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Shichinin no samurai
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Shichinin no samurai (1954) More at IMDbPro »

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Shichinin no samurai (1954) -- A poor village under attack by bandits recruits seven unemployed samurai to help them defend themselves.
Shichinin no samurai (1954) -- Movieplayer.it - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 5% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Akira Kurosawa (screenplay) &
Shinobu Hashimoto (screenplay) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for Seven Samurai on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
19 November 1956 (USA) more
Genre:
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. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 5 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(48 articles)
DVD releases for Tuesday December 8, 2009
 (From QuietEarth. 8 December 2009, 8:16 AM, PST)

This Week On DVD and Blu-ray: December 8, 2009
 (From Rope Of Silicon. 8 December 2009, 1:20 AM, PST)

User Comments:
Solid Gold more (474 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
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
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Seven Samurai (UK) (USA)
Shichi-nin no samurai (Japan) (alternative transliteration)
more
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:
Language:
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Company:

Fun Stuff

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. more
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. more
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.
more
Movie Connections:

FAQ

Who is the best Samurai?
How much sex, violence, and profanity are in this movie?
Why is everyone shocked that Kambei is shaving his head?
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105 out of 116 people found the following comment useful.
Solid Gold, 8 January 2003
10/10
Author: OttoVonB from Switzerland

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.

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