Directed by:
黒澤明Cinematography:
Asakazu NakaiComposer:
Fumio HayasakaCast:
Takashi Shimura, Daisuke Katō, Minoru Chiaki, Isao Kimura, Seiji Miyaguchi, Toshirō Mifune, Kamatari Fujiwara, Atsushi Watanabe, Isao Yamagata, Reiko Mori (more)VOD (3)
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Set in 16th Century Japan, Akira Kurosawa's epic Seven Samurai follows the plight of a defenseless farming village that lives in constant fear of marauding bandits. The farmers know that when their crops are harvested, the thugs will attack, so four men go to town in hopes of employing samurai to fight for them. However, the poor villagers can merely offer payment in the form of shelter and a daily bowl of rice, and initially only Kambei (Takashi Shimura), a brave elder samurai, and his eager young apprentice, Katsushiro (Isao Kimura), take up their cause. Encountering various nomadic warriors on the streets, they slowly put together his team of swordsmen, recruiting Shichiroji (Daisuke Katô), Gorobei (Yoshio Inaba), Heihachi (Minoru Chiaki), and Kyuzo (Seiji Miyaguchi). Finally, Kikuchiyo (Toshirô Mifune), a scruffy wanderer who has been trailing them, completes the small band of ronin. However, upon reaching the village, the samurai learn that the farmers fear them as much the enemy. Despite the tensions, Kambei and his men slowly train the peasants to defend their village. Eventually the warriors launch a preemptive strike against the bandits, and begin a series of intense conflicts that culminates in a rain-soaked final battle. (IndiePix Films)
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Seven Samurai is considered one of the cornerstones of the action and adventure genre. It is a film that is usually discussed in superlatives and is exceptionally highly rated by film fans. So please explain to me why I felt as if I had worked a full day in a quarry after watching it, even though I watched it with a break and only saw the edited 160-minute version. The original has an additional runtime of 43 minutes. Film critics generally consider Kurosawa's peak creative period to be in the 1950s, but I, on the other hand, believe that while Kurosawa's work in the 1950s was daring, ambitious, and clearly superior in quality to the gray Japanese contemporary production, he was still striving for directorial mastery. His samurai excursions into ancient history suffer from a theatrical acting style that often crosses over into unpleasant affectation. In this regard, Toshiro Mifune's portrayal of Kikuchiyo is sometimes unbearable. It is strange that this characteristic of Kurosawa's historical films is almost unnoticed by others. In comparison to the more famous American remake The Magnificent Seven, Akira ultimately achieved a draw in my eyes, even though both films have their strengths and weaknesses in different areas. The original film has a realistic tone, with the mercenaries not triumphing over a nearly sixfold numerical advantage due to exceptional fighting skills, but rather by joining forces with the village residents, training them in defense of their homes, and teaching them tactics and weapon control. In contrast, the American version is faster-paced and more entertaining, with a reasonable runtime and better-developed characters, but it is steeped in genre clichés and is a typical western fairy tale about invincible gunmen defeating villains. Overall impression: 60%.
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The Japanese can be rightly proud of themselves, because already in 1954 they came up with such a breathtaking adventure spectacle, the likes of which had never been seen in Hollywood not only until then, but even a few years later. Much has already been said about The Magnificent Seven, which borrowed the theme and, according to many, even surpassed it, but I wouldn't go into any comparisons. Seven Samurai is, after all, a very different film, one that irradiates Japanese culture, and one that fleshes out the story in a far more detailed, emotional and realistic way than its American counterpart. The Samurai were no cowboys who would not bat an eyelash at a hostile attack, but a bunch of ordinary cheerful people with admirable endurance and courage. And maybe that’s the reason I liked the Japanese film a bit more, not only does it present the heroism and determination of the protagonists, but it also focuses on their character and their initially difficult coexistence with the oppressed population. 207 minutes may look exhausting, but believe me, there's probably no better way to spend them than watching Seven Magnificent Samurai under the guidance of Master Kurosawa...
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Kurosawa’s gem is a tad slow for my taste, but precise in every detail. This picture was a foundation stone for so many stories, where a handful of brave men stand up for the weak, even though they are heavily outnumbered. These days we should value these films all the more, because even after all these years they tell us more about people than any others. Your head is on the block and all you think of are your whiskers?
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Akira Kurosawa's sprawling work and predecessor to The Magnificent Seven (which I haven't seen yet) still offers a terrific action spectacle with an element of humour and drama after almost six decades. I'm not saying I stared at the screen with my mouth open for the entire three hours, but I just loved the fights, the camerawork and Kikuchi's awkwardness. In short, a great Japanese film that may be longer than it needs to be, but is definitely worth a watch.
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Even though I'd been interested in Kikuchiya for a long time, even though it entertained me and made me laugh, it was too long... Yes, it's a legendary film that a lot of directors have taken their cue from. It's typically Japanese, those who don't know a bit of the Japanese mentality may be surprised by many things (the film remains misunderstood in many aspects); it flows slowly, it flows gradually, it flows with the seasons. And apparently it's a must for anyone who wants to get to know Kurasawa-sama a little :-) But let's not kid ourselves, the running time is just overlong... :-D
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Gallery (62)
Photo © Toho Company Ltd.
![Seven Samurai - Photos](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w663/files/images/film/photos/161/446/161446832_44435d.jpg)
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