Kurosava one of my favorite directors, i wish he was alive today xd, watched seven samurai over 10 times, and still don't get bored, will watch it again soon, also make a video on mindunter please, you'll love it
5:48 Sengoku jidai is not the end of samurai era by far. After Sengoku Jidai there was almoust 300 years of relative "peace" in Edo Jidai and then there was another samurai civil war true last stand of samurai class is in Satsuma rebellion in 1877.
This is my all time favorite movie. I bought the criterion edition for a pretty penny about a year ago. I've probably watched it over a dozen times. Toshiro Mifune is a legend in my book
Can you watch a movie again and again without getting bored? Yes, for me it's Godfather. My favourite movie of all time since i was like 8 when i've seen it first time. I've seen it more than 50 times and it's tradition for me and my wife to watch Godfather 1, 2 and 3 in every day of Christmas. End of november is always "i can't wait to see Godfather again", but i stick to our tradition, as watching such good movies too often takes some small part of fun, at least for me. So once a year is perfect.
Excellent analysis, especially in the allusion to the balance between the two lead actors, Mifune and Shimura. Mifune is a constant source of tension, but Shimura grounds the film with his character's calm competence and wisdom. He cares about people without much regard to social class, and his friendships are deep. And in contrast with Mifune's character, he has nothing to prove; he knows his status and his worth. He values peace because he knows war. If you want to know who the best film actor who ever lived was, watch this film and then "Ikiru" soon after, and get back to me. : )
@@inyobill Well, he was in "Godzilla," which is something Mifune could never say, so there's that. But seriously he was an actor's actor and I wonder if you can achieve so consistently at that stratospheric level for so long without understanding how good you are. When every moment you're on screen is intensely believable, no matter what the role, that's something special. I hope he knew. I do hope so.
I began to watch this movie, but unfortunately I couldn't enjoy it, probably due to my own ignorance. I hope I'll learn to appreciate the film as I learn about cinema in general. Nevertheless, I was rooked from the start when watching Harakiri.
I would well imagine that it's not the film for all thoughtful people. It's my favorite, which matters not a whit from where you're sitting. I honestly intend this as friendly and non-judgemental.
Incredibly arrogant and simultaneously ignorant title. You do yourself no favors in the way you title your videos as these titles rob you of both credibility and dignity.
Back around 1970, I was 16 years old, and me and a friend had gone to watch The Beatles' "Yellow Submarine". Before the movie they showed a trailer for "7 Samurai". We were just kids and Japanese, Black and White, hmmmm "it does look pretty cool though". For some reason it hadn't been shown in Denmark until then. So when it came up we went to see it, and afterwards as we were leaving , I asked my friend "what do you think ?", and he said "I think it's the best movie I've ever seen", and I could only say "I believe you're right". I'm 70 now and to this day it remains my number 1 favourite of all time. A timeless masterpiece. A true work of art in all aspects.
My favorite part is right at the very end, all the peasants are singing and back to farming, living in their new idyllic paradise free from the torments of the bandits, while the 3 remaining samurai look on stone-faced, 'This victory is for the peasants. not for us' as the camera pans up to end on the 4 samurai sword grave mounds, silhouetted against the sky.
After Japan lost World War II, the Allied Powers banned films and plays about martial arts and the samurai. With the conclusion of the Treaty of SaFrancis in 1951, the ban was lifted, and Seven Samurai was planned, produced and performed. "All the men in this film have military experience." Therefore, it is a generation that is used to handling swords and bows and has always been familiar with them. I used to wear kimono everyday. In the army, kobudo would have been familiar. So all works are genuine. It can be said that it is close to a samurai. Also, the nobushi who ride horses are from the cavalry.
i cry every time i watch the scene where the samurai just arrived at the village and no one would come out to greet them, and than kikuchiyo did the false alarm thing.. all the villager panicked and the samurai just ran out to saved them... without knowing anything... that just get me.. they are trained elite warriors given a high risk test which essentially just for thank you and a pat on the back
I saw this masterpiece years ago late at night. I was committed to staying with it despite the long running time and having to get up early in the morning. What stood out to me was the rich character development coupled with the ever growing tension and excitement of knowing that good and evil will inevitably clash. Despite its dated appearance to some, it is an incredible film and well worth your focus.
Kurosawa films aren't about good vs. evil generally (maybe the Shakespeare adaptations), the samurai aren't really 'good' at all, Mifune's dramatic peak early in the movie tells you this, it's kind of hard to miss
@@helvete_ingres4717 Yes I see your point. Very well said. I believe when I commented I had in mind the timid townspeople more so than the samurai. Interesting all around! Regards.
Seven Samurai also show it's greatness because it is one of the very few three hour movies that does not feel padded and scenes do not go on and on and....etc. I bought the film after seeing it for the first time. As you say, a person can watch it over and over again, and still find new things and be entertained.
I agree. Seven Samurai is hand's down the greatest film. And thank you for acknowledging Takashi Shimura. I always felt Mifune represented the daring, strong, fool-hardy young upstarts that every aging man wishes he could be. Shimura represented the world-weary, down-to-earth man that is the reality for aging men. Watch the two of them together in Stray Dog.
I loved Toshiro Mifune’s performance and his character, he’s wasn’t born a Samurai, only a Peasant who had been through hardships while having a personality. He shows he is not your typical Warrior who has Strong Discipline and Knowledge, but someone we could relate to!
Kurosawa takes a short moment to establish the relationship between Takashi Shimura as Kambei and Daisuke Katō as Shichirōji - friends and fellow soldiers who were lucky to survive being on the losing side of their last battle. The final bandit is killed and the battle is over, Kambei remarks to Shichirōji, "Again - we’ve survived." Always lands like a hammer.
Thank you for this. I had heard about this film with a touch of skepticism for my whole adult life. So I finally watched it, and now I've seen it maybe 50 times. I'm always blown away by the choreography of the editing.
I first seen this movie when I was only a kid. Been from Ireland I did not understand Japanese. But that didn't matter too me I enjoyed it even more. Still watch it when it's on TV.
Saw your video title and had to upvote it without even watching a second of it. Thanks for spreading the word. I first watched SS in the '70s at a retro theater, and have rewatched it at least once each decade since. It gets better every time, and means something different, too.
I was feeling down in the dumps last week, so I've been watching all Kurosawa's films again (and again); they always bring me up... watched _Seven Samurai_ yesterday, and woke up to this video - nice!
definitely Kurosawa and Seven Samurai had massive impact on the filmamkers at that time.. and tarkovsky is one of them... It happens so because whenever I watch Andrei Rublev.. i always get a feel that it was heavily inspired from Seven Samurai.. the cinematic style and camerawork resonate with it.. almost feels like a tribute to Kurosawa.. but .. that was the early times of Tarkovsky.. not until later after Solaris.. he found his own style.. nevertheless.. Kurosawa is a legend and Seven Samurai will definitely inspire each generation of filmmaker.. a true masterpiece 👏
5:21 You could pretty much have a history documentary "Kings and General" style tactical map showing everything that happened during the battles in this movie its so well developed.
I'd say a similar film in a lot of ways and equally good is "The Lord of the Rings; The Fellowship of the Ring". It has countless every frame a painting shots, smart and limited use of new tech like CGI, and the greatest rewatchability of any film I've ever watched. Just recently on my last rewatch, I noticed a new detail about Boromir when he's talking with Aragorn in Lothlorien. You can see on his dirty face a clean line from his eye down to his chin. It really shows you the weight and pathos he's carrying without showing him straight up crying in front of Aragorn and us, the audience. Which also would be worse and out of his character.
For me it's the greatest film ever made. Every single frame is crafted with the utmost passion and love for cinema. A film of stunning composition and movement, a masterful showcase of editing and camera work, and a powerful story of humanism, heroism, sacrifice and altruism. I think George Lucas said "the art of cinema is in every frame".
Thank you for this video! Watched the Criterion BluRay recently and it was very clean, but rather soft like a typical 16mm print would have been (seen many in black and white Academy back in the 1970s). I'm sure that the original negative would have been pin sharp. I was always wondering why the shutter angle was so narrow. Most scenes have a strobe-like motion rendering and I can't believe that this was always desired. Might have been the strong daylight combined with fast film stock. Then again: to achieve deep focus one needs to close the aperture. So my speculation: either the lenses couldn't be stopped down that much, or the lenses caused too much haze through diffraction when stopped down that much - and ND filters weren't available. Being a foreign film (for US viewers), it is more demanding to watch: you have to read subtitles and "translate" the expressive Japanese acting. It's worth it. The two opposites Mifune and Shimura (the hot headed, rough, eager, hyperactive and the wise, tired seen-it-all respectively) are perfection.
One of the great remakes of this film is the the Bollywood movie "Sholay", considered the greatest film in Bollywood history. Instead of Seven Samurai there were two outlaws, but the basic story arc is the same.
My favorite all-time movie, #1 on my personal top 10. I watched it at least as many times as you say, and I also always find something I missed before, the little details that escape you the first and every other times you see it
Thank you for this kind and incisive analysis to Kurosawa-San. I love his films, especially Seven Samurai. It was an incredible achievement and will always be honoured and remembered as such. Kurosawa-San once said, and I truly believe this film embodies this, “I suppose all of my films have a common theme. If I think about it, though, the only theme I can think of is really a question: Why can’t people be happier together?”
LMAO bro said technical artistry AND entertainment? So we gon act like Bergman, Tarkovsky, Kiarostami and many more directors out there who don't put much emphasis on these two exist?
You comment at 6:18: "...from the first shots of Samurai silhouetted against a sky coming over the hill...". My understanding is that those are bandits coming to raid the village. I don't think those were Samurai. I agree this is one of the greatest films of all time.
Realy (But realy) liked this film but a I do think it's kinda overrated, and kurosawa is one of my fav directors Let's do it like that: 1 Glory 2 RRR 3 Ran (Akira kurosawa of course) 4 og Planet Of The Apes 5 Mr. Bean's holiday (Childhood classic) 6 The policeman (Israeli film, Best forgien film nominated btw) 7 Fiddler on the roof 8 og The defiant ones 9 The bridge on the river kwai 10 Return of the Jedi (Childhood classic again)
Couldn't agree more. Rewatched it months ago to review it, but completely forgot how amazing the directing, storytelling, acting and music was. I constantly have the 7S theme in my head now. I also never considered the lighting, which just adds to the masterpiece. Great vid!
There is a great variety of human emotions in this movie, it is a cinema masterpiece like a Bach concert or a Monet painting. Funny how this movie does not show up number One in many Best Movies of all times listings. What is the best movie from the USA in your opinion? There are many brilliant USA movies, a hard choice.
It is the best film I've ever seen. However i find Kurosawa's Duology of Yojimbō & Sanjurō more entertaining, and it has a lot to do with Mifune's Sanjurō. He is the baddest masculine man ever put to film. Calm, cool collected and when his blade comes out its going to take someone down and swiftly. Seven Samurai is a better film no doubt, best film I've ever seen. I still need to watch Zatōichi Meets Yojimbō.
I just finished watcing this movie on tv. It was an amazing experience and i enjoyed it very much. The fight scenes were brutal and quick unlike the flashy pointless sword dancing in Hollywood movies. Amazing movie overall and i immediately thought of the magnificent seven and if it was inspired by this film.
That's a really awful scene. The farmer sees his wife inside the cave, sleeping among the brigands, and she wakes up and sees him. THAT is one messed up farmer. And. He gets the 'wood chopper' samurai killed. Double your misery. Very difficult match Japanese sword culture, the samurai, the katana, seppuku, kimono, the paper walls, sliding doors. I like the movie taking on one ninja. Make it 90 minutes longer. I saw this movie called 'Ninja Asassin.' Something to be said for incorporating magic and dark forces into an already great movie, with maybe too much invested in the 'real.'
I'd have to say that I've seen roughly 10,000 fils in my lifetime and yeah, you guessed it, Kurosawa is my fav director of all time. He's got 3 in my top 30. Ran being my fav film of all time, Yojimbo being #5 and Seven Samurai being #23 at this point of course if a masterpiece film comes along to me, that list might change as all lists do. At any rate, wow I gotta disagree 100% with Wolfcrow here as to what makes a great film? There are 2 things on his list that rings true. Technical Artistry? Perhaps he is referring to the "technical cinematography" which is better terminology, but that's not what makes a film great. Most people don't go into watching a film for its technical brilliance. Most people don't go into watching a film for its "art" either. Granted, both are HUGE plusses should they occur in the film, but they are not necessities for a film to be great. Fight Club, American History X, Children of Heaven, Spotlight, etc which all made IMDB top charting films of all time are famous for their stories and not by any means for their Technical Artistry and Art. Now, what makes a great film and or novel great that is far above any other thing and it's not even a close call are the characters. You can have the absolute greatest Technical Artistry, Art, Storytelling Artistry, and entertainment values, but if those characters are sticks in the mud and boring and not interesting to an audience, that specific will bomb. Say you have a documentary on rocks? If those rocks, they are the film's leading characters, if they are not interesting to an audience, that film is going to bomb even if that film has the greatest Technical Artistry, Art, Storytelling Artistry, and entertainment values of all time. Try it! In the second position by far and nothing comes close, yeah, it's the storytelling, and sure tack on the "artistry" for good measure as today's filmmaking sorely lacks in that department as many films are either sequels or ripoffs of other films and or plagiarized from other films and or there's no ideas to carry a full-length film all the way through without running out of ideas, thus the film is boring and the audiences are bored to tears. Third is the direction. Who exactly is the director? If it's a great director who is directing the film, chances are it's going to be a great film, though of course that's not true all the time. And of course, even if not known as a director that director should incorporate Technical Artistry, Art, Storytelling Artistry, and entertainment values as best as he/ she can. And of course there's the big and mighty Entertainment values. How can the producer(s), the writer(s), the director(s) possibly know what is good and or great "entertainment"? In other words, they guess as to what their target audience is. It's never a hole in one. It is always up to an audience to decide what good and or great entertainment values are. Granted, many create entertainment for themselves and then leave it up to an audience to decide if that entertainment is good or not. But yeah, that entertainer has got to realize, once again, that characters always come first. Another example is the circus. Lions, tigers, clowns, etc are all characters. Take them away and what entertainment does anyone have for this circus? Granted, oh yeah, Kurosawa knew this in droves. A perfect example of this is the scene where Scorcese is playing Van Gough. Again, characters. And in The Seven Samurai, wow, and watching it for roughly the 10th time or so, I noticed something truly great, the framing. How many shots in the film are there where there is not more than one character in the specific shot? See if you can count them? I lost count because I was so engrossed by it that I lost count. I bet it's not more than 50, if that. How truly remarkable. So indeed, everything that is stated by Worlfcrow is so so so important in spades for the Seven Samurai, and yeah, if a film has what is listed, they most certainly make a booster shot to that specific film, but it's not everything. Thank you for your valuable time.
you watched 10,000 movies in your lifetime? lets say that the average length of a movie is 2 hours long. that means over 20,000 hours of your life has been spent watching movies. that means that you have spent 833 days in your life watching movies.
i totally agree it looks amazing but i cant get behind asian acting be it the kurosawa movies, 70s and 80s kung fu movies, takeshi kitano movies or the recent parasite or old boy. every line delivery is exaggerated and they scream a lot its almost comical and pretty deterring for people not used to it. i tried to watch seven samurai with someone whos never seen anything outside hollywood and they wanted out 15 minutes in. maybe its just how they teach acting over. you gotta get used to it
Bro i am from india ,it's not an exaggeration acting , we used to cry laugh and behave like that that's our culture,at first for us it's hard to believe your western culture then we accept it .why can't you ?
"Bigger than life" acting was very common in western theater historically also. See" "melodramatic", the term didn't appear out of a vacuum. The style for me personally is not off-putting in Seven Samurai.
Maybe you're watching too much English dubs of Kung Fu movies because they don't scream alot to the point of being "comical or deterring." It's just a genre preference and obviously you're used to hollywood level of acting, if it's not for you then don't waste your time on another person's enjoyment.
“Technical artistry” and “Art” are basically the same, as indicated by the fact even the first phrase contains the word “art(istry).” Anyway none of your criteria includes the most important criterion: whether a movie has “humanism”, or whether it imparts moral values, cliche-ish it may sound, or how it depicts the human condition and provides insights to its alleviation or amelioration. If “Seven Samurai” were just pure cinema (“technical artistry”), a gripping tale (“narrative artistry”), and entertaining (“entertainment”), then it would not have enthralled our attention for three quarters of a century: it would not have been a classic of world cinema. In fact, generations have enjoyed and adored the films of Amira Kurosawa because of their humanism.
I am a Japanese and a movie fan. When I saw the title of this video, I thought it would just be about your y subjective thoughts on "Seven Samurai," but it was very meaningful, as if I had just taken a class on film studies.
It is not my favorite. But it is in my top 3. I will argue for 花樣年華 and Les Enfants du Paradis as being the only films that are better. Seven Samurai is a classic.
Reading the comments here, I had to laugh. I've seen the film at least a half dozen times (I was 9 when it was released) and never realized how long it is.
