Seven Samurai (1954) Shichinin no samurai (original title)

Director:

Akira Kurosawa

Writers:

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

Release Date:

19 November 1956 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama

Tagline:

Will Take Its Place With the Seven Greatest Films of All Time!

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 (as Toshiro Mifune)
Takashi Shimura	...	Kambei Shimada
Keiko Tsushima	...	Shino
Yukiko Shimazaki	...	Wife (as Yukio Shimazaki)
Kamatari Fujiwara	...	Farmer Manzo
Daisuke Katô	...	Shichiroji (as Daisake Kato)
Isao Kimura	...	Katsushiro (as Ko Kimura)
Minoru Chiaki	...	Heihachi
Seiji Miyaguchi	...	Kyuzo
Yoshio Kosugi	...	Farmer Mosuke
Bokuzen Hidari	...	Farmer Yohei
Yoshio Inaba	...	Gorobei Katayama
Yoshio Tsuchiya	...	Farmer Rikichi
Kokuten Kôdô	...	Old Man Gisaku (as Kuninori Todo)
Eijirô Tôno	...	Thief (as Eijiro Tono)
Kichijirô Ueda	...	Bandit Scout (as Ueda Kichijiro)
Jun Tatara	...	Coolie A
Atsushi Watanabe	...	Bun Seller
Toranosuke Ogawa	...	Grandfather of Kidnapped Girl
Isao Yamagata	...	Samurai
Kamiyama Sôjin	...	Blind Player (as Sojin)
Gen Shimizu	...	Samurai Who Kicks Farmers (as Hajime Shimizu)
Keiji Sakakida	...	Gosaku
Shinpei Takagi	...	Bandit Chieftain (as Shimpei Takagi)
Shin Ôtomo	...	Bandit Second-in-Command
Toshio Takahara	...	Samurai with Gun
Hiroshi Sugi	...	Tea Shop Owner
Kan Hayashi	...	Weak Ronin
Sachio Sakai	...	2nd Coolie
Sôkichi Maki	...	Strong-Looking Samurai
Ichirô Chiba	...	Buddhist Priest
Noriko Sengoku	...	Wife of Gono Family
Noriko Honma	...	Woman Farmer
Masanobu Ôkubo	...	Samurai
Etsurô Saijô	...	Bandit
Minoru Itô	...	Samurai
Haruya Sakamoto	...	Samurai
Kyorô Sakurai	...	Samurai
Hideo Shibuya	...	Bandit
Kiyoshi Kamoda	...	Samurai
Senkichi Ômura	...	Bandit Who Escapes
Takashi Narita	...	Bandit Who Escapes
Shôichi Hirose	...	Bandit
Kôji Uno	...	Bandit
Masaaki Tachibana	...	Bandit
Kamayuki Tsubono	...	Bandit
Taiji Naka	...	Bandit
Chindanji Miyagawa	...	Bandit
Shigemi Sunagawa	...	Bandit
Akira Tani	...	Bandit
Akio Kusama	...	Bandit
Ryûtarô Amami	...	Bandit
Jun Mikami	...	Bandit
Haruo Nakajima	...	Bandit
Sanpei Mine	...	Farmer
Masahide Matsushita	...	Samurai
Kaneo Ikeda	...	Samurai
Takuzô Kumagaya	...	Gisaku's Son (as Jirô Kumagaya)
Ippei Kawagoe	...	Farmer
Jirô Suzukawa	...	Farmer
Junpei Natsuki	...	Farmer
Kyôichi Kamiyama	...	Farmer
Haruo Suzuki	...	Farmer
Gorô Amano	...	Farmer
Hikaru Kitchôji	...	Farmer
Kôji Iwamoto	...	Farmer
Hiroshi Akitsu	...	Gono Husband
Akira Yamada	...	Farmer
Kazuo Imai	...	Farmer
Eisuke Nakanishi	...	Farmer
Toku Ihara	...	Farmer
Hideo Ôtsuka	...	Farmer
Shû Ôe	...	Farmer
Yasuhisa Tsutsumi	...	Farmer in Front of Gono
Yasuo Ônishi	...	Farmer
Tsuneo Katagiri	...	Farmer in Front of Gono
Megeru Shimoda	...	Farmer
Masayoshi Kawabe	...	Farmer
Shigeo Katô	...	Farmer
Yoshikazu Kawamata	...	Farmer
Takeshi Seki	...	3rd Coolie
Haruko Toyama	...	Gisaku's Daughter-in-Law
Tsuruko Mano	...	Woman Farmer in Front of Gono
Matsue Ono	...	Woman Farmer
Tazue Ichimanji	...	Woman Farmer (as Tazue Ichimanji)
Masako Ôshiro	...	Woman Farmer
Kyôko Ozawa	...	Woman Farmer
Michiko Kadono	...	Farmer's Wife
Toshiko Nakano	...	Farmer's Wife
Shizuko Azuma	...	Farmer's Wife
Keiko Mori	...	Farmer's Wife
Michiko Kawabe	...	Farmer's Wife
Yûko Togawa	...	Farmer's Wife
Yayoko Kitano	...	Farmer's Wife
Misao Suyama	...	Woman Farmer
Toriko Takahara	...	Woman Farmer
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Takeshi Katô	...	Samurai Wandering Through Town (uncredited)
Tatsuya Nakadai	...	Samurai Wandering Through Town (uncredited)
Ken Utsui	...	Samurai Wandering Through Town (uncredited)
Ren Yamamoto	...	Farmer (uncredited)

Directed by
Akira Kurosawa

Writing credits
Akira Kurosawa		(screenplay) &
Shinobu Hashimoto		(screenplay) &
Hideo Oguni		(screenplay)

Produced by
Sôjirô Motoki	....	producer (as Sojiro Motoki)

Original Music by
Fumio Hayasaka

Cinematography by
Asakazu Nakai		(photography) (as Asaichi Nakai)

Film Editing by
Akira Kurosawa

Production Design by
Takashi Matsuyama

Art Direction by
Sô Matsuyama		(art direction) (as So Matsuyama)

Costume Design by
Kôhei Ezaki
Mieko Yamaguchi

Makeup Department
Midori Nakajo	....	hair stylist
Junjirô Yamada	....	hair
Junjirô Yamada	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Hiroshi Nezu	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Sakae Hirosawa	....	assistant director
Hiromichi Horikawa	....	assistant director
Toshi Kaneko	....	assistant director
Masaya Shimizu	....	assistant director
Yasuyoshi Tajitsu	....	assistant director

Art Department
Kôhei Ezaki	....	art consultant
Kôichi Hamamura	....	property master
Yoshirô Muraki	....	assistant art director

Sound Department
Ichirô Minawa	....	sound effects editor
Masanao Uehara	....	sound assistant
Fumio Yanoguchi	....	recording

Camera and Electrical Department
Masao Fukuda	....	still photographer
Mitsuo Kaneko	....	assistant lighting technician
Shigeru Mori	....	lighting technician
Takao Saitô	....	assistant camera

Editorial Department
Hiroshi Nezu	....	editing manager

Music Department
Masaru Satô	....	assistant to composer

Other crew
Shigeru Endo	....	archery
Kôhei Ezaki	....	folklore researcher (as Kohei Ezaki)
Yuji Hamada	....	accountant
Ienori Kaneko	....	archery
Toshio Nakane	....	acting office
Teruyo Nogami	....	script supervisor
Takeharu Shimada	....	production assistant
Yoshio Sugino	....	fencing

Production Companies

• Toho Company (presents)

Distributors

• Toho Company (1954) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Columbia Pictures (1956) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) (1972) (USA) (TV) (US network premiere)
• AVCO Embassy Pictures (1982) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Films Incorporated (1982) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Janus Films (1982) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Landmark Films (1982) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Embassy Home Entertainment (1987) (USA) (VHS)
• Criterion Collection, The (1989) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Criterion Collection, The (1991) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Criterion Collection, The (1998) (USA) (DVD)
• Cowboy Pictures (2002) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Toho Company (2002) (Japan) (DVD)
• Shoval Film Production (2003) (Israel) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Bright Angel Distribution (2004) (Netherlands) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Madman Entertainment (2004) (Australia) (DVD)
• Total Film Home Entertainment (2004) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Total Film Home Entertainment (2004) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Nihon Eiga Satellite Broadcasting (2007) (Japan) (TV)
• Aito Mäkinen (1963) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Asociace Ceských Filmových Klubu (ACFK) (2009) (Czech Republic) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Atlantic Film (2002) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Cinédis (1955) (France) (theatrical)
• Dianafilmi (1981) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Eurooppalainen Filmi (1959) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Jaguar Film (1965) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Rosenbergs Filmbyrå (1965) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Sputnik (2004) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Studio 43 (????) (France) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Svenska Filminstitutet (SFI) (2002) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Television och Smalfilm (1965) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• trigon-film (2012) (Austria) (theatrical)
• trigon-film (2012) (Germany) (theatrical)
• trigon-film (2012) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Continental Home Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (2009) (USA) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (2010) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Sandrew Metronome Distribution Sverige AB (2007) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Sandrew Metronome Distribution (200?) (Finland) (DVD)
• Suomen Kunnallispalvelu (1994) (Finland) (VHS)
• Tocantins (????) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Toho Company (2009) (Japan) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Toho Video (1996) (Japan) (VHS)
• WoWow (2012) (Japan) (TV)
• YLE Teema (2005) (Finland) (TV)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (1964) (Finland) (TV)
• trigon-film (2012) (Germany) (DVD) (special edition - full version)
• trigon-film (2012) (Switzerland) (DVD) (special edition)
• trigon-film (2013) (Germany) (DVD) (Blu-ray) (special edition)

Other Companies

• Toho Developing Co.  film developing
• Toho Genzosho  video editing

Also Known As:

"Shichinin no samurai" - Japan (original title)

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 | Stereo (re-release prints)

Certification:

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 | Iceland:12 | Portugal:M/12 (Qualidade) | Brazil:10 | Czech Republic:U | Spain:T | Australia:M (VHS version) | South Korea:15

Filming Locations:

Japan

Company:

Toho Company

Trivia:

First use of a scene which is now commonplace in cinema: The approaching horde coming into view as they crest a hilltop, specifically when Kikuchiyo sees the mounted bandits approaching.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: During the first scene when the people in the village are discussing what to do with the bandits, it's visible that they are wearing bald-wigs.

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 "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures: A Grimm Story of an Overdue Book (#1.13)" (1990)

Haven't you seen it yet?

Well, if you haven't seen Seven Samurai then you're not really qualified to call yourself a film fan, basically. One of the most influential movies of all time, that still holds up extremely well nearly 50 years later. Akira Kurosawa's epic tale of heroism and barbarism set the standard in so many ways it's hard to imagine that any modern film does not show its influence in some way or other. A great script, great characters, mostly great acting, splendid cinematography and action sequences that wrote the book about how these things should be filmed. Even now, after so many have tried to imitate or beat it, Seven Samurai remains a totally gripping 3.5 hour experience. Akira Kurosawa is one of the gods of Cinema - men who seem to have been born to make films, who have it in their blood. People like Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick, King Hu and Steven Spielberg, who make it look easy... who so obviously "get it". In this pantheon, Kurosawa is perhaps the daddy of them all, however, and Seven Samurai is one of his finest moments. The scale of the production is remarkable - to undertake making such an epic in post-war Japan was a feat in itself. The cast of dozens of inhabitants of a village specially built for the movie, the 40 bandits and their horses, all the costumes, the armour, the weapons. Few directors could have brought all of this together and still paid such attention to the smallest of details in script and scene. Credit must go to the team Kurosawa worked with too, I presume The movie's setup became the template for many movies to follow, the most recentl example that comes to mind being the excellent Korean period movie MUSA (The Warrior), for example. A motley band of characters is assembled and placed in a situation where the odds are seemingly stacked against them, and each gets there chance to really shine, prove themselves and become something more than a normal man. Kurosawa's Samurai movies all share a little bit in common, which is the depiction of the Samurai as some noble beast, different from the common and pathetic rabble of ordinary man. In Seven Samurai the farmers are a base lot, cowardly, selfish, vain, pathetic and treacherous. How he found actors with such miserable looking faces is a mystery in itself. In contrast, the Samurai embody all the qualities that humanity would generally like to believe define it (us). Brave, righteous, honest, strong and heroic. Toshiro Mifune's character stands in the middle and represents this difference - perhaps meant to suggest that mankind can strive to rise above his flaws, but mostly suggesting to me that the common man is basically a mess and we should learn to respect our betters. Kurosawa was definitely not a socialist, unless I'm mis-reading him wildly. I'm sure many out there wonder, does a 50 year old black and white movie about Samurai really have any interest or relevance to us in the 21st century? The answer is a definite "Yes!". Seven Samurai shows us what cinema can be, what cinema is *meant* to be. It is moving picture as art in a way that the multiplex-fillers of today cannot possibly claim to be. It's a film that satisfies on many different levels, and still provides a bench mark which today's film makers could and should use to evaluate their own contributions. True, few out there will ever be able to claim they've made a film that rivals Seven Samurai in scope or beauty, but this *is* what every director should aspire to! The sad thing is, I just can't see a project like this ever coming out of the Hollywood studio system, where art is just another commodity and marketing is the new god