In 1964 he came across a report about a true incident of a train running out of control in the United States in 1962. The out-of-control train ran at a speed of 130 kilometers per hour in the wilderness of the Midwest of the United States. The out-of-control time lasted for an hour and forty minutes. There was only one mechanic who didn't know how to operate the train and two prison escapes who accidentally got on the train. commit.
Akira Kurosawa found an American film company as an investor, and began to write a movie script based on this incident. The name was "Runaway Train".
Since the scenes and actors are all American, it is basically an American movie, so the script needs to be rewritten according to American habits. But Akira Kurosawa and the American Film Company had difficulty reaching an agreement on the rewritten script, and for some other reasons, the film that was supposed to start shooting in December 1966 was unilaterally requested by Akira Kurosawa to be postponed for one year. There was a lot of input, but it was finally agreed to suspend filming.
Later, probably due to various reasons, Akira Kurosawa still failed to make the film, which was completed by the current director in 1985.
The theme of this film should still be the original definition by the American film company, "No matter who you are, there is something that you want to escape but can't escape."
And this theme, Akira Kurosawa does not agree with. He sees the film as a thoroughly action movie, with the runaway train running through it. One day, the machines produced by humans suddenly run wild as if they have their own consciousness, but there is no way for humans to stop them. The reversal of this dominant relationship between humans and machines is terrifying. This "runaway monster" theme has been preserved in Kurosawa's creative career. (Isn't the recent "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" series the same theme?)
Although Akira Kurosawa's script also added some plots that were not in real events, while describing the out-of-control train, it also described some people and people. Disputes between people, but these are just to enhance the thrill of the movie.
The director as an artist and the film company as the capital side often have different ideas and requirements on unique works of art such as movies. This characteristic is doomed that the final work that the audience sees may not match the director's style.
In this way, Akira Kurosawa missed the opportunity to personally complete the theme of his motorcycle dream.
The above content is adapted from "Akira Kurosawa VS Hollywood" by Hiroshi Takusagawa.
View more about Runaway Train reviews
