Madadayo was Akira Kurosawa’s final film. It is a story of an old man who enjoys the good things in life and is constantly celebrated by his peers, pupils, and countrymen. I can’t think of a more suiting film for such a master to end on. Ikaru would be a close second, but it wouldn’t be as fair of a message to leave with.

While watching Madadayo I am reminded of the first Kurosawa film I ever saw: Ran. I was soon to enter high school and I was just beginning to move my taste of film from something that is just pure entertainment to something more meaningful. I saw the cover of Ran with the Japanese warrior on the front and the lush green background behind him and rented it. It was the first Japanese film I had ever seen (barring a terrible live action version of some anime I can’t seem to remember).

The use of color was not something I was use to. At first the film seemed to be some bizarre crap that was just too “artsy” for me, but as it continued I was captivated by the use of color on film as I had never seen done before. By the ending I was hooked by the entire package even though I felt that it was a bit “over-acted” at points. At this point I had no idea who Akira Kurosawa was really; I just knew he directed that film.

Later I was working at Suncoast Motion Picture Co. (a video sales store in the mall) right after DVDs started to be released (there was a store right next door attempting to sell divx discs if that helps set the time frame). My manager was pretty much what you would expect for that kind of store: a large film fan of every kind. When we got a new shipment one day it contained something that introduced me to two great things about film: the Seven Samurai. At first I was curious as to why the hell this disc cost way more than even the high priced DVDs at the time, and then my manager explained to me what Criterion was. He also reminded me that this was from the same director as Ran.

Needless to say, my next paycheck involved purchasing Seven Samurai. I was still young and stupid and didn’t pay too much attention to it, but I enjoyed the film immensely. I watched it once, then forced a friend to watch it who though I was crazy for enjoying it so much. Knowing that I was going to be graduating high school very shortly I wasn’t so concerned with things like “film,” but it was always in the back of my head.

It wasn’t until the next year while watching the Academy Awards that I learned of his death, and also how much he meant to the film industry. I have spent the following years slowly collecting his films as they have been released on DVD and as I have had the money to do so.

I have owned Madadayo for a little over a year now yet always been hesitant to watch it figuring it would be a let down of a final film. With the death of Robert Altman and in the context of discussion between a Prairie Home Companion (Altman’s final film) and Madadayo (Kurosawa’s final film) the argument was made that PHC was the better final film. I couldn’t argue with it, but that was my fault for not yet having watched Kurosawa’s. I have now rectified that and can only say that Madadayo is by and far the stronger film and the more important one. This is by no means meant to insult Robert Altman or PHC: an excellent director and a good film. This is more to say that even by the end Kurosawa was a painter of film that can not be matched.

In his career most of his films were black and white, and he was exceptionally involved in his work and all the processes from the screenplay, to directing, filming, editing, and even lighting. When times changed and he moved over to color film something struck me about his work that I could never put my finger on. His films didn’t seem as good or as tight. At times they almost seemed hokey or ham-fisted. It never made sense to me until two things happen.

Akira Kurosawa’s Dreams was the first. In that film Kurosawa makes strong statements about his affinity towards painting and art. The film itself could be taken as part poetry and part living painting. This was the first color film of his that I saw where I knew he was still a master, but something about my memory of Ran was still not sitting quite right in the overall picture of Kurosawa: the Director.

The second item was the release of Ran: the Criterion Collection. When I first saw the packaging most everything fell into place. It is a combination of paint and text which makes color and art the prominent point. Watching the DVD bonus short 35 minute reconstruction of Ran though Kurosawa’s paintings and sketches–which he used as storyboards–shows exactly what he wanted to do with color film: use it as a canvas for his paintings.

Madadayo does all this and more with his capturing of the celebration of life and the essence of color and scene. Of all the great directors last films which I have seen (and it is not all of them mind you) I can say without a doubt in my head that this is the ultimate end film of a director’s career.