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 one! We eac

Madadayo (1993)

Mar 19th, 2021 27m 2s

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, Kurosa

Rhapsody In August (1991)

Mar 12th, 2021 36m 38s

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, intimate

Dreams (1990)

Mar 5th, 2021 36m 53s

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 has

Ran (1985)

Feb 26th, 2021 44m 23s

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. This

Kagemusha (1980)

Feb 19th, 2021 50m 20s

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 F

Akira Kurosawa's Influence On Star Wars (1977)

Feb 15th, 2021 2h 5m

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 in this

Dersu Uzala (1975)

Feb 12th, 2021 46m 33s

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 the titular Goldi hunter

Song Of The Horse (1971)

Feb 5th, 2021 21m 53s

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? Sort of… Dubbed a “v

Dodes'ka-den (1970)

Jan 29th, 2021 41m 26s

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

Red Beard (1965)

Jan 22nd, 2021 1h 5m

SANSHIRO’S BOYS - AKIRA KUROSAWA RETROSPECTIVE: EPISODE 25Sanshiro’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 peri

High And Low (1963)

Jan 15th, 2021 58m 43s

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 Kurosawa roles

Sanjuro (1962)

Jan 8th, 2021 36m 44s

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

Yojimbo (1961)

Jan 1st, 2021 43m 52s

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

The Bad Sleep Well (1960)

Dec 25th, 2020 47m 18s

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

The Hidden Fortress (1958)

Dec 18th, 2020 43m 54s

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 surpr

The Lower Depths (1957)

Dec 11th, 2020 28m 59s

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 o

Throne Of Blood (1957)

Dec 4th, 2020 42m 55s

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 des

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

Nov 27th, 2020 31m 16s

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 man trying to get

Seven Samurai (1954)

Nov 20th, 2020 57m 51s

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 chara

Ikiru (1952)

Nov 13th, 2020 50m 39s

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 in history; a moving

The Idiot (1951)

Nov 6th, 2020 58m 51s

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 together. Chris has r

Rashomon (1950)

Oct 30th, 2020 1h 6m

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. There’s a lot to talk

Scandal (1950)

Oct 23rd, 2020 41m 29s

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

Stray Dog (1949)

Oct 16th, 2020 44m 2s

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