Akira Kurosawa (1910–1988) is regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema, having directed thirty films in a career spanning fifty-seven years. Akira Kurosawa: A Life in Film re-appraises his creative work through the prism of his film posters. Through this brilliantly simple approach, Leslie Megahey, Martin Bridgewater, and Bruce Marchant have selected and reproduced ninety film posters from the Martin Bridgewater collection that—besides being beautiful in their own right—offer a fascinating level of interpretation on Kurosawa’s films. In addition, Megahey, who interviewed Kurosawa for the BBC documentary, contributes twelve chapters that explore key aspects of his life and films. Megahey looks at issues such as artistic freedom in occupied Japan after World War II; the impact of world fame on Kurosawa’s work; his major collaborators and actors; his middle years and personal problems of the era; and, finally, his greatest achievements.

Beautifully produced, with full-color posters and ephemera from Japan, the Americas, Western and Eastern Europe, this book offers a spectacular vision of Kurosawa’s films and a long-awaited reappraisal of his enduring work.