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In 1933, Yukitoki Takigawa, a professor of law at Kyoto University, was fired from his position by the Education Board as his theory on criminal law was considered Marxist. The accusations had started a movement consisting of students and members of university staff in support of Takigawa, whose firing was supposed to suppress the protest, but eventually resulted in the opposite. The event which is known as the Kyoto University Incident marks the narrative center of Akira Kurosawa‘s sixth feature, which looks at three students whose life take a different turn following the events at their university. While obviously influenced by the political climate following World War II, “No Regrets For Our Youth” is a dramatic portrayal of a generation marked by war and their future as well as the shifting dynamics within a society shook by the events of the last years.

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Shōgunseason 1has ended, and the disparity of where to get a good dose of samurai drama can be a challenge. There is a wealth of media, mainly from Japan, that fans can watch that echoes the drama, splendor, tragedy, and intensity of this feudal culture of warriors, which has excited audiences within cinema for decades.

From wild anime and incredible live-action epics to the original adaptation of Shōgun, the variety can be endless, so to narrow it down a little, having a broad-stroke variety that covers some dramatic bases that this year's Shōgun is in good order. Many die-hard fans may find a favorite or two missing. However, these films and shows provide a kaleidoscope of media that can inform and excite audiences about the history and culture uncovered in Shōgun.

Updated February 15, 2025, by Anthony Jeanetta. The samurai genre remains a reliable producer of quality content, from anime to live-action movie classics.

Although by 1945 Akira Kurosawa had directed three features already, his fourth project may be considered his “true” first feature. While “Sanshiro Sugata” and “The Most Beautiful” certainly contain elements, scenes and characters which are of note, their status as essentially pro-Japanese propaganda holds them back from fulfilling their true potential, especially since Kurosawa had to obey the rules set by the Japanese censors at the time. However, with “The Men Who Tread on the Tiger’s Tail”, an adaptation of the famous kabuki play “Kanjincho” and the Noh play “Ataka”, Kurosawa finally gets rid of these aforementioned elements, although the film was met with some difficulty upon its release, first by Japanese censors and later on the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces. Nevertheless, this tale of deception and hierarchy is an impressive show of skill from the director who would go on to make some of the most influential and...

At the beginning of his career, director Akira Kurosawa had to do many propaganda features, such as “Sanshiro Sugata” and “The Most Beautiful”. While he did manage to simultaneously shape his unique voice and style as a filmmaker, there is not denying both of these films carry a heavy pro-Japan message. The same goes for the sequel to his first feature, “Sanshiro Sugata”, which sees actor Susumu Fujita reprising his role of the famous judo fighter, whose story spawned a slew of similar movies and proved to be quite influential. When approaching “Sanshiro Sugata Part II” you should be wary of the more than obvious message behind some of the images and the plot points, but at the same time notice the underlying themes of humanity in the story of the hero, as he is confronted yet again with the downside of his fame of a fighter.

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Arrow Video floors us with yet another well-curated Japanese masterpiece. For practical purposes, this disc might represent the Western premiere of Tomu Uchida’s three-hour ‘crime and punishment’ saga. Unfolding like a novel and filmed with an unusually gritty visual scheme called ‘the Toei W106 method,’ the story’s timeline is split between 1947 and 1957. It has a strong postwar social statement to make, but the overriding theme is one of spiritual Karma, and the function of guilt in imperfect humans. Several of the actors are just unforgettable, especially Rentarô Mikuni, Junzaburô Ban, and Ken Takakura.

A Fugitive from the Past

Blu-ray

Arrow Video

1965 / B&w / 2:35 widescreen / 183 min. / Street Date September 27, 2022 / Kiga kaikyô, Straits of Hunger / Available from Amazon / 39.95

Starring: Rentarô Mikuni, Sachiko Hidari, Ken Takakura, Junzaburô Ban, Kôji Mitsui, Yoshi Katô, Susumu Fujita, Akiko Kazami, Rin’ichi Yamamoto, Tadashi Suganuma.

Cinematography: Hanjirô Nakazawa

Special Effects: Sadao Uemura

Art Director: Mikio Mori...

Akira Kurosawa’s directorial debut is based on the homonymous novel by Tsuneo Tomita, the son of prominent judoka Tsunejiro Tomita, with the main character drawing from Shiro Saigo, one of the earliest disciples of Judo, a martial art that was originally created by Jigoro Kano. The film revolves around the challenges Sanshiro Sugata faces, both from himself and from opponents, in his effort to prove judo’s superiority over traditional jujitsu techniques. Gennosuke Higaki, the “villain” in the story, is also based on a real-life fighter, Mataemon Tanabe, who is considered one of the greatest modern jujutsuka.

As usually in my reviews of the classics, I will focus on presenting a contemporary look on the film, as I feel that the writings about such films by people with much more knowledge than me in the particular era have analyzed the film as thoroughly as possible.

On a second note,...

8 Actors Who Can Be The Next Spider-Man

We’re not even a year removed from The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and already Sony and Marvel are exploring new options on who could be the next webslinger. And we already have some insight that the next Spider-Man is going back to high school, and Dylan O’Brien (The Maze Runner) and Logan Lerman (Fury) are on Sony’s short list… read the full article.

Five Film Composers that Hollywood Needs Back

Hollywood has no shortage of talented composers crafting mostly serviceable tunes for the next young adult literary adaptation or prestige awards tearjerker. But for every auteur like Hans Zimmer and John Williams, you have musical yes men pounding out ominous notes in anticipation of the next horror movie jump scare or making ratatat noise to underscore a superhero chase scene. The film world screams for diverse sounds, but is often left...

Sanshiro Sugata

Written by Akira Kurosawa and Tomita Tsuneo

Directed by Akira Kurosawa

Japan, 1943

Akira Kurosawa’s feature length debut opens with a wandering young man named Sanshiro Sugata (Susumu Fujita) arriving into town where he aspires to earn a place under the tutelage of a great jujitsu master. Shortly thereafter Sanshiro learns first-hand that his would be instructors are perhaps not all they are cracked to be. Their attempt to rustle a rival sensei’s feathers, Shogoro Yano (Denjiro Okochi) is ill fated, as Yano handles each attacker with the greatest of ease. Much to Sanshiro’s surprise, the victor of the contest practices judo rather than jujitsu. Under the auspices of Yano’s strict but just guidance, as well as through the trials and tribulations and a martial arts tournament, that Sanshiro will learn to control his bustling energy, channeling it to become a better, more composed human being.

The Hidden Fortress

Written by Ryûzô Kikushima, Hideo Oguni, Shinobu Hashimoto, and Akira Kurosawa

Directed by Akira Kurosawa

Japan, 1958

By the time Akira Kurosawa’s The Hidden Fortress was released in 1958, it was more or less settled that the Japanese filmmaker — the only Japanese filmmaker most average moviegoers had heard of at that point — was among the world’s best. This was after Rashomon, after Ikiru, and after The Seven Samurai. Kurosawa’s talent was beyond question, and his global cinematic prominence was growing. However, his last three films, while positively received by critics, did not do so well with audiences. He needed something that would combine quality with commercial success. “A truly good movie is really enjoyable, too,” he once said. “There’s nothing complicated about it.” He would meet this condition with The Hidden Fortress, out now on a new Criterion Collection Blu-ray/DVD combo. While not containing the narrative innovation,...

Following the release of the Samurai Collection last year, the BFI are now releasing a new DVD box set of films by legendary Japanese auteur Akira Kurosawa. Featuring six of his early films – all of which pre-date his 1948 Drunken Angel – the box-set offers a range of genre and content, providing a fascinating insight into Kurosawa’s development as a director and the influence of wartime propaganda on Japanese cinema.

Sanshiro Sugata (1943)

The first film of the set, Sanshiro Sugata is set in 1882 and follows the eponymous Sugata (Susumu Fujita) as he joins sensei Shogoro Yano (Denjiro Okochi) to learn Judo; a controversial decision, as the new martial art was seen to be supplanting the older art of Jujutsu. During the course of his training, Sugata must learn to control his ambition and temper, as well as to respect others, if he is to master judo and defeat the jujutsu followers...

Grades: Sanshiro Sugata: B+; The Most Beautiful: B-; Sanshiro Sugata, Part Two: B; The Men Who Tread On The Tiger’s Tail: B+ Early in Akira Kurosawa’s 1943 directorial debut, Sanshiro Sugata, hero Susumu Fujita spends a night in a pond, clutching a stake to keep his head above water. Fujita, a young judo devotee with a bad habit of picking fights, is desperate to convince his sensei that he’s willing to change his ways, but apart from brute determination, he has no comprehension of how to take the next step on the path. Then, in the morning ...

Over the last few years my interest in Akira Kurosawa has grown and grown, but it isn't as if I have been familiar with his work for all that long. It wasn't until August 25, 2007 that I saw my first Kurosawa film, and just as I assume to be the same for many before and after me, that film was Seven Samurai. I enjoyed it and began my exploration into Kurosawa using that film as my starting point. Since that day in August I have seen twelve more of Kurosawa's features and with Criterion's recent Eclipse release titled "The First Films of Akira Kurosawa" I have added four more to that tally.

This was my first time watching one of Criterion's Eclipse releases, which seem to primarily dedicate themselves to ensuring lesser known films from well known directors never die, and while they don't get the full Criterion treatment they will live on.