BELCOURT PRESENTS KUROSAWA SERIES
June 24, 2010 by filmnashville
Filed under Nashville Film News
One of the greatest filmmakers in the history of cinema..
Kurosawa Centennial
All Summer Long
In conjunction with the 85th Anniversary of the theatre and 10th Anniversary of the non-profit organization formed to save it, we’re happily allowing ourselves to be bested by master Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa who would have been 100 years old this spring. Of his thirty films, twelve are represented here in no certain order: a cross-section of early genre work, post-war themed drama, film noir and all-out action.
RED BEARD
Sat-Mon, June 26-28.Toshiro Mifune, in his last role for the director, gives a powerhouse performance as a dignified yet empathic doctor in Kurosawa’s grand testament to the goodness of humankind.
THE BAD SLEEP WELL
Sat-Mon, July 3-5. A young executive hunts down his father’s killer in this scathing critique of the corrupt boardrooms of postwar corporate Japan which combines elements of Hamlet and film noir to chilling effect.
DODES KA’DEN
Sat-Mon, July 10-12…new 35mm Print! – By turns tragic and transcendent, the unforgettable DODES KA’DEN was made at a tumultuous moment in Kurosawa’s life and all of his hopes, fears, and artistic passion are on fervent display in this, his gloriously shot first color film.
SANSHIRO SUGATA and THE MEN WHO TREAD ON THE TIGER’S TAIL
Wednesday, July 14th at 7pm – –Early Kurosawa 16mm Double Feature! Two Films for the Price of One!— Mid-series would be as good a time as any to stop for a quick reference to the formative stages of Kurosawa’s career, a fertile period with fascinating first glimpses of recurring themes and images.
STRAY DOG
Fri-Mon, July 16-19…new 35mm Print! – Starring Toshiro Mifune as the rookie cop, and Takashi Shimura as the seasoned detective who keeps him on the right side of the law, STRAY DOG goes beyond a crime thriller, probing the squalid world of postwar Japan and the nature of the criminal mind.
SEVEN SAMURAI
Sat-Mon, July 24-26 – This is the story of a sixteenth-century village whose desperate inhabitants hire the eponymous warriors to protect them from invading bandits. This three-hour ride seamlessly weaves philosophy and entertainment, delicate human emotions and relentless action into a rich, evocative, and unforgettable tale of courage and hope.
I LIVE IN FEAR
Sat-Mon, July 31-Aug 2 – An elderly, stubborn businessman (Mifune) is so fearful of a nuclear attack that he resolves to move his reluctant family to South America. With this mournful film, the director depicts a society emerging from the shadows but still terrorized by memories of the past and anxieties for the future.
DRUNKEN ANGEL
Sat-Mon, Aug 7-9 – In this powerful early noir, Toshiro Mifune bursts onto the screen (his first role for Kurosawa) as a volatile, tubercular criminal who strikes up an unlikely relationship with Takashi Shimura’s jaded physician.
IKIRU
Sat-Mon, Aug 7-9 – Considered by some to be Kurosawa’s greatest achievement, IKIRU presents the director at his most compassionate —affirming life through Kanji Watanabe, an aging bureaucrat with stomach cancer forced to strip the veneer off his existence and find meaning in his final days.
SEEKING CO-WRITER FOR A COMEDY SCRIPT –
I have an idea for a comedy, but my background is music business, so scriptwriting is a new world for me. I am seeking someone in the greater Nashville, TN area with which to write. Please contact me at kwkirton@yahoo.com if that is you, and you are interested in co-writing a movie script or might know someone who would be interested. Thank you.