Dersu Uzala/Trivia

• Lzherusskie: Averted in the film. Though mainly a Japanese production, it featured Russian and native actors for each role, and filmed entirely in Russian and Nanai, in spite of the impact this may have in the sales.
• Troubled Production: As no Japanese studio wanted to fund Kurosawa, he had to work with a Soviet one, Mosfilm. And during the extended 3-year production, basically everything conspired against him.
• What Could Have Been: The Soviet producers initially wanted to cast Kurosawa's frequent collaborator, Toshiro Mifune, in the role of Dersu, but he refused due to scheduling conflicts and an acrimonious falling-out they had with Kurosawa in 1965. In the end a Soviet actor Maxim Munzuk got the title role.