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Seven Samurai

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For other uses, seeSeven Samurai (disambiguation).

Seven Samurai
Theatrical release poster
Japanese name
KanjiThất nhân の thị
Transcriptions
Revised HepburnShichinin no Samurai
Directed byAkira Kurosawa
Written by
Produced bySōjirō Motoki
Starring
CinematographyAsakazu Nakai
Edited byKōichi Iwashita[ja]
Music byFumio Hayasaka
Production
company
Distributed byToho
Release date
  • April 26, 1954(1954-04-26)
Running time
207 minutes (with intermission)
CountryJapan
LanguageJapanese
Budget¥210 million($580,000)[1]or US$656,000[2]
Box officeJapanrentals:¥268.2 million[3][4]($2.3 million)
USA: $833,533

Seven Samurai(Japanese:Thất nhân の thị,Hepburn:Shichinin no Samurai)is a 1954 Japaneseepicsamuraiactionfilm directed byAkira Kurosawafrom a screenplay co-written withShinobu HashimotoandHideo Oguni.Taking place in 1586[a]in theSengoku periodofJapanese history,it follows the story of a village of desperate farmers who seek to hiresamuraito combat bandits who will return after the harvest to steal their crops.

At the time, the film was the most expensive film made in Japan. It took a year to shoot and faced many difficulties. It was the second-highest-grossing domestic film in Japan in 1954. Many reviews compared the film towesterns.[5]

Seven Samuraiis regarded as one of thegreatest and most influential filmsin cinema history. Since its release, it has consistently ranked highly in critics' lists of greatest films, such as theBFI'sSight & SoundandRotten Tomatoespolls.[6][7][8][9]It was also voted the greatest foreign-language film of all time inBBC's 2018 international critics' poll.[10]It is regarded as one of the most "remade, reworked, and referenced" films in cinema.[11]

Plot

[edit]

In 1586, a bandit gang discusses raiding a mountain village, but their chief decides to wait until after theharvestfor a better haul. The villagers overhear this and turn to Gisaku, the village elder andmiller.Gisaku plans to hiresamuraito protect the village. Since they have no money and can only offer food as payment, Gisaku advises the villagers to findhungrysamurai.

Traveling to a nearby town, the villagers find Kambei, an aging but experiencedrōnin,whom they see rescuing a young boy from a thief. A young samurai named Katsushirō asks to become Kambei’s disciple. The villagers ask for Kambei’s help, and he reluctantly agrees. He then recruits his old comrade-in-arms Shichirōji, along with Gorobei, Heihachi, and Kyūzō, a taciturn master swordsman whom Katsushirō regards with awe. Kikuchiyo, a wild and eccentric samurai-poser, is eventually accepted as well after attempts to drive him away fail.

Arriving at the village, the samurai and farmers slowly begin to trust each other. Katsushirō meets Shino, a farmer's daughter disguised as a boy by her father, and begins a relationship with her despite knowing the difference in their social classes prohibits it. Later, the samurai are angered when Kikuchiyo brings them armor and weapons, which the villagers acquired by killing other samurai injured or fleeing from battle. Kikuchiyo angrily retorts that samurai are responsible for much of the suffering farmers endure, revealing he is an orphaned farmer's son. The samurai's anger turns to shame.

Kambei arms the villagers withbamboospears, organizes them into squads, and trains them. Three bandit scouts are spotted; two are killed, while the last reveals their camp's location before the villagers execute him. The samurai burn down the camp in apre-emptive strike.Rikichi, a troubled villager aiding the samurai, breaks down when he sees his wife, who was kidnapped and made aconcubineduring a previous raid. Upon seeing Rikichi, she runs back into a burning hut to her death. Heihachi is killed by a gunshot while trying to stop Rikichi from pursuing her. At Heihachi's funeral, the saddened villagers are inspired by Kikuchiyo, who raises abannerHeihachi made to represent the six samurai, Kikuchiyo, and the village.

When the bandits finally arrive, they are confounded by the new fortifications, which include amoatand high wooden fences. They burn the village's outlying houses, including Gisaku's mill. Gisaku's family tries to save him when he refuses to abandon it, but all perish except a baby rescued by Kikuchiyo. The bandits then besiege the village, but many are killed as the defenders thwart every attack.

The bandits possess threematchlock muskets.Kyūzō ventures out alone and captures one; an envious Kikuchiyo abandons his squad to bring back another. However, Kikuchiyo's absence allows a handful of bandits to infiltrate his post and kill several farmers, and Gorobei is slain defending his position. That night, Kambei predicts that the bandits will make one final assault due to their dwindling numbers.

Meanwhile, Katsushirō and Shino's relationship is discovered by her father, who is enraged that her virginity has been taken and beats her. Kambei and the villagers intervene; Shichirōji reasons that such behavior is normal before battle and that they should be forgiven.

The next morning, the defenders allow the remaining bandits to enter the village and ambush them. As the battle nears its end, the bandit chief hides in the women's hut and shoots Kyūzō dead with his musket. An enraged Kikuchiyo charges in and is shot as well, but kills the chief before dying. The remaining outlaws are slain.

Afterward, Kambei, Katsushirō and Shichirōji stand in front of the funeral mounds of their comrades, watching the joyful villagers sing while planting their crops. Katsushirō and Shino meet one last time, but Shino walks past him to join in the planting, indicating that their relationship has ended. Kambei declares to Shichirōji that it is anotherpyrrhic victoryfor the samurai: "The victory belongs to those peasants. Not to us."

Cast

[edit]

The seven samurai

[edit]
  • Takashi Shimuraas Kambei Shimada(Đảo điền khám binh vệ,Shimada Kambei),a war-weary but honorable and strategicrōnin,and the leader of the seven
  • Yoshio Inabaas Gorōbei Katayama(Phiến sơn ngũ lang binh vệ,Katayama Gorōbei),a skilled archer, who acts as Kambei's second-in-command and helps create the master-plan for the village's defense
  • Daisuke Katōas Shichirōji(Thất lang thứ),Kambei's old friend and former lieutenant
  • Seiji Miyaguchias Kyūzō(Cửu tàng),a serious, stone-faced and supremely skilled swordsman
  • Minoru Chiakias Heihachi Hayashida(Lâm điền bình bát,Hayashida Heihachi),an amiable though less-skilled fighter, whose charm and wit maintain his comrades' morale in the face of adversity
  • Isao Kimuraas Katsushirō Okamoto(Cương bổn thắng tứ lang,Okamoto Katsushirō),the untested son of a wealthy, land-owning samurai, whom Kambei reluctantly takes in as a disciple[12]
  • Toshiro Mifuneas Kikuchiyo(Cúc thiên đại),a humorous, mercurial and temperamental rogue who lies about being a samurai, but eventually proves his worth and resourcefulness

Villagers

[edit]

Others

[edit]

Production

[edit]

Writing

[edit]

Akira Kurosawa had originally wanted to direct a film about a single day in the life of a samurai. Later, in the course of his research, he discovered a story about samurai defending farmers. According to actor Toshiro Mifune, the film was originally going to be calledSix Samurai,with Mifune playing the role of Kyūzō. During the six-week scriptwriting process, Kurosawa and his screenwriters realized that "six sober samurai were a bore—they needed a character that was more off-the-wall".[14]Kurosawa recast Mifune as Kikuchiyo and gave him creative license to improvise in his performance.[15][16]During the six-week scriptwriting process, the screenwriters were not allowed visitors or phone calls.[17]

Kurosawa and the writers were innovative in refining the theme of the assembly of heroic characters to perform a mission. According to Michael Jeck'sDVD commentary,Seven Samuraiwas among the first films to use the now-common plot element of the recruiting and gathering of heroes into a team to accomplish a specific goal, a device used in later films such asThe Guns of Navarone,Sholay,the western remakeThe Magnificent Seven,and Pixar's animated filmA Bug's Life.[18]Film criticRoger Ebertspeculates in his review that the sequence introducing the leader Kambei (in which the samurai shaves off his topknot, a sign of honor among samurai, in order to pose as a monk to rescue a boy from a kidnapper) could be the origin of the practice, now common in action movies, of introducing the main hero with an undertaking unrelated to the main plot.[19]

Other plot devices such as the reluctant hero, romance between a local woman and the youngest hero, and the nervousness of the common citizenry, had appeared in other films before this, but were combined in this film.[citation needed]

Set design

[edit]

Kurosawa refused to shoot the peasant village at Toho Studios and had a complete set constructed atTagataon theIzu Peninsula,Shizuoka.Although the studio protested against the increased production costs, Kurosawa was adamant that "the quality of the set influences the quality of the actors' performances... For this reason, I have the sets made exactly like the real thing. It restricts the shooting but encourages that feeling of authenticity."[20] He also spoke of the "intense labour" of making the film: "It rained all the time; we didn't have enough horses. It was just the kind of picture that is impossible to make in this country."[21]

Filming

[edit]
Film makers stand in front of actors while filming the movie.
Akira Kurosawa directing Seiji Miyaguchi (far right side)

Long before it was released, the film had already become a topic of wide discussion.[21]After three months of pre-production, it had 148 shooting days spread out over a year—four times the span covered in the original budget, which eventually came to almost half a million dollars.Toho Studiosclosed down production at least twice. Each time, Kurosawa calmly went fishing, reasoning that the studio had already heavily invested in the production and would allow him to complete the picture. The film's final battle scene, originally scheduled to be shot at the end of summer, was shot in February in near-freezing temperatures. Mifune later recalled that he had never been so cold in his life.[20]

Through the creative freedom provided by the studio, Kurosawa made use oftelephoto lenses,which were rare in 1954, as well asmultiple cameraswhich allowed the action to fill the screen and place the audience right in the middle of it.[21]"If I had filmed it in the traditional shot-by-shot method, there was no guarantee that any action could be repeated in exactly the same way twice." He found it to be very effective and he later used it in movies that were less action-oriented. His method was to put one camera in the most orthodox shooting position, another camera for quick shots and a third camera "as a kind ofguerrillaunit ". This method made for very complicated shoots, for which Kurosawa choreographed the movement of all three cameras by using diagrams.[20]

The martial arts choreography for the film was led byYoshio Suginoof theTenshin Shōden Katori Shintō-ryū.Initially Junzo Sasamori of theOno-ha Itto-ryuworked with Sugino, but he was asked by the Ministry of Education to teach in Europe during production.

Editing

[edit]

During filming, Kurosawa quickly earned a reputation with his crew as the "world's greatest editor" because of his practice of editing late at night throughout the shooting. He described this as a practical necessity that is incomprehensible to most directors, who on major productions spent at least several months with their editors assembling and cutting the film after shooting is completed.[22]: 89 

Soundtrack

[edit]

Kurosawa had a heightened interest in the soundtracks of his films. ForSeven Samurai,he collaborated for the seventh and penultimate time with friend and composerFumio Hayasaka.Hayasaka was already seriously ill when Kurosawa visited him during the filming ofSeven Samuraiand he died of tuberculosis on October 15, 1955, at the age of 41, while Kurosawa was filmingI Live in Fear,his next film, which Hayasaka was unable to complete.[23]

Track list
No.TitleLength
1."Title Backing (M-1-2)"3:17
2."To the Water Mill (M-2-1)"1:00
3."Samurai Search One (M-3-1)"0:49
4."Kambei and Katsushiro ~ Kikuchiyo's Mambo (M-6-2)"3:43
5."Rikichi's Tears ~ White Rice (M-7-1)"2:09
6."Samurai Search Two (M-8-2)"1:30
7."Gorobei (M-9-1)"2:18
8."Let's Do It (M-10-1)"1:04
9."A Fish That Was Caught (M-11-2)"1:43
10."Six Samurai (M-12-2)"2:51
11."Unconventional Man (M-13-2)"1:13
12."Morning of Departure (M-14-1)"1:02
13."Travel Scenery ~ Our Castle (M-15-1)"2:51
14."Wild Warrior's Coming (M-17-2)"0:35
15."Seven Men Complete (M-18-1)"1:24
16."Katsushiro and Shino (M-19·20-3)"2:43
17."Katsushiro, Returning (M-21-3)"0:12
18."Bed Change (M-22-1)"0:57
19."In the Forest of The Water God (M-23-4)"1:34
20."Barley Field (M-24-1)"0:20
21."Kambei's Anger (M-25-2)"2:15
22."Interlude (M-Interlude)"5:18
23."Harvest (M-26-1)"2:05
24."Rikichi's Conflict (M-27·28-3)"1:51
25."Heihachi and Rikichi (M-28-5)"0:57
26."Rural Landscape (M-29·30-1)"2:35
27."Wimp, Samurai's Habit (M-31-1)"1:49
28."Omen of Wild Warriors (M-32-4)"0:26
29."To the Night Attack (M-35, From Film)"0:55
30."Flag (M-39, From Film)"0:20
31."Sudden Reunion (M-40-1)"0:25
32."Magnificent Samurai (M-41-2)"2:29
33."Invisible Wild Warriors (M-43-1)"1:00
34."Kikuchiyo's Rouse (M-44-1)"0:49
35."Compensation (M-45-1)"1:07
36."Tryst (M-46-1)"1:02
37."Manzo and Shino (M-47-4, M-48)"1:02
38."Rice Planting Song (PS. From Film)"1:22
39."Ending (M-49-2)"0:43
Total length:62:14

Themes

[edit]

In analyzing the film's accuracy to sixteenth century Japan, Philip Kemp discusses the similarities between the samurai and the bandits.[24]

Kenneth Turannotes that the long runtime "reflects the entirety of the agricultural year, from planting to gorgeous blossoming to harvesting."[17]Historian David Conrad notes that at the time of the movie's release, nearly half of the Japanese population was still employed in agriculture. Although farm incomes were already rising as part of theJapanese economic miraclethat would transform rural and urban lives in the 1950s and 60s, many of the village conditions depicted in the movie were still familiar to audiences in 1954.[25]

Release

[edit]

Theatrical

[edit]

At 207 minutes, including a five-minute intermission with music,Seven Samuraiwas the longest film of Kurosawa's career. Fearing that International audiences would be unwilling to sit through the entire picture, Toho Studios, along side Kurosawa himself, originally removed 50 minutes from the film for International distribution & reshowing in Japan.[17]This "General Release" cut distributed around the world until the 1990s; since then, the complete version is usually seen.

The film was released in the United States in 1955, initially under the titleThe Magnificent Seven.[26][27][28]Following the 1960 release of the American remakeThe Magnificent Seven,the Japanese film's title reverted to its originalSeven Samuraiin the United States.[5]

Home media

[edit]

Prior to the advent of DVD, various edited versions were distributed on video, but most DVDs and Blu-rays contain Kurosawa's complete original version, including its five-minute intermission. Since 2006, theCriterion Collection's US releases have featured their own exclusive 2K restoration, whereas most others, including all non-US Blu-rays, have an older HD transfer fromTohoin Japan.[29][30]

4K restoration

[edit]

In 2016,Tohocarried out a six-month-long4Krestoration, along with Kurosawa'sIkiru(1952). As the whereabouts ofSeven Samurai's original negative are unknown, second-generation fine-grain positive and third-generation duplicate negative elements were used.[31][32]It is available as aDigital Cinema Packagefrom theBritish Film Institute.[33]This version was first released on4K Blu-rayin Japan asstandard-dynamic-range videoon June 2023[34][35]and will have a limitedHDR10home video release by the British Film Institute on October 2024.[36]

Reception

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Box office

[edit]

Seven Samuraiwas well received by Japanese audiences, earning adistribution rentalincome of¥268 million,[4]within the first twelve months of its release.[3]It was Japan's third-highest-grossing filmof 1954, out-grossingGodzilla,[37]which had sold9.7 milliontickets[38]and grossed an inflation-adjusted equivalent of¥13.7 billionor$105,000,000(equivalent to $196,000,000 in 2023) by 1998.[39]

Overseas, the box-office income for the film's 1956 North American release is currently unknown.[40]The film's 2002 re-release grossed $271,841 in the United States and $4,124 in France.[41]At the 2002 Kurosawa & Mifune Festival in the United States, the film grossed $561,692.[42]This adds up to at least $833,533 grossed in the United States. Other European re-releases between 1997-2018 sold 27,627 tickets.[43]

Critical response

[edit]

While it initially received mixed reviews from Western critics,Seven Samuraiis now considered one of the greatest films in history.[44]On thereview aggregatorwebsiteRotten Tomatoes,the film holdsa perfect approval rating of 100%based on 95 reviews, with an average rating of 9.6/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "Arguably Akira Kurosawa's masterpiece,The Seven Samuraiis an epic adventure classic with an engrossing story, memorable characters, and stunning action sequences that make it one of the most influential films ever made ".[45]It currently ranks 18th on theiraction/adventurevoting list,[46]and third on their top 100 art house and international films.[47]On Metacritic, it received a 98 out of 100 based on 7 critic reviews.[48]On Sensacine, the film received a 4.3 out of 5 based on 3 critic reviews.[49]

Upon its initial US release asThe Magnificent Seven,film critic Wanda Hale reviewed the film inNew York Daily Newsand rated it four stars. She noted it was very different from Kurosawa's previous filmRashomon(1950) in that it was "an action picture" but Kurosawa "has exceeded himself". She praised Kurosawa's storytelling for "his deep perception of human nature" and "awareness that no two people are alike," his "sensitive, knowing direction" that "never lets audiences lose interest" in the plot, his talent for making the battle scenes and violent action "terrifically exciting to audiences" and his ability to naturally weave humor and romance between the serious action. She praised the "inspired performances" of the cast, including Takashi Shimura and Toshiro Mifune, among other actors.[27]

Many critics outside of Japan have compared the film towesterns.Bosley Crowther,writing forThe New York Times,compared it toHigh Noon[5]Film historianPeter Cowiequoted Kurosawa as saying, "Good westerns are liked by everyone. Since humans are weak, they want to see good people and great heroes. Westerns have been done over and over again, and in the process, a kind of grammar has evolved. I have learned from this grammar of the western." Cowie continues this thought by saying, "ThatSeven Samuraican be so seamlessly transposed to an American setting underlines how carefully Kurosawa had assimilated this grammar. "[50]

In 1982, it was voted third in theSight & Soundcritics' poll ofgreatest films.In the 2002Sight & Soundcritics' poll the film was ranked 11th.[51]In theSight & Sounddirectors' poll, it was voted 10th in 1992[52]and number nine in 2002.[53]It ranked 17th on the 2012Sight & Soundcritics' poll,[54]in both cases being tied with Kurosawa's ownRashomon(1950). It ranked 17th in 2012Sight & Sounddirectors' poll.

In 1998, the film was ranked 5th inTime Outmagazine's Top 100 Films (Centenary).[55]Entertainment Weeklyvoted it the 12th Greatest film of all time in 1999.[56]In 2000, the film was ranked at No.23 inThe Village Voice's 100 Greatest Films list.[57]In January 2002, the film was voted at No. 81 on the list of the "Top 100 Essential Films of All Time" by theNational Society of Film Critics.[58][59]

In 2007, the film was ranked at No. 3 byThe Guardian's readers' poll on its list of "40 greatest foreign films of all time".[60]The film was voted at No. 57 on the list of "100 Greatest Films" by the prominent French magazineCahiers du cinémain 2008.[61]In 2009 the film was voted at No. 2 on the list ofThe Greatest Japanese Films of All Timeby Japanese film magazineKinema Junpo.[62]Seven Samuraiwas ranked number one onEmpiremagazine's list of "The 100 Best Films of World Cinema" in 2010.[63]

Film criticRoger Ebertadded it to his list of Great Movies in 2001.[64]Martin Scorseseincluded it on a list of "39 Essential Foreign Films for a Young Filmmaker."[65]It was also listed by Russian filmmakerAndrei Tarkovskyas one of his top ten favorite films.[66]

Kurosawa both directed and edited many of his films, includingSeven Samurai.In 2012, theMotion Picture Editors GuildlistedSeven Samuraias the 33rd-best-edited film of all time based on a survey of its members.[67]It was voted the greatest foreign-language film of all time inBBC's2018 pollof 209 critics in 43 countries.[10]In 2019, whenTime Outpolled film critics, directors, actors and stunt actors,Seven Samuraiwas voted the second-bestaction filmof all time.[68]In 2021, the film was ranked at number 7 onTime Outmagazine's list of "The 100 Best Movies of All Time".[69]

Home media

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As of 2017,Seven Samuraiis the best-sellinghome videotitle ever released by theBritish Film Institute.[70]

Legacy and cultural impact

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Seven Samuraiwas a technical and creative watershed that became Japan's highest-grossing movie and set a new standard for the industry. It has remained highly influential, often seen as one of the most "remade, reworked, referenced" films in cinema.[11]

There have beenpachinkomachines based onSeven Samuraiin Japan.Seven Samuraipachinko machines have sold 94,000 units in Japan as of March 2018,[71]equivalent to an estimated$470 millionin gross revenue.[71][72]

Remakes

[edit]
Further information:Remakes of films by Akira Kurosawa

Its influence can be most strongly felt in the WesternThe Magnificent Seven(1960), a film specifically adapted fromSeven Samurai.DirectorJohn SturgestookSeven Samuraiand adapted it to the Old West, with the samurai replaced bygunslingers.Many ofThe Magnificent Seven's scenes mirror those ofSeven Samurai.[73]The film's title itself comes from the US localized title ofSeven Samurai,which was initially released under the titleThe Magnificent Sevenin the United States in 1955.[26]However, in an interview with R. B. Gadi, Kurosawa expressed how "the American copy ofThe Magnificent Sevenis a disappointment, although entertaining. It is not a version ofSeven Samurai".[22]: 42 Stephen Princeargues that considering samurai films and Westerns respond to different cultures and contexts, what Kurosawa found useful was not their content but rather he was inspired by their levels of syntactic movement, framing, form and grammar.[74]

The Invincible Six(1970), anAmericanaction filmdirected byJean Negulesco,has been described as "a knockoff of theSeven Samurai/Magnificent Sevengenre set in 1960s Iran. "[75]

Battle Beyond the Stars(1980) is an Americanscience fiction filmdirected byJimmy T. Murakamiand produced byRoger Corman.The film, intended as a "Magnificent Sevenin outer space ",[76][77]is based on the plots ofThe Magnificent SevenandSeven Samurai.The movie acknowledges its debt toSeven Samuraiby calling the protagonist's homeworldAkirand its inhabitants theAkira.

The plot ofSeven Samuraiwas re-worked forThe Seven Magnificent Gladiators(1983), an Italiansword-and-sandalfilm.

The 2004 video gameSeven Samurai 20XXis a re-telling ofSeven Samuraiin a futuristic setting.

ThesteampunkanimeseriesSamurai 7(2004) is based onSeven Samurai.

Some film critics have noted similarities between Pixar'sA Bug's Life(1998) andSeven Samurai.[78][79]

Several elements fromSeven Samuraiare also argued to have been adapted forStar Wars(1977).[80]Plot elements ofSeven Samuraiare also used in theStar WarsAnthologyfilmRogue One(2016).[81]TheClone Warsepisode "Bounty Hunters" (2008) pays direct homage to Akira Kurosawa by adapting the film's plot, as doesThe Mandalorianepisode "Chapter 4: Sanctuary"(2019).[82]

DirectorZack SnydercreditedSeven Samuraias being an inspiration for his 2023space operafilmRebel Moon,which shares the plot element of villagers assembling a team of warriors to defend their farming settlement.[83]Snyder has described the movie as "Seven Samurai in space."[84]

Seven Swords(2005), a Hong Kongwuxiafilm produced and directed byTsui Hark,has a plot revolving around seven warriors helping villagers to defend against mercenaries in homage toSeven Samurai.

Cultural impact

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Seven Samuraiis largely touted as what made the "assembling the team" trope popular in movies and other media. This has since become a common trope in manyaction moviesandheist films.[81]Seven Samuraispawned its own subgenre of "men-on-a-mission" films,[85]also known as the "Seven Samuraiformula "where" a team of disparate characters are grouped to undertake a specific mission. "The formula has been widely adopted by many films and other media.[5][82]Along with remakes already listed above, other examples of the "Seven Samuraiformula "can be seen in films such asSaving Private Ryan(1998),[82]The Dirty Dozen(1967),Star Wars(1977),[5]The Savage Seven(1968),[86]The 13th Warrior(1999),The Expendables,andAvengers,[87]as well as television series such asThe A-TeamandThe Walking Dead.[82]

According to Stephen Prince, the film's "racing, powerful narrative engine, breathtaking pacing, and sense-assaulting visual style" (what he calls a "kinesthetic cinema" approach to "action filmmaking and exciting visual design" ) was "the clearest precursor" and became "the model for" theHollywood blockbuster"brand of moviemaking" that emerged in the 1970s.[88]The visuals, plot, dialogue and film techniques ofSeven Samuraiinspired a wide range of filmmakers, ranging fromSteven SpielbergandGeorge LucastoMartin ScorseseandQuentin Tarantino.[88][89]According to Prince, Kurosawa was "a mentor figure" to an emerging generation of American filmmakers, such as Spielberg and Lucas, who went on to develop the Hollywood blockbuster format in the 1970s.[88]

Elements fromSeven Samuraihave been borrowed by many films. Examples include plot elements in films such asThree Amigos(1986) byJohn Landis,borrowed scenes inGeorge Miller'sMad Max: Fury Road(2015), and various elements (including visual elements and the way the action, suspense and movement are presented) in the large-scale battle scenes of films such asThe Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers(2002),The Matrix Revolutions(2003) and numerousMarvel Studiosfilms.[89][82]The opening action scene (where the hero is introduced in an action scenario unrelated to the rest of the plot) later seen in many action films (such as thepre-titlescenes inJames Bondfilms) has origins inSeven Samurai,whose first action scene has Kambei posing as a monk to save a boy from a kidnapper.[82]A visual element fromSeven Samuraithat has inspired a number of films is the use ofrainto set the tone for action scenes; examples of this includeBlade Runner(1982),The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers,andThe Matrix Revolutions.[90]Seven Samurai'sfilm editingtechnique ofcutting on motionand the mentor–student dynamics in the plot (also seen in other Kurosawa films) have also been widely adopted by Hollywood blockbusters (such as Marvel films).[82]

Sholay(1975), a "Curry Western"Indian filmwritten bySalim–Javed(Salim KhanandJaved Akhtar) and directed byRamesh Sippy,has a plot that was loosely styled afterSeven Samurai.Sholaybecame the mostcommercially successful Indian filmand revolutionizedHindi cinema.[91][92]Later Indian films inspired bySeven SamuraiincludeMani Ratnam'sThalapathi(1991) and the Hindi filmChina Gate(1998).[90]

DirectorZack Snydersaid, "Bruce [Wayne]is having to go out and sort of ‘Seven Samurai' theJustice Leaguetogether” in the 2021 filmZack Snyder's Justice League.[93]According toBryan YoungofSyfy Wire,theMarvel Cinematic UniversefilmsThe Avengers(2012) andAvengers: Infinity War(2018) also owe "a great debt to"Seven Samurai,noting a number of similar plot and visual elements.[94]Other examples of films that referenceSeven Samuraiinclude the Australianscience fiction filmMad Max 2: The Road Warrior(1981), the Americancomedy filmGalaxy Quest(1999), and the2016 remake ofThe Magnificent Seven.[90]

American authorHelen DeWitt's debut novelThe Last Samuraiheavily featuresSeven Samuraias the title is a reference to the movie and characters within the novel watch and respond to the movie throughout the book.

Awards and nominations

[edit]
Venice Film Festival(1954)
Mainichi Film Award(1955)
British Academy Film Awards(1956)
Academy Awards(1957)[95]
Jussi Awards(1959)

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^"Kikuchiyo" has a genealogy which shows he was "born the 17th of the 2nd month of Tenshô 2 (1574), a wood-dog year". Kambei's comment is "o-nushi 13 sai niwa mienu ga" (You don't look 13...). Since the traditional way of counting ages in Japan is by the number of calendar years one has lived in, this means the story takes place in 1586.

References

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  1. ^Ryfle, Steve; Godziszewski, Ed (2017).Ishiro Honda: A Life in Film, from Godzilla to Kurosawa.Wesleyan University Press.p. 105.ISBN9780819570871.
  2. ^"Top budget Jap film".Variety.April 14, 1954. p. 14.
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  4. ^ab"キネマ tuần báo ベスト・テン85 hồi toàn sử 1924-2011".Kinema Junpo.Kinema Junposha. 2012. p. 112.
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