"Seven Samurai" Talkback (Spoilers)

[sun]

Last Friday, I saw this DVD at the library, Seven Samuri...I knew this was supposed to be a great one, but the subtitles,length, and subject matter kinda turned me off...I watched it twice...Once for content and personal viewing of techniques, the second time, with the commentary of a Japanese film critic, who claims this is one of the greatest films ever made...Akira Kurosawa invented so many cinema techniques, that his desiples included, Francis Ford Capula, Stephen Spielberg, and George Lucas....at least that is what the film comentator stated...The detail of the film is incredible, and it is, if you accept the premise, believeable. It is a great drama,far more than samurai story..I always thought that Lucas's Star Wars was so great because of the incredible detail in it, well that is Kurosawa's trademark, and Lucas took it from him...I did not know this..I urge everyone who loves film, to see this, even if it must be done in sections, It runs about 3 hours. black and white. (and remember, this one was made with few if any of what we would call "special effects", and computers did not really exist for film in l954 when it was released) Any comments out there?

[EinBebop]

Should've started a talkback thread.

Seen it. Loved it. 5 stars.

[Senbei Norimaki]

I've seen Seven Samurai and loved it. The Hollywood remake the Magnificent Seven is also good. Yes, George Lucas is a huge Kurosawa fan. George Lucas appears on the Hidden Fortress DVD. George Lucas says that the Kurosawa film the Hidden Fortress influenced Star Wars. George Lucas and Francis Coppola were producers on Kurosawa's film Kagemusha. My favorite Kurosawa film is Rashomon.

[Eddie G.]

They showed it during a promotional marathon for Kill Bill. I was simply amazed by it, but didn't see the ending. :(

[Ed Liu]

Howdy,

One of the finest films ever made anywhere ever. I'm constantly amazed at how Kurosawa manages to make 3 hours go by too quickly, and how there is NOTHING wasted anywhere in the movie (you can't cut a minute of film). A few times, now, I've popped in the laserdisc (will get the Criterion DVD sooner or later) just to watch a particular scene, and then ended up losing another 2 hours of my life as I keep watching the movie. Truly great stuff.

I don't think any director can truly call himself or herself a director unless they've seen this film.

Anime note: the manga, character, and anime Akira is named after Akira Kurosawa. One was a being of astounding power, who fundamentally changed the rules of the world around him and created shockwaves that resonate with incredible depth and power. The other was a comic book character that did more or less the same thing :).

Also hate to be a spelling nazi, but it's "samurAi," not "samuri." Every time I see it misspelled, I think "samuree."

-- Ed/Ace

[Salvor]

Howdy,

One of the finest films ever made anywhere ever. I'm constantly amazed at how Kurosawa manages to make 3 hours go by too quickly, and how there is NOTHING wasted anywhere in the movie (you can't cut a minute of film). A few times, now, I've popped in the laserdisc (will get the Criterion DVD sooner or later) just to watch a particular scene, and then ended up losing another 2 hours of my life as I keep watching the movie. Truly great stuff.

I don't think any director can truly call himself or herself a director unless they've seen this film.

Anime note: the manga, character, and anime Akira is named after Akira Kurosawa.
Really?? I didn't know that... and I'm a huge fan of both Akira and Akira Kurosawa :)

Yeah, I completely agree. Kurosawa had a sense of timing and cutting that very few directors ever had. It's such a moody film, with incredible shots, great acting, a story that paved the way for hundreds of films (loved the remake too)... all in all a film lesson that teaches you how great cinema can be.

[Senbei Norimaki]

(will get the Criterion DVD sooner or later)

Criterion is planning to release a remastered version of Seven Samurai with Linda Hoaglund new subtitle translation on DVD.

[oranthal]

It aired on Bravo one time and I caught a little bit of it and I liked it. The channel never aired it again, so I thought it was one of the things that I will never see again. Then, I was at my local library and I borrowed it and finally saw it in its entirety. I don't know anything about directing but I just like the film.

[Stripe]

Love this film. Saw it a few years ago when I was at middle school and I was mezmorised. I got the film on tape recently and saw it all the way through; defienetly a masterpiece.

PS-While a completely different kind of film, I'm also a fan of another Kurosawa Samurai film called "Yojimbo". Unlike Seven Samurai it's a stylized action movie, and good. (Not many films I know of can pull that off) It was also a big influence on the Sergio Leone's Westernsl! Heck, a Fistfull of Dollars is a remake of Yojimbo!

[Senbei Norimaki]

I'm also a fan of another Kurosawa Samurai film called "Yojimbo". Unlike Seven Samurai it's a stylized action movie, and good. (Not many films I know of can pull that off) It was also a big influence on the Sergio Leone's Westernsl! Heck, a Fistfull of Dollars is a remake of Yojimbo!

Actually Fistfull of Dollars is an unofficial remake (rip off) of Yojimbo. Kurosawa sued Sergio Leone because he remade Yojimbo without his permission.

[Proteus3]

Though I don't quite like it enough to put it in my favorites, I still found it to be a very impressive film. As you the thread starter pointed out, Kurosawa invented so many techniques that influenced so many film makers. Unfortunately so many of those techniques have become clichés now, but I still think his films have a unique appeal that you can’t get with other directors.
You can definitely feel an influence on Lucas and Spielberg, not just in technical innovation but in spirit. Star Wars carries that same spirit of a small group "fighting against the odds" and of disparity.

I really liked the characterization of the Toshiro Mifune character. In any other movie, he would be the character that you just wanted to kill. In this, Kurosawa transforms the jackass character into a magnanimous figure. By the end, the Mifune character in Seven Samurai may not have been a real samurai in title, but he was in spirit.

It is a long movie. I’m a firm believer in brevity in film, but I think I’ll make an exception in this case. On a second viewing, I realized that the length is necessary to the film. Kurosawa is making an epic here, but in a different way that Star Wars is an epic. Where Star Wars focused on grandiose galactic conflict, Seven Samurai’s focus is on the inward, the introspective plight of these villagers. Kurosawa makes the plight of small farming village seem like the world to us. The film’s length allows us to get a sense of this epic feeling Kurosawa was going for, as well as explore the world and roles Kurosawa aimed for.
The three hour runtime allows the viewer to sympathize with both the farmers and the samurai. The film has a relatively large amount of characters and fully uses it to try to give each one a purpose in the film. They all aren’t fully developed, but no movie can develop that many characters. Kurosawa develops them enough to fulfill and give purpose to their roles. Whole genres of character types are explored here, from master and pupil, father and daughter, farmer, warrior, bandit, etc. The back of the DVD is correct, few films combine philosophy and entertainment so gracefully.

I'm looking forward to watching more Kurosawa. I have Yojimbo and Throne of Blood taped off Turner Classic Movies at home; I'll watch them when I get back to home New York. The one I want to see the most is Rashomon.

[randomguy]

I'm fortunate to have seen it in a movie theater, and believe me, if you ever have that oppurtunity, take it.

There's really nothing I can say about The Seven Samurai that somebody else here can't say better. It's not my favorite Kurosawa film (that would be Ikiru), nor is it my favorite Samurai flick (that would be the Musashi series, also available from Criterion), but it's a masterpiece of human drama. The acting is unrivaled, and Kurosawa's direction is gentle and smart.

[sun]

After watching Seven Samuri, I took out yesterday, The Magnificant 7, with Yul Brenner and company, diredted by John Sturges...While this is an entertaining film, and clearly a rip off (and admits it),,,the last line of Magnificant 7, is exactly the same...it isn't in the same class..kinda interesting to watch the changes made, and what they saved. Kurosawa was very gracious about it, and said that he liked it..But if you see the two, you will see clearly which is the classic, and which is maybe another exciting film, at a much different level of quality.......The jacket on the DVD says, "The Greatest American Western." I guess they will do anything to sell a DVD.....But, the music by Elmer Bernstien, really was outstanding....I would recommend it, especially the behind scene stuff about the making of it...Stuart

[Good Ol' Batmanuel!]

I was very impressed by the film and saw in it techniques that many directors made commonplace for years to come. My favorite things about it were the variety of characters and how the movie can bring out so many emotions. There's humor, tension, excitement, sadness...everything! All of the actors in the movie were outstanding and really helped make the movie an epic.

I also very much liked The Magnificent Seven, and on its own, it's a great film, but you can't help comparing it to The Seven Samurai, and because of that, you can really see how much more emotional the original is.

[BabySealClubber]

It should be noted also that if you play video games there is a forth coming Playstation 2 game due out in '04 called Seven Samurai 20XX.

http://www.sammystudios.com/games/ss/

And while I like the Seven Samurai alot, I'd have to say I prefer Yojimbo and it's psudo-sequel Tsubaki Sanjuro. In addition to the Sergio Leone/Clint Eastwood update on story, Bruce Willis also did a variant called "Last Man Standing" set in 1930's gangster setting. Visually much more violent but that violent seemed to have less impact.

[Master Moron]

It should be noted also that if you play video games there is a forth coming Playstation 2 game due out in '04 called Seven Samurai 20XX.

http://www.sammystudios.com/games/ss/


I've gotta say, those screenshots don't seem to resemble the movie at all.

[Sigma]

I've gotta say, those screenshots don't seem to resemble the movie at all.
The game takes place in the future hence the name Seven Samurai 20XX. From what Sammy has been saying it wont stray as far away from the film as you would think.

[Christopher Soul]

http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p198/unintelligent_design/7samurai2.jpg

As what some may consider one of the greatest, if not the most influential films of all time; tonight at 8PM/7PM CST, Turner Classic Movies is airing Akira Kurosawa's Masterpiece, Seven Samurai.

--------------------
Anyone else watching?

[Hanshotfirst113]

I own this on DVD. A masterpiece, deserving of every ounce of its reputation, and one cinema's finest achievements, as well as the grammer for the modern action film.

[johnny139]

I saw this was on about ten minutes before it started, so I got some popcorn and got ready... only to learn I don't get Turner Classic Movies. :crying:

Ah well. Wonder if it's cheap on DVD anywhere... or On Demand...

[Christopher Soul]

I love ...Toshiro Mifune..

[Angilasman]

Toshiro Mifune is great, but Takeshi Shimura is better.
:D


Anyway, I'm watching a bit of it now. I own the three-disc DVD, which is probably the best DVD set I own. The picture is completely remastered and looks a lot better than the print you're seeing on TV right now (which was used on the previous DVD from several years earlier), and the extras are so freaking amazing. I spent like two weeks watching nothing but the stuff on that set over and over.


PS- Just so happened I was whistling the theme tune a few minutes before I saw it was on!

[Lord Dalek]

Ah well. Wonder if it's cheap on DVD anywhere... Criterion says no.