Akira Kurosawa is rightfully considered one of the most significant and influential directors in the entire history of cinema. His work had a beneficial effect not only on the development of Japanese cinema, but also on the formation of world cinema.
Akira Kurosawa's works are both innovative and classic films in terms of composition and storytelling. They combined both innovative notes and deep oriental wisdom. Critics and film experts consider this director and screenwriter to be the one who made the most significant step towards rapprochement between the West and the East, surpassing all politicians in the world put together.
Biography of Akira Kurosawa
Akira Kurosawa was born into a large Japanese family in the spring of 1910. His mother was engaged only in home and family, and his father - a former military man and director of a secondary school - was a breadwinner, but found time for the cultural and aesthetic development of his offspring. The boy studied at his father's school with a military and sports bias, but in addition to these sciences, he mastered several more areas:
- literature,
- visual arts,
- Japanese and world culture.
Akira Kursoava was most successful in his youth in drawing. Several of his paintings have even been nominated for a national award. This prompted the young man to enter the art school, but he was rejected. Akira could not find his path for a long time, he worked as an assistant at a small film studio. It was during this period of his life that he was fascinated by cinema and everything connected with it.
Akira Kurosawa's career as a director and screenwriter
The choice of a career path was also significantly influenced by Akira's older brother, Heigo. He was closely associated with the world of cinema, but while still very young, he committed ritual suicide. Akira decided to continue his activities. Directing was not part of the young man's plans, he was more attracted to the profession of a screenwriter.
The mentor of the future genius of cinema was the Japanese director Yamamoto Kajiro. It was under his leadership that Kurosawa took his first steps - he shot most of the scenes in the film "Horse". Akira's career growth was unhurried, but almost all of his paintings (over 30) won the most prestigious world and national awards. Ironically, the director received the greatest popularity outside his homeland.
Akira Kurosawa's personal life
Kurosawa's only wife is Japanese film actress Yaguchi Yoko. Together they lived their entire lives, in marriage they had two children - a son Hisao in 1945 and a daughter Kazuko in 1954. It was his family that was his main support when the financial and creative crisis pushed Kurosawa to commit suicide, and he tried to open his veins.
Fortunately, the wife managed to prevent suicide, and the legendary director Akira Kurosawa gave the world many more movie masterpieces that are still popular and discussed, cause admiration and controversy. Kurosawa died in 1998. The cause of death was a stroke.
