The Seven Samurai

[PaulM]

Have anyone seen the Seven Samurai movie?

Is it good?

I am planning to see it.

[yoj]

It's ace, I presume by saying you plan to see it, that you actually mean you plan to buy a copy and watch it ad infinitum?

[PaulM]

Yes, thank you.

[yoj]

Just to add to that, any of Kurosawa's stuff is great, especially Yojimbo and Sanjuro for class performances by Toshiro Mifune, The Hidden Fortress for spotting the source of Star Wars, and Rashomon for its mind games, the later color epics are good too, though a different flavor.

[saru1968]

'The Hidden Fortress for spotting the source of Star Wars'?


pray tell..

:-)

[mydas]

Akira Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress tells the story of a general and a princess who must dodge enemy clans while smuggling a royal treasure out of hostile territory with two bumbling peasants at their sides. Sound familiar? This film was the inspiration for George Lucas's original Star Wars (1977) film. You can RENT this classic (and many of Akira Kurosawa's other films) at www.BushidoDVD.com

[dojo]

I have seen it when I was young, very young, so I cannot remember it that well. I still know it's one of the "classics" and a good movie after all :)

[Rockstar]

yup. particularly great however. If you can I recommend purchasing the Criterion Collection 2 disc set. The second disk is all the extras including an indispensible commentary of much of the symbolism and cinematographic nuances used in the film. The only other commentary I've seen as good is that on the Kagemusha by George Lucas and Francis Coppola!

[Brian Owens]

Have anyone seen the Seven Samurai movie?

Is it good?
It's one of my favorite films. I first saw it in a theater that played old movies back in 1975 or '76.

I have the video now, and plan to buy the DVD (probably a Kurosawa Collection Set) when I finally get around to getting a DVD player.

As the inspiration (almost scene for scene and shot for shot in some cases) for The Magnificent Seven (which is, if I recall, the Japanese title for Seven Samurai) the story may seem familiar, but the details really make this film stand out.

Two thumbs up, five stars, etc., etc., etc.

[Jock Armstrong]

The original title was shichinin no samurai -which translates directly as seven people [shichinin] no [of, or "who are"] samurai.
Great movie- if you like it try the "hidden fortress", apparently George Lucas' inspiration for star wars. Great scene of sword fighting on horse back in it.

[Brian Owens]

The original title was shichinin no samurai -which translates directly as seven people [shichinin] no [of, or "who are"] samurai.
I couldn't remember where I had heard that the Japanese name translated as Magnificent Seven; so I went to the Internet Movie Database, where I found this:

"Also Known As:
Seven Samurai (UK)
Shichi-nin no samurai (Japan) (alternative transliteration)
The Magnificent Seven
The Seven Samurai (USA)"

Naturally it doesn't say where "Magnificent Seven" was a title. Oh well. It's of no matter.

Something else I found interesting was this:

"Runtime: 160 min (international version) / Argentina:163 min / Japan:206 min (initial release) / Sweden:202 min (2002 re-release) / UK:150 min (original version) / UK:190 min (1991 re-release) / USA:141 min / USA:203 min (re-release) / USA:206 min (restored version) "

So the US audiences in 1954 got less than two hours of the film's almost 3 1/2 hour total. I wonder what was cut out. (Of course that's nothing compared to the hack job they did to compress the mini-series Shogun into a two-hour movie. It was hideous.)

I'll have to look at my VHS copy of Seven Samurai to see if it's the 203- or the 206-minute version.

"Trivia: According to a Japanese film scholar, one of the things that inspired this film was an account the director read about an actual village that hired samurai to protect them."

[GTO]

As long as we're on the subject of Kurosawa, I'll take the opportunity to recommend Kagemusha as possibly the most underrated Kurosawa film ever. It chronicles the days leading up to the defeat of the Takeda clan. I don't want to say more for fear of spoiling the story, but suffice to say it's a magnificent Japanese tragedy.

[Brian Owens]

...Kagemusha...a magnificent Japanese tragedy.
I'll second that.

Oh my; the way the relationship between Kagemusha and the little boy unfolds! (Can't say more without spoiling it.)

Love that film. Tragic!

[Harlan]

Last year I took my usual week off between Christmas and the New Year, and since I was late in renting my usual holiday fare...I opted for a different theme....samurai. It was a 'Kurosawa Christmas'.... a week of samurai movies. It was great...although my family was a little concerned when I insisted that the turkey could be effectively carved with a longer knife. :)

[Andrew S]

Sound familiar? This film was the inspiration for George Lucas's original Star Wars (1977) film.

Also, the genre of this type of film is jidaigeki (period drama). Lucas then twisted that to form "Jedi".
I've also heard tell that when Lucas met Japanese film critic Yodogawa (a little old gentleman with a unique speech pattern), he used the name for the basis of one of his more endearing characters - Yoda.

[MikeWilliams]

As long as we're on the subject of Kurosawa, I'll take the opportunity to recommend Kagemusha as possibly the most underrated Kurosawa film ever. It chronicles the days leading up to the defeat of the Takeda clan. I don't want to say more for fear of spoiling the story, but suffice to say it's a magnificent Japanese tragedy.


Seconded by me too! (does that make it thirded? :) ). The ending is almost unbearably poignant.

To the original post: the Seven Samurai is one of the greatest action films ever made. End of.

[dokko]

I saw Seven Samurai movie many times. I really liked it, same as other Kurosawa's work. I recommend it to anyone who likes Japanese history.

[NickR]

Prompted by this thread, I was talking to my friend who is a 4 dvd a week guy and he has the 190min (UK) version.

Very enjoyable. Dont think I would buy it, but well worth a good viewing.

[ScottUK]

Is it good?Stunningly good. With my choice of sig, I thought I'd have to pipe in. :)

Has anyone read the BFI book that accompanied some releases of the film? It goes into the sub-plots and looks at the ethical issues that are part of the story. A lot more to it than I fist thought.

Alternatively, just watch it for some cracking fights... :D

[Brian Owens]

...Has anyone read the BFI book that accompanied some releases of the film?
Not I, but it sounds good.

Is "BFI" British Film Institute? I'd like to see if the book is available in any libraries in my area.

[ScottUK]

Yup, you got it.

Check your PMs...

[Brian Owens]

...Is "BFI" British Film Institute?

Yup, you got it.
Yup, I did. ;)

$11.99 including shipping. Thanks -- seems to have been their only copy.

[ScottUK]

"He Who Dares..." :)

Paul, have you seen the film yet? Any opinions?

[PaulM]

Yes, I have. It was really good. I don't really like the beginning where the farmers have lost hope, but eventually they found a way to solve their problems.

[shemp]

It's ace, I presume by saying you plan to see it, that you actually mean you plan to buy a copy and watch it ad infinitum?


if you like seven samurais you would like Samurai trilogy .its three different DVDs on a life of a samurai from his youth till he makes it .

[Brian Owens]

if you like seven samurais you would like Samurai trilogy .its three different DVDs on a life of a samurai from his youth till he makes it .
Yeah, the Samurai Trilogy is a classic.

Toshiro Mifune plays the role of Miyamoto Musashi in this series based on the highly fictionalized "historical" novel.