Sanshiro's Boys - Akira Kurosawa Retrospective

By Timothy Amatulli & Chris Côté

What's Sanshiro's Boys - Akira Kurosawa Retrospective about?

An Akira Kurosawa fanatic teams up with an Akira Kurosawa newbie for a casual, chronological look at all of the Japanese master’s films.

Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and more. New episodes every Friday!

https://linktr.ee/sanshirosboys

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Sanshiro's Boys - Akira Kurosawa Retrospective episodes:

03.26.2021
Ranking Akira Kurosawa's Filmography
After discussing every Akira Kurosawa film in detail on the show, we conclude our retrospective with the herculean task of trying to rank all of his films. Listeners, you’re in luck, because you’re getting two lists for the price of...
03.19.2021
Madadayo (1993)
Akira Kurosawa’s final film Madadayo (Not Yet) recounts the stories of famed Japanese writer Hyakken Uchida and functions as a meta-commentary of the director’s historic career. Sanshiro’s Boys celebrate the 1993 film’s immaculate vibes, Kurosawa’s unproduced next film The Ocean...
03.12.2021
Rhapsody In August (1991)
This is the one Richard Gere is in! Yes, that Richard Gere. In 1991, Akira Kurosawa returned one last time to a subject matter that has cropped up several times throughout his filmography: nuclear anxiety. Rhapsody In August, a small,...
03.05.2021
Dreams (1990)
Despite starting his historic career in the 1940s, Akira Kurosawa was still making movies into the early 90s. He rang in the decade with a unique picture: Dreams, which consists of eight vignettes based on Kurosawa’s actual dreams. It also...
02.26.2021
Ran (1985)
Last week we said goodbye to the OG Kurosawa king, Takashi Shimura. This week, we say goodbye to Tatsuya Nakadai, and boy did he go out with a bang. Nakadai headlines Akira Kurosawa’s third, final, and largest Shakespeare adaptation: Ran....
02.19.2021
Kagemusha (1980)
After the success of Star Wars, George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola teamed up to executive produce Kagemusha (The Shadow Warrior), Akira Kurosawa’s triumphant return to large-scale filmmaking that took home the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in...
02.15.2021
Akira Kurosawa's Influence On Star Wars (1977)
For our not at all subtly teased bonus episode, we’ve decided to shake up the formula and record a full length commentary to the original Star Wars. As much as possible, we discuss real-time comparisons and allusions to Kurosawa’s work...
02.12.2021
Dersu Uzala (1975)
After the darkest period of his life, Akira Kurosawa was able to go abroad and make a film in the Soviet Union. The end result was Dersu Uzala, an adaptation of the touching true story of “Capitan” Vladimir Arseniev and...
02.05.2021
Song Of The Horse (1971)
Honestly, we have no clue what we’re even talking about this week. This movie is so weird and we can’t believe it even exists. Song of the Horse is Akira Kursoawa’s sole venture into the television world for a… documentary?...
01.29.2021
Dodes'ka-den (1970)
Last week we said goodbye to Toshiro Mifune, but this week we’re saying hello to color! Dodes’ka-den, which translates to “clickity-clack,” launched the last act of Akira Kurosawa’s career, yet isn’t talked about much. After watching it, we can certainly...
01.22.2021
Red Beard (1965)
SANSHIRO’S BOYS - AKIRA KUROSAWA RETROSPECTIVE: EPISODE 25 Sanshiro’s Boys close out the 16-film partnership between Akira Kurosawa and Toshiro Mifune with 1965’s Red Beard. This emotional epic transports us to the 19th century with extreme period accuracy and functions as...
01.15.2021
High And Low (1963)
One of the many subgenres that owes a debt to Akira Kurosawa is the “police procedural.” To that end, 1963’s High and Low is his masterclass in suspense, detective work, class commentary, and ethical dilemmas. In one of his final...
01.08.2021
Sanjuro (1962)
Following the enormous success of Yojimbo, Akira Kurosawa created his second and only sequel: Sanjuro. This satire of the average chambara film sees Toshiro Mifune reprising the titular role, once again opposite Tatsuya Nakadai in a completely different role. Sanjuro...
01.01.2021
Yojimbo (1961)
Sanshiro’s Boys are kicking off 2021 by discussing one of Akira Kurosawa’s most popular and often-imitated films: Yojimbo. Toshiro Mifune shows off his unmatched sword fighting skills as a wandering ronin caught between two rival gangs. We also get our...
12.25.2020
The Bad Sleep Well (1960)
With the official formation of his own production company, Akira Kurosawa makes a big return to contemporary times with The Bad Sleep Well. This neo-noir presents us with a scathing and still-topical critique of corporate corruption wrapped in a loose...
12.18.2020
The Hidden Fortress (1958)
We’re not reviewing Star Wars (yet), but we are here today to talk about its major inspiration: The Hidden Fortress from 1958. Akira Kurosawa outdoes himself yet again with bigger production value, new fighting styles, great comedy, and a surprise...
12.11.2020
The Lower Depths (1957)
Akira Kurosawa made a more successful return to Russian literature with The Lower Depths. Released the same year as Throne of Blood, yet quite the opposite in scale, this adaptation of Maxim Gorky’s early 1900s play features a strong ensemble...
12.04.2020
Throne Of Blood (1957)
Sanshiro’s Boys return for Tim’s very first Akira Kurosawa movie: Throne Of Blood from 1957. This extraordinary adaptation of Macbeth transposes Shakespeare to feudal Japan through heavy fog and forests. Toshiro Mifune owns the screen as he descends into madness,...
11.27.2020
I Live In Fear / Record Of A Living Being (1955)
I Live In Fear, also known as Record Of A Living Being, isn’t talked about a whole lot, despite being Akira Kurosawa’s follow-up to Seven Samurai. Quite the departure from hours of intense action, this 1955 film follows an old...
11.20.2020
Seven Samurai (1954)
Seven Samurai is Akira Kurosawa’s magnum opus. It’s a simple story about a poor farming village that hires seven samurai to protect them from an impending bandit raid, but there’s far more to it than that. Seven Samurai provides excellent...
11.13.2020
Ikiru (1952)
After his noble effort to adapt one of the pillars of Russian literature to the big screen, Kurosawa set his sights on something easier: the meaning of life itself. Ikiru (To Live) is one of the most beloved Japanese films...
11.06.2020
The Idiot (1951)
For his follow up to Rashomon, Akira Kurosawa chose to adapt his favorite novel, Fyodor Dostoevsky’s The Idiot. The studio tore this film to shreds for its 1951 release and Sanshiro’s Boys are here to try and piece it back...
10.30.2020
Rashomon (1950)
Welcome to what is probably your first episode of our podcast! We’re happy to have you. This is the big one. Akira Kurosawa’s Rashomon is one of the most important and often studied films in history, and with good reason....
10.23.2020
Scandal (1950)
Akira Kurosawa’s Scandal is many things: a courtroom drama, an indictment of fake news, a Christmas movie, but is it good? Listen here: https://linktr.ee/sanshirosboys
10.16.2020
Stray Dog (1949)
Akira Kurosawa’s Stray Dog helped create a whole new genre: the buddy cop film. It’s the sweatiest film of 1949. And of all time. Listen here: https://linktr.ee/sanshirosboys
10.09.2020
The Quiet Duel (1949)
The Quiet Duel from 1949 is another weird Akira Kurosawa film. It isn’t included in the Criterion Collection with all of his other movies from the time. This week we trade out tuberculosis for syphilis in a small-scale character drama...
10.02.2020
Drunken Angel (1948)
Ladies and gentlemen… Toshiro Mifune has arrived. Listen here: https://linktr.ee/sanshirosboys
09.25.2020
One Wonderful Sunday (1947)
1947’s One Wonderful Sunday marks the end of Akira Kurosawa’s pre-Mifune era. This movie shakes things up for the occasion, giving us a more neorealist tale of a poor couple trying to have a fun day in the city. You’d...
09.18.2020
No Regrets For Our Youth (1946)
Sanshiro Sugata himself recast as a hot himbo leftist? Famed Ozu actress Setsuko Hara? An artist finally free to express himself in his medium? 1946’s No Regrets For Our Youth is all of these things and more. The boys have...
09.14.2020
Those Who Make Tomorrow (1946)
You’d be amazed how hard it is to review a movie that may not even exist, but we’re gonna try! Those Who Make Tomorrow is Akira Kurosawa’s “lost” movie made with Kajiro Yamamoto and Hideo Sekigawa during his brief… Communist...
09.11.2020
The Men Who Tread On The Tiger's Tail (1945)
In the mood for an unusually short Kurosawa film? Well The Men Who Tread On The Tiger’s Tail clocks at a brisk 59 minutes. Made in the midst of Japan’s surrender during World War II, this film offers interesting glimpses...
09.04.2020
Sanshiro Sugata Part Two (1945)
We, his loyal disciples, have returned to the holy land to review one of Akira Kurosawa’s weirdest films - Sanshiro Sugata Part Two. How will Japan’s greatest himbo adapt to state-sanctioned propaganda requirements? Does it even have a plot? Don’t...
08.28.2020
The Most Beautiful (1944)
The boys take a quick intermission from the Himbo Chronicles to look at Akira Kurosawa’s first piece of government propaganda - The Most Beautiful. Will it be… the most beautiful film in his filmography? Listen here: https://linktr.ee/sanshirosboys
08.21.2020
Sanshiro Sugata (1943)
Akira Kurosawa’s “official” debut film Sanshiro Sugata established him as a filmmaker to look out for and offers fascinating glimpses of the director to come. Susumu Fujita’s portrayal of the titular judo fighter quickly became our idol and exactly the...
08.15.2020
Akira Kurosawa Retrospective Introduction / Uma (1941)
Welcome to Sanshiro's Boys! On this podcast, Tim and Chris will take their unique perspectives on all of Akira Kurosawa's films. For our first episode, we outline our plan, provide some background on our own relationship with Japanese cinema, and...

What's Sanshiro's Boys - Akira Kurosawa Retrospective about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Sanshiro's Boys - Akira Kurosawa Retrospective episodes:

Ranking Akira Kurosawa's Filmography

Madadayo (1993)

Rhapsody In August (1991)

Dreams (1990)

Ran (1985)

Kagemusha (1980)

Akira Kurosawa's Influence On Star Wars (1977)

Dersu Uzala (1975)

Song Of The Horse (1971)

Dodes'ka-den (1970)

Red Beard (1965)

High And Low (1963)

Sanjuro (1962)

Yojimbo (1961)

The Bad Sleep Well (1960)

The Hidden Fortress (1958)

The Lower Depths (1957)

Throne Of Blood (1957)

I Live In Fear / Record Of A Living Being (1955)

Seven Samurai (1954)

Ikiru (1952)

The Idiot (1951)

Rashomon (1950)

Scandal (1950)

Stray Dog (1949)

The Quiet Duel (1949)

Drunken Angel (1948)

One Wonderful Sunday (1947)

No Regrets For Our Youth (1946)

Those Who Make Tomorrow (1946)

The Men Who Tread On The Tiger's Tail (1945)

Sanshiro Sugata Part Two (1945)

The Most Beautiful (1944)

Sanshiro Sugata (1943)

Akira Kurosawa Retrospective Introduction / Uma (1941)

Other shows like Sanshiro's Boys - Akira Kurosawa Retrospective: