Famous Japanese Filmmaker Dies
The internationally acclaimed director of epics such as The Seven Samurai and Rashomon, Akira Kurosawa, died at his home Sunday at the age of 88.
The cause of death was not immediately known.
Kurosawa, known as The Emperor for his perfectionism and extravagance, was one of the few Japanese directors to find fame on international screens. His work inspired a generation of directors both in Japan and in the United States.
The Cannes Film Festival honored Kurosawa with a special trophy for achievement upon the debut of his 28th film, Ran, in 1985.
 A scene from 1950's 'Rashomon' |
Kurosawa's Rashomon received the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film in 1951, and his 1975 film, the bleakly lovely Siberian-set Dersu Uzala, brought him his second Oscar. He was awarded a special Oscar in 1990 for his half-century career in filmmaking.
"Take 'myself,' subtract 'movies,' and the remainder is 'zero,'" the director once wrote. His themes often asserted the value of the warrior spirit, humanist ideals and the urgency of self-sacrifice, even if futile.
Critics found that his innovative style celebrated for its elaborate detail and sweeping camera movements influenced films from George Lucas' Star Wars to Brian DePalma's Scarface.
 A scene from the 1954 Epic 'The Seventh Samurai' |
Kurosawa's films include The Seven Samurai (1954), Throne of Blood" (1957), Yojimbo (1961), and Kagemusha, or Shadow Warrior (1980).
Several of Kurosawa's films were remade in America into hit Westerns The Seven Samurai was the basis for The Magnificent Seven. CBS News Correspondent Barry Petersen reports that director Steven Spielberg said of the movie, The Seven Samurai, "It was love at first sight".
Born in Tokyo in 1910 to a family that had held samurai rank, Kurosawa was the youngest of eight children of a military school administrator.
He turned to the cinema after failing to get into art school and tiring of poverty as a painter. In 1936 he stumbled onto a film studio's advertisement aking people to audition for an assistant directorship. He tried out and got it.
At age 33 he directed his first film, Sanshiro Sugata (The Judo Saga). It was a hit in wartime Japan, but Kurosawa's vision conflicted with some nationalist sentiments and drew heated attacks from the military.
His work did not win much applause outside Japan until Rashomon received the Academy Award.
Kurosawa is survived by a son, Hisao, and daughter, Kazuko. Two private family ceremonies have been scheduled at his home, a wake on Monday and a funeral on Tuesday.
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