Tuesday, August 6, 7:00 pm - Rashomon
Tuesday, August 13, 7:00 pm - Throne of Blood
Tuesday, August 20, 7:00 pm - High and Low
Tuesday, August 27, 7:00 pm - Seven Samurai
Join us at the Lincoln Theatre for our August Film Series!
In the 1950s and '60s, director Akira Kurosawa and actor Toshirô Mifune were an unstoppable team, creating 16 films together that form the bedrock of modern Japanese cinema.
Kurosawa once said, "All the films that I made with Mifune, without him, they would not exist," while Mifune himself claimed, "I have never as an actor done anything that I am proud of other than with him."
Come see for yourself what Kurosawa and Mifune were so proud of -- here are four films that rank among the greatest ever made, inspiring countless filmmakers for decades to come.
August 6: Rashomon
Brimming with action while incisively examining the nature of truth, Rashomon is perhaps the finest film ever to investigate the philosophy of justice. Through an ingenious use of camera and flashbacks, Kurosawa reveals the complexities of human nature as four people recount different versions of the story of a man's murder and the rape of his wife.
"Human beings are unable to be honest with themselves about themselves. They cannot talk about themselves without embellishing. The script portrays such human beings -- the kind who cannot survive without lies to make them feel they are better people than they really are." —Akira Kurosawa, Something Like an Autobiography
Directed by Akira Kurosawa
Starring Toshirô Mifune, Machiko Kyô, Masayuki Mori, Takashi Shimura
Japan | Japanese | 1950 | Drama, Mystery | 88 minutes | NR
August 13: Throne of Blood
In Kurosawa's resetting of William Shakespeare's Macbeth, samurai warriors Washizu (Mifune) and Miki (Minoru Chiaki) are waylaid by a spirit who predicts their futures. When the first part of the spirit's prophecy comes true, Washizu's scheming wife, Asaji (Isuzu Yamada), presses him to speed up the rest of the spirit's prophecy by murdering his lord and usurping his place at Spider's Web Castle.
"In Throne of Blood I utilized the Japanese style of painting known as Mushare (warrior painting) in my overall design, and I borrowed forms from Japanese Noh drama in staging the dramatic elements of the film. My aim was to transform Shakespeare into pure Japanese by borrowing freely from Japanese art forms." —Akira Kurosawa, Cinema Magazine
Directed by Akira Kurosawa
Starring Toshirô Mifune, Isuzu Yamada, Minoru Chiaki
Japan | Japanese | 1957 | Drama | 110 minutes | NR
August 20: High and Low
Mifune stars as a wealthy industrialist, Kingo Gondo, whose family becomes the target of a ruthless kidnapper in Kurosawa's exemplary film noir. When Gondo's son is kidnapped, he is of course willing to pay the ransom to ensure his safe return. However, when it's discovered that it was accidentally the son of his chauffeur that was abducted, is the cost of the child's life still worth it?
Based on Ed McBain's detective novel King's Ransom, High and Low is both a riveting thriller and a brilliant commentary on contemporary Japanese society.
Directed by Akira Kurosawa
Starring Toshirô Mifune, Kyôko Kagawa, Yutaka Sada, Tatsuya Nakadai, Takashi Shimura
Japan | Japanese | 1963 | Drama, Crime | 143 minutes | NR
August 27: Seven Samurai
A veteran samurai answers a village's request for protection after he falls on hard times. The town needs protection from bandits, so the samurai gathers six others to help him teach the people how to defend themselves, and the villagers provide the soldiers with food. A giant battle occurs when 40 bandits attack the village.
Undisputedly one of the greatest films ever made -- and the fastest three-and-a-half hours you'll ever spend watching a movie -- Seven Samurai is presented in a brand-new 4K restoration.
Directed by Akira Kurosawa
Starring Toshirô Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Daisuke Katō, Isao Kimura, Minoru Chiaki, Seiji Miyaguchi, Yoshio Inaba
Japan | Japanese | 1954 | Action | 207 minutes | NR
Film Prices
Lincoln Theatre Members get $2.00 off on the following prices with discount code:
General: $11.00
Seniors, Students, and Active Military: $10.00
Children 12 and under: $8.50
All prices include a $2.00 Preservation Fee that goes directly into our capital account for the preservation of the Lincoln Theatre and its programs.