I just watched After the Rain, a film written by Kurosawa but directed after his death by one of his proteges. It is really quite good, even if it is not a “classic”.
My favorite aspect of this film is the domesticity of the story. This is not an epic, it’s a simple drama that happens to have a swordsman in it. Everyone is dwarfed by the forest the story is set in. Beyond that, I think this review most likely sums up my thoughts the best, the key quote being:
In playing Ihei [the main character], Terao avoids the inevitable comparisons to [Toshiro] Mifune by approaching the role from the opposite direction. Whereas Mifune’s samurai were often traditional tachiyaku (“manly warrior” types) for whom affairs of the heart were out of the question, Ihei is a New Age ideal: dedicated to his profession, while being sincerely devoted to his long-suffering wife. Terao, a pop-musician-turned-actor who appeared in Kurosawa’s “Ran,” “Yume” and “Madadayo,” is not as comfortable with a sword as Kurosawa’s previous generation of samurai (he had reportedly never handled one before taking the part) but he brings a deadpan panache to his fight scenes.
Also, he is not embarrassed about or contemptuous of the idea of heroism. Instead, in his own low-key way, he embraces it. While not dominating the screen like Mifune, he brings a quiet authority and likeability to his role. Given an impossible assignment — reviving a vanished heroic type — he does a better job than expected.
“Cinematic storm ends with light rain”, by MARK SCHILLING