Reviewsarama

Seven Samurai (1954): A poor village under attack by bandits recruits seven unemployed samurai to help them defend themselves.

This is in my Top 10 favorite movies of all time, and it is considered one of the best movies in the world. Akira Kurosawa really shines in this epic, both technically and from the thematic point of view.

Even though this movie is more than 3 hours long, it certainly doesn’t feel like it. Unlike other long epics (Lord of the Rings, Dances with Wolves, Braveheart etc…) this movie has a very fast pace, and I hardly felt the passing of time. Part of the reason is that this is first of all a summer blockbuster movie. This is movie has action, humor, drama, and even a minor love story.

The story is very simple, and it can be enjoyed as a simple action story. But there are many layers behind this story, and that is why repeat viewings are recommended. Kurosawa inserted so many themes in this story that I can hardly list them all.

The main theme is one of individualism versus community. The bandits can only be defeated if both samurai and farmers unite and fight together. If they fight alone they have no hope. This is in contrast with the separation of social classes, which rules that farmers cannot become samurai and even hate each other. However one of the 7 samurai was born a farmer, and by the end of the movie effectively is a samurai.

Another commentary by Kurosawa is that when this movie was filmed, he hoped that Japanese people would rise again after their defeat in the war, and re-embrace the values of the samurai of honor and helping people in need of help, even sacrificing himself.

All of these theme are firmly ingrained in Japanese history, but I think it is possible for anyone to extract meaning out of this movie, even if it’s just for entertainment. And this is very entertaining. Kurosawa firmly believed that a great movie has to be easily understood and entertaining.

As I said there is plenty of action, both swordplay and a huge battle at the end. But that is not all, Toshiro Mifune also gives personality to this story, with a very funny and at times touching performance as the farmer turned samurai. He is a crazy fella, and sometimes behaves like a child and monkey. Just watch him in any scene and you will laugh out loud.

From the technical point of view, Kurosawa excels and shines in every single shot. I am not an expert, but even I can recognize some of the techniques that are now part of the common language in cinema. He was there first, and many other filmmakers were inspired by him.

This story has been remade and adapted many times, and has become an archetype. The most famous western remake is The Magnificent Seven which come out only 6 years later.

This is first of all an entertaining movie. If you haven’t seen it, I suggest you buy the newly released Criterion DVD and just enjoy this classic.

Movie Rating: 5 Stars

The new Criterion DVD comes with plenty of extras, which I found excellent for people who want to go deeper into the themes and techniques present in this classic movie. There are 2 commentary tracks that go deep into the film’s historical background, the themes and Kurosawa’s techniques. The same can be said of the making of documentary.

Watching these documentaries you get the sense that there are so many anecdotes around this film, but many of them have been lost to time and cannot be told anymore.

There is also a long interview with Kurosawa that covers his entire career, and goes deep into his personal thoughts. This is a bit dry to watch all at once, but it is interesting for understanding this master of cinema.

This is the definitive version of Seven Samurai, a deserved version for this classic masterpiece.

DVD Rating: 4 Stars