He may not have lived to see 100, but his films will see 1000 and beyond.
This coming 23rd of March would have been Akira Kurosawa's 100th birthday. The master died in 1998, but his films continue to fascinate and enthrall entire generations of people who may not have even heard of him until after his death. Should you find yourself realizing that you haven't seen enough from Kurosawa's filmography, you're in luck—Turner Classic Movies is planning a hell of a centennial.
For the month of March beginning the 9th, TCM will air five of Kurosawa's films every Tuesday, with a 24-hour marathon on his birthday. 26 films in total are involved, which covers nearly all of Akira Kurosawa's body of work. 25, technically, since Sanshiro Sugata is split into two parts.
Yes, these are the same 25 movies in Criterion's AK 100 DVD box set released back in December. You can buy that amazing set
You'll find a listing of the movies below. First, here is a spot they created for the event.
SCHEDULE
March 9
Ikiru
Throne of Blood
The Hidden Fortress
Hakuchi
The Lower Depths
March 16
The Bad Sleep Well
High and Low
Red Beard
I Live in Fear
Scandal
March 23
Sanshiro Sugata
The Most Beautiful
The Man Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail
Sanshiro Sugata Part 2
No Regrets for Our Youth
One Wonderful Sunday
Drunken Angel
Stray Dog
Rashomon
Seven Samurai
Yojimbo
Sanjuro
Dodes 'Ka-Den
March 30
Dersu Uzala
Kagemusha
Ran
(Note: Cheeky as they are, TCM programmed Peter Brook's King Lear to air right after Ran. For comparison's sake?)
Some of these movies are pretty hard to get, so this is especially a big treat to Kurosawa fans who have never seen his work beyond the obvious greatness of his samurai movies. I haven't seen about a third of these myself, so I'll be waiting for this programming block eagerly. Let's just hope my DVR's hard drive is big enough.
