Seven Samurai

[baumer]

Discuss

[Lordmandeep]

Hmm this is another one of those "classic films" but not a film everyone would enjoy...

 

Its a film that really changed how action movies were made...

 

Nevertheless you see many elements in this film that you have seen in 100's and 100's of films since...

The way the hero is defined, the way the villian behaves, the anti hero and the storyline itself...

 

Hero's are hired by the town leader to defend the village from bandits.

This film started the trend of films of hero's teaming up together to achieve a goal.

 

This film has been remade many different times in many different ways in dozens of languages around the world.

 

The American version is another classic film, which is well known for its theme music.

 

Elements of this film were also copied in other films for example the Bollywood Film Sholay (that film is like Star Wars in America in terms of its cultural impact in India).

 

The film is the first time I have seen action done quite well in an old movie, with slow motion action effects and I think it was the first use of slow motion.

 

It is a bit of a long film and certain aspects would not make sense to people who are not Japanese...

 

Even so A

Edited February 13, 2013 by Lordmandeep

[DAR]

I agree with pretty much everything you said.  I mean it even influenced A Bug's Life.

[Lordmandeep]

Yeah everything is here...

 

 

Hero's team up, they have problems working togther... One is sort of a nutcase, one event happens rallying them together in the end, one falls in love with the locals..

 

Its like The Avengers lol

Edited February 13, 2013 by Lordmandeep

[BiffMan]

I finally got to see this at a summer movie festival at a theater last year and loved it.  Saw The Magnificent Seven the following week and was surprised to find I much prefer the original.  Better character development and defense tactics setup. 

 

A+

[Plain Old Tele]

One of my all-time favorites. It's very long but for the most part doesn't feel that slow. It's got great iconic characters and has been ridiculously influential on the action/adventure genre. Often imitated, homaged, ripped off, and paid tribute to, but never equalled.

[Jack Nevada]

Movie well worth it's status as an all time great. It's a straight forward action epic, and it really is handsomely made and entertaining. 

Edited February 27, 2014 by Jack Nevada

[Plain Old Tele]

It may be apocryphal, but I remember hearing that this is the movie where Kurosawa "invented" the now-classic shot where a bunch of riders/enemies/whoever appear on horseback on the horizon of a hill or mountain. It had never been done before.

 

He's so brilliant with his framing, but so totally pragmatic too. There's a famous story that Sidney Lumet tells: "I once asked Akira Kurosawa why he had chosen to frame a shot in Ran in a particular way. His answer was that if he he’d panned the camera one inch to the left, the Sony factory would be sitting there exposed, and if he he’d panned an inch to the right, we would see the airport."

 

C'mon, that's just awesome.

[vc2002]

This is bascially the father of modern action/adventure movies. Can't think of another Asian movie with more impact on modern cinema.

Edited February 27, 2014 by vc2002

[luna]

a great cast of characters, good battle scenes and generally very entertaining, but definitely disappointing. it just isn't interesting in the same way some of his other films are, rather a straight action flick.

 

B-

[JohnnyGossamer]

Not my favorite Kurosawa, but magnificent nonetheless. Epic by all cinematic measures.