Dersu Uzala Budget

What is the budget of Dersu Uzala?

"Dersu Uzala," an adventure released in 1975, was directed by Akira Kurosawa and stars Yuriy Solomin, Maksim Munzuk. The production budget was $4,000,000, placing it in the micro-budget range for adventure productions of the 1970s.

Key Budget Allocation Categories

While specific budget breakdowns are not publicly available, typical cost drivers for an adventure production like this include:

• Stunts, Action Sequences & Visual Effects: Action films allocate a substantial portion of their budget to choreographing and executing practical stunts, pyrotechnics, and CGI-heavy sequences.
• Above-the-Line Talent (Cast & Director): A-list talent commands significant upfront fees plus backend participation.
• Production Design, Sets & Locations: Action films frequently require multiple international shooting locations, large-scale set construction, vehicle acquisitions and modifications, and specialized equipment , all of which drive production costs well above those of dialogue-driven genres.
• Development: Kurosawa returned to the project of adapting Dersu Uzala in 1972 when the film producer received a communication from the All-Soviet Union of Filmmakers indicating they were committed to a Soviet,Japanese production.

What were the major cost factors in Dersu Uzala?

Several factors contributed to the overall production costs of "Dersu Uzala."

• Stunts: Stunts, Action Sequences & Visual Effects is one of the primary cost drivers in adventure productions of this scale.
• Above-the-Line Talent (Cast: Above-the-Line Talent (Cast & Director) is one of the primary cost drivers in adventure productions of this scale.
• Production Design: Production Design, Sets & Locations is one of the primary cost drivers in adventure productions of this scale.

How Does Dersu Uzala's Budget Compare to Similar Films?

At $4,000,000, Dersu Uzala sits in the micro-budget range. Here is how it compares to productions with a similar budget:

• Peter Pan (1953): Budget $4,000,000, Worldwide Gross $87,400,000
• Farewell My Concubine (1993): Budget $4,000,000, Worldwide Gross $6,400,000
• Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem (2003): Budget $4,000,000 , Gross $6,664,789
• Trainspotting (1996): Budget $4,000,000, Worldwide Gross $71,981,823
• Capernaum (2018): Budget $4,000,000, Worldwide Gross $64,978,931

The median budget for wide-release adventure films in the era ranges from $30 to 80M for mid-budget to $150M+ for tentpoles.

Dersu Uzala Production History

Kurosawa returned to the project of adapting Dersu Uzala in 1972 when the film producer received a communication from the All-Soviet Union of Filmmakers indicating they were committed to a Soviet,Japanese production. Matsue and Kurosawa's script advisor, Teruyo Nogami, flew to Moscow in early 1973 to sign a production agreement stipulating that although it would be a Soviet production, Kurosawa would maintain full artistic control. Nogami states that originally, the Soviet side wanted Toshiro Mifune to be cast in the role of Arsenyev, but Matsue persuaded them that Mifune would not stay in Siberia for a shoot lasting for years.

Filming of Dersu Uzala began in February 1974. The film used . These cameras used film stock at a speed of ASA 40 (according to Nogami, the Japanese industry used film stock at a sensitivity of ASA 100 to 120).

Awards and Recognition

Won 1 Oscar. 8 wins & 1 nomination total

• Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (48th Academy Awards)