai, participates actively in the battles and in the end, it's Rikichi alone who is genuinely happy with the outcome. In "A Bug's Life" the main character, Flick (Dave Foley), is modeled after Rikichi. Plus, as with any Pixar movie, it's entirely delightful.
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  • By COPPA
    March 15, 2010
    07:25 PM

    [Favorite] Remake of a Kurasawa Film would have to be a collage of ridiculous television shows, told in flashbacks like Rashamon... now... I can only remember two at the moment... I must remember 3... like in the film... and the idea... kind of like... will be a parody of Rashomon as well...because each of these first two are somewhat clouded by the Memory of my mine's... That alas... I must confess I've never actually seen rashimon... thats whyive been spelling it differently... My first cloudhead inmemoirs' tv dreamstory is that of EMPTY NEST... I used to watch this biddy bad show when I was 8 and a half(speaking of remakes, how dare Yee!...), and so I remember David Leisure's character: Charley Dietz tells his version of the story(god knows what the story is I can't remember but clearly it is an inspired Rashamon three-tell-tale that was most statistically directed by steve zuckerman(no caps in a person's name is usually bad) but!—get fucking this!——Barbra and Carol have huge tits in Charley Dietz' version of the story, cause like, his character is thatofa Leach-pervert-sex-addict whom jumps from show to show... he was Roy Biggins in WINGS... flying on we see Joseph Lawrence on Blossum talking about his condom that he's been wearing all day...that kid reaked of cory haim rehab like feldman maybe sex sex; while Dennis Franz actually pulls it off of Moving on to Joey from Friends, or, more fairly, the actor, whoever he is,——fag who sucked in that space movie that never sequeled with h gram who, rumor has it; as ive been personally told;——after being in drugstore cowboy—was not totally comfortable with her celebrity,——as the man who rented a movie commented on the video that was playing at the time; maybe he said her name(maybe her actual name in the movie?) as she walked down an LA stripped of roaddust and smiled and he tells her that she was great in DSCB—alas she blushed to the point of embarrassment; anyway back to Joey from friends... he took the sleazy guy to a whole new level... that, I'm actually quoting a behind the scenes look at friends the show, who, all the other friends deemed the actor played by Joey to be a genius cause he refused to be a Jock-Ass and instead deemed more innocent...(similar perhaps to the reallife Gal who played DJ on FULL HOUSE who told tv guide "no fucking way am I gonna drink beer on screen for all the children to see" fearing perhaps her brother's wrath in the form of a "televangelist rape thatLL still deem me a christian virgin" that, on a lightlier note; if we all remember, Dj was promptly shaken at——in a beercan mockery sort Of way, of then, kids opening it on her, of then, maybe I believe myself to remember that bob saggat is actually smelling beer on her... but I dont remember .... (Loading...) ..... as well that dude I see sometimes in greenwich village who's on 30 rock is Very cool as he keeps the tradition of the pervert blazing! Well... the second tv show I remember is x files but I don't remember what the hell happened... infact... Moldy and Scular?? ... ?? .... ?.......... I promised myself I wouldnt use the internet anymore as Ive obviously been doing... so... ILL have to really rilly improvise here... alas, the link coming up at the end.... which is my last and final memory of a Rashomin like chip off the ol shoulder... inblocks... is being introduced now cause I really dont have anything to talk about, Im ashamed to tall all what I see infront of my eyes... the x files vision but oddly enough I do know that it a rashomaughn episode or hell I dont even know... maybe it was a quentarnio Tarenesque bolt of lightning... I say that I might recall a vampire perhaps? Or maybe Scully's mammaries were the enlarged fantasy of some wino perverts milkwonts! that; I remember calling my friend who was way too obsessed and in love with that red head girl adgent, which one, I dont know what her same is, probably Scully, it sounds female, alas, for what a bullshit ufo show it was, it feels right now to be A very, very logical... show... but, it wasnt a sitcom... and, my friend called me or maybe I called him... and he said some sort of comment about it maybe being directedly secretly by QT whom would go on to actually direct unsecretly, an epi of that show about stuff... wtf? CSI? ... But! My last Rashamon spell is something completely underground and known only to the rarest of Rashomon googlinaires...if you listen to the lyrics there is hope... they have been signed, to the best of my ability I share with all my own discovery within a story that is, in a way; an alterrization zannie truth... Watch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJ3C9x33M4U Cɐddo
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  • By James Davie
    March 16, 2010
    12:30 PM

    Without a doubt my favourite remake of "Seven Samurai" is the classic western , "The Magnificent Seven." I was working in a video store when I decided to give "The Magnificent Seven" a test drive, and was blown away with the unexpectedly nuanced acting and excellent direction. This discovery led me to research the film, which inevitably led me to the works of Kurosawa and "Seven Samurai," itself, which floored me with it's power. From there it was a short leap to "The Hidden Fortress" and a world of films I never knew existed. One thing led to another all the way to the Criterion Collection, and here we are now!
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