Seven Samurai - Criterion Collection

Rating:
Summary: Do we really still need the intermission?
Review: In this modern era of home entertainment systems, where one can instantly pause, fast forward, and rewind films at their own leisure, why is it necessary to keep the intermission attached to the film? It's distracting and annoying to be right in the middle of a film *literally* only to have the damn things pop up when you're enjoying the film. I know it's a silly thing to complain over, but intermissions have constantly distracted me during my all-time favorite films. Lawrence of Arabia, Gone With the Wind, and of course, Seven Samurai. Even if I can instantly skip past it, it's annoying enough that I'm forced to. I certainly don't mind sitting and watching a film straight for long hours at a time, because I love watching movies. Tough for the other people who can't stand it. So maybe in the future, the people releasing these films will realize how needless intermissions, overtures, exit music, etc. are as well, and not waste their time including them with the actual film.

But enough of my ranting, because if I didn't love this film, I honestly wouldn't care enough to complain to the rest of you. Seven Samurai is easily Kurosawa's masterpiece, which is saying a lot. That means it's better than his best, and usually his worst is better than everyone else's best. Better than Ran, Kagemusha, Stray Dog, Rashomon, Yojimbo, Throne of Blood, and Ikiru. But all pale in comparison to Seven Samurai, a story of love, honor, pride, and human compassion. It'd be impossible to count how many movie cliches this one film started, because there are so many for every genre of film. Romance, action, comedy, you name it. I honestly don't know why no one ever called this the Gone With the Wind of Japan, because this sprawling epic seems to fit that description. I realize I'm being vague in my review of the film, but I just can't seem to find the right words to such a perfect film. Just that it's a necessary viewing for anyone who appreciates cinema of any kind. It's that good.

Criterion's DVD is fairly good for being one of the first released (actually, it was the first released, despite the #2 on its spine). Picture quality is a tad soft, as were most Criterion DVD's initially. Extras are sparse, but the informative commentary by Michael Jeck makes up for that. It's amazing how much ground he's able to cover on the film and Kurosawa in general, despite the film's three hour running time. That's as necessary a listen as the film is to be seen. Along with the commentary, you get the original US trailer (basically, the original Japanese trailer with non-removable subtitles) and that's it. Not much, but everything that is here is more than substantial. I do want to caution everyone though. I've heard rumors that Criterion will be re-releasing Seven Samurai in the near future, much like they did M. Since this DVD isn't cheap, it might be a good idea to hold off purchasing it until they do re-release it on DVD.

Rating:
Summary: It really is one of the best movies ever made.
Review: So after countless rave reviews of Seven Samurai, I gave in to see what it was all about. Was it action packed? A touching drama? Or just one of those classic movies that gets good reviews for being a "classic" and that clouds peoples' minds of what they really think? I can assure you, that Seven Samurai is a great epic, that really did change the way movies were made, and how stories were told. Akira Kurosawa started so much with just this one movie, that it's impressive. But I'll get to that later.

Seven Samurai starts out with a farm village under attack by a group of bandits. The bandits halt their raid, realizing that the crops aren't ready yet. The farmers have had enough, and seek out to employ seven samurai to defeat them. And each samurai they hire has their own unique personality and traits. There's the "leader" of the group: Kambei. He appears as the oldest and most experienced of the group. We first see him as a woman's child is being held captive by a bandit. The farmers watch as he leaves a village and shaves his head as a large group of people, and a monk watch him. He then goes back into the village, gives the bandit 2 rice balls since he and the child must be hunrgy, and right then, attacks the bandit, rescuing the child. He leaves without making a big deal over what just happened, and gets much praise from the farmers, and gains a follower in Katsushiro, a young boy looking for a master, and hoping to learn to be a true samurai. Kambei is soon recruited by the farmers after learning of their story. He helps them hire 6 others. Starting with Gorobei, a cheerful man who says "my name sounds strong, but..." and then laughs about it. Before entering the hut where Kambei is sitting to recruit him, Gorobei senses that it's a trick since Katsushiro is just to the left of the doorway with a stick, ready to test his skill. He likes Kambei's character, and joins. Next are Heihachi and Shichiroji. Heihachi being another happy-go-lucky samurai, who loves fighting as much as he does cutting wood (when we meet him, he's happily chopping wood with an axe, with great skill). We learn later that Shichiroji was Kambei's right hand man a while back, and they're great friends. Lastly is Kyuzo, the awesome master swordsman, who is only interested in perfecting his skill. You know the samurai in modern films and animation who is quiet and gets the fastest kills? I can almost guarentee that they're all based off of this guy. Once he joins, Kambei states that they must leave now, though there aren't seven of them yet. But, it's right at this moment, that Kikuchiyo steps in...dispite being drunk. He isn't quite a samurai, but carries a 5-foot sword around, and is a skilled fighter. He follows the group to the village, being the unofficial 7th samurai.

Once they all make it to the village, they see that the farmers don't appreciate their help. They all run for cover in their homes, avoiding the samurai. Kikuchiyo sounds an alarm for bandit attacks, and they all rush out to the samurai. It's here that Kikuchiyo makes the point that they're only wanted when it's in time of need. Now starts the training of all the farmers in preperation for the final showdown. But it won't be easy. Many will die, on both sides. And Katsushiro learns many lessons along the way, making the adventure a coming of age story for him. We also see how the farmers think in a situation like this, one of which even cutting his daughter's hair to make her look like a boy so nothing happens to her. There's also great character development, most of which happens with Katsushiro and Kikuchiyo. We learn a lot of Kikuchiyo's backstory and why exactly he hates the farmers and looks down upon them so much. Kurosawa did an astonishing job in every possible way on this movie. When someone dies, it's very dramatic, and you feel for them. So much goes on in the movie, that I don't have enough room in this review to go on about it. You'll just have to watch the movie for yourself in order to understand. But I do have on minor complaint. The movie's great and all, but I wish they would've gave all the samurai better time. We barely learn anything about Shichiroji aside from him being Kambei's old friend. And Heihachi, while he gets good time in the movie, his scenes are too short. Kukichiyo is the real star, getting a lot of great lines and scenes. No complaint about him, but more time should've been given to all seven samurai. Not just 2 or 3. Oh, and don't go into the movie expecting non-stop action. While the action scenes are exciting, if you're expecting samurai action like that seen in an animated show, you'll be disappointed. This was how samurai were back in the century it was based on. Not stylish attacks with tons of screaming.

The picture and audio quality is about as good as you're going to get with a movie this old. There's tons of grain, lines, and spotting, but it doesn't get to the point where it's unwatchable. The audio is sometimes fuzzy, but it's still pretty clear. There's only so much you can touch up on here.

There's only one real special feature here aside from the obligatory trailer. That being the commentary track with Michael Jeck. I swear, the guy is a chore to listen to. His commentary starts out sounding like a lecture, and the way he talks makes it sound like he's reading a teleprompter or something. He just sounds so unnatural that I didn't want to listen to him. What's hilarious though, is that he's a Japanese film expert, yet he can't pronounce some words or names. You'd think he could pronounce a simple name like Rikichi, but he says it like anyone who doesn't have any grasp of the language (pronouncing it "reh-key-chee"). I shook my head at it and laughed. Later on though, he gives some decent bits of information, pointing out minor details that we may not have seen upon the first viewing. He doesn't speak a lot on the movie, mostly about the actors and their backgrounds. It's still nice to learn more about them. Though it would've been better to get someone who actually worked on Seven Samurai to do this (if any of them are still around). It's worth a listen. Though this is a Criterion disc, I can't help but wonder if a better edition is coming out. Though I don't know if there's any extra footage or anything they could add.

If you have any appreciation for history or movies, you'll get this.

Rating:
Summary: A pinnacle of contemporary cinema
Review: Without a doubt one of Kurosawa's crowning achievements - for those layman out there who just couldn't "Get it" I would suggest watching a lighter movie before hand, such as 'A Bug's Life' (Same plot) - and then maybe 'Taxi Driver' or 'Catch-22', just to get your head into a different mode of thinking, myopia can be a killer =/ Then and maybe then you'll be able to appreciate and understand this work.

Rating:
Summary: "Danger always strikes when everything seems fine."
Review: Kurosawa's "Seven Samurai" is a breathtaking film experience. It is a stunning film that is filled with grand performances and breathtaking battle sequences. Every one who watches will felt like they have journeyed with these seven men through the film as they prepare to save a small village from bandits. The final forty-five minute battle sequence will have you on the edge of your seat until the very end. Though the film is over three hours long, the film's amazing cast, the breathtaking battle scenes, and the outstanding cinematography will grab you, and you will forget about the length. So prepare for battle with the "Seven Samurai!" Movie/DVD Grade: A+

Rating:
Summary: Pricey but WORTH IT.
Review: Kurosawa's immortal masterpiece gets a new finish, with Criterion's excellent print restoration technology. The extras on the DVD are few, (a trailer and a commentary,) but it's really the improved audio/visual quality that makes this a worthwhile DVD for your collection.

I won't go into the story of the film since that can be readily found elsewhere, but it is worth remarking that its spin-off "The Magnificent Seven," while a fine film in its own right, can't hold a candle to this classic original. Roberts and Sturges in making "The Mag. 7" managed to copy several scenes, but shyed away from several of Kurosawa's more controversial themes and gave less attention to camera work, particularly to shooting the landscape.

I can't be sure, but it seems that Kurosawa deliberately added wind effects. His use of natural moon, fire, and sun light to complement the artificial sources is overwhelmingly powerful in intensifying a scene. His depiction of rural Japan seemlessly weaves the forces of nature and human affairs into a unity that is as rustically believable as it is beautiful.

Toshiro Mifune, that prolific Japanese film hero in other roles, is superb as the surly but lovable Kikuchiyo.

"Shichinin No Samurai" is undoubtedly one of those rare films that transcends genre boundaries and appeals universally. A true classic.

Rating:
Summary: One of the World's Greatest Movies
Review: Akira Kurosawa was a director of legendary ability. His Japanese films are among the cream of the crop - "Ran", "Yojimbo", "Ikiru" and "Rashoman" are as important to film history as Hitchcock's Greatest Work. The Seven Samurai is widely considered his greatest achievement. Over and over, when lists of "Greatest Movies in History" are made The Seven Samurai appears at the top of all movies not made in English. It is frequently ranked alongside "Citizen Kane", "Casablanca" and "The Godfather" as one of the greatest movies period.

So - those are some of this movies' credentials. Is there a reason you SHOULDN'T see "Seven Samurai"? Well - it's over three hours long. It's in Japanese, so you either have to watch a dubbed version or read subtitles if you don't understand Japanese. The central conflict of the film is between heartless bandits and noble Samurai and there are action sequences, some violence and deaths. Not scared off yet? Good.

I would easily exhaust the space limitation here trying to extol all of the virtues of this virtuoso film, so I'll try to give you some personal feelings.

Set hundreds of years ago in feudal Japan, a group of bandits comes around periodically to raid a small peasant village of the small goods that their hard work has produced that year. The village leaders meet with the local wise man and agree to recruit Samurai to protect the village. Since they only have rice to repay these Samurai they know they're looking for some hungry Samurai.

The opening act gives you these facts elegantly and concisely then leads to the recruitment sequence where we get to meet the Seven Samurai one at a time. Although all are excellent warriors we learn their personalities - the wise one, the "good buddy", the master swordsman, the young one. Determined to crash the group is Japanese legend Toshirô Mifune as Kikuchiyo. The other Samurai see through his attempts to impersonate a Samurai, but bring him along to humor themselves. By the end we see that Kikuchiyo has a noble warrior's heart, and the scene where he confesses his peasant background is one of the most moving I have ever seen.

The third act deals with the Samurai back at the village - trying to set up defenses and train the peasants in basic fighting skills. At the same time the villagers are distrusting of the Samurai. They worry that they might plunder the village themselves - both their goods and their women. A beautiful daughter is disguised as a young boy to shield her.

Kurosawa is an absolute genius at showing us the human natures of the various characters. The wise ones recognize their limitations and what they're up against. The foolish ones aren't as insightful, but Kurosawa gives us a very knowing look at their humanity as well.

Heroism, nobleness, self-sacrifice and courage are all prominent themes. The characters find their way into your heart and in the climactic battle in the final scene many of them are larger than life.

Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: the very best of cinema
Review: i'm not going to get all into the production details of this movie and where it is located and all that jazz. what i want to say is that this movie is the best thing to ever grace my sight. at first i thought it would be tough getting used to full-screen ( i hate full screen formats!). but alas, the movie was so good i didn't even realize the black bars were gone. of course, akira kurosawa didn't use widescreen until after the fifties, or was it late fifties...hmm? all i know is yojimbo is in wide screen and it didn't come out too long after seven samurai. and i found out something new after watching this movie: toshiro mifune is/was the greatest actor of his time. he steals nearly every scene with his humor and genuine zest for life. the movie is black and white and runs about three and a half hours. there is an intermission halfway through, i don't know how long that is, i always skip it. but anyway, this is probably the best movie ever made, and probably will keep that title in my book until they resurrect the great kurosawa and make him perform another miracle. the film takes place in a small village, one that bandits keep raiding for food, and the villagers are too poor and hungry to fight them off themselves, so they go on a little journey to hire some samurai. some hilarity ensues in the recruiting process but once everyone is on board, buckle up for the greatest movie going experience of your life. but seriously, this movie really is that good. mostly for the character interaction. when something is funny, it's not funny just to make the audience laugh, but it's because whatever is happening on screen to the characters is funny, and they laugh about it, too. when something goes wrong, the movie takes a very serious turn, and when someone or something is sad or depressed, you can't help but feel their pain. i think akira kurosawa was the only director to ever catch such human nature on film, and he directed everything, so he must've really knew what he was doing. and to think, a legendary movie such as this got mixed reviews when it was released in japan in the fifties. and was like number three in the best movies of the year, there, that year. so, it's not for everybody, but i do think that every person alive should see this movie at one point in there life. but a bit of a warning, after you see this movie and really appreciate what a masterpiece it is, every other movie will seem so much less important. everything else will just turn to crap in your eyes, because this is THE movie to watch. it's sheer genious and i feel very lucky to have seen it, and even luckier to own it.

Rating:
Summary: We have nothing but rice. Then find hungry Samurai.
Review: Wow! It is a very old movie. It is a very good movie. The story is simple. A village needs to be protected from outlaws. They hire Samurai to defend themselves. The line between Outlaw and Samurai in 19th century Japan is a fine one, should the villagers fear the outlaws or the Samurai that they have hired? An amazing movie, I'm dissapointed that Japanese Cinemma never fully developed into a more powerful force in todays movie industry. Their culture is alien enough to be fresh, but familiar enough to remind us of our own wild west. A great movie that the SERIOUS movie buff would be honored to have in his/her collection.

Rating:
Summary: Toshiro Mifune, My Hero
Review: For women fond of the Samurai genre, (and why would there be women fond of the Samurai genre? After all, the women exist in these films in three categrories: victim, she-devil or relative. I think women who are fond of Samurai films find themselves beyond the stereotypical male-female roles, and relate to something inherently sef-actualizing in the samurai and ronin character...I think women who love Samurai films imaginatively, metaphorically can see themselves as samurai) well, for us gals, there is one actor who embodies the energy of the samurai....Toshiro Mifune.

I won't wax rhapsodic over the cut of his loincloth when he catches the fish in the steaming pool, (but, really, what films these days need are more man-thongs) won't gush over the cut of his jawline when he asks the village patriarch, "Got a problem, grandad?", and I will not say that the most charming look of confusion and embarassment plays over his beautiful face when he is told by Heihachi that he is the triangle on the samurai flag.

Nah, you know this, once you've seen the film. What I will say is that these are characters you will love, people you need to have in your life. I will say that Takeshi Shimura is the embodiement of wisdom, and calm in the storm, and that Toshiro Mifune represents the very spirit of desire..the need to prove one's self: Mifune's got the animal sexuality, the physical response to emotional situations, the expressive face, the humorous and varied vocalisms (his drunken burblings as the last "samurai" to audition, are nothing short of hilarious, and his "fish singing" is eerie and funny, too...also the grunted "eh?" that he often uses to show confusion, and the "heh" of disgust..such wonderful sounds, and so expressive!) I will say that Mifune's acting is wild and alive, even more than 50 years after the film's original release. How can it be? How can these people be really gone, when they so clearly are alive, so very alive..more than you are sitting on the bus to work, or in your car listening to PBS and drinking coffee, more than you are most of your day! This distilled life: this perfect film, perfectly beautiful, and filled with meaning and deep love. Tell me that you can see this film and not fall in love with Yohei? You cannot do it. And Mifune? He's my troubled hero.

Rating:
Summary: Finally - an audio commentary that is actually GOOD!
Review: Much of what I would say about this wonderful movie has already been said in other reviews, so I will add only that the commentary included with this DVD release - done by an expert on Japanese filmography whose name eludes me - is better and more relevant than these commentaries usually are. It provides great background information and explanations of what Kurosawa and his actors specifically do to make this film so great, and illuminates concepts and symbolism that are not familiar to Western audiences. It revealed many things I missed or took for granted the first couple of times I saw the Seven Samurai and greatly enhanced my appreciation of this masterful film.