Celebrating Akira Kurosawa at 100

Akira Kurosawa (1910-1998) was one of the greatest filmmakers of all-time and yet, I’d bet most people have never even heard of him. That’s a shame, because his long and extremely accomplished career has produced some of the most beautiful, most influential films the world has ever seen. Viewing, no… experiencing Kurosawa films such as RASHOMAN, IKIRU, RAN or THRONE OF BLOOD are simply a necessity of life, something that must be done before one dies. Period.

Filmmakers across the globe have drawn endless inspiration from Kurosawa’s work, including the Hollywood remake of SEVEN SAMURAI (THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN), the spaghetti western remake YOJIMBO (FISTFUL OF DOLLARS) by Italian filmmaker Sergio Leone and even George Lucas himself has cited Kurosawa’s THE HIDDEN FORTRESS as the inspiration for his creating C3PO and R2-D2.

So, with such a powerhouse of cinematic prowess and one of my top 3 favorite filmmakers of all-time, it’s certainly a cause to celebrate Akira Kurosawa’s centennial. This is why I am proud to announce that the Webster University Film Series — right here in my hometown of Saint Louis, Missouri — will be presenting 17 of Kurosawa’s incredible films over a one month period beginning today, July 2… all on glorious new 35mm prints, some of which recently restored!

Check out this basic full schedule here, but be sure to visit the Webster Film Series’ website
for more information on tickets and short synopsis of the films.

Ran — July 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 @ 7:30 pm (1985, Japan, 160 min)

Drunken Angel — July 9 @ 7:30 pm (1948, Japan, 98 min.)

Stray Dog — July 10 @ 7:30 pm (1949, Japan, 122 min.)

Rashomon — July 11 @ 7:30 pm (1950, Japan, 88 min.)

Ikiru — July 12 @ 7:30 pm (1952, Japan, 143 min.)

The Seven Samurai — July 16 @ 7:30 pm (1954, Japan, 207 min.)

I Live In Fear — July 17 @ 7:30 pm (1955, Japan, 103 min.)

Throne Of Blood — July 18 @ 7:30 pm (1957, Japan, 107 min.)

The Lower Depths — July 19 @ 7:30 pm (1957, Japan, 125 min.)

Hidden Fortress — July 23 @ 7:30 pm (1958, Japan, 139 min.)

The Bad Sleep Well — July 24 @ 7:30 pm (1960, Japan, 150 min.)

High and Low — July 25 @ 7:30 pm (1963, Japan, 142 min)

Red Beard — July 26 @ 7:30 pm (1965, Japan, 185 min.)

Yojimbo — July 30 @ 7:30 pm (1961, Japan, 110 min.)

Sanjuro — July 31 @ 7:30 pm (1962, Japan, 96 min.)

Kagemusha — August 1 @ 7:30 pm (1980, Japan, 162 min.)

Dreams — August 2 @ 7:30pm (1990, Japan, 119 min.)