Seven Samurai (B+ or 3.5/4 stars)
'Seven Samurai' (directed by the great Akira Kurosawa) is a renowned 1950s Japanese epic that is beloved & revered around the world. It is undeniably great & a high achievement; just wish it weren't 3.5 hours long. I saw a 2.5 hour version. This 'shorter' version moves quicker, while the long one adds more depth. Either way, it was a bit of a trying sit, for me. But again, I sing many praises for it. Onto the plot. The year is 1574. 40 bandits annually steal the harvest from a village of poor, easily intimidated farmers. Thankfully, a delayed barley harvest keeps the bandits at bay for a while.
Unable to fight back, the farmers lament their lot in life. Conflicted about what to do, they consult their wise elder (Kuninori Todo), who instructs to hire 'hungry samurai' who will accept food as payment to protect them. To that, they hire selfless, noble-hearted Kambei (Takashi Shimura), after seeing him rescue a farmer's daughter from abductors. Kambei then recruits 6 motley swordsmen to defend the village. The selfless samurai include Katsushiro (Isao Kimura), Kambei's young disciple; stoic, yet skilled Kyuzo (Seiji Miyaguchi); fearless Shichiroji (Daisuke Kato); confident Gorobei (Yoshio Inaba); good-natured but mediocre swordsman Heihachi (Minoru Chiaki); and lastly, the arrogant, wacky braggart Kikuchiyo (Toshiro Mifune).
In battle, Kikuchiyo - who is discovered to be only posing as a samurai because, being a lowly farmer's son, wants to fight on farmers' behalf - DOES prove to be courageous. The 7 samurais make distinct war plans & actually train the local peasants to fight; to counter the raids of the nefarious bandits. Against great odds, the 7 samurai intensely prepare for their climactic showdown with the savage bandits. Chaos & drama ensues.
'Seven Samurai' has it all: humor, action, drama & high emotions. The story is meticulously told & assuredly directed by master, Kurosawa. Furthermore, the main characters - quirky & entertaining as they are - are actually factually-based, which makes them all the more interesting. Kurosawa takes a lot of time to set-up the plot, introduce us to the plethora of players, establish their varying personalities & experience the training exercises. I highly admire the black-&-white cinematography; the nerve-shredding climactic battle in the rain is ASTOUNDING to watch. And the 16th century details are superb, as well. The acting is 1st-rate, from everyone; the stand-out being charismatic Toshiro Mifune, the crazed, self-appointed samurai who steps up to the plate.
Hollywood took a cue from this film and made their own version with 1960's The Magnificent Seven. The classic script for this film translates well enough to the 1960 version. I found The Magnificent Seven to be entertaining & skilled, but it doesn't quite reach the heights of 'Seven Samurai'. And so, though I don't think it is perfect {the length, an edit here, some acting choices there, etc.}, I highly recommend this classic masterpiece which combines raw entertainment with rich, historical drama. Kurosawa – whose ancestors were samurai - catches the inherent dangers of living in medieval times and glorifies the self-sacrificing loyalty & bravery of the samurais.
Unable to fight back, the farmers lament their lot in life. Conflicted about what to do, they consult their wise elder (Kuninori Todo), who instructs to hire 'hungry samurai' who will accept food as payment to protect them. To that, they hire selfless, noble-hearted Kambei (Takashi Shimura), after seeing him rescue a farmer's daughter from abductors. Kambei then recruits 6 motley swordsmen to defend the village. The selfless samurai include Katsushiro (Isao Kimura), Kambei's young disciple; stoic, yet skilled Kyuzo (Seiji Miyaguchi); fearless Shichiroji (Daisuke Kato); confident Gorobei (Yoshio Inaba); good-natured but mediocre swordsman Heihachi (Minoru Chiaki); and lastly, the arrogant, wacky braggart Kikuchiyo (Toshiro Mifune).
In battle, Kikuchiyo - who is discovered to be only posing as a samurai because, being a lowly farmer's son, wants to fight on farmers' behalf - DOES prove to be courageous. The 7 samurais make distinct war plans & actually train the local peasants to fight; to counter the raids of the nefarious bandits. Against great odds, the 7 samurai intensely prepare for their climactic showdown with the savage bandits. Chaos & drama ensues.
'Seven Samurai' has it all: humor, action, drama & high emotions. The story is meticulously told & assuredly directed by master, Kurosawa. Furthermore, the main characters - quirky & entertaining as they are - are actually factually-based, which makes them all the more interesting. Kurosawa takes a lot of time to set-up the plot, introduce us to the plethora of players, establish their varying personalities & experience the training exercises. I highly admire the black-&-white cinematography; the nerve-shredding climactic battle in the rain is ASTOUNDING to watch. And the 16th century details are superb, as well. The acting is 1st-rate, from everyone; the stand-out being charismatic Toshiro Mifune, the crazed, self-appointed samurai who steps up to the plate.
Hollywood took a cue from this film and made their own version with 1960's The Magnificent Seven. The classic script for this film translates well enough to the 1960 version. I found The Magnificent Seven to be entertaining & skilled, but it doesn't quite reach the heights of 'Seven Samurai'. And so, though I don't think it is perfect {the length, an edit here, some acting choices there, etc.}, I highly recommend this classic masterpiece which combines raw entertainment with rich, historical drama. Kurosawa – whose ancestors were samurai - catches the inherent dangers of living in medieval times and glorifies the self-sacrificing loyalty & bravery of the samurais.