CLASSIC CINEMA 101 Akira Kurosawa's "Seven Samurai" A review excerpt by Joe Barlow (c) Copyright 1999 - All Rights Reserved
STARRING: Takashi Shimura, Toshiro Mifune, Yoshio Inaba, Seiji Miyaguchi, Isao Kimura DIRECTOR: Akira Kurosawa WRITERS: Shinobu Hashimoto and Akira Kurosawa RELEASED: 1954
"Farmers are stingy, foxy, blubbering, mean, stupid and murderous! God damn! That's what they are! But then, who made them such beasts? You did! You samurai did it! You burn their villages! Destroy their farms! Steal their food! Force them to labor! Take their women! And kill them if they resist! So what should farmers do?" --Kikuchiyo, Seven Samurai
Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai is perhaps the closest any director has come to a true cinematic study of social class. Much of the film's genius revolves around moments of humanity hidden where we least expect them--in the merry laughter of peasants, sharing a joke only minutes before the start of the battle which could destroy them; in the tears shed by a brash warrior when confronted with reminders of the past; in a young man's scream of remorse as he is forced to kill for the first time. More than anything, Seven Samurai is an epic behavioral study, and it's this attention to detail which elevates the work from a standard Japanese 'jidai-geki' (samurai picture) to a masterpiece.
Sure, there's also a great story contained herein, but that alone can't account for the film's enduring appeal and renown. Seven Samurai is unequivocally regarded not only as Kurosawa's greatest film, but as the best cinematic work ever to come out of Japan--no small praise, especially considering the caliber of the director's other achievements. There's more going on here than skillful story construction: the events resonate with a degree of sincerity rarely found in modern cinema. It's easy to love these people, because they seem real--they're neither action heroes nor cardboard stereotypes.
The story: A small village finds itself annually raided by an army of bandits, who steal the meager crops harvested by the peasants. Tired of relinquishing their food supply but woefully inept in combat skills, the villagers decide to hire a band of samurai to protect them. It won't be easy, however: the villagers have nothing to offer their would-be saviors except a few handfuls of stale rice. The advice of the town elder? "Find hungry samurai."
Eventually six warriors are recruited. The regal Kambei (Takashi Shimura) accepts their offer because he believes it's the morally correct thing to do. Katsushiro (Ko Kimura) is a young, inexperienced 'ronin' (masterless samurai) who comes along for a taste of adventure. Schichiroji (Daisuke Kato), an old friend of Kambei, also offers his assistance, as does master swordsman Kyuzo (Seiji Miyaguchi), and two additional samurai, Gorobei (Yoshiro Inaba) and Heihachi (Minoru Chiaki). Trailing after the band of warriors is the brash Kikuchiyo (legendary Japanese actor Toshiro Mifune), the son of a farmer, who wishes to be admitted into the warriors' ranks.
The rest of this review can be found free of charge at: http://www.ipass.net/~jbarlow/film.htm
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