Seven Samurai (七人の侍 Shichinin No Samurai)

KICKIN' IT KUROSAWA!


Six classic cool dudes... and Mifune buffooney

Genre: Period Samurai Action Adventure Drama (Japan)

Starring: Takashi Shimura (Ikiru • The Bad Sleep Well), Toshirô Mifune (Rashomon • Samurai Rebellion)

Directed By: Akira Kurosawa (Dreams • The Lower Depths)

Overview: A poor farming village plagued by bandits hires samurai to defend it.
 
I recently learned, while reading his autobiography, that Akira Kurosawa is descendant from a line of former samurai. It comes as no surprise, therefore, that one of his most famous films (and the one I most associate with The Emperor), is about not just one but seven of them.

The story is simple, spaghetti western simple, but what sets it apart from the rest is that it's one of the most ambitious productions of its time. A three and a half hour epic with a nearly unheard of budget by Japanese standards, all starring a veteran cast and crew who are now legendary.

Seven Samurai's forte is in its ability to take the time to explore every relevant moment and character dynamic without being rushed. Believe it or not, this film was the first to include the subplot of gathering a team to prepare for a mission.
Seven Samurai takes its time in introducing each character, each is tested individually, and finally when all are gathered, they trek out to the village.  Once there, we explore the fear and glory that they inspire before they ever draw a blade against a foe.

A little bit of everything for everyone

What do you think of farmers? You think they're saints? Hah! They're foxy beasts! They say, "We've got no rice, we've no wheat. We've got nothing!" But they have! They have everything! Dig under the floors! Or search the barns! You'll find plenty! Beans, salt, rice, sake! Look in the valleys, they've got hidden warehouses! They pose as saints but are full of lies! If they smell a battle, they hunt the defeated! They're nothing but stingy, greedy, blubbering, foxy, and mean! God damn it all! But then who made them such beasts? You did! You samurai did it! You burn their villages! Destroy their farms! Steal their food! Force them to labour! Take their women! And kill them if they resist! So what should farmers do?
- Kikuchiyo

Still, with all the cerebral going on, the actual defence of the village and the tactics that surround them is elaborate, from fortifications and gaps to lure the enemy to surprise attacks and all-out hand-to-hand combat in the rain, the skirmishes Kurosawa shows us are both exciting and treacherous.  because our group of seven isn't super-heroic, we're made aware of the fallibility of these professionals and the great cost to the village should they lose.

Mean Tôshiro Grrr!

Performance: 9 Cinematography: 9 Script: 8 Plot: 9 Mood: 9

Overall Rating: 88% (7th Heaven)

Aftertaste:
IMDb users rate this one as the 11th best film ever made on their Top 250 List, and the reasons for that are plentiful. Seven Samurai is certainly Samurai cannon, and those who extol the virtues of the genre but haven't gotten around to seeing this... it's like going off about Western without having seen The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly. It's just awkward.
More than this, Seven Samurai is entertaining, worthy repertoire for anyone who wants to study ground-breaking, milestone-reaching film.

Last updated: 2010-05-16 00:45:18 by user07

Akira Kurosawa’s allegory of class distinction amid feudal anarchy during Japan’s Sengoku era remains one of the greatest achievements in cinematic history. His innovative storytelling techniques and unique aggressive cinematography captures the frisson of conflict: both the writhing emotional turmoil of hopeless poverty and the katana slashing bloodletting of moral justification.

With no laws or central government, a small commune of farmers is at the mercy or bandits, who raid them every year, killing their young men, raping their women, and stealing their crops. But they decide to fight back. How can a village of impoverished farmers, with nothing to offer but food, hire protectors to willingly risk their lives in a battle against well-organized bandits? Find hungry samurai. The farmer’s hire six Ronin who decide to help; though these masterless samurai don’t turn away the food, their rationale seems to be retribution for this perceived moral injustice. Maybe each hides a shameful secret and seeks cosmic exoneration for a good deed, especially at the risk of their lives. A seventh nameless warrior jokingly called Kikuchiyo, who plays the violent jester and offers slapstick relief, is a counterpoint to the other’s stoic and grim disposition.

The samurai aren’t even welcome in the village they have sworn to protect: the farmers cower and hide; even disguising their daughters to look like young boys. True to their code, the samurais repress their disgust and humbly prepare the village’s defense and remain willing to fight to the death. Kurosawa structures this narrative is chronological order and slowly develops important characterizations: each farmer and samurai is described with a unique quality or attribute thus creating believable individuals. His compositions and choreographed movements within rioting crowds or during quick slashing duels explode with spring wound tension.

The rain soaked apocalypse is violently beautiful: a ballet of blood, a dance of death, and the bandits slaughtered to the last man. Kikuchiyo proves himself a virtuous warrior but as the farmers begin the cycle of growth and rebirth once again, it’s the samurai who are spiritually defeated. They have become an anachronism, their time and need is past. Final Grade: (A+)

All reviews copyright Korova, Ltd. Visit Alex at his Home Theatre Blog, http://korovatheatrepresents.blogspot.com/

The most important samurai movie is Akira Kurosawa’s 1954 feature, Seven Samurai, which not only impacted the way the genre was viewed, but elevated its status. 16th century Japanese villagers seek to thwart local bandits by hiring the services of seven out-of-work samurai warriors. The samurai, led by Takashi Shimura but with Toshiro Mifune serving as their clown prince, meticulously plan out the village’s defenses, stage a preemptive raid on the bandits’ lair and then pull the villagers together for the climactic battle that leads to the film’s bittersweet close.

For me this is Akira Kurasawa’s best work, nominated for 2 Oscars this movie helped introduce Asian film to a Western audience. This is a long movie but if your a fan of Kurasawa or foriegn film its a must. However, like I stated above, the ending is bittersweet. Seven Samurai offers us flawed protagonists, some of whom are not skilled fighters, and one of whom is often drunk, belligerent, and decidedly non-heroic in his approach. The odds are impressive, yet, in large part due to the melancholy tone adopted by Kurosawa during the closing scene, the victory is hollow, and almost feels like a defeat. I’ve never seen a movie with more detailed tactical information about the critical battle. You’re walked through every step of defending the village and really know all the weak points. I could draw a map of the village. The sequence where Kambei plans the defenses and simultaneously shows you each part of the village is really genius: it gets an incredible amount of information across but every scene in that sequence advances the plot; it’s not exposition. The suspense, to me, was what made this movie great, and it is accomplished by breaking the battle down into parts, letting us know how many bandits have been killed, etc. By having this information, it’s much more gut-wrenching to wait for the next assault.

In fact, the bulk of the movie’s second half is comprised of battle scenes, which are choreographed to perfection. Kurosawa, a meticulous craftsman, does not rely on editing sleight-of-hand to present fights. I really wish the new Batman movies would take note of this *sigh*. In many ways, Seven Samurai is defined by its style. Kurosawa doesn’t just set marks and coach actors; he composes scenes. Despite its drawbacks, he frequently uses the “deep focus” camera technique to keep everyone in focus, regardless of their distance from the lens. He rarely resorts to close-ups, and, when he does, there’s a specific reason. His battle scenes are realistic, but not confusing. If you are a film student, this would be the movie I recommend for you to study. I could go on and on about how great this movie is, and hollywood has had no shame recycling this material over the years, but I won’t dwell to much on it.  Just go steal, borrow, copy, watch, or order this movie.

Final Grade: A+

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