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Seven Samurai

Original title: Shichinin no samurai
  • 1954
  • Not Rated
  • 3h 27m
IMDb RATING
8.6/10
353K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,508
248
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
ActionDrama

Farmers from a village exploited by bandits hire a veteran samurai for protection, who gathers six other samurai to join him.Farmers from a village exploited by bandits hire a veteran samurai for protection, who gathers six other samurai to join him.Farmers from a village exploited by bandits hire a veteran samurai for protection, who gathers six other samurai to join him.

  • Director
    • Akira Kurosawa
  • Writers
    • Akira Kurosawa
    • Shinobu Hashimoto
    • Hideo Oguni
  • Stars
    • Toshirô Mifune
    • Takashi Shimura
    • Keiko Tsushima
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    8.6/10
    353K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    1,508
    248
    • Director
      • Akira Kurosawa
    • Writers
      • Akira Kurosawa
      • Shinobu Hashimoto
      • Hideo Oguni
    • Stars
      • Toshirô Mifune
      • Takashi Shimura
      • Keiko Tsushima
    • 828User reviews
    • 135Critic reviews
    • 98Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Top rated movie #21
    • Nominated for 2 Oscars
      • 5 wins & 8 nominations total

    Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 3:59
    Watch Trailer

    Photos123

    Toshirô Mifune and Keiko Tsushima in Rashomon (1950)
    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)
    Toshirô Mifune, Daisuke Katô, and Takashi Shimura in Seven Samurai (1954)
    Toshirô Mifune and Takashi Shimura in Seven Samurai (1954)
    Toshirô Mifune, Daisuke Katô, and Takashi Shimura in Seven Samurai (1954)
    Toshirô Mifune in Seven Samurai (1954)
    Toshirô Mifune in Seven Samurai (1954)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Toshirô Mifune
    Toshirô Mifune
    • Kikuchiyo
    • (as Toshiro Mifune)
    Takashi Shimura
    Takashi Shimura
    • Kambei Shimada
    Keiko Tsushima
    Keiko Tsushima
    • Shino
    Yukiko Shimazaki
    • Wife
    • (as Yukio Shimazaki)
    Kamatari Fujiwara
    Kamatari Fujiwara
    • Farmer Manzo
    Daisuke Katô
    Daisuke Katô
    • Shichiroji
    Isao Kimura
    • Katsushiro
    • (as Ko Kimura)
    Minoru Chiaki
    Minoru Chiaki
    • Heihachi
    Seiji Miyaguchi
    Seiji Miyaguchi
    • Kyuzo
    Yoshio Kosugi
    • Farmer Mosuke
    Bokuzen Hidari
    Bokuzen Hidari
    • Farmer Yohei
    Yoshio Inaba
    Yoshio Inaba
    • Gorobei Katayama
    Yoshio Tsuchiya
    Yoshio Tsuchiya
    • Farmer Rikichi
    Kokuten Kôdô
    Kokuten Kôdô
    • Old Man Gisaku
    • (as Kuninori Todo)
    Eijirô Tôno
    Eijirô Tôno
    • Thief
    Kichijirô Ueda
    Kichijirô Ueda
    • Bandit Scout
    Jun Tatara
    • Coolie A
    Atsushi Watanabe
    • Bun Seller
    • Director
      • Akira Kurosawa
    • Writers
      • Akira Kurosawa
      • Shinobu Hashimoto
      • Hideo Oguni
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more 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 reviews828

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    10/10
    Awesome
    In 1954, Kurosawa made foreign film history with Seven Samurai. Everything about this film is just absolutely terrific. The film lasts around 3 1/2 hours, and every minute of it is unbelievable filmmaking. Kurosawa's blend of stellar craft, captivating cinematography, ravishing art direction, and unforgettable characters makes this one of the most intelligent films ever made. The first hour is devoted to devoloping the many four-dimensional characters which inhabit the film throughout. When watching the film, the audiece cares for, trusts, mourns and ultimately believes every single attribute the characters have. Samurai set up the way that many action films are made today; films like Predator and Alien still work within it's boundaries. The battle scenes are terrific and the fast-paced editing is ground-breaking. If people have a problem with subtitles and long movies, then see this and your opinions will change. The sheer filmmaking of Kurosawa will not disappoint. Also see Yojimbo and High & Low.
    helpful•240
    77
    • SonOfaGunderson
    • Feb 3, 2001

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    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
      • 1.37 : 1
      • 1.33 : 1

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