Akira Kurosawa - Background, Childhood, Major Works and Themes - Case Study Example

Akira Kurosawa Case Study Student’s Name Institution Introduction Akira Kurosawa was a great and respected international filmmaker from japan. In addition to this Akira was considered to be quite different from other Japanese not only for his work but also his body physique. This is attributed to the fact the he was nearly six feet, unlike his fellow Japanese who were quite short. However, he was not famous because of his height or body physique but for his work in the film industry. His films are regarded as one of the most influential films in the world. This is attributed to the fact that his films related to the day to day lives of individuals in the world. This is to say that his films captured the social context at the time. In addition to this, his films were known to captures the culture of pan. Therefore, as a result, his films captured a wide range of viewers from the young to the old. This was attributed to the fact that every generation could relate to his films. Therefore, as a result of his work, he won various international accolade, which at the time was quite difficult for filmmakers out of America. In addition to international accolades, he won local accolades and dominated the japan film industry (Kurosawa 2011). Background Akira Kurosawa was born to a Samurai family, whereby his father was a former member of a samurai family that originated from Akita Prefecture. In addition to this, his father was regarded as a strict disciplinarian, which is attributed to his military connection. Akira’s mother, on the other hand, came from a merchant family. Akira had seven siblings who are credited for the positive impact they impacted on Akira as he progressed from childhood to becoming one of the most recognized filmmakers in the world. Akira being from a samurai family was made to study martial arts from a very early age. However, Akira was also enrolled in a school where over the years he developed a passion for painting. His passion for painting led to him studying art and painting at Doshusha School of Western Painting in 1927. However, Akira would later abandon painting as it generated little income and embark on filming. His brother Heigo at the time worked with theatres and his works are what influenced Akira to indulge in film and theatre productions. In 1945 Akira got married to Yōko Yaguchi, who at the time was the leading actress in one of his films. They lived in Tokyo and together had two children Hisao, who would later become a producer in one of Akira latter films. Kazuko on the other hand became a well renowned costume designer. Akira lived with his wife up to the time of her death in 1985, February 1. In 1995, Akira was involved in accident which greatly affected his health. For moths Akira was bed ridden due to his deteriorating health which made it impossible to make physical contribution to his films. In 1998 September 6, Akira would succumb to his ailing body and died of stroke at the age of 88. At his death Akira was survived by his two children Hisao and Kazuko and Four grandchildren, three by HIsao and One by Kazuko (Kurosawa 2011). Childhood As earlier stated, Akira was born to a samurai family, which gad a great influence on Akira as a child and as film maker. Akira was the last born in a family of eight children some of who were already grown-ups at the time he was born. His father was military officer and later on became a teacher. This army background made his father a strict man who commanded a high degree of discipline. Additionally, since his father was a former samurai Akira was made to undertake lessons in martial arts. Akira had to walk long distances to attend his martial arts class and specialized in swordsmanship. However, despite all these, his father had an eye for western cultures and ensured that Akira was enrolled in an elementary school. While at the elementary school Akira grew a passion for art and in particular painting. This he attributed to the influence of his elementary art teacher. After completing elementary school, Akira was enrolled in Keika High School for his secondary education (Kurosawa 2011). Upon completion of secondary school Akira enrolled in Doshusha School of Western Painting in 1927, where he pursued his passion for painting. Akira would then move in with his brother Heigo who at the time was a silent film narrator. At the age of thirteen Heigo took Akira to an earthquake site which was characterized by dead bodies. Heigo demanded that he look at the bodies stating that he must learn to face his fears. Despite this incident, Heigo is deemed to have made the most impact in Akira life as he transformed from a painter to a filmmaker. This was attributed to the fact that Akira would accompany Heigo to theatres where he worked and was well known for his performances. For some years Akira continued with his passion of painting, which at the time was the main source of his income. However, painting proved to be unsuccessful and abandoned it to concentrate on film production. The introduction of talking pictures in early 1930 spelled doom for silent narrators and Heigo was not spared. He started losing his jobs making it difficult to support himself and Akira. As a result, air was forced to move back to his parents’ house and a few months later Heigo committed suicide. The death of Heigo had a devastating impact of the life Akira, which is attributed to the fact that he and his brother were deemed inseparable. Akira would then face another catastrophe as his eldest brother died only four months after the death of Heigo. However, these events did not hamper Akira, grew to become one of the most iconic film makers in japan history. It is also important to note that Akira had immense interest in politics in Japan. He was more interested in championing for equality which led to him participating in various demonstration in the country. He also joined underground rebel movements that championed for equality in the nation. However, constant police raids dissuade him from activism and abandoned the underground movements. Despite quitting activism, Akira still championed for equality and used films to show case his message for equality (Kazuko 2003). The social and cultural context The social and cultural factors affected the manner in which Akira developed his films. This is because most of his films either replicated the social factors or cultural values that guided him throughout his life. For instance major events such as the World War II and the great kanto earthquake have great influence in his films. Additionally, politics greatly contributed to his works in that Akira used political themes in some of his films. Seven Samurai for instance touches on social responsibility, which to some extent can be viewed as a way of passing the message of equality. This can be attributed to the fact that Akira was an activist fighting for humanism and equality among individuals in the society. Additionally, Akira having come from a samurai family and having studied martial arts also impacted greatly in his movies. This is evident to the action filled films that Akira produced that centered on martial arts. Additionally, the ability of Akira’s films to relate to all sort of audience meant that his films had a social bearing, which was universal no matter the culture observed. This shows that Akira was a keen observer of society and the common factors that affected the society. Therefore, by carefully studying these factors he was able to derive inspiration and create films out of these factors. As a result he gained worldwide audience for his films (Epp 2002). In addition to this, Akira came from a society that had deep rooted cultural beliefs, thus every individual was guided by the cultural practices and traditions. This strong sense of cultural beliefs also impacted greatly in almost all of Akira’s films. This is attributed to the fact that almost all his films had a cultural lesson or were based on a cultural belief. As a result his films became synonymous with the Japanese as they could relate to every aspect of his films. Additionally, by incorporating cultural values the films created cultural awareness among the Japanese, which ensured that the Japanese culture was upheld in the society. However, despite being from japan and being guided by Japanese cultures, Akira also adopted western cultures in the making of his films. This led to a lot of discomfort among the Japanese, but proved to be quite significant in reaching out to international audience. This is attributed to the fact, by integrating western cultures in his film it became quite easy for international audience to relate to the movies. Additionally, by incorporating western culture, Akira was capable of competing with international filmmakers as his films started getting international recognitions (Kurosawa 2011). The major works and themes Akira works have made a great impact in the international scene, as he is accredited with introducing japan films in the international scenes. This is attributed to the fact that individuals no matter their culture or nation were able to relate to Akira’s films. Akira’s film mostly advocated for equality in the political scene. This is evident in most his movies that portray a chaotic society, which is attributed to his interest in political activities that took place around Japan and the world. Additionally, Akira’s used his own personal life and activities taking place around him as inspiration to some of his works. As a result, his films were able to connect with many as they touched on events that happen in real time (Cardullo 2007). Therefore, in order to best understand his work and what his driving force was, it is better to look into some of Akira works namely; Ran, Dreams and Samurai Seven Ran Ran is a 1985 film produced by Akira Kurosawa, which touches on issues relating to loyalty and the culture of japan. The film tries to demonstrate how Japanese culture is intertwined with loyalty. Additionally, the film to demonstrate how culture greatly affects the manner in which Japanese families handle problems within the family and society at large. In order to achieve this, the film centers on Lord Hidetora Ichimonji. Ln the film lord Hidetora decides to relinquish his powers and appoints his three sons: Taro, Jiro, and Saburo to take over his reins. Taro and Jiro readily accept their positions and immediately take on their duties. However, Saburo, the youngest son, declines to take his duties. This action angers his father and forces him to banish Saburo for his defiance. Saburo’s action greatly touch on the issue of loyalty to his father and the same time creating a conflict among his family members. As a result Akira tried to demonstrate the importance of loyalty and belief in the elders (Saviour 2006). As the film moves on Lord Hidetora tries to seek refuge from his son Jiro, but soon realizes that Taro forbidden Jiro to offer any form of assistance to his father. This is attributed to the fact that Taro had a craving for power which he uses in a manner that creates a conflict between him and his father. As a result of Taro’s actions, he loses the love of his father. Japanese culture greatly emphasizes on maintaining a father’s love as it is highly respected (Kurosawa 2011). The events of his two sons; Taro and Jiro cause so much pain as they were blinded by thirst for power. However, Saburo who at the beginning was deemed to be the bad son turns out to be the good son. This is attributed to the fact that he respected the Japanese culture and maintained loyal to his father despite being banished from his father’s kingdom. Therefore, through the film Akira portrays the effect of misplaced loyalty in relation to Taro and Jiro and true loyalty by Suburo. Additionally, the film portrays how power can have great influence in loyalty and family ties(Saviour 2006) Seven Samurai Seven Samurai is a 1954 movie produced by Akira Kurosawa which centers on the lives of samurai individuals. In this film Akira moved from the conventional samurai films whose main theme was dependent on chaos and fighting. Seven Samurai centers on Kambei a samurai who at the start of the film is seen killing a bandit involved in a kidnapping incident. Kambei and his samurai friends embark on a task of helping out the less fortunate members in the society. Kambei recruits six samurai individuals to help him in the quest of protecting a village that is constantly attacked by bandits. In order to achieve this, Kambei and his friends use their skills in martial arts to fight off bandits. In addition to this, Kambei start offering lesson to village members on how to defend themselves and to fight off the bandits. The film culminates in an attack by more than forty bandits who descend on the village. This leads to a vicious fight between villagers and the bandits. However, with the help of Kambei the villagers fend off the attack and come out as victors against the bandits. Through this film, Akira tries to demonstrate the importance of social responsibility. Within the Japanese culture individuals are supposed to be responsible for one another. This results to harmony and fostering of good relationship among individuals in the society (Chaness 2013). Dreams Dreams is a 1990 short film that comprised of eight episodes. The film centered on the dreams and aspirations of Akira. Despite the episodes in the film being independent they closely relate to the Japanese culture and its relevance as a guide to the society. The film centers on a young boy and his adventures throughout the film. However, what stands out in the film is the issue of defiance. The film tries to demonstrate individual defiance and collective defiance by the society in relation to the cultural and natural way of life (Reider 2005). According to the film defiance leads to a conflict in relation to the identity of an individual. This is attributed to the fact that as a result of defiance one has to decide whether to follow cultural ways or natural ways. Additionally, through defiance, the film portrays the positives and negatives of each decision that one may make. Therefore, the film tries to showcase the importance of observing cultural values even when pursuing individual ambitions (Zvika 2001). Conclusion In conclusion, Akira Kurosawa achieved a lot during his lifetime especially in the filming industry. His works have gained international recognition, which is attributed to the fact that most of his works touched on the lives of the viewer in one way or the other. Additionally, the fact that he maintained a constant theme throughout his works ensured that he reached out to his preferred audience. Akira also made good use of his personal experiences as they became the inspirations behind some of his most successful films to date. As a result Akira distinguished himself from other Japan filmmakers, which culminated in receiving international recognition for his works. Akira also became an inspiration to many filmmakers as he showed that one need not have to be from America to succeed in the film industry. Therefore, it is quite impossible to understand present film history without taking a look at the works of Akira Kurosawa. References Chaness, D (2013). Kurosawa's "Seven Samurai" and the Japanese Art Form. Cinesthesia, 2(1), 1-5. Cardullo, B (ed). (2007). Akira Kurosawa Interviews. Mississippi: University Press of Mississippi. Epp, L (2002). At war with his critics. Kurosawa and his films. Trinity 1(1), 1. Kazuko, K (2003). Kurosawa Akira's script of the heart. Japan Echo 30(3), 58. Reider, N (2005) Akira Kurosawa's Dreams, as seen through the principles of classical Japanese literature and performing art. Japan Forum, 17(2), 257-272, Saviour, C (2006). Wailing woodwind wild: the Noh transcription of Shakespeare's silent sounds in Kurosawa's Ran.(Akira Kurosawa, Noh Lear). Literature-Film Quarterly, 34(2), 85-88. Zvika, S (2001). "Kurosawa's "Dreams": A Cinematic Reflection of a Traditional Japanese Context." Cinema Journal, 40(4), 81-103. Kurosawa, A (2011). Something Like An Autobiography. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, Read More