SEVEN SAMURAI ... THE FOREIGN REVIEW

Review: "Seven Samarai is an inspired epic, a triumph of art, and an unforgettable 3 hour ride."

Promotional Line: "The Mighty Warriors Who Became the Seven National Heroes of a Small Town" "The Story of Seven Samurai who fight not for ambitions, but to protect farmers."

A village of poor farmers worry about their survival, wondering how many attacks by marauding bandits it will take before they are left with not enough to survive on. What they needed was some sort of protection. They couldn't afford to buy weapons, and didn't know how to defend themselves against these merciless thugs, described as a pack of wolves, born of tumult. An elder advises them that if they could find Samauri warriors down on their luck, they may be able to employ them in exchange for the necessities of life.

Inspired by this hopeful idea, a farmer, representing the village happens upon such a Samarai, Kambei Shimada (Takashi Shimura) looking for his next meal. Kambei, a kind-hearted decent man readily accepts the deal, and gathers 6 other professional Samarai, also unemployed and willing to work for food. Though one of them has questionable character, all 7 Samurai are accepted by the villagers to be their teachers and defenders against the evil and tyranny that threatens their way of life.

The Samarai have their work cut out for them. Soon they and the villagers will face 40 plus loathsome bandits with bad attitudes, which means that these helpless villagers must be prepared to defend themselves as well.

SEVEN SAMURAI is a classic epic because of its inspired direction, its terrific cast, and a wonderful screenplay that not only tells a tale of the triumph of the human spirit against great odds, but also "seamlessly weaves philosophy and entertainment, delicate human emotions and relentless action," like no other film has done.

The great Akira Kurosawa directed and helped to write this inspiring tale that explores the age-old multicultural dilemma of how the weak can possibly overcome the bullying nature of the morally bankrupt, self-gratifying strong, who exemplify the darker side of human nature.

Akira Kurosawa was revered by American filmmakers Steven Speilburg, Francis Ford Cappola and George Lucas. Interestingly, Cappola and Lucas produced Kurosawa's 1980 samurai tale, KAGEMUSHA.

Akira Kurosawa, an incredibly gifted Japanese director / writer, nick named "The Emperor," was the first one to reveal "the richness of Japanese cinema to the West." Originally trained as a painter, he would storyboard his whole film project on canvas first, before starting production.

Three of Kurosawa's films were made into American counterparts. SEVEN SAMARAI was remade into the American western, THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN, KAKUSHI TORIDE NO SAN AKUNIN was the inspiration for STAR WARS, and YOJIMBO was remade into the Italien spaghetti western, PER UN PUGNO DI DOLLARI (better known as A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS).

Plus, the plot idea of gathering men to fight for an impossible task became a popular theme in American movies, such as FORCE TEN FROM NAVARONE, THE DIRTY DOZEN.

Takashi Shimura - Does a wonderful, convincing portrayal of Kambei, the leading Samarai warrior. He is described as the ultimate character actor. A favorite scene is when Kambei is asked to rescue a little boy being held captive by a robber. He asks the distraught mother for two rice cakes, and proceeds to have his head shaved like a monk, much to the astonishment of the people, a cultural no no for Japanese men. He then puts on the robes of a monk, hiding his sword underneath. He then, in a very controlled, orderly way, rescues the boy.

This icon of Japanese cinema, who was actually was descended from the Samurai class, was made famous through his strong courageous portrayals of Samurai warriors. He was a versatile actor with a lot of talent, much admired by the world. He is known by American audiences as the kindly doctor in the 1954 version of Godzilla. He was in 20 films that were directed by Akira Kurosawa. His finest performance was in Kurosawa's IKIRO. Shimura's last film was Kurosawa's KAGEMUSHA.

Toshiro Mifune - His portrayal of Kikuchiyo adds depth and excitement to the story. Described as ferocious and dynamic, he excelled in action stories, appearing in sixteen of Kurosawa's films, most of which have become world-renowned classics. Rashomon (1950) made him famous in Japan. As his career progressed, he was also a proven dramatic actor as well, conquering difficult roles requiring intricate and subtle dramatic skill.

My favorite scenes are the well-planned, well directed, action scenes. The battle scenes are well choreographed, and quite quick and exciting with thundering horses, sword battles and flying arrows.

If you enjoyed the SEVEN SAMURAI, you may like THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN, THE HIDDEN FORTRESS (Kakushi toride no san akunin), THRONE OF BLOOD (Kumonosu jo), RASHOMON, RAN, KAGEMUSHA, and MONONOKE HIME.

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