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IMDbPro

Seven Samurai

Original title: Shichinin no samurai
  • 19541954
  • Not RatedNot Rated
  • 3h 27m
IMDb RATING
8.6/10
341K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,521
85
Seven Samurai (1954)
A poor village under attack by bandits recruits seven unemployed samurai to help them defend themselves.
Play trailer3:59
1 Video
99+ Photos
  • Action
  • Drama
"A veteran samurai, gathers six samurais to protect a village from the cruel bandits. As the samurais teach the natives how to defend themselves, the village is attacked by a pack of 40 band... Read all"A veteran samurai, gathers six samurais to protect a village from the cruel bandits. As the samurais teach the natives how to defend themselves, the village is attacked by a pack of 40 bandits."A veteran samurai, gathers six samurais to protect a village from the cruel bandits. As the samurais teach the natives how to defend themselves, the village is attacked by a pack of 40 bandits.
IMDb RATING
8.6/10
341K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,521
85
  • Director
    • Akira Kurosawa
  • Writers
    • Akira Kurosawa(screenplay by)
    • Shinobu Hashimoto(screenplay by)
    • Hideo Oguni(screenplay by)
  • Stars
    • Toshirô Mifune
    • Takashi Shimura
    • Keiko Tsushima
Top credits
  • Director
    • Akira Kurosawa
  • Writers
    • Akira Kurosawa(screenplay by)
    • Shinobu Hashimoto(screenplay by)
    • Hideo Oguni(screenplay by)
  • Stars
    • Toshirô Mifune
    • Takashi Shimura
    • Keiko Tsushima
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 803User reviews
    • 129Critic reviews
    • 98Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Top rated movie #20
    • Nominated for 2 Oscars
      • 5 wins & 8 nominations total

    Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 3:59
    Trailer

    Photos111

    Toshirô Mifune, Minoru Chiaki, Yoshio Inaba, Daisuke Katô, Isao Kimura, Seiji Miyaguchi, and Takashi Shimura in Seven Samurai (1954)
    Toshirô Mifune and Seiji Miyaguchi in Seven Samurai (1954)
    Toshirô Mifune, Minoru Chiaki, Seiji Miyaguchi, and Takashi Shimura in Seven Samurai (1954)
    Toshirô Mifune, Minoru Chiaki, Yoshio Inaba, Daisuke Katô, Isao Kimura, Seiji Miyaguchi, and Takashi Shimura in Seven Samurai (1954)
    Toshirô Mifune, Minoru Chiaki, Daisuke Katô, Isao Kimura, Seiji Miyaguchi, and Takashi Shimura in Seven Samurai (1954)
    Toshirô Mifune in Seven Samurai (1954)
    Seven Samurai (1954)
    Toshirô Mifune and Takashi Shimura in Seven Samurai (1954)
    Seven Samurai (1954)
    Toshirô Mifune in Seven Samurai (1954)
    Seven Samurai (1954)
    Toshirô Mifune in Seven Samurai (1954)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Toshirô Mifune
    Toshirô Mifune
    • Kikuchiyoas Kikuchiyo
    • (as Toshiro Mifune)
    Takashi Shimura
    Takashi Shimura
    • Kambei Shimadaas Kambei Shimada
    Keiko Tsushima
    Keiko Tsushima
    • Shinoas Shino
    Yukiko Shimazaki
    • Wifeas Wife
    • (as Yukio Shimazaki)
    Kamatari Fujiwara
    Kamatari Fujiwara
    • Farmer Manzoas Farmer Manzo
    Daisuke Katô
    Daisuke Katô
    • Shichirojias Shichiroji
    Isao Kimura
    • Katsushiroas Katsushiro
    • (as Ko Kimura)
    Minoru Chiaki
    Minoru Chiaki
    • Heihachias Heihachi
    Seiji Miyaguchi
    Seiji Miyaguchi
    • Kyuzoas Kyuzo
    Yoshio Kosugi
    • Farmer Mosukeas Farmer Mosuke
    Bokuzen Hidari
    Bokuzen Hidari
    • Farmer Yoheias Farmer Yohei
    Yoshio Inaba
    Yoshio Inaba
    • Gorobei Katayamaas Gorobei Katayama
    Yoshio Tsuchiya
    Yoshio Tsuchiya
    • Farmer Rikichias Farmer Rikichi
    Kokuten Kôdô
    Kokuten Kôdô
    • Old Man Gisakuas Old Man Gisaku
    • (as Kuninori Todo)
    Eijirô Tôno
    Eijirô Tôno
    • Thiefas Thief
    Kichijirô Ueda
    Kichijirô Ueda
    • Bandit Scoutas Bandit Scout
    Jun Tatara
    • Coolie Aas Coolie A
    Atsushi Watanabe
    • Bun Selleras Bun Seller
    • Director
      • Akira Kurosawa
    • Writers
      • Akira Kurosawa(screenplay by)
      • Shinobu Hashimoto(screenplay by)
      • Hideo Oguni(screenplay by)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Akira Kurosawa's original idea for the film was to make it about a day in the life of a samurai, beginning with him rising from bed, eat breakfast, go to his master's castle and ending with him making some mistake that required him to go home and kill himself to save face. Despite a good deal of research, he did not feel he had enough solid factual information to make the movie. He then pitched the idea of a film that would cover a series of five samurai battles, based on the lives of famous Japanese swordsmen. Hashimoto went off to write that script, but Kurosawa ultimately scrapped that idea as well, worrying that a film that was just "a series of climaxes" wouldn't work. Then, producer Sôjirô Motoki found, through historical research, that samurai in the "Warring States" period of Japanese history would often volunteer to stand guard at peasant villages overnight in exchange for food and lodging. Kurosawa then came across an anecdote about a village hiring samurai to protect them and decided to use that idea. Kurosawa wrote a complete dossier for each character with a speaking role. In it were details about what they wore, their favourite foods, their past history, their speaking habits, their reaction to battle and every other detail he could think of about them. No other Japanese director had ever done this before.
    • Goofs
      In the closing moments of the final battle, the bandits fire two musket shots only seconds apart. It is clear from the plot that at that point they possess only one musket. The black powder muskets of the age required much more time to reload. This error was pointed out in the commentary of the deluxe DVD edition.
    • Quotes

      Kikuchiyo: What do you think of farmers? You think they're saints? Hah! They're foxy beasts! They say, "We've got no rice, we've no wheat. We've got nothing!" But they have! They have everything! Dig under the floors! Or search the barns! You'll find plenty! Beans, salt, rice, sake! Look in the valleys, they've got hidden warehouses! They pose as saints but are full of lies! If they smell a battle, they hunt the defeated! They're nothing but stingy, greedy, blubbering, foxy, and mean! God damn it all!

      [He hurls a handful of arrows into the wall]

      Kikuchiyo: But then who made them such beasts? You did! You samurai did it! You burn their villages! Destroy their farms! Steal their food! Force them to labour! Take their women! And kill them if they resist! So what should farmers do?

      [Kikuchiyo sinks to his knees, and begins to sob uncontrollably]

      Kikuchiyo: Damn... damn... damn... damn...

      [Kambei unfolds his arms and looks down at the palms of his hands]

      Kambei Shimada: [Quietly, after a long pause] You were the son of a farmer, weren't you?

    • Alternate versions
      The film's original Japanese release version runs 207 minutes, plus intermission, which includes 4 minutes of entr'acte music against a blank screen. This is the version that has been generally shown worldwide since the 1980s, though sometimes it is shown without the intermission and entr'acte, resulting in a listed running time of 203 minutes. The initial U.S.A. release was re-titled 'The Magnificent Seven' and released November, 1956, with English subtitles, and ran 158 minutes. Some European releases were even further shortened to 141 minutes. Landmark Films re-released the film in the U.S. in December 1982, the first time outside Japan the film saw a major release with its running time intact (although the intermission and entr'acte were removed). Later U.S.A. releases by Avco-Embassy Pictures, Janus Films, and Films Incorporated, and by BFI in the UK, are also the full original version of the film.
    • Connections
      Featured in Objective 500 Million (1966)

    User reviews803

    Review
    Top review
    Memorable characters and one of the best action movies of all times
    Having seen Kurosawa's Seven Samurai at least 10 times, I still see something new every time I watch it. I don't see how anyone, especially a non-Japanese, could possibly absorb this movie in less than 2 or 3 viewings. I've always been surprised at how each of the 7 samurai can make such an individual impression on you even if you can't understand Japanese. Although Toshiro Mifune is often considered the star, for me its Takashi Shimura who is firmly fixed at the center of the movie. He is the guiding moral force from the moment of his appearance in the film and can capture the viewer's attention in a way similar to Alec Guinness. Mifune's character can be annoying at first in his loutish behavior, but he gains stature throughout the film and eventually becomes a unifying force second only to Shimura. Minoru Chiaki as the woodcutting samurai provides a subtle humor and the others look to him to boost their morale. Daisuke Kato is another very familiar face to Japanese movie fans and provides an excellent foil to Shimura as his second in command. Yoshio Inaba is very good as the samurai who is recruited by Shimura and quickly builds a strong rapport with him. Seiji Miyaguchi as the "expert" warrior, dedicated to honing his skill as a swordsman is a very low key yet likeable character. Ko Kimura as the young hero-worshipping samurai, as well as the love interest of the peasant girl, wishes to be a great samurai, but is easily distracted by a field of flowers or a pretty face. The peasants in the village being defended by the samurai each have their own defining characteristics as well.

    In addition to the wealth of interesting characters, we have a terrific action plot--the defending of the village from 40 marauding bandits by the small troop of samurai--, and a more subtle secondary plot involving the distrust of the samurai by the villagers due to the historical interaction of these two classes in feudal Japan. All of these plot and character elements are woven together into an unforgettable epic, but, at least in my opinion, its not one that can be absorbed in a single sitting. While it's similar in this sense to another of my favorite epics, Leone's Once Upon a Time in the West, it is more complex given the number of characters.

    I can only say that your patience with this film will probably be well rewarded if you take the time to give it multiple viewings. You will also have the pleasure of seeing many of the samurai and villagers pop up in other Kurosawa films and films of other Japanese directors. If you like Mifune and Shimura in this one, catch them in Stray Dog and Drunken Angel in very different settings and parts.

    This one is 10 out of 10 without a doubt.
    helpful•209
    38
    • gkbazalo
    • Aug 17, 2004

    FAQ7

    • Was this film not favorably received by Japanese critics?
    • Is 'Seven Samurai' based on a book?
    • Why is everyone shocked that Kambei is shaving his head?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 19, 1956 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • Japan
    • Language
      • Japanese
    • Also known as
      • The Magnificent Seven
    • Filming locations
      • Izu Peninsula, Shizuoka, Japan
    • Production company
      • Toho Company
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • ¥125,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $318,649
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $15,942
      • Jul 28, 2002
    • Gross worldwide
      • $346,258
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      3 hours 27 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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