AKIRA KUROSAWA'S SEVEN SAMURAI

MIFUNE -- SHIMURA -- KATŌ -- KIMURA -- CHIAKI -- MIYAGUCHI -- INABA

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Spine #2, Available on Blu-Ray and DVD

Japan

1954

207 Minutes (3 Hours, 27 Minutes)

Black & White

Monaural

35 mm

1.33:1 Aspect Ratio

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MEDIA

Criterion's Three Reasons

Original Japanese Theatrical Trailer

Seven Samurai Film Score by Fumio Hayasaka

An Analysis of Kurosawa's Depiction of Violence and War

Artwork

Criterion's original 1998 DVD cover artwork

Updated 2006-Present DVD/Blu-ray cover artwork

1954 Japanese theatrical release poster

Promotional poster for the Calgary Cinematheque screening of Seven Samurai by Dean Reeves, 2011.

Retro-styled film poster designed by Adam Rabalais, 2012.

Ratings & Accolades

IMDb: 8.7/10

Rotten Tomatoes: 100% Certified Fresh (Avg. Rating 9.3/10)

Metacritic: 99/100 (9.1 User Score)

Winner of the "Silver Lion" (second prize) award and nominated for the "Golden Lion" (highest award) at the Venice Film Festival in 1954.

Kurosawa named "Best Director" for Seven Samurai at the 1957 Jussi Awards.

20 in IMDb's "Top 250" (highest ranked Asian film)

Named 12th Great Film of All Time by Entertainment Weekly Magazine.

Highest grossing film in Japan at the time of its release.

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FILM LINKS

Criterion

Wikipedia

IMDb

Rotten Tomatoes

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FILM ESSAY

By David Ehrenstein

Breathtaking, fastmoving, and overflowing with a delightfully self-mocking sense of humor, Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai is one of the most popular and influential Japanese films ever made. Released in 1954, this rip-snorting action-adventure epic about a sixteenth-century farm community led by a band of samurai warriors defending itself against a marauding army, sparked not only an American remake, The Magnificent Seven (1960), but went on to influence a score of other westerns, particularly those of Sam Peckinpah (The Wild Bunch) and Sergio Leone (The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and Once Upon a Time in the West). But to hear it from director Kurosawa, the most important inroad Seven Samurai made was on home turf.

“Japanese films all tend to be rather bland in flavor, like green tea over rice,” Kurosawa remarked in an interview, making a knowing dig at his staid rival, Yasujiro Ozu (one of whose films was actually called The Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice). “I think we ought to have richer foods, and richer films. So I thought I would make this kind of film entertaining enough to eat.”

The dish Kurosawa set before audiences was certainly different from what they had tasted up until then—particularly as far as period filmmaking was concerned. Instead of the slow, ritualistic, and highly theatrical style of the typical sixteenth-century saga, Seven Samurai moved with the sure swiftness of a Hollywood action epic, like Gunga Din or Stagecoach. The characters may inhabit historical settings, but their manner and bearing were, often as not, strikingly contemporary—particularly in the case of the buffoonish Kikuchiyo, the high-spirited would-be samurai played with great gusto by Toshiro Mifune. Most important of all was the visual style of the film which, thanks to Kurosawa’s use of multiple cameras, lent itself to many unusual editing techniques.

In the atmospheric opening scene, for example, the camera cuts closer and closer to a group of cowering villagers, dramatically underscoring their situation with deft simplicity. An audacious use of slow motion in the sword fight scenes of Chapters four and seven give them a highly sophisticated dramatic charge. And that’s not to mention the climactic battle scenes (Chapters 23, 25, and 28), whose brilliant staging and heart-stopping pace rival the finest work of Griffith, Gance, and Eisenstein.

But over and above these select bits of brilliance stands Kurosawa’s storytelling style. The film may be over three hours in length, but the pace never flags because the director at the helm has an uncanny sense of assurance in varying the action’s flow. We’re never retracing old dramatic ground, rather, we’re always moving forward.

Kurosawa wastes little time in setting up his premise. It’s essentially there in the film’s opening shot—an ominous vista of horses galloping against the horizon at daybreak. Once the villagers state their plight and decide the course of action they have to take, the film is off and running, as they go looking for the samurai warriors they’ll need to help them. This situation quickly devolves into a series of vivid dramatic turns, as we meet each of the chosen samurai and their leader (the great Takashi Shimura) sets about planning the strategy the villagers will need to fight the army.

It is at this juncture that Kurosawa adds a special flavor to the proceedings that sets them apart from any action film ever made. For the story of Seven Samurai isn’t one of simple Good versus Evil, as we learn when we’re told that these villagers have, in the past, preyed on the very class of samurai they’re now asking for help. And why are these samurai helping them, for virtually no pay, and with only a few handfuls of rice for food? Why, for the adventure of it all, of course. These men have seen many battles, but only in this one will they be truly able to test themselves. There’s no reward, and the odds against their winning are a good one hundred to one—and that’s exactly why they want to stay and fight. For these seasoned warriors long to experience that very personal sense of “honor” so prized by the Japanese.

Watching this raggle-taggle band of fighters defend the village makes for a climax as stirring as ever seen on a motion picture screen. But it’s only one part of an epic movie meal that is every bit as delicious as its filmmaker chef had planned.

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WHERE TO WATCH & BUY

Amazon

Amazon Instant Video

Hulu Plus

iTunes

Criterion

Barnes & Noble Blu-ray

Barnes & Noble DVD

Barnes & Noble Original Release DVD

Thanks for your analysis. I definitely understand what you're saying about the subconscious/surreal element, and I guess I can see where you find a personal honesty in his films, but I don't know if I can agree that understanding Lynch's films can be a "very involving and rewarding process," simply because I haven't really enjoyed the physical process of watching his films.

Again, that's not to say they aren't good. I actually love works of art that are thematically similar. Sometimes shockingly so. If anyone here is a big fan of Eraserhead and is looking for something that's difficult to read, for example, check out the Comte de Lautréamont. There is one chapter in the Comte's most famous work where our (anti-)hero, Maldoror, while staying in a brothel, converses with an enormous hair follicle fallen from the scalp of God, which goes on to explain how its master enjoys coming down from on high to flay young male prostitutes alive. There is no discernible plot to the book, and the language is incredibly dense, but it is beautiful and dark and weird and grotesque. And, most importantly, so, so very difficult to understand. But worth it. As Lynch is, I'm sure.

I certainly plan on giving him more of his due down the road. Like I said, Mulholland Drive and Lost Highway are on my list of films I really ought to see. I would actually very much like to get David Lynch the way others do. To go back to a previous analogy, it's why I keep watching Steven Soderbergh films. I've wanted to catch that something that I've been missing in others' appreciations. With Soderbergh, I came to the conclusion that I simply do not like his filmmaking. (Please no one ask to explain that one.) I know I haven't given Lynch enough of a chance yet to say with finality that I won't some day "get it."

As it stands, though, I know Eraserhead is one of the more popular releases from Criterion this year, and I felt compelled to stand up for the few (Or is it just me? Just me? Okay. Just me.) who are not fans.

I’m a HUGE Alice Guy Blache fan, I’ve written a few essays on her. My focus of studying as of late has been women filmmakers in the silent era.

If you have Kanopy, there are several of her films streaming, namely the ones from Flicker Alley. I know that Netflix US has (some) of the Kino box set on there, and off the top of my head i know her film “Falling Leaves” is there, which is essential imo. One of my absolute favorite films from the early 1910s.

Beyond streaming, if you want to explore her works (as well as other silent female filmmakers), I cannot recommend these sets enough:

Kino’s Pioneers: First Women Filmmakers

• This set is probably my favorite of the 3 because it has a LOT of content and set up beautifully in a film festival format with lots of supplemental material. Only deals with US female filmmakers though (so Guy-Blache after she moved to the US)
  
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Pioneers-First-Women-Filmmakers-Blu-ray/dp/B07H5VTD5R/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=first+women+filmmakers&qid=1556993682&s=gateway&sr=8-1
  
  Flicker Alley’s Early Women Filmmakers
  
  
• This set is just organized by filmmaker and makes the PERFECT supplement to Kino’s set since it takes a more international look at women filmmakers and features one of my favorites, Olga Preobrazhenskaya’s The Peasant Women of Ryazan.
  
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Early-Women-Filmmakers-International-Dual-Format/dp/B06X42G2RT/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=early+women+filmmakers&qid=1556993790&s=gateway&sr=8-1
  
  Gaumont Treasures: 1897-1913
  
  
• The first disc in this set is all dedicated to Guy-Blache. It has a LOT of her early works and if you’re interested in her filmography (she does a lot of interesting stuff in terms of gender discussions), I cannot recommend this one enough.
  
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Gaumont-Treasures-1897-1913-Felix-Mayol/dp/B0029R81JO/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?crid=1D624QCL92156&keywords=gaumont+treasures&qid=1556993913&s=gateway&sprefix=gaumont+&sr=8-1
  
  If i had more time, I’d add some book recommendations so maybe I’ll add some when i have more time!

I'm the best of all of them but I seem to be the only one knowing that!! I'm kidding, I'm kidding... This was my first feature, Retirement Home, if you want to check.

Manoel de Oliveira is our master... He lived until he was 106. He was screwed by our dictatorship that had very dumb people in front of it, and after making one of his masterpieces, Aniki Bóbó, he couldn't properly film for 30 years. He could have been one of Europe's and the worlds best. He'd fit right in with De Sica, Rossellini and later Ken Loach...
As I grow up as a filmmaker I empathize and respect him more and more. He was an incredible filmmaker but kinships and what the bastion holders of cinema in Portugal thought should be the cinematographic culture in the country in his time made him miserable for a while...

Contemporary directors, I'd say: Pedro Costa and João Salaviza are the most internationally acclaimed. And they're really good. I really like personally João Canijo, Joaquim Pinto and Aya Koretzky. These are some of our best.

It depends on your focus. This reminds me of a time when I was very young, knew nothing about Jazz and asked a friend: "What three Jazz albums should I buy to start with?" He recommended:

• Miles Davis - Kind of Blue
  
• John Coltrane - Blue Train
  
• Thelonious Monk - Monk's Dream
  
  These are great picks, and in fact got me into Jazz, but are skewed heavily to one particular Jazz type.
  
  My point with this is to decide if you want:
  
  
• Exposure to films of different countries
  
• A crash course in the history of cinema
  
• An appreciation of lesser-known works
  
• To find filmmakers you really dig.
  
  Etc. Also, what is your budget? This is a pretty good list:
  https://www.amazon.com/Essential-Art-House-Years-Janus/dp/B000I5YUE4/
  
  Perhaps cross reference that list with suggestions here?
  
  My own stab at this:
  
  
• Wild Strawberries/Virgin Spring -- Intro to Bergman, arguably more accessible than Seventh Seal
  
• Breathless - Exposure to avant-garde
  
• The Passion of Joan of Arc - Heartbreaking, and encapsulates beautifully what cinema is all about.
  
  Good luck!

I really REALLY wish I liked The American.

When it was coming out Rolling Stone magazine had a contest where you could received a signed art book, Inside the American, I entered because I have pretty good luck with this kind of stuff. I just liked winning.

A few months pass and I get a box with a return address from Rolling Stone mag, I was so confused. I opened it and saw the book and a nice note saying I won. At this point I hadn't seen the film, but I flipped through the book and thought it was cool.

Then for Easter my mom got me the film and it just didn't do it for me. But I just realized it's been like 4 years since the film came out, my film tastes have matured and I may like it now.

If you live in a place where you could mount a screen, or have a room setup with enough space to use a stand, and you truly want to get the theater experience, you can get a solid projector-based setup for $1500.

BenQ W1070 - $700

16:9 100' retractable screen - $80

Assume ~$70 for a blu ray player, if you don't want to just get an HDMI cable and adapter and use your laptop for now, and that leaves $650 for audio, which can certainly get you a very strong two-channel system. Especially if you live in an area with a healthy craigslist trade. Then you can work your way up to 5.1 over time if you feel the need to.

Keep an eye out on craigslist for Infinity Primus P363 tower speakers (and for upgrading to 5.1, other Infinity Primus speakers as well). The Primus line has just gone out of production, but they're great speakers for their price, and the 363 towers could regularly be had for $200 a pair on sale at Amazon or Fry's, so they got around quite a bit and pop up pretty regularly secondhand.

In general soundbars and other home-theater-in-a-box setups are a good thing to avoid if you can afford to step up a notch, and I think you could with your budget, especially your budget + some patience for sales or your budget + craigslist.

I can't say I'm an a/v guru, but this is the core of my setup and I typically get "I would never leave my couch..." reactions when folks come over, haha.

You'll probably find more advice over in /r/hometheater, too.

That’s an enviable situation. I was going to say go for some of the big Region 2 companies until you said they had them... But perhaps, they are missing some. Studiocanal has a bunch of box sets out - Melville, Buñuel, etc.,. They have the Ealing Comdies, Carné’s Daybreak, Port of Shadows, etc.,.

Indicator has been releasing some great stuff, and their box sets are fantastic, and some are limited editions - I’m definitely going to pick up the Five Tall Tales: Budd Boetticher & Randolph Scott At Columbia, 1957-1960 which will be region free.

BFI certainly fills in some gaps, like their Flipside series. As someone mentioned, the Derek Jarman box will go out of print. They have a new Woodfall boxset.

Secondrun is releasing blurays now, which you probably know. A US company Milestone has some excellent films in their catalog that veer towards the academic and preservationist tastes.

I’d browse some of the other countries Amazon sites for an idea of what we can’t really see for sale here... amazon.co.uk for starters.

Edit: another good resource I use is the annual DVD Beaver best of lists. They cover practically everything. If you can’t find the link to previous years, just change the year in the address bar.

Good thing we have Robin Wood to help us:

>Three 'worlds' are present in the film, either directly or by reference; one might describe them loosely (but only loosely) as present, past, and future. Thus we have, fully dramatized, the 'present' of the contemporary (1939) French upper class, its artificiality and archaism epitomized in La Chesnaye's mechanical birds; the 'past,' of which Octave is a relic, left behind by the tide, established by the references to Christine's father, the great Viennese conductor, evoking (in opposition to the birds) a culture in which art was still a living reality;and the 'future' (which is already present in the world beyond the chateau) of technology, represented by Andre's solo flight across the Atlantic, his aeroplane, and the radio that connects all this to the obsolete present. The three leading male characters- La Chesnaye, Octave, Andre- hence belong respectively to each 'world,' at once defining it and defined by it. Hence also Christine's 'choice' is not only among three men but among three 'worlds.' She herself remains essentially passive, lacking any firm sense of her identity, a kind of beautiful Rorschach blot awaiting definition by the male, and she is treated as such by all three suitors. The men, however, rely for their sense of identity upon achievement, and each is given his moment of glory or (in Octave's case) failure: La Chesnaye's absurd, pathetic, funny pride in the public display of his latest 'acquisition,' Andre's transatlantic flight, Octave's attempt (with no spectators) to enjoy, if only for a moment, the fantasy of being a great conductor like Christine's father, his grandiose opening gesture answered by the tinkling of the mechanical piano. Of the three men, Octave (because he is symbolically impotent) is the only one who doesn't treat Christine as a possession, an 'acquisition' that confirms their 'achievement' (the achievement being treated ironically in both cases). One can see how this points ahead to the extremely stylized and schematic postwar films, in which the three men are reduced to mere roles.

-'Renoir and Mozart,' Sexual Politics and Narrative Film, 1998.

I felt the same way too, then I read his essay, the above is just an excerpt, and I felt much more attuned to the movie's complexity and subtly.

My wife and I currently live in a small apartment, so, admittedly, we sit WAY to close to the screen given how big I have it set (it's about 85in and we sit maybe seven feet back, which is a bit too close). The good thing about a projector, by the way, is that the screen size is variable. We've taken it places before and blown it up to its max height (130 inches, I think?), and I've taken it places and set it MUCH smaller as well.

Speakers aren't hard to set up. There are really two options for setting them up. The first is to go into your device (Playstation, BR player, whatever) and tell it to output the audio through a cable other than the HDMI output (which is what they do by default), you'll then have two cables running out of your speaker: 1. HDMI going to the projector, and 2. one of the various sorts of audio cables going out to the speakers. This can get messy if you have multiple devices, however, as you'll need an audio switcher, and you may run out of HDMI ports on the back of the projector.

Your second option is to buy something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Switch-Optical-Extractor-Splitter-Supports/dp/B01K7BZ1XC/ref=sr_1_10?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1484149764&sr=1-10&keywords=hdmi+switch

With this you plug in each of your devices via HDMI. You then run one HDMI cable to the projector and one sound cable to the speakers. The box splits the HDMI single for you and it acts as a switch between your devices. I personally use this box and love it (I run a firestick, PS3, and a region free blu-ray player into my projector and speakers).

And feel free to keep asking questions, please. =)

I second Making Movies by Lumet . I'll add Pieces of Time by Peter Bogdanovich and A Life in Movies by Michael Powell - which Roger Ebert called the greatest filmmaker memoir ever written.

And actually, on the subject of Ebert , the texts of his Great Movies books are available free on his website. He won a Pulitzer for his critique and his blog won awards too.

Yeah, she's incredible. I was considering this region B box set, but it looks like it went out of print before I could pull the trigger. From what I can tell, Old Joy and Wendy and Lucy don't have blu ray releases anymore.

Hopefully our favorite prestige distribution company can remedy this for us!

My suggestion would be to check Amazon before you buy Criterions at B&N during non-sale times. You could have saved about $4 on The Great Beauty, and that's before tax.

But that is quite a good deal on Fantastic Mr. Fox, which inexplicably runs $10 more than The Great Beauty on Amazon despite being an older release.