Kurosawa
 was
 born
 in
 Tokyo
 on
 March
 23,
 1910,
 into
 a
 family
 descended
 from
 ancient
 samurai.
 As 
a 
boy,
 he
 developed
 a
 passion
for 
literature, 
painting
 and 
drama.

 Kurosawa 
made 
his
 film
 debut 
in
 1943
 with
 Judo 
Saga, 
the
 story
 of
 a
 martial
 arts
 master.


His 
early 
movies 
tended 
to 
focus 
on 
social 
and 
personal 
issues. 
Drunken 
Angel,
 was 
the 
story
 of
 an
 alcoholic
 physician
 and
 a
 criminal
 with
 tuberculosis.
 
 It
 marked
 the
 beginning
 of
 Kurosawa’s
 long
 collaboration
 with
 actor
 Toshiro
 Mifune.
 In
 Japan,
 Kurosawa
 was
 recognized
 as
 an
 outstanding
director.




 He 
achieved 
international
 success 
with
 Rashomon, 
the
 story
 of
 a
 trial
 in
 which
 each 
witness
 gives
 his
 own 
account 
of
 a
 murder.
The 
theme 
of 
the 
movie 
is 
the 
evasiveness 
of 
truth. 
Rashomon 
won
 a 
Golden
 Lion
 at 
the 
Venice 
Film
 Festival.




Kurosawa
 often
 used
 famous
 drama
 as
 a
 basis
 for
 his
 films,
 Shakespeare
 in
 particular.
 Macbeth
 was
reworked
as
Throne
of
Blood,
and
King
Lear
inspired
Ran.



The
 Lower
 Depths
 is
 an
 adaptation
 of
 a
 play
 of
 the
 same
 name
 by
 Russian
 writer
 Maxim
 Gorky.

 Kurosawa
set
the
story
in
19th‐century
Japan,
letting
outcast
characters
who
live
in
a
public
dump

tell
the
story.



Kurosawa’s
 most
 famous
 films
 are
 set
 in
 medieval
 Japan.
 One
 of
 the
 most
 notable
 is
 The
 Seven
 Samurai,
 in
 which
 a
 group
 of
 farmers
 seek
 protection
 from
 bandits
 by
 recruiting
 seven
 samurai
 who
 sacrifice
 their
 lives
 defending
 the
 village.
 The
 epic
 appeal
 of
 the
 film
 was
 not
 lost
 on
 Hollywood,
which
remade
it
as
a
Western:
The
Magnificent
Seven,
directed
by
John
Sturges.




Sergio
 Leone
 remade
 Yojimbo
 –
 The
 Bodyguard
 into
 a
 Western
 called
 A
 Fistful
 of
 Dollars.
 Kurosawa
accused
the
Italian
director
of
plagiarizing,
and
won
his
case
in
court.





 In
Dodesukaden,
Kurosawa
told
eight
different
tales
of
social
degradation.
The
film
was
an
explicit
 criticism
of
contemporary
Japan.
The
movie
was
a
failure,
and
Kurosawa
attempted
suicide.



But
 better
 times
 were
 to
 come:
 that
 same
 year
 he
 made
 Dersu
 Uzala,
 a
 sensitive
 story
 of
 friendship
between
a
Russian
officer
and
a
lone
hunter.
The
movie
won
an
Oscar
for
Best
Foreign
 Film.



 Ten
years
later
he
had
his
biggest
commercial
success:
Kagemusha,
which
won
the
Golden
Palm
 in
 Cannes.
 The
 movie
 is
 set
 in
 medieval
 Japan,
 where
 a
 prince
 is
 replaced
 by
 his
 double.
 His
 replacement
 immerses
 himself
 in
 his
 new
 role.
 Unable
 to
 escape
 it,
 he
 ends
 up
 dying
 for
 his
 people.


 Among
the
director’s
last
movies
were
Dreams,
an
episodic
film,
Rhapsody
in
August,
about
the
 atomic
bomb
in
Nagasaki,
and
Madadayo
–
Not
Yet,
an
autobiographic
film



Kurosawa
died
in
Setagaya
on
September
6,
1998.
He
was
88.