The World of Akira Kurosawa, Japan's "Movie Emperor"

Gao Xiaosong once praised Akira Kurosawa , saying: "The movie has only been born for more than 100 years, and in the past 100 years, people who can be called great film masters can be counted on one hand. And he kept making great movies in his life, and it also inspired film workers all over the world, and made a large number of film directors realize that movies can not only make all kinds of dreams, eat, drink and have fun, not only entertainment, but also If you can make it like this, you can make human nature so profound. "

Spielberg said: "Kurozawa is the Shakespeare in the film industry."

Coppola , the director of Godfather , said: "If I could make a movie with a master, I would rather be an assistant , and the master is Akira Kurosawa."

Marquez said: "Only Kurosawa can adapt "One Hundred Years of Solitude"." After Akira Kurosawa's death, Márquez refused to make this masterpiece into a movie.

Tsui Hark said: "The films I have made in my life are all tributes to Akira Kurosawa."

And Zhang Yimou had the opportunity to see this master with his own eyes, but he said: "I dare not go, in his films In the kingdom, I was just a small person at that time."

Many world-renowned directors have paid tribute to him in their works, such as: Hayao Miyazaki , Johnnie John , "Star Wars" director George Lu Cass etc.

Akira Kurosawa was the first East Asian director to become a world-class master, and the one who made the "Samurai Spirit" a symbol of Japanese culture through his films.

represents Akira Kurosawa, who is the highest director in the East. While making his films acceptable to the audience, he achieves the maximum depth, which many directors cannot do.

His stories are artistic and easy to understand. Although there are few fierce conflicts in his films, the ups and downs of the plot, the integration of rich traditional culture and profound philosophical thinking, and the relaxed and lively tone are both entertaining and will not make people boring at all.

Akira Kurosawa's mentor, Kajiro Yamaki once told him: " People always say that stories are boring, but in fact the story revolves around a good character. If one only cares about the story, and the character of the movie is very flat, then naturally You will find movies boring. "

Akira Kurosawa met two mentors who had a profound influence on him in his life. One was Mr. Ichuan, who discovered his painting talent in middle school; the other was the director Yamamoto. When Akira Kurosawa was his assistant director, he told him that if he wanted to be a director, he should write the script first. That is, from that time on, he began to write the script desperately. is also under the influence of this mentor, he changed the way of reading literary works in the past, specifically, is to seriously think about what the author wants to say, how he said it, and at the same time feel what he feels the most and think it is crucial. The plot is written in a notebook beside him.

Because of the tempering of and in the early years, starting from the first movie he directed, the script of each subsequent movie is basically completed with his participation. Also because of his strong control over the script, the actors in his films are very expressive in their performances, and at the same time he knows every type of work on the set very well, allowing him to continue to make great movies, to some extent. The script is the soul of a movie.

Akira Kurosawa's movie list may not be the best if you look at one item, but on the whole, it has achieved a high level in every aspect.

For example: the composition method similar to painting, the pioneering method of shooting multiple cameras at the same time, the integration of rich traditional culture and profound philosophy, the original fast and cool black editing method, and the unique soundtrack etc. Each of these can be taken out as a proposition for in-depth study, which is the charm of Akira Kurosawa's films.

At the same time, the delicate feeling of and Japanese is vividly reflected in his films. Maybe a cloud, a leaf, a sunbeam are all carefully designed.

The shooting method and dynamic application of Akira Kurosawa's movie

The shooting method of the movie

Akira Kurosawa used the very pioneering method of moving the mirror at that time:

First, the method of shooting with multiple cameras at the same time was used for the first time.

In terms of photography, Akira Kurosawa abandoned the still shots of the Japanese film tradition and began exploring the use of multiple cameras for action scenes in the 1950s. At the same time, the methods of pushing, pulling, shaking, moving, and following are used, and the shooting angles are tilted, tilted, and flat; not only long-range, medium-range, and close-up shots are used, but also a large number of close-up shots are used to express the emotional changes of the characters and increase the drama of the film. .

Akira Kurosawa first used multi-camera filming in Seven Samurai, because it was impossible to predict exactly what would happen in the segment where the bandits attacked the peasant's village in a torrential rain.If you choose to shoot with a traditional one-click, there is no guarantee that every action will be repeated accurately, so Kurosawa uses three cameras at the same time, with good results. So he decided to fully exploit this technology even in scenes with little action in the future.

such as "Records of the Living Man" in 1955 is also used. By the time of " low-level " in 1957, he was basically a scene-by-scene approach. In general, Kurosawa put camera A in the main position, used camera B for short but decisive shots, and used camera C as a mobile unit.

Second, long shot

In Akira Kurosawa's films, you can often see dynamic scenes shot with long shots. Using a telephoto lens to capture action scenes from a distance not only allows them to track the movement over a larger space, but also creates some more intense and chaotic action in the shot.

Nakai Toichi's pioneering telephoto lens technique has become a classic when filming "Seven Samurai". Since the speed of the subject is significantly faster when it moves laterally, the telephoto lens is used to enhance the movement of the front and back scenes. The difference in speed - Against the background of the villagers holding bamboo spears in the foreground, the horse-riding bandits rushing into the village in the background look menacing and especially thrilling. Excerpted from "The Masters of Film and Their Royal Director of Photography"

2. Spatial Sense

In a certain space, use mobile cameras and motion matching clips.

The mobile camera is used to shoot the moving characters, so that the audience's attention can be focused on the characters. At the same time, different scenes, namely long-range, medium-range, close-up, and close-up, are used to enhance the sense of movement.

In addition, the use of some shooting techniques can give a different look and feel to the action. For example, if the same scene is shot with a medium elevation angle, the speed of the characters will speed up, and they will appear to be decisive; on the contrary, if the distant view is depressed, the characters in the lens will appear tired and powerless. The characters in the camera move horizontally and vertically; moving towards the camera and facing away from the camera will give the audience a different feeling.

Dynamic use in movies

In Akira Kurosawa's movies, we will see many dynamic scenes, and Akira Kurosawa has his own set of application methods.

Below we will explain in five aspects.

1. The dynamics of nature, each of his films is based on some kind of natural phenomenon. This kind of natural momentum, and these natural phenomena do not appear for no reason. You will see the downpour of rain, and the momentum of the rain further highlights the insignificance of the characters; and the sky is white and cloudy, giving people a beautiful fantasy that the sky is clear and everything is peaceful, and this fantasy may be foreshadowing The fate of the characters in the film.

The visual effects produced by these pictures, even if the characters are still, the dynamic background still enriches the sense of the picture, and at the same time renders the atmosphere well.

Second, the dynamic of the masses

Akira Kurosawa's movies usually have large groups of people, whether they are assembled in groups or separated, such groups are very cinematic. When you put so many people in the picture, any emotion will be affected by enlarge.

3. Individual dynamic

In addition to advocating that movies should not abandon the sense of picture in the silent film era, Akira Kurosawa is also deeply influenced by drama, so we can see in his movies that his movie pictures have a variety of Similar to the effect of a stage play, actors often have a surreal and exaggerated dynamic arrangement in their performances.

If someone is nervous, they will pace left and right, and if they are angry, they will stand up. If you feel is shy and , girls will cover their faces and squat down.

He often instructs his actors to choose a specific pose for the character. It is then used repeatedly throughout the film, so that the audience can quickly identify the characters and understand their feelings.

Fourth, the dynamic of the camera

One of the characteristics of Akira Kurosawa is his smooth camera movement, from close-up to panoramic, and then to the shoulder shot. All in one shot. But the point is that every shot move is clear, beginning, middle, end. Just the camera movement alone is enough to tell the story.

5. editing in dynamic

Akira Kurosawa is one of the few directors who can edit by himself. One of the reasons why his movies are so smooth is that he likes to insert splicing points into the action. He often pays attention to the movement of a character without noticing the splicing. Every time a scene ends, he changes the rhythm. It often ends with something that is still, and then cuts directly to the moving picture, so switching rhythms, you have to keep your attention at all times, because you can't predict what the next cut point will be.

The plot and philosophical aspects of the movie

Kurosawa's control of the plot and the interpretation and analysis of human nature can be described as in-depth bone marrow, his movies do not pursue intense conflict, emphasizing philosophical thinking and spirit.

Akira Kurosawa is tall and ill-tempered, but his heart is actually very sensitive. He can't put down the theme of humanitarianism all his life, and jokes that he is a "humanitarian weeping ghost".

At the same time, there is something that runs through his films, which is the struggle between good and evil, beauty and ugliness.

He believes that evil in the world has power, good sometimes has power and sometimes lacks power. The reason why evil can be so arrogant and rampant is because good has no power and is empty.

Akira Kurosawa hated, but he also hated that weak good. He believes that such goodness is a breeding ground for evil. What he shows in the movie is a kind of powerful goodness, something he has sung all his life.

Director Tsui Hark Ping once commented: "Most of the characters in Akira Kurosawa's films are activists in a pessimistic life, their values ​​are never polluted by the real society, and the characters in them make sacrifices for higher ideals from time to time. , It is sad, but it always maintains the hope of mankind, and it is a weighty influence."

To watch Akira Kurosawa's films, you also need to understand the background of the times. He lost his self-esteem due to defeat in the war, etc. The respected Japanese images he created in his works, as well as his own international reputation, brought courage to people.That is to say, Akira Kurosawa played a very important role in healing the war wounds of the Japanese," said Nobu Kato, another author of "Akira Kurosawa's Psychopathology".

His humanitarian ideal began in 1943 His " Zisanshiro " reached its peak in 1965's " Red Beard ". During this period, he continued to create a perfect hero image with tenacious vitality. His hero often went alone like a western cowboy, But he does not refuse to "learn", probably because he has to undertake the task of changing the world.

" Akira Kurosawa's works have a kind of heroic humanism similar to Western values. Most of his films focus on depicting an individual's desire to restrain himself and serve the good of others. " (Bodwell language)

His films were born after World War II, when people lacked entertainment, and because of economic difficulties, people's lives were difficult. During this period, Kurosawa's films gave great encouragement to post-war Japan.

However, after the renaissance of Japan, Akira Kurosawa's films are regarded as a product of an old age.

The scholar Audi Bowker has keenly found that "When Akira Kurosawa is more and more global in the treatment of themes Sexuality . Changes in the last era.

"In the era of reconstruction in Japan, in the era before the rapid economic development, Akira Kurosawa emphasized justice and bravery. Today, however, we are living in an age where it is difficult to discern what is right and what is brave, and Akira Kurosawa's eyes are fixed on this dark reality. " Tadao Sato said.

He later had a bad relationship with the film industry, in part because he despised the younger generation for their "reliant, fragile, decadent spirit."

He accused them of failing to take responsibility for the decline of Japanese cinema, as he did during Japan's postwar revival done for the country.

The related movie of Akira Kurosawa

"Tsuri Sanshiro" is the first movie directed by Akira Kurosawa. Once released, it broke the box office record in Japan. In the two films of the movie, the first one beats his own people in the ring, and the second one beats the Americans.

Although this is Akira Kurosawa's first work, this routine has influenced almost all subsequent Asian martial arts films.

"Rashomon"is adapted from two short stories"In the Bamboo Forest"and"Rashomon" by Akutagawa Ryunosuke. This film won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film and the Venice Film Festival Gold The Lion Award, while the film is world-renowned, also allowed the world to recognize Akira Kurosawa and Japanese films for the first time.

The plot of this film is simple. It adopts the technique of three lines running through at the same time, and reveals the ugliness of human nature through the different narrations of the same incident by three people.

Akira Kurosawa's autobiography " Oil of Toads " said the following in response to "Rashomon":

"People do not tell the truth about their own affairs, and when they talk about their own affairs, it is impossible not to add hypocrisy. Decorated with , this script describes the nature of people who cannot live without pretense. It can even be said that people will not give up their pretense even if they die, which shows how deep the sins of people are. This is a picture depicting people The innate sin and the unchangeable nature of people, a wonderful picture scroll that shows people's self-interest.You said that you still do not understand this script, because it describes the human heart is the most incomprehensible. If I focus on the incomprehensibility of the human heart, I think it will be easier to understand the script. "

"Seven Samurai" This film mainly describes the story of Japan's Warring States Period. In order to defend their homes, poor people and seven hired samurai join forces to fight off robbers. This film can be said to be Kurosawa Akira's best one. The work was listed as the No. 1 in the "Top Ten Best Films" in Japanese film history by "Movie Xunbao" magazine. This film fully demonstrated Akira Kurosawa's mirror movement skills, making the war scenes more tense and shocking. At the same time, Akira Kurosawa's humanitarian spirit is fully demonstrated in the work. The portrayal of the seven samurai in the film is also of different personalities, the plot is compact, and it is both entertaining and artistic. Known as the "Movie Emperor", but also known as the tyrant on the set.

Akira Kurosawa justified himself as "putting on a mask of a strong man in order to resist people's distress... I am neither a particularly strong person, nor Not a uniquely gifted person with special talents. I am just a person who is unwilling to show weakness to others, unwilling to lose to others, so I work hard. "

We can see his dedication to movies from his movies, and we also feel the essence of movies from his movies.

Article reference:

"I have been hesitant to have a place for myself"|In memory of Akira Kurosawa

How did Akira Kurosawa create a sense of speed and agility when shooting high-speed shots of people? - The answer of the shadow in the shadow - Knowing how

Akira Kurosawa's lens is used, you will know

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