Shichinin no samurai (1954)

Director:

Akira Kurosawa

Writers:

Akira Kurosawa (screenplay) &
Shinobu Hashimoto (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

19 November 1956 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama | War

Tagline:

The Mighty Warriors Who Became the Seven National Heroes of a Small Town

Plot:

A poor village under attack by bandits recruits seven unemployed samurai to help them defend themselves.

Plot Keywords:

Samurai | Bandit | Farmer | Japan | Rice

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

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
Takuzo Kumagaya	...	Peasant (as Jirô Kumagai)
Eijirô Tôno	...	Kidnapper
Haruko Toyama	...	Ginsaku's Daughter-in-law
Tsuneo Katagiri	...	Farmer in front of Gono
Kichijiro Ueda	...	Captured Bandit Scout
Jun Tatara	...	1st Coolie
Yasuhisa Tsutsumi	...	Farmer in front of Gono
Atsushi Watanabe	...	Bun Vendor
Toranosuke Ogawa	...	Grandfather of Kidnapped Girl
Yu Akitsu	...	Husband in Burnt House
Isao Yamagata	...	Samurai
Sojin	...	Blind Minstrel (as Sojin Kamiyama)
Gen Shimizu	...	Samurai who kicks farmers
Keiji Sakakida	...	Gosaku
Shinpei Takagi	...	Bandit Chief
Shin Otomo	...	Bandit second-in-command
Toshio Takahara	...	Samurai with gun (as Shuno Takahara)
Hiroshi Sugi	...	Tea Shop Owner
Miki Hayashi
Sachio Sakai	...	2nd Coolie
Akira Tani	...	Bandit
Sokichi Maki	...	Strong-looking Samurai
Haruo Nakajima	...	Bandit
Ichirô Chiba	...	Buddhist Priest
Noriko Sengoku	...	Wife of Gono Family
Fumiko Honma	...	Woman Farmer
Masanobu Ôkubo	...	Samurai
Etsuro Nishijo	...	Samurai
Etsuryo Saijo
Minoru Ito	...	Samurai
Hideo Shibuya
Kiyoshi Kamoda	...	Samurai
Senkichi Ômura	...	Bandit who escapes
Takashi Narita	...	Bandit who escapes
Shoichi Hirose	...	Bandit
Koji Uno	...	Bandit
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Hiroshi Agetsu	...	Gono Husband
Ryutaro Amami	...	Bandit
Goro Amano	...	Farmer
Shizuko Hogashi	...	Farmer's Wife
Tazue Ichimanji	...	Woman Farmer
Toku Ihara	...	Farmer
Kaneo Ikeda	...	Samurai
Kazuo Imai	...	Farmer
Hisaya Ito	...	Samurai wandering through town
Koji Iwamoto	...	Farmer
Kyoichi Kamiyama	...	Farmer
Shigeo Kato	...	Farmer
Masayoshi Kawabe	...	Farmer
Michiko Kawabe	...	Farmer's Wife
Ippei Kawagoe	...	Farmer
Yoshikazu Kawamata	...	Farmer
Akira Kichoji	...	Farmer (as Akira Kichijoji)
Yayoko Kitano	...	Farmer's Wife
Fumiyoshi Kumaya	...	Ginsaku's Son
Akio Kusama	...	Bandit
Masahide Matsushita	...	Samurai
Jun Mikami	...	Bandit
Sanpei Mine	...	Farmer
Keiko Mori	...	Farmer's Wife
Kyoji Naka	...	Bandit
Eisuke Nakanishi	...	Farmer
Toshiko Nakano	...	Farmer's Wife
Junpei Natsuki	...	Farmer
Hideo Oe	...	Farmer
Yasuo Onishi	...	Farmer
Matsue Ono	...	Woman Farmer
Masako Oshiro	...	Woman Farmer
Hideo Otsuka	...	Farmer
Keiko Ozawa	...	Woman Farmer
Haruya Sakamoto	...	Samurai
Kyoro Sakurai	...	Samurai
Takeshi Seki	...	3rd Coolie
Megeru Shimoda	...	Farmer
Seiji Sunagawa	...	Bandit
Misao Suyama	...	Woman Farmer
Jiro Suzukawa	...	Farmer
Kazuo Suzuki	...	Farmer
Toriko Takahara	...	Woman Farmer
Yuko Togawa	...	Farmer's Wife
Kamayuki Tsubono	...	Bandit
Tomeko Umayato	...	Woman Farmer in front of Gono
Michiko Uwamoto	...	Farmer's Wife
Akira Yamada	...	Farmer
Tatsuya Nakadai	...	Samurai wandering through town (uncredited)
Kaneyuki Tsubono	...	Bandit (uncredited)
Ken Utsui	...	Samurai wandering throuth town (uncredited)
Ren Yamamoto	...	Farmer (uncredited)

Directed by
Akira Kurosawa

Writing credits
Akira Kurosawa		(screenplay) &
Shinobu Hashimoto		(screenplay) &
Hideo Oguni		(screenplay)

Produced by
Sôjirô Motoki	....	producer

Original Music by
Fumio Hayasaka

Cinematography by
Asakazu Nakai

Film Editing by
Akira Kurosawa

Production Design by
Takashi Matsuyama

Costume Design by
Kôhei Ezaki
Mieko Yamaguchi

Makeup Department
Midori Nakajo	....	hair stylist
Junjiro Yamada	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Hiroshi Nezu	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Sakae Hirosawa	....	assistant director
Hiromichi Horikawa	....	chief assistant director
Toshi Kaneko	....	assistant director
Masaya Shimizu	....	assistant director
Yasuyoshi Tajitsu	....	assistant director

Art Department
Kôhei Ezaki	....	art consultant
Koichi Hamamura	....	property master
Yoshirô Muraki	....	assistant art director

Sound Department
Ichirô Minawa	....	sound effects editor
Masanao Uehara	....	sound assistant
Fumio Yanoguchi	....	sound recordist

Camera and Electrical Department
Masao Fukuda	....	still photographer
Mitsuo Kaneko	....	assistant lighting technician
Shigeru Mori	....	lighting technician
Takao Saitô	....	assistant camera

Editorial Department
Hiroshi Nezu	....	editing manager

Music Department
Masaru Satô	....	assistant to composer

Other crew
Shigeru Endo	....	instructor: horseback archery
Kôhei Ezaki	....	folklore researcher
Yuji Hamada	....	accountant
Ienori Kaneko	....	archery instructor
Toshio Nakane	....	acting office
Teruyo Nogami	....	script supervisor
Takeharu Shimada	....	production assistant
Yoshio Sugino	....	swordplay instructor

Production Companies

• Toho Company

Distributors

• Toho Company (1954) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Columbia Pictures (1956) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) (1972) (USA) (TV) (US network premiere)
• AVCO Embassy Pictures (1982) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Films Incorporated (1982) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Janus Films (1982) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Landmark Films (1982) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Embassy Home Entertainment (1987) (USA) (VHS)
• Criterion Collection, The (1989) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Criterion Collection, The (1991) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Criterion Collection, The (1998) (USA) (DVD)
• Cowboy Pictures (2002) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Toho Company (2002) (Japan) (DVD)
• Shoval Film Production (2003) (Israel) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Bright Angel Distribution (2004) (Netherlands) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Madman Entertainment (2004) (Australia) (DVD)
• Total Film Home Entertainment (2004) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Total Film Home Entertainment (2004) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Nihon Eiga Satellite Broadcasting (2007) (Japan) (TV)
• Asociace Ceských Filmových Klubu (ACFK) (2009) (Czech Republic) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Atlantic Film (2002) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Cinédis (1955) (France) (theatrical)
• Jaguar Film (1965) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Rosenbergs Filmbyrå (1965) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Studio 43 (????) (France) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Svenska Filminstitutet (SFI) (2002) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Television och Smalfilm (1965) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Continental Home Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (2009) (USA) (DVD)
• Sandrews (2007) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Tocantins (????) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Toho Video (1996) (Japan) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Toho Genzosho  video editing

Also Known As:

Seven Samurai (UK) (USA)
Shichi-nin no samurai (Japan) (alternative transliteration)

Runtime:

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:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

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:16

Company:

Toho Company

Trivia:

This was the first film on which Akira Kurosawa used multiple cameras, so he wouldn't interrupt the flow of the scenes and could edit the film together as he pleased in post-production. He used the multiple camera set-up on every subsequent film.

Goofs:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: During the final battle, when first we see Kikuchiyo enter the females' hut, it appears that he backs the bandit out twice. In reality, it is two different bandits, as can be seen by the fact that they are wearing different helmets. What is strange is that Kikuchiyo kills the bandit chief, who fired the two final and fatal shots, but the second man (wearing a kabuto with a wide, flat neck-guard) seems to vanish without trace after leaving the building.

Quotes:

[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.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Corri uomo corri (1968)

Kurosawa is the greatest director that ever lived

Akira Kurosawa's masterpiece... The Japanese equivalent to Orson Welles' Citizen Kane.. I say it's just as good, if not even better. Not only Kurosawa's most well known film, but the most widely recognized Japanese film ever made. This movie will forever be known as a milestone in motion picture history.

The story revolves around a village that has become a group of bandits' common looting and pillaging ground. The villagers cannot take this any longer and go to town to hire warriors to defend the village from the bandits. A wandering ronin, Kambei (Takashi Shimura) agrees to help them and with his help, they recruit six others that agree to take the job. The seven samurai teach the villagers how to stand up to the bandits and defend themselves. Finally, when the time comes, they engage in a fierce battle with the attacking bandits.

About once in every 20 years or so we are gifted with a film that has the meaning, power, richness, and technique that The Seven Samurai has. I cannot urge anyone enough to see this film, the images are true cinematic poetry rich with so much emotion that I cannot even describe them in words. If you have never seen any of Kurosawa's works, then please see Seven Samurai... you will witness the true beauty, excellence and magic that the art form known as film is capable of.