Meet Akira Kurosawa(3): A Global Influence* on Cinema

Kurosawa’s impact on cinema is not limited to Japan. Directors from around the world have cited his work as a major influence on their careers. The likes of George Lucas, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, and Francis Ford Coppola all point to Kurosawa as a key inspiration. Lucas openly acknowledged that Star Wars drew heavily from Kurosawa’s The Hidden Fortress (1958), particularly in its structure and the idea of telling a grand story through the perspective of two minor characters.

In fact, Kurosawa’s influence can be seen in films across multiple genres. From Westerns like The Magnificent Seven to crime dramas like The Usual Suspects, Kurosawa’s legacy is felt far beyond the borders of Japan. His ability to marry Eastern and Western storytelling, drawing from Shakespeare, Dostoevsky, and classical Japanese literature, made his work both accessible and profound.

*To explore Kurosawa’s worldwide influence, you might enjoy Paul Anderer’s Kurosawa’s Rashomon: A Vanished City, a Lost Brother, and the Voice Inside His Iconic Films .