(b. 1910) Known as "the Emperor", this great humanist film maker's career has spanned almost half a century. The first film I saw from Kurosawa was Ikiru (To Live), a poignant story about a civil servant who finds purpose at the end of his life.

A student of Western culture, He is known for his Shakespearean adaptations -- Throne of Blood from Macbeth, and Ran from King Lear. His influence is also felt in the West. The Seven Samurai was remade in Hollywood as The Magnificient Seven, while inYojimbo, one sees conventions and techniques employed later in Hollywood action films.

Selected Filmography:

click on highlighted film to see poster image

• Rashomon (1950)
  
• Ikiru (1952)
  
• Seven Samurai (1954)
  
• Throne of Blood (1957)
  
• Yojimbo (1961)
  
• Dodes'kaden (1969)
  
• Kagemusha (1980)
  
• Ran (1985)
  
• Dreams (1990)