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Shichinin no samurai (1954)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
19 November 1956 (USA) moreTagline:
The Mighty Warriors Who Became the Seven National Heroes of a Small TownPlot:
A poor village under attack by bandits recruits seven unemployed samurai to help them defend themselves. full summary | add synopsisAwards:
Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 5 nominations moreNewsDesk:
(26 articles)
Akira Kurosawa: The Masterworks Blu-ray Disc Collection (From Affenheimtheater. 19 June 2009, 10:27 AM, PDT)
Director Rob Cohen To Get ‘Medieval’ On Our… Well… You Know
(From MTV Movies Blog. 10 June 2009, 6:00 AM, PDT)
User Comments:
Solid Gold moreCast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Takashi Shimura | ... | Kambei Shimada | |
| Toshirô Mifune | ... | Kikuchiyo | |
| Yoshio Inaba | ... | Gorobei Katayama | |
| Seiji Miyaguchi | ... | Kyuzo | |
| Minoru Chiaki | ... | Heihachi Hayashida | |
| Daisuke Katô | ... | Shichiroji | |
| Isao Kimura | ... | Katsushiro Okamoto | |
| Keiko Tsushima | ... | Shino | |
| Yukiko Shimazaki | ... | Rikichi's Wife | |
| Kamatari Fujiwara | ... | Manzo, father of Shino | |
| Yoshio Kosugi | ... | Mosuke | |
| Bokuzen Hidari | ... | Yohei | |
| Yoshio Tsuchiya | ... | Rikichi | |
| Kokuten Kodo | ... | Gisaku, the Old Man | |
| Jiro Kumagai | ... | Peasant (as Jirô Kumagai) |
Additional Details
Also Known As:
Seven Samurai (UK)Shichi-nin no samurai (Japan) (alternative transliteration)
The Seven Samurai (USA)
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Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parentsRuntime:
160 min (international version) | Argentina:163 min | Japan:206 min (initial release) | Sweden:202 min (2002 re-release) | UK:150 min (original version) | UK:190 min (1991 re-release) | USA:141 min | USA:203 min (re-release) | USA:207 min (restored version) | Spain:202 min (DVD edition)Country:
JapanLanguage:
JapaneseColor:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 moreSound Mix:
MonoCertification:
Iceland:12 | Portugal:M/12 | Brazil:10 | Czech Republic:U | Spain:T | Argentina:16 | Australia:PG | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG | Denmark:15 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | Sweden:11 (re-rating) (2002) | Sweden:15 (original rating) | Switzerland:14 | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) (1991) | USA:Unrated | West Germany:16Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Toho pulled the plug on the project several times when it ran over budget, forcing director Akira Kurosawa to go back and personally argue with the board of directors who were convinced they were making a flop. moreGoofs:
Crew or equipment visible: When the samurai are giving battle advice to the peasants, who sit around them forming a circle, the camera does a rather wide circle shot of them. You can see the dolly track behind the seated peasants. moreQuotes:
[first lines]Bandit second-in-command: We'll take this place next.
Bandit Chief: We took it last autumn. They haven't got anything worth taking yet. Let's wait.
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FAQ
Any recommendations for martial arts movies like "The Seven Samurai"?How much sex, violence, and profanity are in this movie?
Who is the best Samurai?
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I discovered 16 of Kurosawa's best known films before returning to the which is commonly thought of as his masterpiece. Seven Samurai is unlike any other grand classic ever produced. It's basic plot can be summed up in a single easy sentence, yet its refinement and execution rival any movie you've ever seen.
The premise: in chaotic 16th century Japan, as marauders threaten raid villages, one village hires samurai to defend it from a group of bandits. Yet Kurosawa (also co-writer) developed these characters in a way unheard of for what might pass as an epic action film. To its astonishing credit, through all of its 207 minutes running time, Seven Samurai never falters or bores. And if the script is a marvel in itself, the acting and production design than derive from it are nothing short of superlative. It is said that Kurosawa forced the villagers (from supporting role to mere extra) to live together as a community during production and be their characters, each and every one of which he had drawn out specifically. This unusual technique gave Seven Samurai a feel of authenticity unparalleled in film history.
The samurai themselves are so richly given life to in the screenplay that little more would have been needed to make them memorable characters, yet the main cast pay off at every turn, and though every one of the seven main actors give in perfect performances (never as I had feared before watching it do you confuse them, even in the chaotic battle scenes), two immortal roles have a particularly resounding effect: Takashi Shimura (Kambei Shimada), who plays the leader of the ragged band of samurai, gives his sage and venerable warrior a god-like intensity that makes the magnetic charisma of his character unquestionable. One of the easiest leaders to root for in all the history of film-making. Stealing the show however, albeit by a very thin margin, is longtime Kurosawa favorite coworker Toshiro Mifune (Kikuchiyo) as the rogue seventh, the black sheep of the herd, giving the bravura ultimate performance of a lifetime paved throughout with great roles.
The story follows them and the villagers, equally nuanced and developed, through their encounter, training, eventual bonding and the big inevitable fight for survival. Unlike subsequent very successful remakes (i.e. Magnificent Seven), seven Samurai transcended excellency by having many layers (nothing or no one is white or black: everything exists in shades of gray) and thus being very real and human. Even without the menace, its interpersonal dynamics would have made it perfect human drama, subtle, balancing comedy, intensity, realism, drama and a deep philosophy with astonishing ease, yet the menace does materialize and thus Seven Samurai unleashes its violence in a series of action scenes crafted with such vision and ingenuity as has ever reached an action film (the frenetic battle scenes at the end rather evoke Saving Private Ryan in their relentlessness).
In the end, what made this into solid gold was, at the core, Akira Kurosawa, who would, despite directing many further masterpieces (Throne of Blood, Yojimbo, Red Beard, Dersu Uzala, Kagemusha, Ran), would never top this one. Throughout his life, Kurosawa kept confirming his status as perhaps the greatest director ever. If so, Seven Samurai is the ultimate proof of that truth. One of the very best films ever made and personal all-time favorite.