Shichinin no samurai (1954)

Director:

Akira Kurosawa

Writers:

Akira Kurosawa (screenplay) &
Shinobu Hashimoto (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

19 November 1956 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure

Tagline:

The Mighty Warriors Who Became the Seven National Heroes of a Small Town

Plot:

A poor village under attack by bandits recruits seven unemployed samurai to help them defend themselves.

Plot Keywords:

Samurai | Bandit | Farmer | Japan | Rice

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Toshirô Mifune	...	Kikuchiyo
Takashi Shimura	...	Kanbê Shimada
Keiko Tsushima	...	Shino
Yukiko Shimazaki	...	Rikichi's Wife
Kamatari Fujiwara	...	Manzô - Father of Shino
Daisuke Katô	...	Shichirôji
Isao Kimura	...	Katsushirô Okamoto
Minoru Chiaki	...	Heihachi Hayashida
Seiji Miyaguchi	...	Kyûzô
Yoshio Kosugi	...	Mosuke
Bokuzen Hidari	...	Yohei
Yoshio Inaba	...	Gorobê Katayama
Yoshio Tsuchiya	...	Rikichi
Kokuten Kôdô	...	Gisaku, the Old Man
Eijirô Tôno	...	Kidnapper

Also Known As:

Seven Samurai (UK) (USA)
Shichi-nin no samurai (Japan) (alternative transliteration)

Runtime:

207 min | 160 min (international version) | Argentina:163 min | 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:207 min (restored version) | Spain:202 min (DVD edition)

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Portugal:M/12 | Brazil:10 | Czech Republic:U | Spain:T | Argentina:16 | Australia:PG | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG | Denmark:15 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | Sweden:11 (re-rating) (2002) | Sweden:15 (original rating) | Switzerland:14 | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) (1991) | USA:Unrated | West Germany:16

Company:

Toho Company

Trivia:

One of the samurai who is seen walking through the town was played by a young Tatsuya Nakadai. This uncredited bit part is believed to have been only the second film appearance by Nakadai, who would quickly become one of Japan's most accomplished actors, and who had a long working relationship with Akira Kurosawa. His active career continues more than 50 years after this film was released.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When samurai or bandits are shot with muskets, the bullet strikes before the sound of the distant gunshot is heard. This is technically correct and it is a feature of other Kurosawa films, such as Kagemusha, although it gives the false impression that people are being shot before the guns are discharged.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Bandit second-in-command: We'll take this place next.
Bandit Chief: We took it last autumn. They haven't got anything worth taking yet. Let's wait.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Sakigake!! Kuromati Kôkô: The Movie (2005)

Solid Gold

I discovered 16 of Kurosawa's best known films before returning to the which is commonly thought of as his masterpiece. Seven Samurai is unlike any other grand classic ever produced. It's basic plot can be summed up in a single easy sentence, yet its refinement and execution rival any movie you've ever seen.

The premise: in chaotic 16th century Japan, as marauders threaten raid villages, one village hires samurai to defend it from a group of bandits. Yet Kurosawa (also co-writer) developed these characters in a way unheard of for what might pass as an epic action film. To its astonishing credit, through all of its 207 minutes running time, Seven Samurai never falters or bores. And if the script is a marvel in itself, the acting and production design than derive from it are nothing short of superlative. It is said that Kurosawa forced the villagers (from supporting role to mere extra) to live together as a community during production and be their characters, each and every one of which he had drawn out specifically. This unusual technique gave Seven Samurai a feel of authenticity unparalleled in film history.

The samurai themselves are so richly given life to in the screenplay that little more would have been needed to make them memorable characters, yet the main cast pay off at every turn, and though every one of the seven main actors give in perfect performances (never as I had feared before watching it do you confuse them, even in the chaotic battle scenes), two immortal roles have a particularly resounding effect: Takashi Shimura (Kambei Shimada), who plays the leader of the ragged band of samurai, gives his sage and venerable warrior a god-like intensity that makes the magnetic charisma of his character unquestionable. One of the easiest leaders to root for in all the history of film-making. Stealing the show however, albeit by a very thin margin, is longtime Kurosawa favorite coworker Toshiro Mifune (Kikuchiyo) as the rogue seventh, the black sheep of the herd, giving the bravura ultimate performance of a lifetime paved throughout with great roles.

The story follows them and the villagers, equally nuanced and developed, through their encounter, training, eventual bonding and the big inevitable fight for survival. Unlike subsequent very successful remakes (i.e. Magnificent Seven), seven Samurai transcended excellency by having many layers (nothing or no one is white or black: everything exists in shades of gray) and thus being very real and human. Even without the menace, its interpersonal dynamics would have made it perfect human drama, subtle, balancing comedy, intensity, realism, drama and a deep philosophy with astonishing ease, yet the menace does materialize and thus Seven Samurai unleashes its violence in a series of action scenes crafted with such vision and ingenuity as has ever reached an action film (the frenetic battle scenes at the end rather evoke Saving Private Ryan in their relentlessness).

In the end, what made this into solid gold was, at the core, Akira Kurosawa, who would, despite directing many further masterpieces (Throne of Blood, Yojimbo, Red Beard, Dersu Uzala, Kagemusha, Ran), would never top this one. Throughout his life, Kurosawa kept confirming his status as perhaps the greatest director ever. If so, Seven Samurai is the ultimate proof of that truth. One of the very best films ever made and personal all-time favorite.