I published a new In the Frame piece at The Escapist this evening. Since The Escapist is a video game website, and since Ghost of Tsushima was released this weekend, I thought I’d take a look at one of the big influences on that smash hit video game.
Akira Kurosawa directed far more than samurai films, but his samurai films made an indelible mark on popular culture. Even more than half-a-century removed from most of them, Kurosawa’s samurai films remain vibrant and vital. Part of this is down to their complexity; they are at once Japanese and universal, they draw from Old Hollywood while also inspiring New Hollywood, they codify the samurai archetype while also deconstructing it. Kurosawa’s films bristle with compelling contradictions and perfect paradoxes, demonstrating a richness that endures to this day.
You can read the piece here, or click the picture below.
Filed under: On Second Thought | Tagged: akira kurosawa, japanese films, samurai, the emperor | Leave a comment »
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