The Seven Samurai- 5 Stars

Theatrical Release Poster

Akira 'Asian of the Century' Kurosawa's epic film The Seven Samurai is fully deserving of its legendary status. The fact that this is considered one of the greatest films of all time yet isn't, at least in my opinion, Kurosawa's best film, tells you of the the high standards held by the master of Japanese cinema.

The Seven Samurai is about a village who, when threatened by bandits, hire samurai to defend them. You may be able to guess the number of the samurai yourself... The leader of this group is Kambei, an experienced Ronin (a samurai without a lord). He is accompanied by the young Katsushiro, the experienced archer Gorobei, his former lieutenant Shichiroji, a friendly but unskilled samurai called Heihachi and an expert sword master named Kyuzo. Accompanying them is Kikuchiyo, a former farmer turned warrior, who is unpredictable but also a valuable fighter.

The film is slow by modern definitions (it is three hours long). However, this makes it easier to separate the film into three acts. The first act involves the banding together of the samurai, the second the preparations for the defense of the village and the third the climatic battle. This basic structure has influenced innumerable films from westerns to superheroes. The recent Marvel film The Avengers Assemble shows many parallels with it- the getting together of the heroes, the squabbling in the middle and then the final battle at the end. Basically, The Seven Samurai has influenced every kind of hero-grouping film ever.

Akira Kurosawa- writer and director of The Seven Samurai

But a film's worth isn't just measured by influence. So how good actually is The Seven Samurai? The answer is brilliant. Despite the slow start I was thoroughly engaged throughout by the interaction between the characters and Kurosawa's astonishing direction. This film may be in black and white but it is beautiful with its lovely shots of feudal Japan. Kurosawa also uses camera trickery on the level of Kubrick to film scenes. By using multiple cameras he managed to capture several different perspectives of just one scene. Although this is now common practise, back in 1954 this was pretty rare.

Toshiro Mifune as Kikuchiyo

 However, what makes this film great is the way the characters interact and respond to each other. The clash between the samurai and the villagers is fascinating in its exploration of social hierarchy and what we westerners would recognise as something similar to the feudal system. We see the inexorable links with which social classes are joined. The villagers need the samurai to protect them from the bandits and the samurai need the villagers to provide them with food so they don't starve. Therefore, the film seems to ask why are the samurai more valued and higher in the class system than the farmers? The argument for this would be that anyone can be a farmer and only a select few can be great warriors. However, this argument has two flaws as exposed by the film. On the samurai side, not all of them are in fact great warriors. For example, Heihachi is brought along purely to keep morale up and his lack of any skill is often a joke amongst the samurai. Conversely, Kikuchiyo is a great warrior but was born a farmer's son. He often acts as the bridge between social classes reprimanding both of them for their ignorance of the other. This is shown on two occasions. Firstly, when the samurai arrive at the village they receive a cold welcome as the villagers are afraid that they will take their daughters. Kikuchiyo then raises the alarm, warning everyone that the bandits are coming. This is a trick but it makes the villagers realise that they need the samurai. Contrastingly, when the samurai find out that the villagers have previously killed other samurai, Kikuchiyo shouts them down for ignoring the hardships of the villagers (one of which is harassment by samurai). In this way he acts as a guide towards the fusion of the two classes into a stronger community capable of fighting off the bandits.

Takashi Shimura as Kambei

Despite this positive message however- that we all need each other and it is only when we come together that we can overcome conflict- the film finishes on a less hopeful note. After the bandits have been beaten off, the remaining samurai stand by the graves of their comrades. The villagers begin to shun them again. This is seen when the girl that the young samurai, Katsushiro, has been courting, blanks him and he is left alone, bewildered. In the end, the age of the samurai went and pretty much all of Kurosawa's films have some kind of concern with that theme. In this film, it is that after the bandits are defeated there is no longer any need for the samurai yet the samurai still need the peasants to provide them with food. The system is inherently flawed. Kambei recognises this, reflecting that it is in fact the farmers who are the true victors.

The acting in this film is very good, most notably Takashi Shimura as Kambei (he was a Kurosawa regular, starring in 21 of his 30 films) and Toshiro Mifune as Kikuchiyo (another Kurosawa regular and one of the greatest Japanese actors ever). The contrast with which the actors play these two main characters is one of the brilliant aspects of the film of the film- the ever passionate Kikuchiyo against the passive, stoic Kambei.

So in conclusion, this film is perhaps the most influential action film of all time. It is a must for any people interested in either film or Japanese culture. Action fans may also enjoy although, as I have warned, it is very long (and possibly slow).

Ratings: Entertainment: 9 Technical: 5 Intelligence: 5= 19/20 *****










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