Kurosawa-Mifune estrangment...?

[aniki]

Can anyone out there shed any light on why Akira Kurosawa and Toshiro Mifune never worked together after 'Red Beard'?

I am an avid fan of both of these two legends and they worked so well together. All I know is that there was this estrangement between them in the 60s and the details and origins are very hazy...

Kurosawa cast Mifune in I believe 15 out of 17 films of a certain period. What could have happened to end this magnificent partnership?

Many thanks,

aniki

 

[budd]

somebody ate all the wasabi
good luck on trying to find out -- peoples be tight-lipped already, plus peoples is dead

 

[RabidPanda]

I'm a fan of Akira Kurosawa and Toshiro Mifune also, and your question was very interesting.

I did a quick search on Yahoo, and I got this site: http://www.criterionco.com/asp/in_focus.asp?id=12

There's a particular essay on that page titled "Kurosawa/Mifune -- Lost Opportunities" which says that there are many reasons for them not working together after Red Beard. It seems that there isn't any ONE reason for them not working together again. It's about the fourth paragraph.

This isn't related to their breakup, but there's an excerpt from Kurosawa's book that talks about the first time he met Toshiro Mifune. ("Kurosawa on Mifune") I love that image of an angry Mifune. It's so easy to see him acting like that.

 

[aniki]

Many thanks!

I am very grateful for your help... the article you recommended (by Stuart Galbraith) was extremely interesting and helps explain a lot. It makes sense that their estrangement was the unfortunate consequence of a whole host of things, rather than a drunken "fistfight" one night!

I shall never see 'Shogun ' in the same light now though!

At least the partnership ended with a triumph - 'Red Beard' - and didn't fizzle out for years and years making bad movies together - although this is quite hard to imagine of Kurosawa and Mifune!

Thanks again!

aniki

 

[budd]

i am saying thanks also. nice link