''A.K.'' is a 1985 French documentary film directed by Chris Marker about the Japanese director

Akira Kurosawa was a Japanese filmmaker and painter who directed thirty films in a career spanning over five decades. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema. Kurosawa displayed a bold, dyna ...

. Though it was filmed while Kurosawa was working on ''

Ran Ran, RaN and ran may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Ran'' (film), a 1985 film directed by Akira Kurosawa * "Ran" (song), a 2013 Japanese song by Luna Sea * '' Ran Online'', a 2004 MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role playing game) * ...

'', the film focuses more on Kurosawa's remote but polite personality than on the making of the film. The film is sometimes seen as being reflective of Marker's fascination with Japanese culture, which he also drew on for one of his best-known films, ''

Sans Soleil ''Sans Soleil'' (; "Sunless") is a 1983 French documentary film directed by Chris Marker. It is a meditation on the nature of human memory, showing the inability to recall the context and nuances of memory, and how, as a result, the perception of ...

''. The film was screened in the

Un Certain Regard (, meaning 'a certain glance') is a section of the Cannes Film Festival's official selection. It is run at the Debussy, parallel to the competition for the . This section was introduced in 1978 by Gilles Jacob. The section presents 20 films w ...

section at the

1985 Cannes Film Festival The 38th Cannes Film Festival was held from 8 to 20 May 1985. The Palme d'Or went to the ''When Father Was Away on Business'' by Emir Kusturica. The festival opened with ''Witness'', directed by Peter Weir and closed with ''The Emerald Forest'', ...

Cast

Shigehiko Hasumi (born 29 April 1936 in Roppongi, Tokyo) is a film critic and an academic researcher on French literature from Japan. He was president of the University of Tokyo from 1997 to 2001. Life and work Hasumi's father Shigeyasu was a professor at Kyot ...

as Narration * Chris Marker as narrator in the French version (voice) *

as Self *

Tatsuya Nakadai is a Japanese film actor. He was featured in 11 films directed by Masaki Kobayashi, including ''The Human Condition'' trilogy, wherein he starred as the lead character Kaji, plus ''Harakiri'', ''Samurai Rebellion'' and ''Kwaidan''. Nakadai wor ...

as Self *

Ishirō Honda was a Japanese filmmaker who directed 44 feature films in a career spanning 59 years. The most internationally successful Japanese filmmaker prior to Hayao Miyazaki, his films have had a significant influence on the film industry. Honda enter ...

as Self *

Asakazu Nakai was a Japanese cinematographer born in Hyōgo Prefecture. He worked on several films with director Akira Kurosawa. In 1950, he won the Mainichi Film Award for Best Cinematography for ''Stray Dog''. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best ...

as Self *

Takao Saito was a Japanese manga artist, although he rejected the term and considered his work gekiga. He was best known for '' Golgo 13'', which has been serialized in ''Big Comic'' since 1968, making it the oldest manga still in publication. ''Golgo ...

as Self * Fumio Yanoguchi as Self * Takeji Sano as Self (as Takeharu Sano) * Teruyo Nogami as Self * Fumisuke Okada as Self (as Fumisake Okada) * Vittorio Dalle Ore as Self (as Vittorio) *

Tōru Takemitsu was a Japanese composer and writer on aesthetics and music theory. Largely self-taught, Takemitsu was admired for the subtle manipulation of instrumental and orchestral timbre. He is known for combining elements of oriental and occidental phil ...

as Self * Masato Hara as Self *

Shinobu Muraki was a Japanese production designer and art director. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Art Direction for her work in Akira Kurosawa's film '' Ran'' (1985). She was married to Yoshirō Muraki. Filmography (as production designe ...

as Self

References

External links

* 1985 films 1985 documentary films French documentary films Documentary films about film directors and producers Films directed by Chris Marker Akira Kurosawa 1980s French-language films Films produced by Serge Silberman 1980s French films {{bio-documentary-film-stub