Waiting on the Weather: Making Movies with Akira Kurosawa [Hardcover]

My Kurosawa library is pretty full. Heavy, academic tomes like Stephen Prince's "The Warrior's Camera" and informative and personal showcases like Donald Richie's "The Films of Akira Kurosawa" can do a lot to deepen one's appreciation for the master filmmaker. Only "Waiting for the Weather" can make you smile, make you feel like you are sitting right there, caught up in the whirlwind of genius holding on for dear life and enjoying every minute of the ride.

Teruyo Nogami is a familiar face to most Kurosawa fans, having appeared in the 2001 documentary "Kurosawa" as well as lending her insights to the various Criterion Collection releases of Kurosawa's films. I can't picture her as anything else than a pleasantly smiling elderly woman, little realizing the will-power and strength that must have been necessary to serve as an assistant for the fierce personality of Kurosawa for so many years. Nor did I realize that she helped raise Juzo Itami, one of the greatest of Japan's modern filmmakers, best known for his comedy "Tampopo".

In "Waiting for the Weather", Nogomi, or Non-chan, as Kurosawa called her, waxes nostalgic about all the trials, tribulations, exaltations and boring down-times that went into creating some of the greatest moments ever caught on film. Her entry into the film world came through correspondence with Mansaku Itami, a famous director in his time although now somewhat forgotten, and then continued organically until her being hired on for an experimental new film called "Rashomon", which would change her life forever. From then on, she was a constant presence on Kurosawa's set, staying with him even during the dark times of "Dersu Uzala" and all the way until his final film "Madadayo" and his death. She was never a great mover or shaker, just someone who helped get things done, and was an essential piece of the Kurosawa machine.

There are so many scenes and memories in this book that put a human face on Kurosawa, and that are so pleasantly described, that it would be impossible to pick out a favorite. Imagine Kurosawa and his team taking a break from intense work of filming "Rashomon" to climb nearby Mt. Wakakusa and engage in some impromptu late-night dancing and stripping down to their underwear. Imagine sharing a laugh when the cages holding the crows for the climatic scene in "Dreams" were thrown open, and the black birds just sort of wandered around instead of taking off dramatically. This is the kind of nostalgia that Non-chan shares, and every word paints a vivid picture of affection and love for the human being behind the legend.

Teruyo Nogami, "script girl" to Kurosawa-as of this writing is still alive-and is one of the last close associates of Akira Kurosawa to be able to tell us about the man, his working methods, and the conditions of making some of the 20th century's finest films.

This charming book is written with respect, and the conviction that Kurosawa was a great filmmaker. There seems to be a lot of repetition in the stories told about and by Kurosawa, but there are some new bits and pieces, too. It is fascinating to hunker down in the cold with Miss Nogami, as she helps in the filming of "Dersu Uzala", for example. She is able to make you feel as if you were there, with her simple, clear descriptions.

An absolutely delightful book, and a necessary part of your Kurosawa bookshelf!

What do you do when you stand next to greatness? And? You are possessed of an unassuming wit and courage, strength, loyalty and passion? Why you wait until the Master is gone and then write your memoirs to share with the world and you get the single greatest Western observor of your nation to write the introduction, thats what you do, then you get a super cool Canadian to get a wonderful small press in California to publish it in English for you!

That is what No-Chan, as The Sensei always called her, has done and anyone who loves film and or Japan must be deeply grateful to her and the peerless Donald Richie for bringing her recolections of Kurosawa to us in an excellent translation. Run, do not walk, to purchase this warm, honest, intelligent, funny and sad volume!