Akira Kurosawa movies on TCM all day

6:45 Stray Dog (1949)

Synopsis: When a detective's gun is stolen, he tears apart the underworld to get it back.
Dir: Akira Kurosawa Cast: Toshiro Mifune , Keiko Awaji , Takashi Shimur

9:00 Hidden Fortress, The (1959)

Synopsis: In medieval Japan, a samurai fights to save a feudal lord's daughter from bandits.
Dir: Akira Kurosawa Cast: Toshiro Mifune , Minoru Chiaki , Susumu Fujita

11:30 Sanjuro (1962)

Synopsis: A wandering samurai recruits younger fighters to help him battle corruption.
Dir: Akira Kurosawa Cast: Toshiro Mifune , Tatsuya Nakadai , Takashi Shimura




1:15 Red Beard (1965)

Synopsis: A tough doctor takes a young intern under his wing.
Dir: Akira Kurosawa Cast: Toshiro Mifune , Yuzo Kayama , Yoshio Tsuchiya

4:30 High And Low (1963)

Synopsis: Kidnappers mistake a chauffeur's son for the child of a wealthy businessman.
Dir: Akira Kurosawa Cast: Toshiro Mifune , Tatsuya Nakadai , Kyoko Kagawa




7:00 Seven Samurai (1956)

Synopsis: Japanese villagers hire a team of traveling samurai to defend them against a bandit attack.
Dir: Akira Kurosawa Cast: Toshiro Mifune , Takashi Shimura , Kuninori Kodo

10:30 Cherry Blossom Time In Japan (1936)

Synopsis: This short film focuses on the customs and rituals related to Japan's cherry blossom festivals.

10:45 Rashomon (1950)

Synopsis: In medieval Japan, four people offer conflicting accounts of a rape and murder.
Dir: Akira Kurosawa Cast: Toshiro Mifune , Machiko Kyo , Takashi Shimura

12:30 Yojimbo (1961)

Synopsis: A samurai-for-hire sets the warring factions of a Japanese town against each other.
Dir: Akira Kurosawa Cast: Toshiro Mifune , Eijiro Tono , Seizaburo Kawazu



2:30 Throne of Blood (1957)

Synopsis: Spurred by his wife and a witch's prediction, a samurai murders his lord to steal the throne.
Dir: Akira Kurosawa Cast: Toshiro Mifune , Isuzu Yamada , Takashi Shimura


Toshiro Mifune 100th Birthday Tribute

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Known for his work with director and master of cinema Akira Kurosawa, Japanese actor Toshiro Mifune (1920-1997) became the face of Kurosawa's work. Brooding and sinister or tender and funny, Mifune showed an impressive acting range. TCM honors his centennial birthday and celebrates this splendid talent with a day of his films, all of which were collaborations with Kurosawa.

Mifune was born in Qingdao, Shandong, China, at the time under Japanese occupation following Japan's capture of the city during World War I. His parents were working as Japanese missionaries. Mifune's father was a commercial photographer, and Mifune's own experience in that field led to his being assigned to a photography unit in the Japanese Army during WWII. He was then hired as an assistant cameraman at Toho Productions, a Japanese film, theater and distribution company. After a screen test at Toho, Mifune played his first feature role in Snow Trail (English title, 1947).

Kurosawa first noticed Mifune at an audition at Toho and began casting him in his films in 1948. The bearing, range and facility with language shown by Mifune in his Kurosawa films led to him becoming the most widely known Japanese actor of his time. Below are the films in our tribute, all of which had a tremendous influence on world cinema. ...

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