Seven Samurai
(1954)
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Set in 16th Century Japan, Akira Kurosawa's epic SEVEN SAMURAI follows the plight of a defenseless farming village that lives in constant fear of marauding bandits. The farmers know that when their crops are harvested, the thugs will attack, so four men go to town in hopes of employing samurai to fight for them. However, the poor villagers can merely offer payment in the form of shelter and a daily bowl of rice, and initially only Kambei (Takashi Shimura), a brave elder samurai, and his eager young apprentice, Katsushiro (Isao Kimura), take up their cause. Encountering various nomadic warriors on the streets, they slowly put together his team of swordsmen, recruiting Shichiroji (Daisuke Kato), Gorobei (Yoshio Inaba), Heihachi (Minoru Chiaki), and Kyuzo (Seiji Miyaguchi). Finally, Kikuchiyo (Toshiro Mifune), a scruffy wanderer who has been trailing them, completes the small band of ronin. However, upon reaching the village, the samurai learn that the farmers fear them as much the enemy. Despite the tensions, Kambei and his men slowly train the peasants to defend their village. Eventually the warriors launch a preemptive strike against the bandits, and begin a series of intense conflicts that culminates in a rain-soaked final battle--without a doubt, one of the most stunning sequences in cinema history. |
One of the undisputed masterpieces of world cinema, Akira Kurosawa's epic was inspired by the westerns of John Ford and had the compliment repaid with John Sturges's classic reworking, The Magnificent Seven. Showered with international awards, the film is a mesmerising combination of historical detail, spectacular action and poignant humanism. Over 18 months in production, it has been described as “a tapestry of motion”, with the final battle standing out for its audacious use of moving camera, telephoto lenses, variegated film speeds and precision editing. Takashi Shimura and Toshiro Mifune are the pick of an excellent cast, but it's the late director's genius that leaves the truly lasting impression.
Halliwell's Film Guide
Superbly strange, vivid and violent medieval adventure which later served as the basis for the Western The Magnificent Seven and the science-fiction film Battle Beyond the Stars.