The writerdirector steven okazaki is a fan of the late japanese actor toshiro mifune, and rightly so. Okazaki goes indepth on a handful of films mostly the ones directed by kurosawa, and only about a third of those, and covers the major details of mifunes personal and business relationships in the broadest strokes. He appeared in nearly 170 films, but his most compelling work was with director akira kurosawa with whom he made 16 films in 18 years. A featurelength documentary about the life and films of legendary actor toshiro mifune. He is best known for his 16film collaboration 194865 with akira kurosawa in such works as rashomon, seven samurai, the hidden fortress, throne of blood, and yojimbo. Nearly 20 years after his death and in the runup to his centenary, toshiro mifune remains a true giant of japanese cinema. He is from a humble farm in hiroshima who must protect his family. You can watch this full movie free with english subtitles on movie television channels, renting the dvd or with vod services video on demand player, hulu and ppv pay per view, netflix. With wataru akashi, kyoko kagawa, takeshi kato, hisao kurosawa. The last samurai, a new documentary directed by the oscar winning director steven okazaki days of waiting, unfinished business, produced by.
Other icons of cinema, including steven spielberg and martin scorsese. Together they thrilled audiences and influenced filmmaking. Through interviews with friends, family and colleagues, this film reveals the man and his influences. He is known for his incredible collaborations with akira kurosawa 19101998.
The last samurai is a documentary that vainly searches for and never apprehends the ineffable. Mifunes sidste sang, mifunes last song is a 1999 romantic comedy film, it is the third film to be made according to the dogme 95 group rules. The last samurai is less a comprehensive overview of the actors life than it is an analysis of what that life meant. Toshiro mifune 192097 was the most prominent actor of japans golden age of cinema in the 1950s and 60s.
It is one of the finest films, with a range of human emotion from humor to tragedy, and in its individual characterization,it is far superior to the magnificent seven which is based on it, the samurai or the last samurai. He also portrayed miyamoto musashi in hiroshi inagakis samurai trilogy and one. Longtime documentary filmmaker steven okazaki tells the iconic actors story with the help of those who knew him and others who knew of him, like steven spielberg and martin scorsese, in mifune. The last samurai official trailer 1 2016 documentary this story revolves around a japanese samurai known as mifune. The last samurai provides an interesting look at mifunes personal life, one defined by a love of strong drink, cars and playing cards. Okazaki cleverly kept his camera on mifune as samurai, the last samurai, which is slightly misleading. That his closest competitor in this regard is a fictional charactergodzillais a point humorously made in mifune. The last samurai, a documentary on the actor directed by steven okazaki and narrated by keanu reeves the script is by okazaki and stuart galbraith iv got off on a somewhat bad foot for me. Cowritten by stuart galbraith and helmed by steven okazaki, mifune.
In the seven samurai by akira kurosawa, mifune played a bogus samurai of peasant origins. The last samurai, a new film by academy awardwinning filmmaker steven okazaki, explores the accidental movie career of toshiro mifune, one of the true giants of world cinema. The last samurai, also known as mifune, is a 2015 biographical documentary directed by steven okazaki. The final battle is one of the most powerful on film. Download here the story revolves around japanese samurai known as mifune.
The last samurai reveals him as a formidable and mercurial talent, both onscreen and off, and offers rare insights into his background that draw intriguing parallels with lee marvin. This documentary about japans greatest film actor doesnt start off with a flourish of praise and clips from the life and work of toshiro mifune 19201997, legendary for his portrayals of samurai and other madmen. The last samurai cowritten by dvd talks own stuart galbraith iv pays tribute to the late actor, combining the words of friends, relatives, and contemporaries with a generous assortment of popular and littleseen film and tv clips that feature the actor doing what he does best. A featurelength documentary about the life and films of legendary actor toshiro mifune, weaving together film clips, archival stills, and interviews with such luminaries as steven spielberg and martin scorsese. The last samurai 2015 trailer legendary actor toshiro mifune helped revitalize japanese cinema after world war ii. Mifune made 16 remarkable films with director akira kurosawa during the golden age of japanese cinema, including rashomon, seven samurai and yojimbo.
H iroshi inagakis the samurai trilogy gave toshiro mifune one of his most important starring roles, as musashi miyamoto, a masterless, wandering samurai whose skill with a sword is so great no one can match him. The journey that is mifune is rooted in his birth and childhood in japaneseoccupied china, his drafting into world war ii to instruct kamikaze pilots, many. The last samurai stars keanu reeves, steven spielberg, martin scorsese the movie has a runtime of about 1 hr 20 min, and received a score of out of 100 on. The last samurai, and perhaps of any successful documentary about cinema history, is that it makes you want to run out and see the movies all over again. Together they thrilled audiences and influenced filmmaking around the world, providing direct inspiration for not only the magnificent seven and sergio leone and clint eastwoods breakthrough, a. But he, like any serious devotee of a movie star, wants to know what made the man shine on celluloid. The last samurai 2016 11252016 us documentary 1h 20m user score. The last samurai is a perfectly serviceable documentary on the great japanese actor toshir mifune if you arent looking for any information you couldnt find on the mans wikipedia page. The last samurai, opens with a series of clips and photographs of toshiro mifune, the scowlingeyed japanese actor who became, in effect, the worlds first action star.
A whole new wave emerged with kurosawas masterpieces, rashomon and the seven samurai, in the early 1950s. He was a muse for one of the greatest filmmakers of the 20th century, a beacon for. The last samurai, a new documentary by steven okazaki, oscar winner for his 1991 short days of waiting. He was with a modest farm in hiroshima, who must protect his family from another attack america.
I, like most film lovers, am quite familiar with the great toshiro mifune and his many brilliant performances. A celebration of the greatest actor from the golden age of japanese cinema. The last samurai is a celebration of the originality and influence of the japanese star toshiro mifune 19201997, shown as a rare actor capable of the subtlest stoicism and the. Yet the doc fails to provide any trenchant analysis of these seminal films. The decline of rerun houses and japanese film retrospectives may have dimmed the memory of an extraordinary actor. The last samurai handles its complex titular subject in a more inquisitive nature rather than an illuminated stance.
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