Cowie shows how film director Akira Kurosawa took the samurai genre to its apogee in such films as Yojimbo and Seven Samurai, his predilection for the historical film and the importance of the traditional in his work. He also looks at Kurosawa's adaptations of Shakespeare and his examination of our everyday lives.

Author Biography

Peter Cowie is a film historian and the author of "Louise Brooks" and "Joan Crawford." Formerly the international director of "Variety," he now serves as consultant for the Berlin Film Festival and contributes commentaries for Criterion Collection releases. Donald Richie is the world's foremost expert on Kurosawa and is the author of many books on Japanese culture, including "The Inland Sea" and "The Japanese Film." Kazuko Kurosawa, the daughter of the director, is a costume designer whose credits include more than fifteen films, including "Akira Kurosawa's Dreams."