Seven Samurai (Shichinin no samurai) 1954

     Occasionally we all find a movie that has been around for decades and when we finally do discover it, we wonder just how something so incredible could have passed us by.  For many, such is the case with Akira Kurosawa's masterpiece 'Seven Samurai' 

     Those unfamiliar with Kurosawa will be unaware that he is considered one of the master film makers of all time; kind of a Japanese Steven Spielberg, if you will.  Kurosawa's fame was to be realized in Japan only after his films became available to American audiences.  His native country was unused to anything that stepped outside the rigid methodology used in Japanese films of the era.  Also, Kurosawa was a bit of a prefectionist, taking large numbers of takes to get even the most minute details of a shot correct, and this couldn't have won him many friends in the Japanese film industry.  The American film industry has taken him in with honors, on the other hand.  Directly cited as inspiration for such great directors as George Lucas, Francis Ford Coppola, and Sergio Leone (who remade another Kurosawa classica, 'Yojimbo' as the Clint Eastwood classic 'A Fistful of Dollars), Kurosawa has had as much influence on American film as any US citizen could claim.

    The plot of this film has been so overused, and rehashed, it is easy to fall prey to the idea that this is nothing special.  That idea could not be farther from the truth.  If there is an element in this story you recognize from another film, rest assured that Kurosawa did it here first.  A group of villagers in fuedal Japan is being beset by a gang of vicious bandits.  Realizing the villagers have nothing to offer, the bandits agree to return in the fall, after the harvest.  In despair, the villagers turn to their eldar, who informs them that they must recruit Samurai to defend the village and drive away the bandits once and for all.  But how can a group of farmers who have nothing to offer hope to pay noble Samurai Warriors for their services?  "Find hungry Samurai" the elder tells them.  It is a period of upheaval in Japan, and many Samurai have become Ronin, or Samurai who have no master to serve.  It is these Samurai the villagers will appeal to, hoping to sway them with a sense of honor and duty to their fellow men.

     The film can be divided into four segments or acts.  The first involves the villagers and their decision to fight, rather than submit yet again to the bandits.  In the second part, having found a warrior willing to help them (played by the great Japanese actor Takashi Shimura), the villagers set about recruiting more Samurai to fight for them.  Every movie you have ever seen that involves assembling a specialized team for a mission (i.e. 'The Usual Suspects') owes it's existence to this one portion of the film.  Kurosawa did it here first, remember. The third segment deals with training the villagers into a militia of sorts, the plans for the defense of the village, and initials raids by both of the opposing forces.  The last reveals a final battle that can only be described as legendary.  I have seen elements of this battle in literally dozens of war movies, including the Spielberg masterpiece 'Saving Private Ryan' Witness the Matt Damon character 'Ryan' huddled on the ground crying in the midst of the battle, then look for the Katsushiro character in the same situation, but in a film made some 44 years EARLIER!  The climax of the battle is truly something to behold.

     At almost three hours, one would think this would be a tiresome film to watch, but anyone who has seen it can tell you, this is not the case.  It actually is hard to notice how much time has passed, so smooth and riveting is the flow of the film.  Be prepared to read though.  There is no English translation, and the subtitles (written for the original realease in 1954) are not the most accurate.  During the training sequence, one Samurai, Gorobei, is attemting to rally his troops with a speech Knute Rockne would be proud of, if he could understand it.  The actual translation follows something along the line of "Release the spirit of your warrior ancestors"  The subtitles translate it as 'Get some guts!'

     This is the definitive Kurosawa film, and while he may have made more moving and dramatic (see 'Ikiru') or more grandiose (the overblown 'Ran') anyone wanting an introduction to this master's great works should start here.

Quote:


On the Web:

IMDB

The Criterion Collection Page

Sense of Cinema