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Summary: If only they made more films like this...
Review: Astounding is a good description for Kurosawa's Seven Samurai. I just rented this DVD and saw the film for the first time - I doubt it will be the last. Widely regarded as Kurosawa's best - you won't be disappointed, but be aware that this film is over 3 hours long. Stunning achievement, not to be missed.
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Summary: The single greatest piece of film in our time
Review: Kurosawa is one of the greatest directors to ever live. The man lived and breathed film. Seven Samurai is widely regarded as his greatest work - and that really is saying very, very much. Now I'll reserve my comments for this exceptional dvd - but let it stand that I simply cannot think of a better movie. Of course one expects something grand out of such a highly regarded collection as the Criterion most certainly is. It delivers in most every way. To begin, the video presentation is top-notch. The movie was originally filmed in, and is presented here in, its full screen ratio. This simple fact already gets over the (ironic) hurdle that many early Criterion dvds had in that they lacked anamorphic video. Seven Samurai, of course, has no need of an anamorphic transfer because it is not letterboxed to begin with. While the video is a far cry from anything (recent) we are accustomed to... this film has simply never looked better. It is old and very, VERY dated. I, however, never found any of the film damage distracting. Once you are half-way through the movie you suddenly realise that you are not even noticing it any longer. The video transfer is great. The audio is presented in the original Japanese, mono soundtrack. Many people go running when they hear that a movie is either Japanese only OR mono. This is both :) Fact is (and any true movie fan would agree here) that watching ANY foreign movie dubbed is a watered-down experience. Kudos to Criterion for not wasting their time on dubbing like many other studios do. No to address the mono track. It is quite the norm presently, for studios to go ahead and re-master their old movies in 5.1. I haven't a clue whether the original sound setups (they need to be available in a particular form to even make remastering a possibility) were available - but that is aside the point. A remastering of a grand soundtrack like this, without Kurosawa's direct involvement, would again be destroying his original vision. Kurosawa was known to be *incredibly* exact in what he wanted on his film. I would simply not trust anyone but the director himself... an obvious impossibility. The audio is perfect. Fact is, that this dvd was not made to be a crowd-pleasing, bargain-bin special. It is a polished and impressive disc for people who love film. And any one that would like to call themselves a film lover without having seen this epic is already off to a bad start. The greatest film ever created? I believe so. And with the (phenomenal) commentary and great transfer - I left the dvd without wanting any more.
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Summary: The Seven Samurai - A Kurosawa Masterpiece
Review: Almost everyone would know the plot of this film. The story of villagers being attacked by bandits and then hiring Samurai has been remade by Hollywood quite a few times (Magnificent Seven, Bugs Life). This however is the story at its best. The performances in the film are great and Mifune can be quite humorous at times. The film itself with a running time just under 4 hours goes by incredibly quickly. I cannot praise this film enough. If you haven't seen it then I recommend you do (In Japanese of course). The picture on this DVD is quite adequate. For a film that is over 50 years old I was quite impressed how clear the picture actually was. It is presented in full-frame and is quite acceptable. Well done to those that spent their time restoring this masterpiece. The sound is Dolby Digital Mono and Japanese. It is very clear, though don't expect any surround activity. The subtitle stream is in white and doesn't conflict at all against the black and white picture. The extras are limited with an interesting commentary track, though are better than nothing. This DVD can be recommended on the film itself. It is simply brilliant. The characters and the story just doesn't get any better than this. Well done again to the folks at Criterion for another fine presentation of a Kurosawa masterpiece.
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Summary: A Classic Movie for Any Movie Watcher
Review: First of all I would like to say that there was someone with the misconception that the Seven Samurai copied the Magnificent Seven, however they are terribly mistaken. The Seven Samurai is a marvelous masterpiece that should be added to anyone's video collection. The movie is a three hour long epic that tells the story of a small village of farmers under raid of forty brigands as they are called. And about four of the peasants bother to find and hire several samurai. However after getting their first samurai they learn that they are going to need seven minimum samurai to protect the village. This movie has very enriching characters that help create a very wonderful movie. If you do not have this movie than you should get it as soon as you can. This is one movie that deserves a sixth star.
Rating:
Summary: A Magnificent Epic
Review: One criterion by which I judge films is how many times I look at my watch. During the three hours plus that this film runs, I didn't look at my watch even once. The characterizations and the and the pacing are among the finest I've ever seen. SEVEN SAMURAI is not about a quaint period in Japanese history; it is about the complexity of human nature. It's on my "Ten Best Films of All Time" list.
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Summary: The mother of a hundred movies
Review: When you hear a movie is "art", fifty years old, black and white and three hours long, you might be to run, but in this film director Akira Kurosawa tells a story that is beautiful, timeless and exciting. How many times have you seen a pitiful oppressed town reach out to a ragtag bunch of swordsmen/gunfighters/solders to save them? This is the movie that did it best. A feudal Japanese village is awaiting the return of the brigands who will be again take their barley crop. A villager convinces the others to hire protection. The samurai are chosen and everyone is transformed, including you. The Magnificant Seven is most often cited as its progeny, but how about A Bug's Life or The "A" Team?
Rating: 
Summary: Long but good
Review: Very long. They could have cut out about 1.5 hours and the movie would have been just as effective. It is an excellent portrayal of the harshness the Japanese people lived through for centuries. This movie teaches lots of lessons, the most important being how strong a family and village bond can be. The entire country is in the middle of an economic catastrophe. A small rice-farming village is constantly attacked by bandits who steal all their food and leave them to die. In a final effort to save their village and their lives, they seek out samurai to protect them. When they convince a samurai that their cause is worth fighting for, he assembles a team of warriors to plan a defense for the town against the bandits. Another DVD that seriously needs English dubbing. Sub-titles give me headaches, especially when they go on for over three hours. Great film though, even if you have to watch it over three sittings.
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Summary: Action, depth, passion - just for starts!
Review: If you want an action movie with characters you can believe in, even find yourself rooting for and becoming attached to, this is for you. If you want a movie where you get to see characters develop based on situations, influence, and new experiences, this is for you. If all you want is a riveting movie where the characters embody their beliefs with passion, this is for you. If not, put "roger rabbit" in the search window. This is one of the greatest movies ever!
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Summary: Top ten of all time!!
Review: A stunning, profound, magnificent masterpiece, surely one of the few greatest films ever made. Based on a relatively simple plot -- a local village tired of being preyed upon by bandits hires seven samurai to protect them -- Akira Kurosawa's film will leave you totally enthralled and you will never forget it, largely because of the incredible development of character and the universal human themes portrayed. Toshiro Mifune, who plays the seventh and final samurai recruited, gives one of the great performances of all time in a mixture of comic and serious acting that will leave you marvelling at his range and his facial and body language -- you don't even need the subtitles to appreciate his greatness. Takashi Shimoru, as the lead samurai, is masterful, conveying wisdom, judgment, leadership and dignity, with wonderful subtelty. The rest of the cast are fabulous as well, with each of the samurai playing a role in the group dynamic. Particularly fine are the young hero worshipper who looks on Shimoru as if he were a god and the serious, emotionless samurai who only wants to perfect his art. The battle scenes are among the greatest ever filmed, and despite the epic length, you will be absolutely enthralled.
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Summary: Definitive Japanese Movie...
Review: I, in no way, consider myself a "big" fan of Japanese movies... I grew up on Godzilla, which I love, and have seen quite a few other popular titles like the Samurai trilogy and the more recent Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. This was my first viewing of a Kurosawa movie, and I must say I'm speechless. To begin things, I just wanna say, dont expect any fast paced duels, because they arent in this movie. What this movie does do great, is character development, I would have to agree that this movie has class, and you know all the characters very well by the time they finale comes around. For being a 3 hour movie, I found it to shoot by incredibly fast due to the way you get so into the story. The action does get pretty good for about the last 30 minutes, but nothing great. I like this movie because it looks more natural and less scripted like newer movies such as crouching tiger. I cant wait for the new Ran dvd to come out, and Im gonna check that one out! The only bad things I dont like about this dvd are the fact its not widescreen, and the audio is completely horrible, but its a old movie, so thats assumed.
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