To truly appreciate how the motion picture became the art form of the twentieth century, you have to watch one that's not in the English language. By immersing yourself into a cinematic offering form France or Italy, Germany or Russia, Iran or India, only then will you profoundly understand the universality of film. Japan produced a titan whose success lifted his country's film industry from the ashes of defeat in the Second World War, and thus, placed it on a pedestal to compete with on an international level. That titan's name was Akira Kurosawa.
Kurosawa was one of the most influential directors in movie history, looked up to with reverence by his fellow filmmakers. Ingmar Bergman, Stanley Kubrick, Satyajit Ray, Robert Altman, Sidney Lumet, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Federico Fellini, and Werner Herzog are among those who have enthusiastically sung his praises. Even Kurosawa's idols, such as John Ford, expressed admiration for his skills. Kurosawa opened the world's eyes up to Japanese cinema when RASHOMON took the top prize at the Venice Film Festival in 1951. Curiously, his countrymen peers weren't ecstatic over his triumph, accusing him of selling out Japanese filmmaking by adopting Western ideals and forsaking Eastern traditions. But Kurosawa smashed through where many had failed.
The film generally regarded as his best is SEVEN SAMURAI, one of the most rousing motion pictures in history. Look on any website ~Rotten Tomatoes, Sight & Sound, etc~ that display their choices for best-of-all-time, and chances are you'll find SEVEN SAMURAI placed somewhere in the top ten. It spawned John Sturges' Western remake THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN, which in turn inspired sequels, a television series, and another remake in 2016 starring Denzel Washington. In addition, SAMURAI's theme of a group of disparate men uniting for a noble cause launched a plethora of commando action flicks in its wake, ie. THE GUNS OF NAVARONE, DIRTY DOZEN, etc.
Kurosawa had already established his reputation prior to SEVEN SAMURAI, but by no means was Toho Studios prepared to indulge him with a blank cheque. During the preproduction stage, it was clear that what he and his writers were putting together was going to be the most epic movie ever made in Japan. Because of SAMURAI's scope, Kurosawa eschewed shooting on the Toho lot in favor of building a set in the countryside because he felt the location's authenticity would have a positive effect on his actors' performances. To the chagrin of Toho executives, he also set up multiple cameras for certain action scenes so that it would look more fluidly on screen. In doing so, he ensured that takes and retakes were kept to a minimum....and therefore allow him to cut the film without the possibility of any continuity errors.
A shortage of horses for the climactic action caused production to be temporarily shut down, not the first time it happened during filming. At least twice the Toho powers-that-be pulled the plug due to cost overruns, leading Kurosawa to pass the time by fishing his stress away, correctly surmising that Toho would never shelve SEVEN SAMURAI after investing so much time and money. But the delays resulted in the movie being completed in the cold winter, an ordeal leading actor Toshiro Mifune later recalled as his most physically demanding. But it sure looked exciting on celluloid!!!
The percussive tempo on SEVEN SAMURAI's opening credits do a better job of establishing the epic drama to transpire than any studio orchestra could ever hope to accomplish. The story is set in 1580's Japan, an era of feudalism, high taxes, drought, and forced labor. Every a small peaceful rural settlement is subjected to annual plundering by bandits, leaving the farmers with precious little crops remaining to feed their families. Feeling that God has abandoned them, the helpless villagers consult with the town elder for counsel. The old man recalls how one hamlet was spared from pillaging, and that was only because they hired samurai for protection. Because there is nothing but rice to offer as payment, the advice he dispenses to his humble flock is simple: find hungry samurai!!
Four of the peasants embark on a scouting mission from one village to another in the hope of successfully recruiting experienced fighters. Their search for a strong leader ends when they observe Kambei, a middle-aged ronin (or masterless samurai), subdue an outlaw who'd taken a young child hostage. Exhausted by a lifetime of battles, Kambei carries about him an aura of weary honor which precludes him being classified as a mercenary. Approached by the timid strangers, Kambei accepts their proposal as a matter of principle, and begins hashing out some preliminary details. The first decision is the most obvious: given the number of adversaries they will face, at least six more samurai are going to be needed.
And now for the vetting process!! Kambei doesn't have to look too far for his first recruit; Katsushiro derives from warrior bloodlines but has never been tested in combat. Like the farmers, he watched in awe as Kambei disarmed of the outlaw, and has wanted to be his Bff ever since. Another applicant is Gorobei, an affable archer whose talents earn him the position of second-in-command. A one-time lieutenant of Kambei's, Shichiroji, passes by and gladly enlists in their cause. That brings the number up to four!!
The most lethal enlistee is Kyuzo, a quiet, unassuming swordsman who prefers to let his weapon do his talking for him. Kyuzo doesn't see much point in wasting oxygen on small talk because he feels his lung power should best be reserved for battle. The next recruit is Heihachi, a skilled woodsman and carpenter. He doesn't possess the swordplay of his new comrades, but his talent for boosting morale will make him indispensable during critical situations. That's six!!!
The most unpredictable one is ronin wannabe Kikuchiyo (played with gusto by Toshiro Mifune), an untamed peasant looking to find his place in the world. He presents Kambei with a scroll that's the sixteenth century equivalent of a birth certificate. But the dates recorded would indicate his present age to be thirteen....which he cleat is not!! It's later revealed that Kikuchiyo descended from farming lineage, something he regards as a badge of shame, which is why he is so determined to be the seventh samurai. Aware that there's no way to discourage him, Kambei relents.
Kambei and Gorobei realize that the farmers can't always expect knights in armor to come to their aid, that they will have to be able to arm and defend themselves. Not possessing Kyuzo's blade skills nor Gorobei's archery prowess, the raw Kikuchiyo proves himself useful by subjecting the peasants to basic training, despite his own background being sketchy at best. While Kikuchiyo is channeling his inner Marine drill sergeant the others map out strategy and create spears from bamboo sticks. A creek runs through the village, separating four huts from the larger remainder. Therefore, Kambei orders those huts to be abandoned so that everyone can be concentrated on the more populous side and not be divided.
With the time afforded them until the bandits arrive, the magnificent seven wisely utilize it by furthering the village's fortifications. Samurai and farmers alike work together on building a protective moat and erecting large wooden fences to strengthen the the geographical weaknesses. Only one pathway is deliberately left unprotected....to lure their adversaries into a trap. Furthermore, to ensure a successful ambush, the samurai will also have to keep an eye open for enemy scouts!!
Despite SEVEN SAMURAI's running time clock in at three and a half idols, Kurosawa nevertheless fluidly balances the film's visual scope with its intimate moments, a hallmark of intuitive filmmaking. Across the Pacific and beyond, CinemaScope and 3-D were taking the movies by storm in order to compete with television. SEVEN SAMURAI had already begun production in the soon-to-be antiquated standard aspect ratio when Hollywood debuted the wide-screen process in 1953, and were not willing to switch formats in midstream. But in the hands of Kurosawa, SEVEN SAMURAI is a cinematic depth charge that blows all other Fifties epics right out of the water, with THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI being perhaps the only exception.
As much as the action in SEVEN SAMURAI's second half is well worth waiting for, the characterizations never take a back seat. Kurosawa weaves the subplots into the main storyline so skillfully that nothing looks derivative or tacked on. His most impressive pictorial touch is what is now known as "the wipe", the visual effect where a thin vertical line appears onscreen moving from right to left when one scene is ending and another is about to begin. Kurosawa thought it would be more effective than the slow dissolve. Although he wasn't the first to use that technique, he made it so influential it was subsequently borrowed by baby boomer directors such as George Lucas, who utilized it in his Star Wars series.
The legacy of SEVEN SAMURAI has endured ever since its making seventy years ago. Lucas admitted that Kurosawa influenced more than just The Wipe; sharp-eyed analysts have noticed how much the Jedi knights have in common with the feudal era ronin. Light sabers are simply the intergalactic substitute for the Japanese katana. And let's not forget the correlation between samurai movies and American Westerns, especially those made by Ford. Kurosawa applied many innovative touches, but there can be no disputing how he adopted one of Ford's deceptively simplistic methods of directing a picture, which was "photograph the actor's eyes" because, after all, aren't the eyes supposed to be the windows to the soul? Sometimes the great art of a film lays with its apparent artlessness.🔚
Kurosawa was one of the most influential directors in movie history, looked up to with reverence by his fellow filmmakers. Ingmar Bergman, Stanley Kubrick, Satyajit Ray, Robert Altman, Sidney Lumet, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Federico Fellini, and Werner Herzog are among those who have enthusiastically sung his praises. Even Kurosawa's idols, such as John Ford, expressed admiration for his skills. Kurosawa opened the world's eyes up to Japanese cinema when RASHOMON took the top prize at the Venice Film Festival in 1951. Curiously, his countrymen peers weren't ecstatic over his triumph, accusing him of selling out Japanese filmmaking by adopting Western ideals and forsaking Eastern traditions. But Kurosawa smashed through where many had failed.
The film generally regarded as his best is SEVEN SAMURAI, one of the most rousing motion pictures in history. Look on any website ~Rotten Tomatoes, Sight & Sound, etc~ that display their choices for best-of-all-time, and chances are you'll find SEVEN SAMURAI placed somewhere in the top ten. It spawned John Sturges' Western remake THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN, which in turn inspired sequels, a television series, and another remake in 2016 starring Denzel Washington. In addition, SAMURAI's theme of a group of disparate men uniting for a noble cause launched a plethora of commando action flicks in its wake, ie. THE GUNS OF NAVARONE, DIRTY DOZEN, etc.
Kurosawa had already established his reputation prior to SEVEN SAMURAI, but by no means was Toho Studios prepared to indulge him with a blank cheque. During the preproduction stage, it was clear that what he and his writers were putting together was going to be the most epic movie ever made in Japan. Because of SAMURAI's scope, Kurosawa eschewed shooting on the Toho lot in favor of building a set in the countryside because he felt the location's authenticity would have a positive effect on his actors' performances. To the chagrin of Toho executives, he also set up multiple cameras for certain action scenes so that it would look more fluidly on screen. In doing so, he ensured that takes and retakes were kept to a minimum....and therefore allow him to cut the film without the possibility of any continuity errors.
A shortage of horses for the climactic action caused production to be temporarily shut down, not the first time it happened during filming. At least twice the Toho powers-that-be pulled the plug due to cost overruns, leading Kurosawa to pass the time by fishing his stress away, correctly surmising that Toho would never shelve SEVEN SAMURAI after investing so much time and money. But the delays resulted in the movie being completed in the cold winter, an ordeal leading actor Toshiro Mifune later recalled as his most physically demanding. But it sure looked exciting on celluloid!!!
The percussive tempo on SEVEN SAMURAI's opening credits do a better job of establishing the epic drama to transpire than any studio orchestra could ever hope to accomplish. The story is set in 1580's Japan, an era of feudalism, high taxes, drought, and forced labor. Every a small peaceful rural settlement is subjected to annual plundering by bandits, leaving the farmers with precious little crops remaining to feed their families. Feeling that God has abandoned them, the helpless villagers consult with the town elder for counsel. The old man recalls how one hamlet was spared from pillaging, and that was only because they hired samurai for protection. Because there is nothing but rice to offer as payment, the advice he dispenses to his humble flock is simple: find hungry samurai!!
Four of the peasants embark on a scouting mission from one village to another in the hope of successfully recruiting experienced fighters. Their search for a strong leader ends when they observe Kambei, a middle-aged ronin (or masterless samurai), subdue an outlaw who'd taken a young child hostage. Exhausted by a lifetime of battles, Kambei carries about him an aura of weary honor which precludes him being classified as a mercenary. Approached by the timid strangers, Kambei accepts their proposal as a matter of principle, and begins hashing out some preliminary details. The first decision is the most obvious: given the number of adversaries they will face, at least six more samurai are going to be needed.
And now for the vetting process!! Kambei doesn't have to look too far for his first recruit; Katsushiro derives from warrior bloodlines but has never been tested in combat. Like the farmers, he watched in awe as Kambei disarmed of the outlaw, and has wanted to be his Bff ever since. Another applicant is Gorobei, an affable archer whose talents earn him the position of second-in-command. A one-time lieutenant of Kambei's, Shichiroji, passes by and gladly enlists in their cause. That brings the number up to four!!
The most lethal enlistee is Kyuzo, a quiet, unassuming swordsman who prefers to let his weapon do his talking for him. Kyuzo doesn't see much point in wasting oxygen on small talk because he feels his lung power should best be reserved for battle. The next recruit is Heihachi, a skilled woodsman and carpenter. He doesn't possess the swordplay of his new comrades, but his talent for boosting morale will make him indispensable during critical situations. That's six!!!
The most unpredictable one is ronin wannabe Kikuchiyo (played with gusto by Toshiro Mifune), an untamed peasant looking to find his place in the world. He presents Kambei with a scroll that's the sixteenth century equivalent of a birth certificate. But the dates recorded would indicate his present age to be thirteen....which he cleat is not!! It's later revealed that Kikuchiyo descended from farming lineage, something he regards as a badge of shame, which is why he is so determined to be the seventh samurai. Aware that there's no way to discourage him, Kambei relents.
Kambei and Gorobei realize that the farmers can't always expect knights in armor to come to their aid, that they will have to be able to arm and defend themselves. Not possessing Kyuzo's blade skills nor Gorobei's archery prowess, the raw Kikuchiyo proves himself useful by subjecting the peasants to basic training, despite his own background being sketchy at best. While Kikuchiyo is channeling his inner Marine drill sergeant the others map out strategy and create spears from bamboo sticks. A creek runs through the village, separating four huts from the larger remainder. Therefore, Kambei orders those huts to be abandoned so that everyone can be concentrated on the more populous side and not be divided.
With the time afforded them until the bandits arrive, the magnificent seven wisely utilize it by furthering the village's fortifications. Samurai and farmers alike work together on building a protective moat and erecting large wooden fences to strengthen the the geographical weaknesses. Only one pathway is deliberately left unprotected....to lure their adversaries into a trap. Furthermore, to ensure a successful ambush, the samurai will also have to keep an eye open for enemy scouts!!
Despite SEVEN SAMURAI's running time clock in at three and a half idols, Kurosawa nevertheless fluidly balances the film's visual scope with its intimate moments, a hallmark of intuitive filmmaking. Across the Pacific and beyond, CinemaScope and 3-D were taking the movies by storm in order to compete with television. SEVEN SAMURAI had already begun production in the soon-to-be antiquated standard aspect ratio when Hollywood debuted the wide-screen process in 1953, and were not willing to switch formats in midstream. But in the hands of Kurosawa, SEVEN SAMURAI is a cinematic depth charge that blows all other Fifties epics right out of the water, with THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI being perhaps the only exception.
As much as the action in SEVEN SAMURAI's second half is well worth waiting for, the characterizations never take a back seat. Kurosawa weaves the subplots into the main storyline so skillfully that nothing looks derivative or tacked on. His most impressive pictorial touch is what is now known as "the wipe", the visual effect where a thin vertical line appears onscreen moving from right to left when one scene is ending and another is about to begin. Kurosawa thought it would be more effective than the slow dissolve. Although he wasn't the first to use that technique, he made it so influential it was subsequently borrowed by baby boomer directors such as George Lucas, who utilized it in his Star Wars series.
The legacy of SEVEN SAMURAI has endured ever since its making seventy years ago. Lucas admitted that Kurosawa influenced more than just The Wipe; sharp-eyed analysts have noticed how much the Jedi knights have in common with the feudal era ronin. Light sabers are simply the intergalactic substitute for the Japanese katana. And let's not forget the correlation between samurai movies and American Westerns, especially those made by Ford. Kurosawa applied many innovative touches, but there can be no disputing how he adopted one of Ford's deceptively simplistic methods of directing a picture, which was "photograph the actor's eyes" because, after all, aren't the eyes supposed to be the windows to the soul? Sometimes the great art of a film lays with its apparent artlessness.🔚