Koreyoshi Kurahara
Encyclopedia
was a Japanese screenwriter and director. He is perhaps best known for directing Antarctica
(1983), which won several awards and was entered into the 34th Berlin International Film Festival
. He also co-directed Hiroshima
(1995) with Roger Spottiswoode
, which was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Miniseries
.
He was the nephew of literary critic Korehito Kurahara, and older brother of film director Koretsugu Kurahara. His son Jun Iwasaki, a former producer for Ishihara International Productions Inc., is currently secretary to politician Nobuteru Ishihara
.
He was born in the city of Kuching
, then part of the kingdom of Sarawak
(now a state of Malaysia) on Borneo
.
While a film student at Nihon University College of Art, he became a live-in student of Kajiro Yamamoto
at the introduction of Ishirō Honda
. Upon graduation in 1952 he joined Shochiku
's Kyoto
studio and worked as an assistant director. He switched to Nikkatsu
in 1954, working mainly as chief assistant director to Eisuke Takizawa.
He made his directorial debut in 1957 with I Am Waiting starring Yujiro Ishihara
, and gained recognition for his bold camera work and angles. He subsequently directed numerous films starring Ishihara and Ruriko Asaoka
.
In 1960 he made the first Japanese film noir Intimidation and in 1964 he made the film Black Sun the story of a Black GI on the run who meets a Japanese jazz fan with a soundtrack from Max Roach's band featuring Clifford Jordan and Abbey Lincoln. The soundtrack was issued on CD in Japan only in 2007. Both films are long overdue DVD release.
After going freelance in 1967, he helmed a succession of blockbusters and popular works including Eiko e no 5,000 Kiro, Kitakitsune Monogatari, The Gate of Youth
and Umi e, See You. His 1983 film Nankyoku Monogatari
was a 5.9 billion yen hit and held the Japanese box office record for a domestic film until it was surpassed by Miyazaki Hayao's Princess Mononoke
in 1997.
Nankyoku Monogatari
is a 1983 Japanese film directed by Koreyoshi Kurahara and starring Ken Takakura. Its plot centers on the 1958 ill-fated Japanese scientific expedition to the South Pole, its dramatic rescue from the impossible weather conditions on the return journey, the relationship between the scientists and...
(1983), which won several awards and was entered into the 34th Berlin International Film Festival
34th Berlin International Film Festival
The 34th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from February 17 to February 28, 1984.-Jury:* Liv Ullmann * Jules Dassin* Edward Bennett* Manuela Cernat-Gheorghiu* Lana Gogoberidze* Tullio Kezich* Steffen Kuchenreuther...
. He also co-directed Hiroshima
Hiroshima (film)
Hiroshima is a 1995 Japanese / Canadian film directed by Koreyoshi Kurahara and Roger Spottiswoode about the decision-making processes that led to the dropping of the atomic bombs by the United States on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki toward the end of World War II. Except as actors,...
(1995) with Roger Spottiswoode
Roger Spottiswoode
Roger Spottiswoode is a Canadian-born film director and writer, who began his career as an editor in the 1970s. He was born in Ottawa, Ontario. He has directed a number of notable films and television productions, including Under Fire and the 1997 James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies starring...
, which was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Miniseries
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Miniseries
The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Miniseries represents excellence in the category of miniseries that are considered either six hours or more, or more than two parts....
.
He was the nephew of literary critic Korehito Kurahara, and older brother of film director Koretsugu Kurahara. His son Jun Iwasaki, a former producer for Ishihara International Productions Inc., is currently secretary to politician Nobuteru Ishihara
Nobuteru Ishihara
is a Japanese politician.He was born in Zushi, Kanagawa, the son of author Shintaro Ishihara . He attended Keio Gijuku High School and graduated from the literature faculty of Keio University in 1981...
.
He was born in the city of Kuching
Kuching
Kuching , officially the City of Kuching, and formerly the City of Sarawak, is the capital and most populous city of the East Malaysian state of Sarawak. It is the largest city on the island of Borneo, and the fourth largest city in Malaysia....
, then part of the kingdom of Sarawak
Sarawak
Sarawak is one of two Malaysian states on the island of Borneo. Known as Bumi Kenyalang , Sarawak is situated on the north-west of the island. It is the largest state in Malaysia followed by Sabah, the second largest state located to the North- East.The administrative capital is Kuching, which...
(now a state of Malaysia) on Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
.
While a film student at Nihon University College of Art, he became a live-in student of Kajiro Yamamoto
Kajirō Yamamoto
was a Japanese film director, screenwriter, and actor who was known for his war films and comedies and as the mentor of Akira Kurosawa.-Early life:Born in Tokyo, Yamamoto attended Keio University where he helped form a film appreciation society...
at the introduction of Ishirō Honda
Ishiro Honda
Ishirō Honda , sometimes miscredited in foreign releases as "Inoshiro Honda", was a Japanese film director...
. Upon graduation in 1952 he joined Shochiku
Shochiku
is a Japanese movie studio and production company for kabuki. It also produces and distributes anime films. Its best remembered directors include Yasujirō Ozu, Kenji Mizoguchi, Mikio Naruse, Keisuke Kinoshita and Yōji Yamada...
's Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
studio and worked as an assistant director. He switched to Nikkatsu
Nikkatsu
is a Japanese entertainment company well known for its film and television productions. It is Japan's oldest major movie studio. The name Nikkatsu is an abbreviation of Nippon Katsudō Shashin, literally "Japan Cinematograph Company".-History:...
in 1954, working mainly as chief assistant director to Eisuke Takizawa.
He made his directorial debut in 1957 with I Am Waiting starring Yujiro Ishihara
Yujiro Ishihara
was a Japanese actor and singer born in Kobe. His elder brother, Shintaro Ishihara, is an author, politician, and the current Governor of Tokyo. Yujiro debuted in 1956 in "Season of the Sun," based on a novel written by his brother...
, and gained recognition for his bold camera work and angles. He subsequently directed numerous films starring Ishihara and Ruriko Asaoka
Ruriko Asaoka
born 2 July 1940 in Xinjing, Manchukuo , is a Japanese actress.- Filmography :* * * Alone on the Pacific aka Alone Across the Pacific...
.
In 1960 he made the first Japanese film noir Intimidation and in 1964 he made the film Black Sun the story of a Black GI on the run who meets a Japanese jazz fan with a soundtrack from Max Roach's band featuring Clifford Jordan and Abbey Lincoln. The soundtrack was issued on CD in Japan only in 2007. Both films are long overdue DVD release.
After going freelance in 1967, he helmed a succession of blockbusters and popular works including Eiko e no 5,000 Kiro, Kitakitsune Monogatari, The Gate of Youth
The Gate of Youth
is a 1981 film directed by Kinji Fukasaku and Koreyoshi Kurahara.It is based on a story by Hiroyuki Itsuki that was originally serialized in the magazine Shukan Gendai in 1969-70...
and Umi e, See You. His 1983 film Nankyoku Monogatari
Nankyoku Monogatari
is a 1983 Japanese film directed by Koreyoshi Kurahara and starring Ken Takakura. Its plot centers on the 1958 ill-fated Japanese scientific expedition to the South Pole, its dramatic rescue from the impossible weather conditions on the return journey, the relationship between the scientists and...
was a 5.9 billion yen hit and held the Japanese box office record for a domestic film until it was surpassed by Miyazaki Hayao's Princess Mononoke
Princess Mononoke
is a 1997 epic Japanese animated historical fantasy feature film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki of Studio Ghibli. is not a name, but a general term in the Japanese language for a spirit or monster...
in 1997.
Filmography
- I Am Waiting {俺は待ってるぜOre wa matteru ze, 1957)
- Fūsoku 40 metresFusoku 40 metres, literally "windspeed 40 metres", is a 1958 color Japanese film directed by Koreyoshi Kurahara.- Cast :* Yujiro Ishihara* Mie Kitahara * Watanabe Misako * and others...
(風速４０米 Fūsoku yonjū mētoru, 1958) - The Jet That Flew Into the Storm (嵐の中を突っ走れ Arashi no naka o tsuppashireArashi no naka o tsuppashireis a 1958 color Japanese film drama directed by Koreyoshi Kurahara.- Cast :* Yujiro Ishihara* Mari Shiraki* Sanae Nakahara* Kō Nishimura* Shinsuke Ashida* and others...
, 1958) - Intimidation (1960)
- The Warped OnesThe Warped Onesis a 1960 Japanese Sun Tribe film directed by Koreyoshi Kurahara and starring Tamio Kawachi, Eiji Go, Yuko Chishiro and Noriko Matsumoto. It was produced and distributed by the Nikkatsu Company...
(狂熱の季節 Kyonetsu no kisetsu, 1960) - I Hate But Love (1962)
- Black Sun (1963) features a soundtrack by Max Roach
- Thirst for Love (1966)
- The Gate of YouthThe Gate of Youthis a 1981 film directed by Kinji Fukasaku and Koreyoshi Kurahara.It is based on a story by Hiroyuki Itsuki that was originally serialized in the magazine Shukan Gendai in 1969-70...
(青春の門 Seishun no mon, 1981) - Antarctica (南極物語 Nankyoku MonogatariNankyoku Monogatariis a 1983 Japanese film directed by Koreyoshi Kurahara and starring Ken Takakura. Its plot centers on the 1958 ill-fated Japanese scientific expedition to the South Pole, its dramatic rescue from the impossible weather conditions on the return journey, the relationship between the scientists and...
, 1983) - HiroshimaHiroshima (film)Hiroshima is a 1995 Japanese / Canadian film directed by Koreyoshi Kurahara and Roger Spottiswoode about the decision-making processes that led to the dropping of the atomic bombs by the United States on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki toward the end of World War II. Except as actors,...
(1995)