RARE Interview with AKIRA KUROSAWA | The Dick Cavett Show (October 22, 1981)

A cool interview a found where Dick Cavett Show interviews Akira Kurosawa. As far as I know this was his first and one of his only interviews, so its pretty rare. Excerpt from "The Dick Cavett Show". You can watch this on Shout!FactoryTV here: www.shoutfactorytv.com/the-dic.... I just thought I'd make it available to more people.
I do not own this content and am only posting it under Fair Use policy, if anyone has a problem with this I'll take it down.
Credits: Shout!Factory

[@SalehZamanMehdi]

BTW, sorry for posting it in 16:9, its a pet peeve of mine but i found it like this and cant find.a way to fix it, help needed :)

[@ahmadjamil5912]

ImNotBatman can u send the draft I wanna see it non edited

[@SalehZamanMehdi]

​@@ahmadjamil5912 wym? I didnt edit this, this is the full entire interview, I just found it and decided to upload it.

[@SalehZamanMehdi]

@Disturbia ShoutFactory!TV, its a free streaming service, though it only works in us or else you'll need a VPN. They have every Dick Cavett interview (I think) and some by Johnny Carson. Its a really cool streaming service and here's where I got the episode:www.shoutfactorytv.com/the-dick-cavett-show/the-dick-cavett-show-directors-akira-kurosawa-october-22-1981/57e083971a9ef10d1902da5b

[@CinemaGulp]

Don't apologize. Thank you for posting this.

[@derpman]

@@SalehZamanMehdi If you actually want help, I could help you. But if you want to do it on your own, get DaVinci Resolve. It is a free, super professional editor. It competes with editing software that are hundreds of dollars. Make sure you export the video in a 4:3 format, and your good to go. But if you want I can do it for you, it would only take me a minute of work and a little bit of rendering time and it could be done.

[@chitown1782]

Dick Cavett met Hitchcock, Bergman, De Palma, Scorsese, Spielberg, Welles and of course Kurosawa! Man he interviewed many of these great filmmakers!

[@ricimercury9490]

Jean Luc Godard too

[@ingefara4755]

also Ingmar Bergman

[@thembluetube]

Not just filmmakers, but some of the greatest people of the 20th century in genenral. Really quite incredible.

[@kubricklove2001]

robert altman,too

[@ednicholson7839]

Yeah, unfortunately this was his weakest interview of the ones I've seen. It seems like he didn't prepare well, but I think he was thrown by having to use an interpreter and maybe was too conscious of his audience getting confused. And his older show went a full hour. This one was too short. His Godard and Hitchcock interviews are quite good, and Godard did not need an interpreter. His Orson Welles, Groucho Marx and Bette Davis interviews are among his best.

[@spacemissing]

I can't imagine anyone other than Cavett making the effort to do something like this. He is, and will always be, one of the greatest of American interviewers. [ like # 665]

[@rostamr4096]

Agreed, but his question from Kurosawa about making propaganda movies during WWII was not polite.

[@smathieu]

@@rostamr4096 He introduced the question politely, and this matter needs to be problematized, which Cavett tried to do diplomatically as an American.

[@benbunyip]

@@rostamr4096 I thought Kurosawa dealt with it honestly and wasn’t troubled by it. I thought the harder one was on his military service. A lot of Japanese men feel shame for not dying in the war let alone not serving. Glad he asked some hard questions though. Wish he could have made the film on Hiroshima. It might have been better than a parochial version of events other Japanese film makers would have made.

[@benbunyip]

Really good questions.👍🏻

[@argobronwynzygor1954]

ok

[@fthat8780]

The quality of TV talk show was amazing, we have declined so much.

[@chrisd997]

Your 5 last worlds covered me completely

[@GoLakers3900]

We now have half naked women twerking their behinds with no shame.

[@stewmiller778]

That was an interview, not a show. Great, just great.

[@RocStarr913]

This aired on PBS, so they are held to a much higher standard than commercial broadcast network television.

[@SCharlesDennicon]

3:56 Jesus, what a daring, heavy question... Cavett was no Kimmel.

[@GoLakers3900]

No.

[@xixie5854]

“Mr. Kurosawa, lets play celebrity guessing game with Justin Bieber”

[@showbizroxs]

Or Fallon or Colbert

[@GuyDude-hk8uy]

This direct, thoughtful, and respectful interview style is such a breath of fresh air compared to the junk they call "talk shows" or "journalism" these days. Cavett is not afraid to ask heavy questions, but always knows when the envelope is being pushed too far and to pull back. Such a great interviewer that always got the most out of his guests. His interviews with Lennon and Harrison from The Beatles are some of my favourites.

[@garrison6863]

For my money, the greatest film director ever. No one made as many excellent films in as many genres as he did. He did a crime film, High and Low, that is better than almost anything Hitchcock ever did. Then when you add in, Rashomon, The Seven Samaurai, Ran, Ikiru and Kagemusha--the last is terribly underrated--I mean really. I think Ran is one of the best Shakespeare films ever. And man could he direct actors. In addition to Mifune, one of the all time greats, you had Shimura and Nakadai. He began slow motion violence, as Joe McBride will tell you, in Seven Samaurai. He also showed a guy getting an arrow through the neck in what looks like live action in Throne of Blood. (But it wasn't) To do those kinds of films, and to do something as small scale as Ikiru, is really exceptional. And the thing is Seven Samaurai was not just an action spectacle, it had a very interesting and profound theme to it, as did Rashomon. A true giant, he will live on forever.

[@ruthviknadiger9205]

Who are O' wise man? And how do you know so much? I'm genuinely interested

[@marsazorean62]

I agree.

[@diegojosesoriano]

High and Low is incredible.

[@losttribe3001]

As someone who owns @30 of Kurosawa’s films on DVD, I see him more as a rich tapestry of amazing directors to come out of post WWII Japan. However, I wouldn’t lift him, or any others, above the rest. He did some great movies with great themes...but he also did so not-so-great films. And like you said, did some cutting edge shits and techniques. Controversially speaking, I find Yojimbo and Sanjuro to be good popcorn, slash and dice samurai movies, but not as deep or meaningful as Seven Samurai and Rashomon. He also “stole” (or was inspired) a lot by John Ford. Which isn’t always bad, but just means that some directors need to be seen in this light. (It’s why today we have directors Alfonso Cuaron and the Cohen brothers...they build upon other’s that came before). So he is an amazing director and deserves a lot of credit, but I don’t think I could lift him above other directors such as Masaki Kobayashi (Harakiri and the Human Condition are amazing if you haven’t seen them). Stay safe.

[@pipspiper]

Hitchcock can make a full movie of all the characters on a boat or in a room and created a solid story full of drama and suspense for the full length of the story, and this my friend, I think something that Kurosawa would be unable to do.

[@anilkapahi8788]

There will never be another Akira Kurosawa but his movies are timeless and will last as long as there are people who take movies seriously.

[@sayandeepbasak257]

There is another like him maybe better that's Satyajit Ray

[@anilkapahi8788]

@@sayandeepbasak257 I agree. The Apu Trilogy is my favorite movie.

[@jerkchickenblog]

He always said 'my next film' when asked for his favorite until "Ran". Which stayed his favorite for some time. I too think Ran is SUPERB.

[@JDQBMIC]

In 1970 on the "The Dick Cavett Show" Orson Welles had pretty much the same answer about his best film. I think Welles stated "Ah, but my next film will be my greatest."

[@SCharlesDennicon]

Love how Kurosawa calls Mifune "Mifune-kun". ^^;

[@user-hb2kg4el6g]

Senpai

[@anthonygibson5561]

Why does he say it that way? If I may ask.

[@user-hb2kg4el6g]

@@anthonygibson5561 KUN shows relationship between them i think

[@shoy2882]

​@@user-hb2kg4el6g you're not wrong, but more specifically, often when people who are older call/talk to/talk about someone who is younger than them, (that they know personally) their name has a 'kun'. Vice versa with younger people to older people it's 'san'. They're both used to show respect in a different way/amount and to show familiarity.

[@user-hb2kg4el6g]

@@shoy2882 could I write in Japanese? I wonder they don’t make movie together in this time, when they make movie Kurosawa doesn’t call with KUN BECAUSE Kurosawa so strict director. この時代に黒澤明と三船さんは一緒に映画を撮っていないからある程度距離があるのかな〜と思います。

[@Dasein2005]

Kurosawa is awesome. Annie Hall is a decent translator.

[@user-wu5fr1ok7e]

同感♪

[@Ayanami0001]

lol

[@brunoe1891]

🙄

[@zefonk]

haha

[@djtforever1414]

La di da, la di da.

[@zyxwut321]

I had no idea Kurosawa was such a large man, at least by Japanese standards. He towers over his translator and Cavett, who in fairness, is a small man. He also had enormous hands. I looked up his height and he was 6' tall, which must have been gigantic for a Japanese man of his era. Deep resonant voice too. He must've really commanded a room.

[@leprovokateur7745]

Specially he was getting more credit in western country than in his own!!

[@davejoerger8928]

There was a Japanese admiral during WWII Jisaburu Ozawa who stood at 6'7. Unusual for Japanese but I've encountered Japanese and Chinese who are taller than me. I'm 5'9.

[@MrDHWong1989]

Being 6' in Japan is like being 6'4 - 6'5" in the west. By Asian standards, Kurosawa was a giant.

[@novrinkov0053]

@@leprovokateur7745 Lol No way i'm japanese he is a legend in japan It is more appreciated in Japan than in the West, off course. You just feel that way because there are famous prizes in the West. All the famous awards in cinema exist in the West. That's why you don't live in japan and you don't watch japanese media. If you ask who is the best Japanese film maker in Japan, everyone will answer Kurosawa. But if you ask in the West, that's not the case. Kurosawa,Mizoguchi and Ozu are recognized as legends in Japan Among them, Kurosawa is highly evaluated by far in Japan. He was a legend even before he became famous in the West. He was already famous in Japan in 1948. he even got a people's honor award in japan. Only 26 people in history have received the People's Honor Award He is the only film maker among them. The People's Honor Award is the highest honor a citizen can receive. Kurosawa is highly regarded in the West, but it is impossible to say that he's more credit in the west than his home country japan. Even Takeshi Kitano, Ghibli's Miyazaki worships him

[@novrinkov0053]

@@MrDHWong1989 The average male height in Japan is 5'8(172cm), But this also includes the elderly who are short in stature. Especially in Japan, there is a large gap between the elderly and the young because old people didn't eat meat. If you only talk about young people, it will be higher than this. Europe's average is 178cm and Italy's is 176cm, spain is 173cm, malta is 169cm, japan is 172cm. In terms of young people, there is not that much of a difference between Japan and most of Europe. 'Asian standard' Even in Asia, there is a difference of more than 10cm between East asia and Southeast Asia,South Asia

[@mahmoudbekhit3689]

Dick had the best job in the world. Imagine being in the presence of a genius like Mr. Kurosawa the man was so ahead of his time. Miss when talk shows were real!

[@sameerahmed-gx8js]

Now you can play charades on talk shows

[@zachj2728]

This is how interviews are supposed to be. I wish Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel were more like this.

[@tloco7777]

Not enough money for the big corporations in that sadly, but I fully agree

[@gpeddino]

I feel that talk shows back then were made to make people think. Now talk shows are made to make people laugh.

[@straypigs]

Comparing those guys to Cavett is ridiculous; Cavett was not a late night network talk show, he was on PBS (meaning no commercial breaks), he was the Charlie Rose of his day. Fallon and Kimmel don't have to be like him, they have their own styles, in a different time period, serving a completely different audience, demographic and time slot. At least Fallon and Kimmel listen and have some interest and enthusiasm for their guests. I'll take them ANY DAY over Leno, and even Conan, who I love as a comedy writer, but I never thought was the most amazing host ever (although I think he's been doing the best stuff of his career in more recent years). I see this comment on EVERY talk show clip. The real problem isn't these hosts, it's the fact that you get less time to have an interview. You can't have a long, free-form conversation like this on a network talk show. There were far less commercial breaks back in the day.

[@duhusker4383]

That's a ridiculous thing to say. Neither has the intelligence, the wit, the grace and the cultural baggage of Dick Cavett. That's like saying why can't Dan Brown write a bit more like Hemingway?

[@straypigs]

@@pashadyne Ah that's right, and of course, I'm flashing back to all the pauses for commercial breaks on the John & Yoko interviews (which I saw when they were first broadcast....but I was still a kid!). I stand corrected on that point, thanks! The rest of my comment stands, and I'm happy you agree with me! PS: Dick hasn't aged so well; go look at him "moderating" a (relatively) recent Q&A with Raquel Welch after a screening of "The Three Musketeers". Cringeworthy. Welch obviousy is proud of the movie and wants to discuss it while Cavett spends the whole time making bad wisecracks about her "endowments" as if he's Groucho and Welch is still in her 20s. Highly embarrassing, totally disrespectful. He wasn't exactly on his game in the 80s either; go check out his Eddie Murphy interview. Oofa!

[@user-uq4rw1br7p]

I am a Japanese living in Japan. It is unbelievable that Kurosawa will appear in such an interview program!!. This is a very valuable video. Thank you for posting.💗

[@fightermma]

How long have you lived in Japan?

[@user-uq4rw1br7p]

@@fightermma 59years....

[@fightermma]

@@user-uq4rw1br7p So all of your life? That's pretty cool. What made you want to learn English?

[@user-uq4rw1br7p]

@@fightermma yes. all of my life. my first English was songs of Carpenters. where do you live?

[@fightermma]

@@user-uq4rw1br7p I am from England ethnically Pakistani. What's your life been like? It's so interesting to meet someone from Japan.

[@samsr2887]

I really appreciate the raw entirety of the interview, showing asking the question, translating it, his response, and translating it again. These days everything gets edited out

[@Able406]

Diane Keaton did a great job translating here!

[@adamalbertrowe]

Most interviewers today wouldn’t have even heard of Akira Kurosawa. Love how much effort was put into this interview.

[@rationalthoughtandlogicple5392]

His translator did an incredible job

[@br5448]

she does a fantastic job of translating, btw. Laconic

[@jerkchickenblog]

she really doesn't

[@santorini547]

I totally agree. I am Japanese.

[@br5448]

@@santorini547 watsahimo demo...

[@EnricTeller]

Very interesting. I took Audie Bock’s Kurosawa film class at UC Berkeley in the late 70’s as a student.

[@EnricTeller]

Thanks! I have an old photo here for my avatar. 😁

[@aldeq0]

Seeing Kurosawa, one of the great heroes I have in my life, has been a huge pleasure.

[@imagevulture]

RUNAWAY TRAIN with John Voight is a Kurosawa screenplay. He wanted to shoot it in the USA in color but with the snow making it look black and white. Script was rewritten with Eddie Bunker doing most of the dialogue.

[@SalamiKing7]

A masterpiece!

[@sleuthentertainment5872]

One master of cinema to remember and learn from forever. But my favorite of his films is not any of his big samurai adventures, is High and Low

[@midnightrambler6227]

I love High and Low (天国と地獄). There is a scene, in which a pink smoke comes out of an incinerator. It's a black and white movie, but for 5 seconds or so, that part of the film is shot in color. That kind of reveals his preference for shooting in black and white (at least through the early 1960's.)

[@matthew-jy5jp]

This shows how Dick really understood greatness in film

[@vladimirputout2461]

And the cock was always a backward thinker

[@Buckeye2043]

My fiancés father grew up in Manhattan and spent a good chunk of his childhood years going to a particular theater that would play Japanese movies. He introduced me to Yojimbo the other night. Completely blown away. I just finished The 7 Samurai and about to start The Hidden Fortress. This man was very ahead of his time. I’m a diehard Tarantino buff but like this man’s work just as equally. Glad I was introduced to his work as well as Mifunes acting

[@travisbickle3835]

> invite one of the best filmmakers of all time to your show > make him talk about how great American movies are and how he felt meeting American filmmakers Great job! Americans are so self centric.

[@nathanielschwartz425]

22:20 He said something similar in his autobiography, which I’m currently in the middle of reading. Not only would I highly recommend his autobiography, entitled “Something Like An Autobiograpy” but I would also just as highly recommend a biography on Ishiro Honda entitled “Ishiro Honda A Life In Film From Godzilla To Kurosawa” by Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski. They’re now 2 of my all time favorite books that I own (and I own A LOT OF BOOKS).

[@charold3]

OMG! Haven’t even watched yet. Will save for special time-over breakfast? But for now, omg! What a find. Thanks for posting!!!

[@hamzaben1798]

Me too

[@asagara34]

Man this is refreshing. cavett was very patient and allowed the moment to pass. I feel talk show hosts today, seem to not ALLOW a moment of silence and reflection. they fixate on being as outrageous and hyper as possible instead of actually Interviewing the guest and let us get to know them.

[@user-ty5tt1ji7g]

Kurosawa-san seems to be such a humble and modest person. Does the japanese style and ethics impact him that way? I think it's something very normal and decent to be humble and laconic for a japanese man. One of the greatest filmmakers of all the times!

[@Njbear7453]

Until you actually sit down and WATCH a film directed by this man you just will not “know”; an incredible filmmaker!!!

[@519djw6]

Regarding what Cavett said about Kurosawa's not being revered in Japan as he is in the West, I can confirm that this is completely true. I've been a university lecturer in Japan for over 20 years--and I can count on the fingers on my hands the number of my Japanese students who have seen *any* of his movies--although they have all, of course, heard of him. How does that proverb that Cavett reaches for about a prophet never being honored in his/her own land go exactly?

[@jackchung6573]

It's the same critically. From what I know, while they're all highly praised, critical discourse among Japanese scholars always favours people like Ozu and Mizoguchi over Kurosawa. Richie noted Kurosawa's lack of "Japaneseness" and adoption of Hollywood style as the main causes. Even while Kurosawa was still alive he was already being viewed quite marginally by the Japanese industry, hence his suicide attempt and all the French producers' names you see in his later pictures. Japan is such a weird nation.

[@519djw6]

@@jackchung6573 Actually, it's been my experience that what I said about the lack of interest in Kurosawa, at least among the younger generation, is also true of the two directors that you mention. For most people of university age these days, "Japanese Cinema" means what the "highbrows" call "anime"--but what I still call "cartoons."

[@jackchung6573]

@@519djw6 Yeah, I kinda expected the same will applied to the two of them but I was just noting the scholarly opinion of Kurosawa. I can't say I share your opinion on anime tho, while it's true that most of the anime industry is corrupted and completely devoid of any artistic substance, there are still plenty of innovators exploring the medium, Yuasa, for one. But then again, I also don't expect most college people to be interested in that kind of stuff.

[@Ruylopez778]

@@jackchung6573 "Japan is such a weird nation." As opposed to all the other weird nations?

[@guileniam]

Wait didnt they appreciate him when he was alive? Dude made seven Samurai??

[@thetrappedchatterbox7941]

Cavitt is so high class as an interviewer because he makes the show just a conversation. But the audience do their part as well. The slower pace of the interview because of the translations is excellent. I would be glued to the Cavitt show if that was on today. Also, the translator was fantastic.

[@DisingenuousComment]

As someone who can speak both languages fluently, that interpreter is one hell of a professional.

[@DaikengoX]

She did the translation for his autobiography!

[@jerkchickenblog]

you may be fluent, but she didn't do a very professional job at all. i also speak the language, i found her shockingly inept

[@DisingenuousComment]

@@jerkchickenblog mind to share where? exactly?

[@asamiyashin444]

I think she is bilingual. Must have learned Japanese as a kid. Her pronunciation and accent sounds native to me.

[@vik9105]

@@DisingenuousComment She said that Kurosawa detests violence when all he said he hates (or strongly dislikes) violence. 暴力が嫌い is not detesting violence. There were some other mistakes here and there too. Overall could've been better lol.

[@jonathandewberry289]

Wow, one of my all-time favorite directors and I don't think I have ever seen him in visual recorded form. I can only think of a few black and white photographs of Kurosawa.

[@davidbcalhoun]

There's some good interviews with him on the supplemental features of DVDs and Blu Rays! Check out Criterion editions

[@Ruylopez778]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/mnW2dZmAlMqEmMU

[@borisying7086]

It took Dick Cavett a while to warm up but he asked some good questions with good replies from Kurosawa. A valuable and good interview of the master filmmaker nonetheless. Thank you for sharing!

[@CountThreeFilms]

Thank you for uploading the video!!

[@jacquesgude]

Fascinating! Thank you for posting this!

[@michailshatkus9250]

Thank you for putting this on. Great interview.

[@GrantTarredus]

Thank you very much for this! I’m amazed to find it, and I enjoyed it a great deal.

[@rorylapidus5772]

Thanks for posting this! I've seen his films but never an interview with him. What a brilliant director.

[@qorpse]

Fantastic interview. Kurosawa is one of my favorites of all time. Thank you so much for uploading this!

[@nickbirkhead7238]

Kurosawa really did wear those shades 24/7!

[@carlnilssonyoung8961]

His eyes having problems, n later close to blind when he was making RAN.

[@martinbrand6013]

Thank you for your posting it here. I like this rare interview with Kurosawa. I also like the interpreter's the way she was focusing on carrying his message rather than to be too technical.

[@betsyduane3461]

This is great, never saw him speak before.

[@joeanimalskull4243]

Thanks for uploading!

[@kilburnmarty9525]

The interpreter is awesome !

[@TediousDraven]

Great interview! It's always a pleasure to withstand Kurosawa-san.

[@13civ]

Thanks for uploading,great video

[@yoichiroakioka7246]

Fantastic! thanks for up this film.

[@wimbledon5353]

Thank you for the gem, didn't know Cavett interviewed Kurosawa...

[@prazonparajuli7346]

thanks man! Its a treasure to be treasured :)

[@nataliafilson7477]

What a job for a translator - not simple word for word, but making the questions and answers understandable to both parties... I wonder how much was lost.

[@Tejah]

That was a very cool interview.

[@rohpat5727]

This is one of the rarest interviews indeed...Really good no-nonsense questions and simple responses. A bit surprised by simplicity of Kurosawa san's replies. Good interpretation...keeping in mind the fact that she's not a professional interpreter.

[@davidlevy4291]

Wow. Really is a rare treat to see him speak.

[@magpie1999aus]

utterly excellent interview, fabulous work from ms. translator. I say im fluent in japanese but now only realising like that of maybe an 8 year old! this is the real deal, i'm so enthralled!

[@101......]

A master of his own kind - _Akira Kurosawa_ It seems almost unreal to think, like how many of the most influential figures of 20th century Cavett had interviewed. An historical archive which they are now.

[@diegojames8678]

This was a great interview. Also the Japanese sentence Cavett gave in the end to Kurosawa was “Mr. Kurosawa, how do you say this in Japanese? “Thank you” I was very pleased at the respect Cavett showed by doing that. I study Japanese and I aim to be like the lady in this video. She was amazing.

[@jerkchickenblog]

HAHAHA i MISSED THAT. Kurokawa san, kore wa nihongo de nanto imasuka? Hahaha you're right!

[@appidydafoo]

The translator fidgets with what appears to be a cigarette and case for almost the entire interview. Wild. Very interesting, thanks for the upload.

[@davidgauthier9205]

18:52 I find this particular question quite annoying. What Cavett tried to do, by his phrasing of the question, was elevates Kurosawa's films by basically degrading the rest of the japanese film industry, especially mentioning soft-core porn and giant monsters movies. Yet what I'm sure he didn't know was that Akira Kurosawa and Ishiro Honda (the director of almost two dozens giant monsters movies, including 8 Godzilla movies) were best friend and that Kurosawa immensely respected his friend's works. I don't claim to know how Kurosawa felt at this very moment, but if I was at his place and someone degraded the value of my best friend's body of work, I would be pretty pissed.

[@alvarohigino]

I felt ashamed when he mentioned soft-porn.

[@Gravyballs2011]

Read an interview with AK, and he was asked by a young film student why he chose to shoot a scene in a period film in a particular way. To paraphrase: If I point the camera just one inch to the left, I show the smokestacks, one inch to the right and capture the factory. Both of these things would ruin my film, but I need the space between those two things. Perhaps he wanted to find out if he could put limitations upon himself and thrive within those limitations.

[@johnp515]

I think he was just saying that he simply had to place his camera in a position that did not show what he didn’t want to be shown. In this case a factory or a smoke stack.

[@perlefisker]

Anyone who has watched Japanese television will understand why Kurosawa has never appeared there :-/

[@Pocket543]

And I believe they pretty never really cared for him in the 70s ( I think that's also when he tried committing suicide cause of lack of work )

[@jerkchickenblog]

that's unfair. not all japanese television are 'talent'/comedy shows. they have news shows and opinion and talkshows as well

[@MACMETALFACE]

@@jerkchickenblog This. I have lived in Japan half my life. The variety on basic Japanese television is immense. The day time tv beats the jerry springer, cops, infomercial tv I remember back from the states. The goofy variety shows that are a weird throwback to those old American game shows with a twist are, but a fraction of Japanese tv. With that said Kurosawa was immensely underrated here for his time.

[@guileniam]

@@MACMETALFACE what I don't get is, his films were the highest grossing native films in Japan not to mention the first to get recognition internationally (Ran)

[@RocStarr913]

@@guileniamIt’s because of the regard Japan had for their own domestic cinema as a whole.

[@user-uo4tv1nt2e]

My first time watching Ikiru today....just wow ❤️

[@elirancohen7819]

Thank you.

[@ahmedhikmet1057]

GENIUS. Miss & love You, Master Akira Kurosawa

[@antoniof.ortega226]

On short list of masters of Cinema

[@Meekox]

Great interview, I just wished he would've had asked more questions about his films.

[@IgnorancEnArrogance]

20:20 - Kurosawa would venture through Ran and make one of the most beautiful color films ever made.

[@rustyshackelford934]

God, Kurosawa was such a based Chad with those sunglasses.

[@RussMcClay]

The interpreter was dying for a smoke.

[@DavidBaronStevensPersonal]

This is a GEM 💎

[@tommyluvstraci]

Audie Bock introduced me to the world of Japanese cinema through her book Japanese Film Directors. Still have it. Thank you Audie.

[@Chris-is1rd]

Wow! What a find!

[@tm7370]

9:42 This translation is wrong. He actually said " When my father was child, he still had a topknot."

[@nickgibson993]

Yes, exactly. She's an ok translator but she missed that. Looking at some of the criticisms of her translation below, I think it is important to note that she wasn't a professional translator, but Kurosawa felt comfortable with her. She did her PhD at Harvard on Japanese film, and she translated Kurosawa's autobiography, so is quite knowledgeable about not only Kurosawa's films, but other Japanese directors such as Mikio Naruse, who he mentioned. She was clearly nervous, as evidenced by the odd way she was fixated on her pack of cigarettes in her hands. I think they should have had a professional class A interpreter doing simultaneous translations into their ears, because consecutive translation always means you only get to talk about half as much time. She did pretty well considering she was trying to be concise and stay out of the way...though I think her minimalist approach in both English and Japanese prevented any detailed follow up questions or interesting tangents taking place.

[@vespertinnee]

@@nickgibson993 >simultaneous translations do those existed in the context of tv interviews in the early 80s? i get what you're saying, but if this was mr kurosawa's first interview on tv (as they suggest at the beggining), probably the fact that he felt comfortable with her in particular was the hook for him to try it out and wouldn't have dared to do it without a familiar face and a mic on his ear.

[@nickgibson993]

@@vespertinnee yes I agree- the whole reason Kurosawa did this interview in the first place - and it was his first western interview ever- was because he felt comfortable doing so. That was probably because of his friendship w this interpreter and of course Cavett’s good reputation. In fact, the stipulation was probably that he’d only do it if she could be the interpreter. Being an American, she may even have recommended doing Cavett. My comments about simultaneous translation were directed at the (probably) Japanese people commenting about how they hated her translation. The real take away of all this is that we should all just stop nitpicking her and be happy we even have this interview at all- imperfect interpretation and all.

[@vespertinnee]

@@nickgibson993 >The real take away (...) oh absolutetly, agreed 100%

[@jerkchickenblog]

her translation was often wrong, incomplete and ham handed. she wasn't able to speak at the level necessary for real translation. she missed every subtlety of cavett's questions

[@jaydubya3698]

Two things: 1. When I was in high school, I had very little interest or knowledge regarding Japanese films. I thought they were kind of shitty...I'd only seen the monster movies with their wooden acting, ridiculous scripts, and the jumpy editing. Then I saw "Seven Samurai." Enough said. It's still one of my all time favorite films. The fight scenes in the village in the rain...just wow. 2. This interview was great, but Cavett seems to have missed the point of the violence in "Seven Samurai." Yes, the movie has violence all over the place and superficially seems to glorify it, but in the end the movie is anti-war and anti-violence and demonstrates the pointlessness of it all.

[@avnishdhaulta9271]

dick is biased

[@RocStarr913]

Giant monster movies were one of the few that could translate internationally outside of Japan at that time outside of arthouse audiences.

[@nuke97]

Cavett asked excellent questions.

[@AlvahGoldbrook]

I loved that moment of Zen modesty when Kurosawa-san commented about his popularity at about 03:20.

[@bokehintheussr5033]

Ozu was the greatest Japanese filmaker Imho, but Kurosawa is arguably one of the most influential filmmakers in the history of cinema.

[@brunoarnabar7450]

Agree

[@adriftingboat]

@@brunoarnabar7450 oh dear , Bruno and Turd. You cannot compare their films.So very, very different. I get the feeling neither of you have seen 15 Kurosawa films or even 25 Ozu . Kurosawa was a very great admirer of Ozu, Naruse,and Mizoguchi. Also, they were all his seniors. Read Kurosawa's "Something Like an Autobiography". You will learn about his great respect and gratitude to all three of them.

[@brunoarnabar7450]

@@adriftingboat you’re right I’ve only watched half as many of each. But I’m not here to disrespect either of them or the rest you have mentioned. I was just saying that Kurosawa has brought a lot out from many great Western and European filmmakers through influence. I didn’t compare his popularity to Ozu’s humanist approach to filmmaking and the truth is I love watching their films when they become available to me.

[@adriftingboat]

@@brunoarnabar7450 Bruno, you are very gracious and articulate.

[@fifthbusiness1678]

This.

[@akurosawa]

Close contact with director Akira Kurosawa! The camera time slipped in July 1984 at the shooting site of the movie "Ran". You can meet a master who gives gentle and polite acting guidance to actors who do not scold other than the assistant director. While attending Kwansei Gakuin University, he collaborated with a video cameraman and director as a filming assistant and audio manager at the production site of "Ran". It was an exclusive independent production with permission from Director Kurosawa. Instead of having to pay the accommodation fee, the making of random production right was granted to the Herald movie at that time, and it is out in the world

[@satish8889]

I heard he wouldn't speak to the actors if not necessary. I mean to say he might be a reserved person.. since I love kurosawa. I'm curious to know how he handled actors to get the best performance... 2nd question can you please explain .. how he use to compose and shoot a scene .. his shots composition are so beautiful..

[@akurosawa]

@@satish8889 Akira Kurosawa talks with actors and staff kzbin.info/www/bejne/p365Y3ZuiLKppLM kzbin.info/www/bejne/eoqYdX6if8qHh6c And he decides all angle of shooting every scene. kzbin.info/www/bejne/sIPIdGuFgZKGkKs

[@satish8889]

@@akurosawa thank you so much.. for your response.. so kind of you..

[@akurosawa]

@@satish8889 If you send me an email, I'll show you a special private video about Kurosawa. [e-mail] mitsuhiko kawamura

[@jlg5967]

His body language totally changes at 15 minute mark when asked about being knocked back from the army in WW2.He didn't like that question.

[@ahmadjamil5912]

Sup nice vid keep up the good work

[@nixiety]

i’m ur 1,000th subscriber :]

[@marcoscastillojaen1888]

Un exelente director de cine.

[@marcoscastillojaen1888]

A que si.

[@mt-qb9dm]

通訳の人、アカデミー名誉賞受賞した時の人や！

[@sacredxgeometry]

I have no idea who this Dick Cavett guy is but even just 2 minutes in, I can tell that he far outclasses every and all present-day night show hosts for his respect for japanese cinema and Kurosawa as a filmmaker. They just don't have this care or intellect anymore.

[@sacredxgeometry]

(I know he was a big TV name, so shame on me)

[@RocStarr913]

It helps he did this on PBS when he had less demand for viewership.

[@georgesfeydeaufeydeau6235]

Fascinating. This cannot be an encounter of the Hitchcock/Truffaut kind, but for a light, short interview (made shorter by the constraints of consecutive interpretation) it's not bad at all. Thanks for showing the video. Armchair tranlating is all sunshine and roses. Real, live, on the spot (rather than spot on) translation is a little tougher than many people seem to believe. I've seen excellent professionals making the odd silly blunder.

[@trumpdonald6911]

It’s the Colonel from Boogie Nights.

[@itsaboutmovies.55]

Hahahah. What a great observation, man! It really cracked me up! 😂😂🤣

[@jerkchickenblog]

I like simple things, like lollipops in my mouth and butter in my ass. Call me a fool, call me a pervert... but I wanna make a dollah and a cent in this bidness.

[@inky4763]

Wonderful to see the great man interviewed. Such a shame Cavett couldn’t have used the opportunity to ask more intelligent questions about his life and films.

[@dyowe518]

Agreed. Made the entire interview about American celebrity. What a wasted opportunity.

[@dyowe518]

@ken m ah yes you are correct everything is perfect and above reproach or opinion truly you solely possess the key to opinion and experience how could I not see this thank you for enlightening me I’m truly humbled

[@manudollfie]

@@dyowe518 "Made the entire interview about American celebrity. What a wasted opportunity." is one of the most asinine things Ive read in a long time. Considering the circumstances Cavett did a great job.

[@dyowe518]

@@manudollfie you are correct with the bullets ricocheting around their heads Cavett was able to untie his bindings and crawl through glass to his microphone to squeak out a question about which western is best before a swarm of baby mechanics began disassembling the stage from under them flooding the audience with tears and oil

[@dyowe518]

@ken m “this interviewer didn’t ask smart questions” “IF YOU WANT TO LEARN YOU SHOULD READ THE BOOK” ok bro you did you. Meanwhile I’m here reading this book wishing it was more like a shitty Cavett interview

[@Buffaloc]

Intelligent television: a thing of the past.

[@thehoneyeffect]

depends, if you curate it well you can find some gems

[@DMalltheway]

I model the hat and sunglasses from Kurosawa.

[@cetinmetin9193]

R.I.P Akira Kurosawa

[@_Sisyphus]

Regarding the notion of a foreigner and a Japanese actor staring in the same film.....Lee Marvin and Toshiro Mifune, Hell in the Pacific 1968. A GREAT FILM!

[@BooLee01]

8:08 Difficult to put a foreigner and a Japanese in the same film and make it believable. John Boorman did just that with Toshiro Mifune and Lee Marvin in Hell in the Pacific. It was a great movie. There was Ken Takakura and Robert Mitchum in The Yakuza. And let's not forget that, later, Ken Takakura and Michael Douglas were perfect together in Black Rain.

[@foadghavami2004]

Great gem, just to see the MAN from the bygone era of the great cinema ( not blockbuster banking system garbages), but Dick was unfair to Japanese cinema, they had Masaki Kobayashi, Kenji Misoguchi, Nagisa Oshima, Yasujiro Ozu, Kon Ichikawa , Shohei Imamura, Kaneto Shindo, Masahiro Shinoda, all great directors and my very favorites Kobayashi Ozu. Human conditions, Kowaidan, Harakiri, Tokyo story are masterpieces

[@Grana2020]

Such a brilliant special conversation. Fuck man what the fuck happend to us ! We downgraded great joy so much from simplicity and silences

[@jeanclaude4]

You make a great point. So true. We worship Kelce and Swift over real intellect and introspection

[@pillettadoinswartsh4974]

The Dick Cavett Show: Directors - Akira Kurosawa (October 22, 1981)

[@guileniam]

No way. This should be in a museum

[@classicalcats6hydrocephalu363]

It's cool that I can understand him without the translator.

[@jinkim23]

God...I hope ur not Japanese.

[@classicalcats6hydrocephalu363]

@@jinkim23 Well of course I am not. Just relying on the English isn't always exact.

[@jinkim23]

@@classicalcats6hydrocephalu363 I know. I was joking.

[@heinzweixelbraun682]

A master.