…and by “Modern-Day” we mean that, while Akira Kurosawa is best known for period pieces, in this episode we’re checking out a couple of instances where the film is set in the present day. They have something else in common, too, but you’re just going to have to listen to the episode to find out what that is.
So the first film we have loaded into the projector is Stray Dog, from 1949 and starring the crown jewel of the Mighty Kurosawa Art Players, Toshiro Mifune, along with Takashi Shimura and Keiko Awaji.
(She’s mentioned here mostly because Claude used to own a dog named Keiko, and she had to be put down a few years ago this very week. It’s still a sore subject.)
(But make no mistake, she’s very good in the role as the girlfriend of a disgruntled veteran played by Isao Kimura.)
After that, we move on to 1963 and a film called High and Low (in America; the literal translation of the title is Heaven and Hell). This one stars Toshiro Mifune (surprise!), Tatsuya Nakadai and Kyōko Kagawa. It starts with some corporate intrigue in which you thought you’d never be interested. But then it moves into a taut thriller that will have you gobbling down the rest of your popcorn without realizing it.
COMING ATTRACTIONS:
In our next episode we also concentrate on a single director. This time around it’s Robert Altman. First up is Nashville, from 1975. Much like his earlier M*A*S*H, it’s several stories looking for a movie, but it’s a ton of fun. Then it’s 1993’s Short Cuts, which is also multiple storylines but they manage to intersect in odd and interesting ways.