Review of Kurosawa (2000) by Private U — 19 May 2008
This made-for-PBS documentary on the life and work of Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa is less than I'd hoped for. Consisting primarily of audio excerpts from Kurosawa's autobiography (accompanied by shots of still photos, video montages, and clips from his various movies), this tribute brings very little to light about the director's working methods or personality, and many of his films receive little to no mention during his career overview.
Brief reminiscences are offered by Kurosawa's children and a few of his former collaborators and appreciators (including celebrity "fans" like James Coburn and Clint Eastwood), and while the gushing is heartfelt, it's hardly illuminating.
Even less successful is the disc's "bonus" documentary, which consists of 90 minutes of talking head interviews from surviving members of Kurosawa's core crew, presented in Japanese with English subtitles.
But because so few of Kurosawa's former crew members still surivive, the picking are slim, to say the least. (Do we really care what the third assistant cameraman on "Rashomon" or the assistant set designer on "Ikiru" had to say about Kurosawa's working methods? No, I didn't think so.
) Not a horrible documentary, but the information will likely be interesting only for Kurosawa neophytes. A definitive documentary is still needed.
This review of Kurosawa (2000) was written by Private U on 19 May 2008.
Kurosawa has generally received very positive reviews.
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