Kurosawa, Akira 1910-1998

Rashōmon by Akira Kurosawa ( Visual )
174 editions published between 1950 and 2013 in 9 languages and held by 3,703 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
A man is murdered, his wife is raped by a bandit. Kurosawa uses a stunning flashback technique to tell four different versions of what occurred

Ran by Akira Kurosawa ( Visual )
155 editions published between 1985 and 2011 in 10 languages and held by 3,113 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
In 16th century Japan, Lord hidetora, an aging ruler, attempts to divide his kingdom among his three sons, who turn against each other and betray their father, triggering events that ultimately shatter the kingdom, destroy the family, and drive their father insane

Seven samurai by Akira Kurosawa ( Visual )
145 editions published between 1953 and 2012 in 5 languages and held by 2,055 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
The setting is 16th Century Japan, where a small farming community appeals to seven very special Samurai Warriors to help them fend off an evil ring of Bandits victimising their crops, their women, and their lives year after year. The farmers wish to either hire the Samurai to fight for them, or to be shown the art of defence. Mifune portrays the latest farmer, yearning to be a true Samurai while Shimura is the Samurai leader (Yul Brynnner in the Hollywood version). Director Kurosawa's almost unbearable violence is skillfully blended with poetic beauty, ironic humour, and the moral code of the Sumurai, leaving the viewer's senses exhausted yet exhilarated throughout. The epic battle scene has been compared with D.W. Griffith's "BIRTH! OF A NATION", by the noted film critic Pauline Kael, acknowledging Kurosawa as one of the greatest film craftsmen ever

Ikiru by Akira Kurosawa ( Visual )
100 editions published between 1952 and 2011 in 3 languages and held by 1,913 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
The protagonist, Watanabe, discovers that he has cancer and only six months to live. He is forced to appraise his life. He decides that to make his life meaningful he must help others and so he wages a one man battle against the local bureaucracy to reclaim a local wasteland into a playground

Kumonosujō Throne of blood (Spider's web castle) by Akira Kurosawa ( Visual )
105 editions published between 1957 and 2014 in 4 languages and held by 1,869 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
Set in 16th century Japan, Toshiro Mifune as Macbeth plays a simple soldier, full of exuberance and fire. The samurai is goaded by his wife and a spirit to murder his friend and his lord. Kurosawa's film is noteworthy for its eeerie atmospherics and powerful use of elements derived from Noh theatre. (Circulates)

Shichinin no samurai Seven samurai by Akira Kurosawa ( Visual )
30 editions published between 1954 and 2013 in Japanese and English and held by 1,526 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
This epic masterpiece is about a group of 16th century samurai who are hired to defend a small Japanese village that finds itself annually raided by an army of bandits who steal the meager crops harvested by the peasants. Tired of relinquishing their food supply but woefully inept in combat skills, the villagers decide to hire a band of samurai to protect them. In addition to the primary conflict between the villagers and the bandits, much of the tale revolves around young Katsushiro's coming-of-age, both sexually and emotionally. Kikuchiyo's search for acceptance forms the other major storyline. Indeed, everyone in Seven Samurai is searching: for adventure, for experience, for freedom from their oppressors

Yōjinbō ( Visual )
63 editions published between 1961 and 2010 in 4 languages and held by 1,512 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
Two violent clans in a Japanese village attempt to hire a samurai warrior in preparation for their future battles

Kagemusha by Tsutomu Yamazaki ( Visual )
92 editions published between 1980 and 2009 in 5 languages and held by 1,503 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
Au XVIe siècle, un criminel échappe à la potence à cause de sa ressemblance avec le seigneur d'un clan important, Shingen Takeda. Il doit servir de double à ce seigneur dans les combats et les cérémonies. Lorsque Shingen meurt d'une blessure de guerre, on cache sa mort pendant 3 ans en mettant de l'avant le sosie. Ce répit permet au clan de se consolider en prévision d'un affrontement avec une famille rivale. Son utilité terminée, le sosie, commençant à se prendre au sérieux, est mis carrément à la porte

Tengoku to jigoku by Akira Kurosawa ( Visual )
58 editions published between 1963 and 2011 in 5 languages and held by 1,229 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
A complex crime thriller in which a wealthy shoe manufacturer's chauffeur's son is kidnapped in mistake for his own, and he faces a moral dilemma -- should he pay the ransom anyway and risk losing his position?

Dreams by Akira Kurosawa ( Visual )
37 editions published between 1990 and 2011 in 7 languages and held by 1,177 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
A Japanese legend, living dolls in a peach orchard, a deadly snow fairy, a haunted war survivor, Van Gogh painting crows, a terrifying nuclear disater, miserly ogres & a village of watermills; 8 powerful moments revealing human nature from the vivid imagination of Akira Kurosawa