joefavs said:

Finally sprang for a Filmstruck account and have been taking full advantage. This weekend I’ve watched

Throne of Blood - 1957, dir. Akira Kurosawa
Viridiana - 1961, dir. Luis Buñuel
Rome: Open City - 1945, dir. Roberto Rosellini
Rodan - 1956, dir. Ishiro Honda
Laura - 1944, dir. Otto Preminger

Might fire up some more Kurosawa this afternoon, TLJ really put me in the mood for that stuff.

Kurosawa was a genius and as everyone here knows, a big influence on Lucas. Throne of Blood is pretty good; visually gorgeous. Harold Bloom says it’s one of his favorite Shakespeare films, which is saying something. I got to see a 35mm presentation of Seven Samurai a few years ago; really a privilege. As far as Kurosawa Shakespeare movies go, I do actually prefer Ran to Throne of Blood though. Throne of Blood is powerful, but Ran is really one for the ages, and I don’t know if anyone has ever topped that battle scene.