Takashi Shimura

Ikiru is an extraordinary achievement, one of Kurosawa’s finest for sure. It is an empathetic work of life’s pleasures, sorrows, and everything in between.

Akira Kurosawa is synonymous with Japanese cinema. Virtually any conversation, published article or book surveying the breath of film from the land of the rising sun simply must make at least passing reference to the great master. The sheer volume of his oeuvre, to say nothing of its variety and quality, is staggering. For all the existing critical appraisals of Rashomon, Yojimbo, Seven Samurai and High and Low (but to name a smidgeon of his cherished works),

Gojira (English title: Godzilla) Directed by Ishirô Honda Written by Ishirô Honda and Shigeru Kayama Japan, 1954 Think of films such A Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, Frankenstein, Dracula, King Kong . Each is a horror film featuring a monster or a killer. Each was also made several decades ago. Despite this, people still watch, …