Ep# 87 - Akira Kurosawa in the 60s

For the first half of the 1960s, Akira Kurosawa was arguably at the peak of his career, making masterpiece after masterpiece at a rate that was sure to surpass the heights of his ‘50s glories. But then, after making the most beloved film of his career, he hit a wall. There would be several more great films to come, but for a while there it seemed like the career of one of cinema’s most widely celebrated masters had come to an end.

In this episode, Bart and Jenna discuss what happened to Kurosawa’s second half of the decade, but mostly they relish the opportunity to finally cross off some ‘60s cinema heavy-hitters from their list. From the banging drums of Yojimbo, to the harrowing screams of Red Beard, with some striking and atypical gendai-geki thrillers along the way, the episode is packed with must-see films. Listen as Jenna admires Kurosawa’s artistry but occasionally struggles with his pacing, while Bart rapturously discovers that some old favorites are even better than he remembered.

The following films are discussed:

• The Bad Sleep Well (1960)
悪い奴ほどよく眠る / Warui yatsu hodo yoku nemuru
Directed by Akira Kurosawa
Starring Toshiro Mifune, Masayuki Mori, Kyoko Kagawa

• Yojimbo (1961)
用心棒 / Yôjinbô
Directed by Akira Kurosawa
Starring Toshiro Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Yoko Tsukasa

• Sanjuro (1962)
椿三十郎 / Tsubaki Sanjûrô
Directed by Akira Kurosawa
Starring Toshiro Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Keiju Kobayashi

• High and Low (1963)
天国と地獄 / Tengoku to jigoku
Directed by Akira Kurosawa
Starring Toshiro Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Kyōko Kagawa

• Red Beard (1965)
赤ひげ / Akahige
Directed by Akira Kurosawa
Starring Toshiro Mifune, Yūzō Kayama, Reiko Dan

• Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970)
トラ・トラ・トラ！
Directed by Richard Fleischer, Toshio Masuda & Kinji Fukasaku
Starring So Yamamura, Martin Balsam, Tatsuya Mihashi