Worst Kurosawa Film?
 

Okay, so I'm a huge fan of Kurosawa and have enjoyed every film I've seen by him. My current viewed list is: Rashomon, Dreams, The Hidden Fortress, Seven Samurai, Ikiru, Yojimbo, and Sanjuro. I recorded Red Beard and Throne of Blood a few weeks ago when they were on TCM and ordered Rhapsody in August, but haven't gotten a chance to sit down and watch them yet. However, I've become curious as to what people consider to be his worst film. A friend suggested Rhapsody in August as his worst but some people have listed Hidden Fortress, which just seems stupid. So, what would you guys consider the worst Kurosawa film?

Re: Worst Kurosawa Film?
 

I was lukewarm on Throne of Blood when I saw it but, looking back now, I only remember the good stuff (traipsing through the eerie fog, sneaking around the fortress at night to whack Duncan, Lady Macbeth bugging out, moving the Spider Web forest, Mifune full of arrows) and now I want to watch it again. I also find stretches of Seven Samurai to be a bit tedious, but it's a very enjoyable three and a half hour long movie. Maybe Kurosawa never made a worst Kurosawa film. I still have to watch a lot of the deeper cuts

My favorites are High and Low and Rashomon

Re: Worst Kurosawa Film?
 

Dodes'ka-den (どですかでん) is the one I find the least-satisfying and the most-difficult to get all the way through, although I've watched it three times so far in an attempt to think better of it. It's basically a modern-day slice-of-life film where the major interest is seeing Kurosawa work in color for the first time.

http://www.cinelogue.com/images/148.jpg

Re: Worst Kurosawa Film?
 

Sanshiro Sugata Part 2 is definitely his worst if any. It's the only one I've seen that I haven't liked/loved. Bad visuals, bad script, feels like a studio baby instead of an actual project, stuff like that.

Re: Worst Kurosawa Film?
 

mmmm I'm a pretty big Kurosawa fan too, Throne of Blood is favourite of mine, might even list it in an upcoming 100 greatest movies list I'm working on. The worst of his flicks, I'd go with Dodeska den, it's an odd movie iwth an odd assortment of characters who I never truly liked.

Re: Worst Kurosawa Film?
 

Okay, so I have two people saying Dodeska den and that also seems to be the consensus of most people in the internet world too. I've also heard Rhapsody in August is his worst but I'm too lazy to find out right now, ha ha.

Re: Worst Kurosawa Film?
 

Wow, such an old thread. This was the whole reason I joined the site in the first place. Okay, I've now see 13 Kurosawa films: including Rhapsody in August and Dodeska-den. At this current moment, I'd say Rhapsody is his weakest film (not exactly bad, just his weakest). I really enjoyed Dodeska-den, it was like Gummo if it was directed by a competent director and written by someone who wasn't getting high on the smell of his own farts.

Re: Worst Kurosawa Film?
 

That doesn't make it sound good, but I'm one of the ones who mentioned it. :)

I've just seen an old post of mine. I listed Dudeska-Den as his worst effort....not a bad movie but a let down by his standards and I stick by that. I recently re-watched Seven Samurai and found it to be slower than I remember it to be. There were some scenes that could easily have been left out, totally unnecessary, a bit like the overly long LOTR ending or parts of Django Unchained.

Re: Worst Kurosawa Film?
 

So far I have not cared for only one of Kurosawa's movies, and that was The Most Beautiful

Re: Worst Kurosawa Film?
 

Dreams, by far. Beautiful to look at, but so damn empty and, frankly, boring.

I know, it makes it sound really bad. It was just a thought that popped into my head while I was watching it. I said to myself "If Gummo was good, it could be like this."

See, I loved Dreams because I felt it was a very personal film. However, I do understand that it's not for everyone.

Re: Worst Kurosawa Film?
 

^ It is a very personal film, but it felt very isolated, distant and empty. It was a love letter from Kurosawa to Kurosawa. Reminded me of Terrence Malick's To the Wonder.

I know this thread is old. Heck, I think it's the first one I started. However, I wanted to come back and say that I've seen every Kurosawa film except for The Idiot (which I do have on DVD) and unless that one turns out to be an utter disappointment, I'm gonna have to agree with Gunslinger45 on this one. The Most Beautiful is such a weird Kurosawa film due mainly to being a war propaganda piece. You'll be there watching a regular Kurosawa film and it'll be all "Death to the British empire" and then turn back into a Kurosawa film. From reading his autobiography, it seems there was A LOT of outside interference on this film so I definitely understand why it's such a weird movie.

Re: Worst Kurosawa Film?
 

I've seen all Kurosawa films, and The Most Beautiful is easily his worst. It's really just an insipid piece of dull propaganda, and a step back from the decent debut Sanshiro Sugata. Thankfully, it took him only two years to get on the right track and start producing a streak of masterpieces starting with No Regrets for Our Youth.

High and Low is my least favorite, but still pretty good.

I don't really care for any of his work pre-Drunken Angel...but Red Beard is perhaps the longest film I've every watched...it was 3 hours and it felt like 12.

One Wonderful Sunday for me, easily

Re: Worst Kurosawa Film?
 

I've not seen many of his films, but I'd guess his worst film was on his teeth.

Re: Worst Kurosawa Film?
 

I've only seen seven of his movies so far, and I want to see more. I love his visual style. I was really looking forward to Dreams though as the possible next one I see. But of those seven, Yojimbo I would say is his least best. It's not bad at all, but it's just kind of a more routine story I guess? Where one guy decides to play one group of villains against another...