The Idiot is a 1951 Japanese film directed and written by Akira Kurosawa. It is based on the 1869 novel The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky. The original 265-minute version of the film, faithful to the novel, has been long lost. A nearly three-hour release, reflecting a 100-minute studio-imposed cut, currently survives as the most complete version of the film available for contemporary audiences.
Theatrical release poster showing Toshiro Mifune (left), Masayuki Mori (centre) and Setsuko Hara (right)
Akira Kurosawa was a Japanese filmmaker and painter who directed 30 films in a career spanning over five decades. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers in the history of cinema. Kurosawa displayed a bold, dynamic style, strongly influenced by Western cinema yet distinct from it; he was involved with all aspects of film production.
Kurosawa on the set of Seven Samurai in December 1953
From the left: Kurosawa, Ishirō Honda, and Senkichi Taniguchi with their mentor Kajirō Yamamoto, late 1930s
Kurosawa (left) and Mikio Naruse (right) during the production of Avalanche (1937)
Filming of The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail, 1945