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With: Takashi Shimura, Toshiro Mifune, Yoshio Inaba, Seiji Miyaguchi, Minoru Chiaki, Keiko Tsushima, Isao Kimura, Daisuke Katō, Kamatari Fujiwara, Kokuten Kōdō, Yoshio Tsuchiya, Eijirō Tōno, Jun Tatara, Atsushi Watanabe, Yoshio Kosugi, Bokuzen Hidari, Yukiko Shimazaki
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Written by: Akira Kurosawa, Shinobu Hashimoto, Hideo Oguni
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Directed by: Akira Kurosawa
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MPAA Rating: Unrated
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Language: Japanese with English subtitles
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Running Time: 207
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Date: 04/25/1954
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The Magnificent Kurosawa
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
No other Japanese filmmaker so inspired, or was inspired by, Western culture more than Akira Kurosawa. Perhaps that's why Seven Samurai (1954), an epic, three-and-a-half hour action movie remains so popular in the US.
The movie takes place in a small farming village that is continually being raided by brigands. The villagers try to hire a band of warriors to help defend them. Unfortunately, they have nothing to offer but a bit of rice. Once Takashi Shimura (Ikiru) signs up, the other six samurai protectors fall into place, including the legendary Toshiro Mifune (Rashomon, Hell in the Pacific).
The action scenes in this movie are virtually unequaled by any other movie in history, even if it takes a long time to get there. (The movie is masterfully paced, and the buildup is just as gripping as the battle.) Mifune is great to watch, unguarded and animalistic, but look for Takashi's understated performance as well, rubbing the back of his shaved head absently while deep in thought. Make sure to stick around for the last 10 minutes and the final battle that takes place in the rain and mud with Toshiro's battle-crazed devil-gleam in his eyes.
Seven Samurai is an amazing film, ranking next to the brilliant Rashomon and Ikiru. The Criterion Collection's essential DVD, released in 1998, marks the first time home viewers can watch the entire film without changing tapes or turning over laserdiscs. It comes with a commentary track by scholar Michael Jeck and a trailer. In 2010, Criterion released a deluxe Blu-Ray edition.
In 2024, Criterion released a three-disc 4K and Blu-ray combo pack. It was my first upgrade since the 1998 DVD, so it was like night and day. This one is glorious. The first two discs (the 4K and the Blu-ray movie discs) include the Jeck commentary track (which was recorded all the way back in 1988 for the Criterion Laser Disc!) and a new one with a roundtable of scholars: David Desser, Joan Mellen, Stephen Prince, Tony Rayns, and Donald Richie (Richie's books on Japanese cinema are indispensable).
The third disc (a Blu-ray) contains the bonuses. There's an archival documentary on Kurosawa (50 mins.) and one on the movie (53 mins.) as well as a 113-minute interview, from 1993, between Kurosawa and filmmaker Nagisa Oshima. There are trailers and photo galleries, and a thick, 60-page liner notes booklet with entries by Kenneth Turan, Peter Cowie, Philip Kemp, Peggy Chiao, Alain Silver, Stuart Galbraith, Arthur Penn, Sidney Lumet, and Toshiro Mifune. This is Very Highly Recommended.
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