Fron Siinss (dain, eA. Taageenies wn Nowe Lavesawite Something Like an Autobiography: Epilogue AKIRA KUROSAWA InovGH Rasvowoy | was compelled to discover yet another unfortunate aspect of the human personality. This occurred when Rasbomon was shown on television forthe first time a few years ago. The broadcast was accom- panied by an interview with the president of Daiei. I couldn't believe my ears. ‘This man, after showing so much distaste for the project at the outset production, after complaining that the finished film was “incomprehe: ble.” and after demoting the company executive and the producer who had d been boldly pointed directly at the: did he mention my name or the name wa Kazuo, interview, I had the feeling 1 was back in was as ifthe pathetic self-delusions of the ego, those failings I had attempted to portray in the film, were being shown in real life, People indeed have immense difficulty in talking about themselves was reminded once again chat the human animal suffers Thave left out my uglier traits and more or less beatified the rest, In any case, I find myself incapable of continuing to put pen to pape good faith, Rashomon became the gateway for my entry into the interna- and yet as an aurobiographer itis impossible for me stop. Lam a maker of films; films are my true al became of me after Rasbomon the most reasonable procedure would be to look for me in the charac films T made after Rashomon. Although human beings are incapable of talking. about themselves with roral honesty, it is much harder to avoid the truth while pretending to be other people, They often reveal much about them- selves in a very straightforward way. lam certain that I did, There is nothing that says more about its creator than the work itself ‘Reprinted from Sorcbing Like an Ausobigraphy, ans, Aude, Bock (New York: Vintage 1982), 188-89. Copynght © 1962 b, Akira Kuro Reprinted by pennssion of Aled A. Akira Kurosawa Talks about Throne of Blood INTERVIEW WITH TADAO SATO 0; Why did you think of filming Shakespeare's Macbeth? Kurosawa: Well, i i Japan, there are plenty of dents like those portrayed in Macbeth, aren't there? They are gekokujo. [Note by and deprives starting from 1460 is na wood, I was, during the adapta {0 the hag that appears in ieiped Rom a ppeicipe cont New York Translated by Goro ln. Published by52 @ TADAO SATO showing each of the players the photograph of the mask of the Noh that is becoming to the respective role, | that the mask was his own part. To Toshiro Mifune who played the part of Taketoki Washizu [Macbeth], showed the mask named Heida. This was the mask of a warrior. In the scene {in which Mifune is persuaded by his wife to kill his lord, he revealed +o me just the same life-like expression as the mask did, To Isuzu Yamada who acted the role of Asaji [Lady Macbeth} 1 showed the mask named Shakumi. This was the mask of a beauty already not young and represented an image of a woman immediately before she got into the state of craziness, The actress who wears this mask, when she gets angry, changes her mask for the fone whose eyes are golden-colored. This mask represent respect f0 camera wor Osawa: The camera work Wi shots, and the shooting was car the balance of the picture is broken, shoulder gets off the picture, itis ‘Sato: I feel the influence of the traditional art of Japan upon the compo- sition, but Kurosawa: As I had once been a painter, | have seen plenty of the old pic tures of Japan. The way of leaving a large space white and drawing persons and things only on a part of the space is peculiar to Japanese art, isn't ‘The influence of such pictures has deeply penetrated into us, and ‘our special consciousness it comes out spontaneously in our choice of ‘composition. ‘Sato: Did you make your set conscious of the Noh? I think the very room in which Macbeth murders the king well resembles the Noh stage. Yet as it ‘was in the age of civil wars (which i the setting for this film) that the Noh originated, everything might have become a common style of itself GKurosawa Directs a Cinematic Lear INTERVIEW WITH PETER GRILLI K ‘bkosawa: What has always speate gives his characters no. such disastrous effects stood the ferocity of shed his royal power. In Ran I have tied to give Leura history. 1 try clear that his power must rest upon a Foreed to confront the c coaly by confronting his gle again toward virwe. started out to make a film about Motonar lord whose three sons are admired in Japan as pari might theie story the sons had not been so good? was only alter Iwas dbout these imaginary uf rave been unthinkable, performances out of actors, but ''m always pushing them, nudging them to try new or different things. We ‘rehearse a scene or bit of action over and over again, and with each rehearsal et better and better. we rehearse on the set... In costume, work has an onstage tension that vanishes whenever we ty rehearsing o\ ‘cerpied and reprinted om The Sew York Times, 15 December 1985, 1.1.17. Copyight © a ed by permission oo Kurosawa: An Audience with the Emperor INTERVIEW WITH JOHN POWERS very good results. You must ery.” But color films wasn't good e to ke advantage of62 @ JOHN POWERS ley occur. That's what makes me happy about ferent and better than what I conceived. Immaking: to get earlier stage ie of their char director pushes them this way and pushes them that way, they're programmed to do. But when I conceive of the character, it's very important to have that character develop his own life, When he does, then | “ing led around like a puppet by the character. That's where my Notes on Filmmaking AKIRA KUROSAWA fc beauty. It can im for that ale uss somethin, expressed ina 4 moving work. When larly deep emotion w draws people to come and see a that inspires the whole becomes mud (of a por being fired ia a ki its three-part structure: jo (introduc I you devote yourself ful will emerge naturally in you exists nowhere else in the wor sMerile flower. But in a s easiest for people of today ta unk ve forgotten who i wa ences and the various things I have the basis upon which { create soi ing. For this reason, sine notebook handy when 1 Particularly moves me. have vese are what I read. Somewhere they64 © AKIRA KUROSAWA breakthrough. Even for single lines of di ‘norebooks. So what 1 want 10 Say is, ‘down in bed. ing of a scene the director's eye has is does not mean gl isn’t right. Watching somet being aware of it in a natu playwright and theorist Zeami ie Sets and props: and the sets in his films are truly superb, I learned 4 gre bo making from him, and the making of sets fs among the most importa (quality of the set influences the lan of 4 house ani can move abou an actor, "Don’t think about where this room fest of the house," that natural have the sets made exact iB It restricts the shooting, but encourages that the way most pe: is ineffective. But from Drunken Angel onward, music for some key sad scenes, and my way of using music counterpoint of sound a ion of sound and image. FILM CRITICS ON KUROSAWA