Kurosawa Retrospective, Lumiere Cinemas
Kurosawa Retrospective
Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai Returns to Cinemas - One Week only!
One of the most thrilling movie epics of all time returns to the Lumiere with a spectacular 4K restoration to commemorate its 70th anniversary.
Now’s your chance to see Akira Kurosawa’s enduring masterpiece on the big screen like never before.
SEVEN SAMURAI tells the story of a sixteenth-century village whose desperate inhabitants hire the eponymous warriors to protect them from invading bandits. This blockbuster journey from master director Akira Kurosawa – featuring legendary actors Toshiro Mifune and Takashi Shimura – seamlessly weaves delicate human emotions and relentless action into a rich, entertaining and unforgettable tale of courage and hope....
“A cinematic masterpiece … Its power is undiminished.”
J. Hoberman, The New York Times
“[Seven Samurai] inspired endless imitations, but the original has lost none of its magic … The glorious vigour and strength of this film is presented with such theatrical relish and flair: its energy flashes out of the screen like a sword.”
Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
“A monolith of world cinema, an exciting action spectacle that doesn’t waste a minute of its three-and-a-half-hour running time … The scope of its human comedy, tragedy, generosity, compassion—and all the grace notes in between—contains multitudes.”
Matthew Thrift, BFI
In addition to SEVEN SAMURAI a collection of 8 Akira Kurosawa classics are also returning to the Lumiere in new 2K and 4K restorations. Strictly Limited Engagement
Screenings between October 24th to December 10th
Akira Kurosawa is widely considered one of the best and most influential directors of the 20th century. His cinematic vision, approach to life, reality, fantasy, truth and the creative influence on world cinema is an essential horizon to be explored for any film enthusiast. In his films, this renowned Japanese filmmaker blended the ancient traditions of Japan with a distinctively modern, Western twist—very much like postwar Japan itself.
Kurosawa started his career as a painter but became one of the colossal figures in film history. He transformed the camera into his very own canvas. Akira Kurosawa made his directorial debut with ‘Sanshiro Sugata’ (1943). 50 years later, he ended his career with his final film ‘Madadayo’ (1993). In a career spanning over five decades, he directed thirty movies.
The Schedule
The Retrospective CURTAIN DROPPER : Ikiru (1952)
We couldn't be happier at the tail end and edging to Christmas than to present a gift for you soul from Akira Kurosawa and Ikiru . Akira Kurosawa will forever be associated with samurai action films, and the magnetic presence of Toshiro Mifune, an image so indelible that it has, sadly, overshadowed much of the director’s quieter, though equally memorable films. Completed after Rashomon and before Seven Samurai, Ikiru is his gentlest and most contemplative work; Ikiru means ‘to live’, and this warmly compassionate tale raises the question of what it means to live, and to die. On learning that he is terminally ill, civil servant Mr Watanabe (Takashi Shimura) resolves to bring some meaning to a life he feels has been wasted. Ikiru, which culminates with one of the most profoundly moving sequences in all cinema, is an enduring humanist masterpiece.
