Akira Kurosawawas one of the 20th century’s greatest filmmakers, and his remarkable body of work holds up to this day. He began directing feature films in the 1940s, and by the 1950s and 60s, had established himself as one of the most consistent and revolutionary in the history of cinema. He continued directing into the 1990s, passing away at the age of 88 in 1998, with more than 30 feature film directorial credits throughout his long and varied career.
It’s understandable that such a great filmmaker also had great taste when it came to the films of others, with Akira Kurosawa seemingly inspiring and being inspired by many of the greats. After his passing, there was an attempt toconstruct a list of his 100 favorite movies, based on the films he’d discussed in interviews and with his family members. It’s filled with unsurprisingly great titles, with the films below representing the best of the list in question, at least according to average ratings on Letterboxd.
10’My Neighbor Totoro' (1988)
Letterboxd Rating: 4.2/5
If Akira Kurosawa is Japan’s greatest filmmaker of all time, then there’s an argument to be made thatHayao Miyazakiis the county’s best living filmmaker. He’s responsible for making some of thegreatest anime films of all time, and of the films he made,My Neighbor Totorowas apparently Kurosawa’s favorite (the aforementioned top 100 list is limited to one entry per director).
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It’s a charming, simple, and heartwarming movie, following two sisters who meet - and eventually befriend - the spirits that occupy a forest near the house that their father’s just moved them to. It’s an imaginative, family-friendly, and beautiful-looking film that’s almost impossible to dislike, and the idea of Kurosawa - in his late 70s by the time of the film’s release - getting swept up inMy Neighbor Totorois rather endearing.
9’The 400 Blows' (1959)
Few coming-of-age movies are as well-known asThe 400 Blows, which is a defining film within the French New Wave Movement, and also directorFrançois Truffaut’sbest-known film. It follows a troubled young boy named Antoine, showing the way he clashes with family and authority figures, all the while feeling increasingly alienated.
Many coming-of-age films balance the drama of growing up with a helping of comedy, butThe 400 Blowsremains quite dark and largely serious for its duration. This can make it a heartbreaking film to watch, but it leaves an impact, and those who are made miserable by it should take comfort in the factit has a series of sequelsthat tend to be a little more light-hearted.
8’Late Spring' (1949)
Letterboxd Rating: 4.3/5
Yasujirō Ozuwas another acclaimed Japanese filmmaker who began making films before Kurosawa, but his greatest films largely came out in the late 1940s and throughout the 1950s, around the time Kurosawa was also doing some of his best work. Of Ozu’s filmography,Tokyo Story(1953) andLate Spring(1949)tend to be considered his two best films, with Kurosawa apparently preferring the latter.
Like many Ozu films, it’s a quietly emotional look at family life in Japan around the middle of the 20th century, here being about a woman in her late-20s resisting marriage while continuing to live with and care for her widowed father. It might not sound exciting, but it’s engrossing to watch, with the empathetic writing and remarkable performances making it hit surprisingly hard.
7’Pather Panchali' (1955)
The first installment of what’s come to be known asThe Apu Trilogy,Pather Panchalicenters on a young child and proves to be an effectively moving coming-of-age film. Apu is the youngest member of a family living a difficult life in a small Indian village, with things becoming complicated after the family’s patriarch leaves home in search of better-paying work.
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It’s a quiet and slow film, but packs a punch during its most emotional moments. The other two films continue to follow Apu, with him growing older as the series progresses. They’re similarly compelling and well-made, thoughPather Panchaliworks undeniably well as a standalone film, arguably being the strongest of the three.
6’One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest' (1975)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nestisa brilliantly written movie, with its direction, music, and incredible performances doing the great screenplay justice (and then some). It’s set inside a psychiatric facility, and mostly focuses on one rebellious patient who continually clashes with a domineering head nurse.
It’s the kind of acclaimed film that might be in danger of having too much praise heaped upon it, setting up younger viewers for disappointment. But it kind of is as good as everyone says, and has aged very little almost 50 years on from release, making it understandably rank among many film fans' personal favorites (Kurosawa included).
5’Barry Lyndon' (1975)
While most people would probably gravitate towards2001: A Space Odyssey,The Shining, or maybeA Clockwork Orangewhen it comes to picking a favoriteStanley Kubrickfilm, Kurosawa’s favorite was 1975’sBarry Lyndon. It’s set in England during the 18th century, and follows a young man who attempts to transform himself into a respected aristocrat, with unforeseen results.
With a runtime over three hours, it feels like a true epic, and is Kubrick’s second-lengthiest film (afterSpartacus). It utilizes the runtime well, as the story is a dramatic and large-scale one, withBarry Lyndonending up a unique and absorbing period drama done in the kind of singular style one expects from a Kubrick film.
4’It’s a Wonderful Life' (1946)
Christmas movies don’t get much more iconic thanIt’s a Wonderful Life, which is the kind of movie that has such an immense appeal it’s probably a yearly watch for a good many people. It follows a man named George Bailey, and though he feels disconnected from life, a glimpse into what his town would look like had he never existed ultimately gives him a new passion and appreciation for living, and his place within the world.
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It’s been referenced and parodied to death in the years since 1946, but it’s hard to deny there’s still something inherently charming and moving aboutIt’s a Wonderful Life. Akira Kurosawa, as a filmmaker, tended to avoid sentimentalism in his movies, but clearly had no problem enjoying other movies that had such an approach.
3’Fanny and Alexander' (1982)
Fanny and Alexanderwas one of thegreatest movies of the 1980s, and the magic realism approach it takes to its story also makes it one ofthe longest fantasy movies of all time. Said story is quite simple, on the surface: it centers on a family facing hardships after the sudden death of one of their own.
Ingmar Bergmanwas a Swedish filmmaker who had a comparably legendary status to Akira Kurosawa, and of the great movies Bergman made,Fanny and Alexanderis arguably his best. It’s intimate and epic all at once, and though the three-hour theatrical version is already great, the five-hour miniseries version might be even better, fleshing out the characters more and inevitably becoming more sprawling.
2’Paris, Texas' (1984)
Wim Wendersspecializes in making long, contemplative, character-focused movies, with his work often featuring people engaged insome kind of physical and/or spiritual journey. As such,Paris, Texas, is unmistakably a Wenders film, with it having a 145-minute runtime and a simple plot centering on one man trying to help his brother remember the life he left, and ultimately return to it.
It’s the kind of film that requires a certain amount of patience to appreciate, but viewers who willingly surrender their time to it will be rewarded. It’s equal parts calm, emotional, and deeply human, ranking as one of the best in Wenders’s filmography, and Kurosawa’s personal favorite film within it.
1’The Godfather: Part II' (1974)
Letterboxd Rating: 4.5/5
After being a supporting character in the first film, Michael Corleoneemerges as a terrifying central characterinThe Godfather: Part II. He begins running the Corleone family in a way that clashes with how his father used to oversee it, with the film also devoting time to flashbacks that show his father, Vito, coming to America and beginning to build his eventual empire.
It’s one of the greatest sequels of all time, and ended up winning Best Picture at the Oscars, just like its 1972 predecessor had. Kurosawa himself directed a handful of great crime movies (most notablyHigh and LowandThe Bad Sleep Well) during his career, so it’s not surprising to learn he was a fan of other iconic crime movies, including - and probably not limited to -The Godfather: Part II.
