A Samurai with the Russian Soul

Abstract

Kurosawa Akira is regarded as one of the prominent filmmakers in the history of cinema. In his illustrious career he directed three films that were based on the works of the Russian writers: «The Idiot» by Fyodor Dostoevsky, «The Lower Depth» by Maxim Gorky and «Dersu Uzala» by Vladimir Arsenyev. But the motifs from Russian literature are evident throughout many Kurosawa’s works. He grew up reading the Russian classics, he loved Russian culture, Russian nature and had many friends among our actors and filmmakers. He was greatly respected in Soviet Union and even now there is hardly anyone in Russia now, who doesn’t know the name of Kurosawa and his films.