Koreyoshi Kurahara | |
|---|---|
 Koreyoshi Kurahara in 1967 | |
| Born | 31 May 1927 |
| Died | 28 December 2002 (aged 75) |
| Occupation(s) | Film director and screenwriter |
| Years active | 1942 - 2002 |
Koreyoshi Kurahara (蔵原惟繕, Kurahara Koreyoshi) (31 May 1927 – 28 December 2002) 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.[1] He also co-directed Hiroshima (1995) with Roger Spottiswoode, which was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Miniseries.
He was born in Kuching, Kingdom of Sarawak (now a state of Malaysia) on Borneo,[2] to an agricultural engineer. His family returned to Japan when Kurahara was in elementary school.[3] 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.
While a film student at Nihon University College of Art, he became a live-in student of Kajiro Yamamoto[4] at the introduction of Ishirō Honda. Upon graduation in 1952 he joined Shochiku's Kyoto studio and worked as an assistant director.[4] He switched to Nikkatsu in 1954,[4] working mainly as chief assistant director to Eisuke Takizawa.[2]
He made his directorial debut in 1957 with I Am Waiting, starring Yujiro Ishihara,[4] 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.
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.[2] His 1983 film Nankyoku Monogatari (aka, Antarctica) 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.[2] The film was later adapted into a 2006 film, Eight Below which is also dedicated to him.
