Kurosawa allows his leads to be more humble and less epic. Their relationship is more honest and realistic without the flamboyant braggadocio Mifune exhibited in The Seven Samurai or the pathetic alcoholic Shimura portrayed in Scandal. Of the 15 or so Kurosawa films I've seen which Mifune and Shimura appeared together, it is Stray Dog which is most satisfying to me. They appeared together in several other Kurosawa films. Kurosawa had previously paired these two actor in Drunken Angel and The Quiet Duel and would do so again in Scandal and most famously, The Seven Samurai. Their chemistry is subtle but adds immensely to the film.
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Second, Kurosawa had Mifune and Shimura to play the younger cop & his de facto mentor, respectively.
Kurosawa this is the police 2 skin#
In addition, the plot takes place over a brutal heat wave which isn't that original but it allows Kurosawa to show a panting dog and made my skin feel clammy. Layered in with the crime drama is a 1947 Tokyo travelogue and commentary on the social upheaval resulting in aftermath of the war. First it was filmed and set in 1947 Tokyo so we see a bombed out city with a defeated population, desperately poor and despondent. He becomes desperate to find the missing handgun.Īn entertaining film with that plot could be set anywhere but Kurosawa adds a few elements that only he could. Murakami is extremely self-reproachful as he feels his carelessness has caused the deaths of the victims. With the help of fellow detectives (especially Sato played by Takashi Shimura), they close in on the stolen gun but not before it is used in a few murders. Initially concerned about his career, he scours Tokyo to find the person who has stolen his gun. Murakami (Toshirō Mifune), a young Tokyo cop, has his pistol pickpocketed while on a crowded trolley. Stray Dog is, by appearance, a policier with noirish overtones set in the immediate post-WWII years. I didn't write anything up for Stray Dog or High and Low back then so I'll make up for it now. I saw Stray Dog, The Bad Sleep Well and High and Low in January 2008. My records indicate I saw Drunken Angel in January/February 2007.
Kurosawa this is the police 2 series#
The two films I missed from the series were Kurosawa's Drunken Angel and The Bad Sleep Well. High and Low is one of the best police procedurals I've seen. High and Low is mystery based on King's Ransom, an 87th Precinct novel Ed McBain. Indeed Stray Dog may be my favorite Kurosawa films. I've seen Stray Dog and High and Low before. Street of Shame directed by Kenji Mizoguchi Japanese with subtitles (1956)
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Utamaro and His Five Women directed by Kenji Mizoguchi Japanese with subtitles (1946) Ugetsu directed by Kenji Mizoguchi Japanese with subtitles (1953) Sisters of Gion directed by Kenji Mizoguchi Japanese with subtitles (1936) Tokyo Story directed by Yasujirō Ozu Japanese with subtitles (1953) Record of a Tenement Gentleman directed by Yasujirō Ozu Japanese with subtitles (1947)Įarly Spring directed by Yasujirō Ozu Japanese with subtitles (1956) The Only Son directed by Yasujirō Ozu Japanese with subtitles (1936) High and Low starring Toshirō Mifune directed by Akira Kurosawa Japanese with subtitles (1963) Stray Dog starring Toshirō Mifune directed by Akira Kurosawa Japanese with subtitles (1949) I watched 10 of the 12 films in the series. As an added bonus, all the films were projected from 35 mm prints. The reason I mention this prestigious trio of Japanese directors is because New People/Viz Cinema had 12 film/3 week series in June featuring the works of Kurosawa, Ozu & Mizoguchi. Not being familiar with Japanese history from the Edo or Meiji periods, I have never been a big fan of period films set in the samurai and shōgun periods.
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Japanese director Kenji Mizoguchi is not as well known but highly esteemed for Ugetsu, The Crucified Lovers and other jidaigeki films. Akira Kurosawa & Yasujirō Ozu are inarguably, the two greatest directors in Japanese cinema. Kurosawa, Ozu & Mizoguchi - sounds like a Tokyo law firm. Kurosawa, Ozu & Mizoguchi (Part 1 ot 3).Kurosawa, Ozu & Mizoguchi (Part 2 ot 3).Kurosawa, Ozu & Mizoguchi (Part 3 ot 3).Hot Tears of Shame and Japanese Superheroes.