Few books seem to be actually written by the author like this book does (because so many of them are ghost written). Akira Kurosawa is one of the most respected directors in cinema and his book Something Like an Autobiography is less about his techniques in filmmaking and more about what incidents shaped his life and helped him craft the stories that he’s told through film for so many years.
His stories (which is the best way to describe them because of the way in which he recollects his life) are told in such a way that they could be fables about how his decisions not only as a human being but as a filmmaker are discovered. Kurosawa has a very whimsical way of describing his life which is at times extremely funny and humorous but is also very moving and tragic especially in terms of how real life events shaped the way he saw the world and thus translated what he saw in film.
Many times he ventures away from filmmaking to describe his family life and childhood and these seem to be the more interesting aspects of the book as his recollections of his filmmaking experiences (especially in the later years) do not seem as fanciful. It’s a wonder he even got into filmmaking as it was by chance but Kurosawa has a way of telling the story of his life that reminds you of a film and that is where the heart of his book truly lies.
He is so vivid with details about people and experiences about his life and experiences that you feel like you’re in a dream world and everything is like in a movie that you just can’t help but to glue your eyes to. Kurosawa’s book is an excellent example of an autobiography that’s told by one of the greatest visionaries that cinema has ever known.
CITY GARDEN - "The Old Woman & The Park"
On the set of the short film "A Gift"
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment