Akira Kurosawa

Akira Kurosawa (1910–1998) was a Japanese filmmaker whose work reshaped world cinema, directing classics such as Seven Samurai, Rashomon and Ikiru. His memoir Something Like an Autobiography recounts his early life, his training as a painter and his breakthrough years at Toho studios with extraordinary candour.

Known as the Emperor, Kurosawa was the first Asian director to win international festivals, and his style — dynamic composition, weather as drama, humanist morality — influenced filmmakers from George Lucas to Sergio Leone. The memoir shows how his disciplined art grew from a life of fear, duty and film-fevered dedication.