Akira Kurosawa’s Legacy Impacts a New Generation of Filmmakers

Hisao Kurosawa Shares his Father’s Legacy with Young Filmmakers Throughout the World

AKIRA Kurosawa, one of the most influential directors in the history of film, will once again shape a new generation of filmmakers through a medium that Kurosawa himself might only have imagined: an online MFA program in digital filmmaking. Like celebrated moviemakers before them, aspiring filmmakers will learn their craft by studying with experts in the field. In addition, they will view hours of never-seen-before footage of Kurosawa himself on the set, allowing students to go behind the scenes and learn visual articulation directly from the master.

Modern directorial giants such as George Lucas, Francis Ford Coppola, Oliver Stone, Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg have all professed to be deeply influenced by the great Kurosawa. Lucas, who along with Coppola, co-produced Kurosawa’s Kagemusha, said, “It’s no secret that I’m a fan of Kurosawa’s work and that his films were a source of inspiration for my own Star Wars saga... He had a tremendous influence on my life, on my work and on my sensitivity to visual storytelling.” Coppola agrees, saying that, “Certain great masters have made a few masterpieces, and in Kurosawa’s case, he made about 10. So, he is almost without comparison.” Stone likens Kurosawa’s presence on a film set to that of “an emperor,” saying, “He walked into a room and people... stopped and they looked.” Scorsese, who acted in Kurosawa’s Dreams, said, “Let me say it simply. Kurosawa was my master and the master of so many filmmakers over the years... Keep him as the example because the body of work is so unique. The development of Kurosawa as an artist and as a great humanist just crosses all barriers — cultural barriers... cinematic barriers... Akira Kurosawa taught us all so much and gave us so much and I congratulate the Anaheim University Akira Kurosawa School of Film... I thank them for paying tribute to a man who was our master, our sensei.” Spielberg, the executive producer of Kurosawa’s Dreams, agrees. “Akira Kurosawa has been a maestro to my entire generation and to every generation of filmmakers who watches movies, are inspired by movies, and learn from movies,” he said. “I have learned more from him than almost any filmmaker on the face of the Earth.”

TJ: When did you first join your father at Kurosawa Production?
HISAO: I think I was 35.

TJ: What was the first film you were involved in?
HISAO: I have always loved movies and when I was young I wanted to be a film director. When I was 26, I directed my first made-for-TV movie called Mata Tabi USA. It was about two guys and one girl traveling through the U.S. We drove from San Francisco to New York while filming it. Then when I was 35 I joined my father at Kurosawa Production on the set of Ran.

TJ: You were a famous musician and a TV personality. Did you enjoy the limelight?
HISAO: No, not really.

The complete article can be found in Issue #277 of the Tokyo Journal. Click here to order from Amazon.