Japan-USSR (1974): Adventure/Drama

A few months after his notorious suicide attempt (allegedly prompted by the failure of Dodesukaden, 1970), Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa was regenerated by the notion of helming the first Russian/Japanese co-production. Co-scripted and directed by Kurosawa, Dersu Uzala is the near-poetic story of an elderly guide and Goldi hunter (Maxim Munzuk), who, at the turn of the century, agrees to shepherd a Russian explorer (Yuri Solomin) and a troop of soldiers through the most treacherous passages of the Far East. The guide has been "one" with the land almost from birth, and is thus able to save his party from perishing. Slow going in the earlier portions, the film's second half, lensed entirely on location, contains some of Kurosawa's best-ever work. Four years in the making, this film won the 1976 Best Foreign Film Oscar, and totally restored the flagging Kurosawa to the top ranks of the Japanese film industry. (Atelier 41, Daiei, Mosfilm/New World Pictures) (Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide)

· Foreign Language Film Award 1975: (USSR) (Yoichi Matsue & Nikolai Sizov, producers)

1 nomination, 1 Award