Remakes of films by Akira Kurosawa explained

A number of Akira Kurosawa's films have been remade.

Note: This list includes full remakes only; it does not include films whose narratives have been loosely inspired by the basic plot of one or more of the director's films – as A Bug's Life (1998) references both Seven Samurai (1954) and its Hollywood remake The Magnificent Seven (1960) – nor movies that adopt, adapt, or parody individual plot elements or characters from a Kurosawa film without adapting the entire film, as Star Wars (1977) did with The Hidden Fortress (1958).

The 1999 movie Inferno (Desert Heat) with Jean Claude Van Damme is also a remake of Yojimbo. It was directed by John G. Avildsen who asked his name to be changed from the credits to Danny Mulroon because of creative differences.

The information below is derived from the Akira Kurosawa's IMDb page and the director's filmography by Galbraith (2002).[1]

Table

Year Original title of remake English title Remake of Director Country of origin Kurosawa credited?
1955Sugata SanshiroSanshiro SugataSanshiro SugataShigeo TanakaJapanYes
1960The Magnificent SevenSeven SamuraiJohn SturgesUSANo
Rashomon (Television)RashomonSidney LumetUSAYes
1964Per un pugno di dollariA Fistful of DollarsYojimbo (unauthorized)Sergio LeoneItaly-Spain-West GermanyNo
The OutrageRashomonMartin RittUSAYes
1965Sugata SanshiroSanshiro SugataSanshiro Sugata and
Sanshiro Sugata II
Seiichiro UchikawaJapanYes
1966DjangoYojimboSergio CorbucciItaly-SpainNo
1968Xue chengThe Last Day of Hsianyang,
a.k.a. The Last Days of Hsin Yang,
a.k.a. They Died For Their Princess
The Hidden FortressFu Di LinTaiwan – Hong KongYes
1973Nora InuStray DogStray DogAzuma MorisakiJapanYes
1976Il conto è chiusoThe Last RoundYojimbo Stelvio MassiItalyNo1977 Star WarsThe Hidden FortressGeorge LucasUSANo-->
1980Battle Beyond the StarsSeven Samurai (unauthorized)Jimmy T. Murakami
Roger Corman (uncredited)
USANo
1984The Warrior and the SorceressYojimboJohn C. BroderickUSANo
1989Zhong yi qun yingSeven WarriorsSeven SamuraiTerry TongHong KongYes, at least on the DVD cover.
1996Omega DoomYojimboAlbert PyunUSANo
1996Last Man StandingYojimboWalter HillUSAYes
1998China GateSeven SamuraiRajkumar SantoshiIndiaYes
2001Kaze no Yojimbo (anime television series)YojimboHayato DateJapanYes
2004Seven Samurai 20XX (video game)Seven SamuraiAtsushi IiJapanYes
Samurai 7 (anime television series)Seven SamuraiToshifumi Takizawa (and others)Japan—USAYes
2007Tsubaki SanjurōSanjurō TsubakiSanjuroYoshimitsu MoritaJapanYes
Tengoku to JigokuHeaven and HellHigh and LowYasuo TsuruhashiJapan (TV)No
2008Hidden Fortress: The Last PrincessThe Hidden FortressShinji HiguchiJapanYes
1983I sette magnifici gladiatoriThe Seven Magnificent GladiatorsSeven SamuraiBruno MatteiItalyNo
2010Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 2 Episode 17: Bounty HuntersSeven SamuraiSteward LeeUSAThe episode is dedicated to him
2011U-Mong Pa MeungAt the Gate of the GhostRashomonM.L. Phundevanop DevakulaThailandYes
2012Gwanghae, Wangyidoen namjaMasqueradeKagemushaChang-min ChooSouth KoreaNo
2016The Magnificent SevenSeven SamuraiAntoine FuquaUSAYes
2019The Mandalorian Season 1 Episode 4: Seven SamuraiBryce Dallas HowardUSANo
2020LivingIkiruUKYes

Notes and References

  1. Book: Galbraith, Stuart IV . The Emperor and the Wolf: The lives and films of Akira Kurosawa and Toshiro Mifune . registration . 2002 . Faber and Faber, Inc. . New York & London . 0-571-19982-8.