Seven Samurai (1954) First Time Watching! Movie Reaction! 

that whole scene is also the first time (I think) that one of the protagonists of a movie does the now cliche' 'heroic act' to show how selfless and badass he is before we get to the 'meat of the movie'.

Yeah, even today here in Japan, if you shave your head, it is usually a symbol of great humility, service, or penance for something you've done wrong. Being a black guy from Chicago and used to shaving my head, I finally let my hair grow out while living here lol people kept acting weird towards me whenever I shaved

@@KensCinemaSofa Haha that's funny. :) But yeah it's not a "nothing" act in any way which it might seem like if you're not familiar with its meaning.

@@Uncle_T when I initially watched the movie many years ago, I didn’t understand why the people were so shocked that Kambei cut his hair. In the years since, I’ve studied a bit about the era and how important the top knot was to the samurai. Also, Kambei was my favorite character in the movie.

So many people recognize Toshiro Mifune for his role in this film -- and justifiably so, but Takashi Shimura (Kanbei Shimada) is also great in so many Kurosawa and Toho films. In this one, he's the seasoned, wise samurai warrior. In Ikiru, he's a pitiful bureaucrat and in Rashomon, he's the cowardly peasant. Also in the original Godzilla, he's an older scientist, but unable or unwilling to take decisive action. Such great range in the roles he takes on.

And absolutelly dedicated to his profession! When Kurosawa died people who were dressing the body wondered why the finger nails of his toes turned black. Takashi Koizumi, the director's assistant who also was among those people knew why. During the filming of Seven Samurai the scenes of the final battle were shot in late fall, Kurosawa was standing in his long rubber boots next to the camera whole day in cold water. He nearly froze his toes off. In 1999 Takshi Koizumi directed a beautiful film based on Kurosawa's unfinished script - After the Rain (Ame agaru). Highly recomended for those who didn't watch it yet. Marvelous tribute to his late teacher and totally in the spirit of the late Master.

Kikuchiyo is one of my favorite characters ever. I love how he develops throughout the film.

I really recommend Red Sun. A buddy cop film made at the twilight of Westerns and Samurai films. Mafune has to travel with an outlaw played by Charles Brownson.

@@brucechmiel7964 A fantastic blending of samurai and western 👍It'll get reactions someday I hope.

I highly recommend watching him in the movie Samaurai Rebellion and Red Beard probably his 2 best performances.

Yup

Named 7 Samurai even when they all are Ronin , masterless samurais , Akira Kurosawa father was one of the last real samurai family members , cant count Akira to that because the feudal society ended in 1868 , his father was born in 1864 , just before it all ended , no real samurais after that .

Yeah, but in the end Manzo (or whatever his name is) said he was angry his daughter became damaged goods (aka her virginity was taken), so he was kinda of a scumbag more than a concerned father

@@wolfpredator1000 I agree. Kurosawa did a good job of showing that the villagers weren’t morally perfect people. They were desperate. And in the end, Katsushiro didn’t get the girl. Kambei said it best: it was the villagers who won, not the samurai.

Another interesting note, in Japanese if you listen to the dialog when they are calculating Kikuchiyo's age, you can do the math, and this movie takes place in 1586, four years after the death of Oda Nobunaga and during the height of the Sengoku period.

@@dawest767 Good catch. I never calculated the exact year. Toyotomi was approaching the peak of his power around this time if I’m not mistaken.

and my favorite Kurosawa: Rashomon

He was blacklisted because he was a communist sympathizer and made a film in the USSR with Soviet funding.

Great comment, thank you! Both Ran and Kagemusha are fine later expamples of jidaigeki (or Japanese period movies, usually about samurai) by Kurosawa, and were made in colour. Kurosawa was one of the first Japanese directors of samurai stories to introduce a more realistic fighting style, rather than the theatrical stylized presentation of samurai fights. This was not a popular approach early on in Japan, but brought major success internationally, starting with Rashomon. The director had also been influenced by seeing Westerns directed by John Ford. That influence can be seen in certain shots during Seven Samurai (bandits cresting the ridge, etc). With Ingmar Bergman there are so many great movies to choose from, starting with Smiles of a Summer Night and Wild Strawberries (black and white) to Cries and Whispers and even a fantastic TV mini-series in the 1980s (that was cut into a movie that won a Best Foreign Film Oscar), Fanny and Alexander (in colour). I really enjoyed his TV version of Mozart's opera, The Magic Flute, too (in colour). And plenty more movies by Federico Fellini, too, from La Strada and La Dolce Vita (along with 8 1/2) in black and white to Amarcord, Juliet of the Spirits, and plenty more in colour. And other Italian directors have made some great movies... French New Wave director Francois Truffaut (possibly my favourite director of that group) made many great movies including The Last Metro and Small Change, as well as the 400 Blows and Jules et Jim. And Truffaut had a feature role acting in Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind, too. And before the New Wave you could also look at some of the older French classics, like Marcel Carné's Children of Paradise, or one of Jean Cocteau's fairy tale or myth movies, Beauty and the Beast or Orpheus. Or for comedy, a movie by the visually brilliant Jacques Tati. And then there's Spanish surrealist director Luis Bunuel, and I would choose The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeousie or Belle de Jour from amongst his output. These are just a few of the older generation of European movies and directors. And best not to forget the Ealing comedies from England, too, starting with Kind Hearts and Coronets, starring Alec Guinness over and over again. Hilarious and dark...

I love his films, but one of the stranger films I really enjoy is Akira Kurosawa's Dreams. It's an anthology film with different stories, and while not on the level of these films, it's just So good

You are so right. Saw this in an old movie theater back in the early 1980s. Spiritual experience.

This kind of set up the trope of 'ronin' helping villagers... Even an episode of Mandalorian used this trope!

@@jonjohns65 It also introduced the plot device of 'gathering the team' and introducing each character by putting them in a situation where they display their specific skills to the audience.

​@@jonjohns65yeah that was straight up 7 samurai

Masterpiece

Awesome battles.

Indeed. From beginning to end you're caught in the world of the Sengoku period Kurosawa created.

Agreed. One of the most beautiful, yet bleakest movies ever made.

"Throne of Blood" too

@@RebelWithoutABoss MacBeth but in Japan

And no KA CHINK sounds when they sheath their blades; which I take it to mean the sheaths are made of wood or bamboo instead of metal?

Sergio Leone’s A Fistful of Dollars is obviously a remake of Yojimbo. A must watch.

Yes! They're both great films and I love the final scenes of Sanjuro in particular but people just don't react to older B&W movies.

@@JackOiswatching Oh yeah! The final duel in Sanjuro was incredible.

It's incredible seeing Mifune's stoic swagger in Yojimbo after his crazy antics as Kikuchiyo and as the bandit in Rashomon. He moves like a lion in The Hidden Fortress. And he suits up nicely for Stray Dog, The Bad Sleep Well, and High and Low. Definitely one of the greatest actors of all time.

Spielberg paid homage to Kurosawa when Kurosawa died.

Agreed.

Totally agree.

And Kurosawa’s movie Ran is a samurai adaptation of King Lear.

@@matthewconner7800 exactly thats why Kurosawa will go down as one of the great cinema poets. He understood how to convert poetic dialouge in film in a way no other could. He was a master

Yul Brynner was my first pick from that movie.

YB is the star and central character

Same. He was George Lucas’s early choice for Obi Wan Kenobi - I want to visit that alternate universe!

The best Actor of all.

Isn't star wars influenced by the hidden fortress, rather than seven samurai?

Also, Battle Beyond the Stars and The Three Amigos. And Zack Snyder's upcoming Rebel Moon (which seems to be a blatant copy of Battle Beyond the Stars).

​@@Klayhamn that's what Lucas said. Particularly telling the story from the pov of two servants.

@@richardb6260 Wait, i don't recall the Samurai singing "My Little Buttercup..."

@@byroniasmaximus924 it's hard to tell when it's in Japanese.

I saw this in a theater about 20 years ago. An enhanced/DVD version came out and the old movie theater showed this. Of course, I had seen it dozens of times the previous twenty years on t.v. Sundays seemed to be samurai day, especially when Kung Fu repeats were still being shown.

Ironically, the only Shakespeare adaptation that I think gives Ran a run for its money (pun not intended) is Kurosawa's Throne of Blood (1957)

You may be right Red Stapler.

Ran is a fantastic movie! One of my greatest cinema experiences almost forty years ago and, as you say, so beautiful.

There are so many great Kurosawa films. Among my favorites are Red Beard and Stray Dog. But I agree that Ran is an exceptional film, and it is amazing how many Shakespearean themes neatly fit the adaptation to Japanese history.

Ran is top-tier.

Ran is so freaking good. Kurosawa in color is something to behold.

Thief! I wrote those words eleven months ago in this reaction video below and you’re still passing them off as your own! Somebody else caught you stealing then and you’ve still got no shame about peddling these words as if you thought of them. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-_OEK4R6_3n0.html

I can understand that to a certain degree. He had a very western way of making movies (at least for that time). It is no surprise two of his movies were remade as successful westerns. You can thank his father for that I guess, who I have heard took his son to watch western movies in theatres. Also, if you compare this movie to other samurai movies of that time you notice there is a certain departure from the usual kind of kitsch that japanese viewers liked. (not to say there weren't other grim japanese movies at that time, but they had a different feelings to them)

@@windsaw151 You won’t get a coherent response to your reply, seeing as those words aren’t theirs. See my comment. They plagiarise this comment (that I wrote nearly a year ago) in every reaction video to this film.

No need to be humble about it. Most historians and critics would agree with you!

Rashomon is one of the first 'courtroom drama' films! Brilliant!

And introduced the world to the dishonest narrator.. Also known as the Rashomon effect..

Ikiru is a beautiful film. VERY different from this one - and it doesn’t get the same love as Seven Samurai, Yojimbo, or Rashomon - but I think it’s a contender for the best Kurosawa ever made.

One of my favorites.

For the original "Star Wars," that would be Kurosawa's "The Hidden Fortress."

@@bmw128racer And the word 'inspiration' should probably be changed, too 😉

@@bmw128racer yes, Hidden Fortress is great too. The older, wise Kanbei Shimada from the Seven Samurai is an influence for Yoda.

Also Stray Dog. Kurosawa should have directed more film noir because he caught the vibe of the genre.

It's a good influence

Kurosawa was influenced particularly by John Ford.

Also Stray Dog, The Hidden Fortress, Yojimbo and Rashomon.

👆🏿 some real ones 👆🏿

Or an underrated Kurosawa, The Bad Sleep Well.

@@edwardsighamony I was gonna mention that, but I kept it short. There are so many great films from him

Throne of Blood is that☠

Stop exaggerating. That's nostalgic nonsense.

​@@captainobvious8949 Dude, stop being toxic

Nothing fun about that.

​@@Jutrzen Nah those are fun facts. Stop being toxic

@@jesseowenvillamor6348Nothing fun about that. And... Toxic? Do you even know what that word means?

@@Jutrzen Of course. You are toxic.

You are right, one-on-one fights tend to be won or lost in a couple of seconds. Long fights are for instruction or show.

SPOILER - - _ - - - - - _ _ - - - _ Not just ANY actor, the MAIN actor, one of Kurosawa's favorites to work with and he put even HIM through that. Dude was hardcore about his films. lol

@@gamerbear84 no doubt, I was trying to be vague in case they had never read Macbeth and the ending would come as a surprise to them haha

@@RussellCHall Hmm, good point, spoiler-tagging my reply.

Was just about to comment this. So much information and insight makes the film even more fascinating and brilliant than it already is.

If you combine the influences of "Rashomon " and "Seven Samauri" Kurosawa had a huge impact on film.

Yup. Which is why the moniker is often half-jokingly applied to Wolverine of the X-Men.

Mine too.

You beat me to it, but yes, Takashi Miike's "13 Assassins"(2010) is the closest to what he's asking for. Different plot but similar feel and structure to "Seven Samurai" with more modern gore/violence and some disturbing content(although not as much some of Miike's other films).