And that of course made me think of Mochimune, and how he seems to show kind of a contempt for actors, or maybe it would be more accurate to say that he views them only as tools that he can use to achieve the vision he has for his films. I think by the time they finish filming "Lost Heart," he has gained some respect for Iwaki, and states that he wants to work with him again, so maybe Iwaki will become his Mifune? Kurosawa was also known to have been a perfectionist and something of a dictator on the set, which again reminds me of Mochimune.

So I was just wondering, could Mochimune be modeled loosely after a young Kurosawa? Or at least was written as a Kurosawa-like character: the demanding and temperamental but brilliant visionary? Although of course it is common to portray genius visionary-types as being difficult to work with, and need not have anything to do with Kurosawa in particular, but I thought it was an interesting comparison.

I think it's possible that press might hail him as the next Kurosawa, but that Mochimune would dislike being compared to anyone, and would want his talents to be recognized as unique. Or maybe he just doesn't give a damn what anyone thinks of him, as long as he gets to make his movies the way he wants.