Films, Talks & Events
Akira Kurosawa
Back on the Big Screen
26 June — 3 September 2025
still Ran (Akira Kurosawa, JP 1985) (© 1985 StudioCanal)
Seven Samurai, High and Low, Ikiru and Yojimbo are just a few of the many highlights from Kurosawa's impressive oeuvre that the true film lover cannot miss.
After an absence of more than 30 years, Eye is bringing the films of one of Japan’s greatest filmmakers, Akira Kurosawa, to the big screen again, some in digitally restored versions. In his films, Kurosawa blends Japanese history and culture with literary and cinematic influences from the West.
still High and Low (Akira Kurosawa, JP 1963) (© 1963 Toho Co., Ltd.)
© Jay Nijdam
“Unique, witty tales about good and evil that still feel very modern… Incredible how far Kurosawa’s influence reached.”
Trouw
still Rashomon (Akira Kurosawa, JP 1950) (© 1950 Kadokawa Corporation)
Akira Kurosawa brought Japanese film to the attention of the West with his drama Rashomon, which was awarded at the Venice Film Festival in 1951. Rashomon, screening exclusively in Eye in a new 4K restored version, is a treatise on lies, opportunism and the impossibility of knowing the truth: universal themes that speak to our imaginations today as powerfully as ever.
Vice versa, Kurosawa was also hugely inspired by Western culture – from Shakespeare’s tragedies and Dostoyevsky’s novels to the westerns of John Ford, American pulp and detective novels and the films of William Wyler and Frank Capra. At the same time, Kurosawa’s films are deeply anchored in Japanese culture and history.
still Dreams (Akira Kurosawa, JP 1990)
still Kagemusha (Akira Kurosawa, JP 1980)
It was this mix of East meets West and his dynamic visual style that made Kurosawa popular with international audiences. Peter Jackson was inspired by Kurosawa’s dramatic use of rain in Seven Samurai for the set-piece battles in Lord of the Rings. The makers of award-winning hit series Shogun were inspired by Kurosawa’s samurai films.
Several of Kurosawa’s films had been remade, either in Hollywood or in Europe: Seven Samurai (The Magnificent Seven), Yojimbo (A Fistful of Dollars, Last Man Standing) and more recently Ikiru (Living). George Lucas has cited The Hidden Fortress as a major source of inspiration for Star Wars. Spike Lee is also a great admirer of Kurosawa and was inspired by High and Low for his latest film Highest 2 Lowest, which premiered in Cannes.
poster The Hidden Fortress (Akira Kurosawa, JP 1958)
© Jay Nijdam
Peter Verstraten (Leiden University) gave an introduction (in Dutch) to Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai. This monumental action-adventure film – starring legendary actors Toshiro Mifune and Takashi Shimura – interweaves philosophy and entertainment, subtle human emotions and ruthless action into a rich, evocative historical thriller and moral-political fable in one. The film inspired countless filmmakers, such as Peter Jackson, John Sturges, Antoine Fuqua, Sam Peckinpah and Sergio Leone.
© Jay Nijdam
© Jay Nijdam
“Unrelentingly innovative… masterpieces… brilliant director… unparalleled filmography… timeless classics… so iconic…”
De Volkskrant
still Ikiru (Akira Kurosawa, JP 1952) (© 1952 Toho Co., Ltd.)
still High and Low (Akira Kurosawa, JP 1963) (© 1963 Toho Co., Ltd.)
“One of the most influential directors of all time... an inspiration for Scorsese, Spielberg, and Coppola... entertaining and profound at the same time.”
NRC Handelsblad
© Jay Nijdam
Films, Talks & Events
still Seven Samurai (Akira Kurosawa, JP 1954)
Eye Film Player
From 26 June, you can watch Seven Samurai, High and Low, Ikiru and Yojimbo at home via the Eye Film Player.
poster Seven Samurai (Akira Kurosawa, JP 1954) (© Andrzej Pągowski / Eye collection)
Poster gallery
Over 64,000 unique film posters form a special collection within Eye's archive. In the poster gallery near the entrance to Cinema 2 and 3, Eye shows a constantly changing selection, in line with the current programming. This summer, Akira Kurosawa posters from the Eye collection are on view.
Made possible with the help of
still Seven Samurai (Akira Kurosawa, JP 1954) (© 1954 Toho Co., Ltd.)
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