When you see a Kurosawa film, you realize so many modern movie directors don't know how to stage drama.

Please more of this. The "Brilliant Moments" episodes that focus solely on one piece of the craft are my absolute favorite. It fills the hole that Every Frame a Painting left.

The entire first 1 hour of High and Low (1963) is a masterclass in staging,blocking,drama,tension on the whole great storytelling.

Kurosawa is most known as the “samurai guy” to most people, but some of his best works are in the crime drama genre, like this film, the Bad Sleep Well, and Stray Dog. Edit: and Drunken Angel

Aoki's positioning in this movie is so genius, he occupies the same space on screen that he occupies in Gondo's mind. He is always there, in a position that obviously places him in the background, but also in a space that our eyes can't help but continuously be drawn to. We can't help but keep glancing at him to see his reactions, even as he is simply standing there helpless for a chunk of the movie, he is still there, a visual representation of the human stakes of the story. It is the same for Gondo, Aoki's presence and grief is always hovering over him, never quite out of sight as he attempts to make a single decision that will determine his future. This movie, and Kurosawa in general, does such an incredible job at representing these things visually in a way that looks so flawless and natural

I'm not sure which is more incredible- Kurosawa's skill or the quality of the analysis by this channel; from one movie nerd to another: thank you

Who else got a bit emotional watching this

I have not watched enough Kurosawa

The first twenty minutes of High and Low is almost an object lesson in how to direct a set piece.  No flashy cutting, no off beat camera angles, no camera on dolly or steadicam.  Kuroasawa does this by grouping and actor movement.  When you see this on the widescreen, and if you understand cinema, its a real treat for the eye.  Not to say the remarkable acting.  Toshiro Mifune was one of the finest actors to ever grace the screen.

Amazing performances from Toshiro Mifune and Tatsuya Nakadai!

this film is so criminally underrated it hurts

I read it some where that Kurusawa shots his films in a way that the editors rarely have to do too much edit. Amazing.

Kurosawa, one of those directors who doesn't even need an editor...badass.

Kurosawa's most underrated film. Seven Samurai might be his most famous and influential, but this is a hidden gem. Even better film.

Akira Kurosawa is one of my favorite filmmakers. Always a joy to see videos on his work.

I was blown away when I watched this film for the very first time. Easily one of Kurosawa’s most underrated works.

When you talk about Kurosawa, it’s always his samurai films that spring to mind. Not many are aware that he was as adept at telling stories set in contemporary times as he was at creating period pieces!

Many thanks for handpicking this particular film! Very well analysed also. Gold mine for an aspiring filmmaker like myself.

With the last example, I feel too many modern directors would have been afraid of the audience's attention span, or try to over-stylise, and resort to a multitude of short closeups and awkward angles.  Very nice video, Cinefix at its best!!

Can you turn this in to some sort of Kurosawa series? Please!!! Maybe videos on performance, editing, scripting, composition, anything! Awesome video btw

i don't know much about filmmaking, i knew blocking was a thing but i never knew how much meaning you can infer just through blocking. things like this are very inspiring and humbling

This movie is mindblowing in details. The telephone scene at the beginning, I think it is almost 10 minutes long, captured in one take. Amazing work by all actors, especially Toshiro Mifune and Tatsuya Nakadai.


High and Low is one of my favorite Kurosawa films and, yes, it is probably the most underrated he's ever made. I guess the reason is it's set in then modern 60's Japan era and people mostly associate Kurosawa with samurai themes. Another modern film - The Bad Sleep Well, which is less entertaining than High and Low, is full of legendary shots and still it goes unmentioned. For me it is a directing masterpiece.


Thanks for this video, I'm definitely watching this film again these days, haven't seen it in almost a decade.