Seven Samurai (Akira
Kurosawa, 1954)
A poor village under attack by
bandits recruits seven unemployed samurai to help them defend themselves.
The
most popular and known Kurosawa film of all time has just been named the seventeenth
best film of all time by the latest Sight and Sound
poll (2012). Easily making my top 10 list since I ever saw the damn thing
circa ten years ago or so, Akira Kurosawa’s Seven
Samurai is the film that set the bar of the action genre. Blending the
period drama, the action genre, and the study on human condition, Kurosawa
impressed more than one director over the six decades that the movie is old.
Following the impression and the writing of my recent review of the soon to be
released on Blu-Ray by Criterion Collection Rashômon, I wanted to give to the great
Japanese director the recognition this blog should do to him. There are not
that many Kurosawa films reviewed here on Le
Mot du Cinephiliaque, in the upcoming weeks I’ll try to correct it and give
it a spin it deserve.
A
village of rice farmers wants to get rid of the looters that come and steal
their crops. To achieve that, they hire a band of seven swordsmen to defend
themselves. With a length of three and a half hours the placing and the pacing
of the story is pitch perfect. This epic length is used by the Japanese master
with great efficiency. There is nothing wasted or overused here, Kurosawa tells
his story with a flow that is rarely seen and inserts sheer moments of human
relationships.
The
whole battle sequence shot in the rain and involving so much action and
movement is a real “tour de force”. You have to see it to believe it.
There
is a lot going on about the outstanding talent of Toshiro Mifune, but the man to observe here is Takashi Shimura as the leader of the magnificent seven. As a father
figure and leading presence, Shimura delivers a delightful performance. Even if
Japanese acting is an expression of intensity, the entire cast gives a natural
aspect to the film.
On
a funnier note, the Chevy Chase, Steve Martin, Martin Short feature of Three
Amigos is a reference to Kurosawa’s masterpiece. Listing the
films that were influenced by Seven
Samurai would be an impossible task just to say how it is a cornerstone of
Cinema.
Being my favorite Kurosawa since almost a decade, the
brilliance and the qualities of Seven
Samurai never stop to amaze me. It is a must see and I highly recommend to
watch it.
Good review. This is not only my top Kurosawa film, I consider it the best non-English language film ever made. I would have it a lot higher than the Sight and Sound poll did.
ReplyDeleteThank you Chip! I think it's one of the 10 best films of all time too!
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