FILM CHALLENGE: 60) Seven Samurai

60) Seven Samurai

Director: Akira Kurosawa

Year: 1954

Plot Summary: In the 16th Century Japan, a poor village is frequently looted by armed bandits. Their patriarch advises the villagers to hire samurai to defend their village. Four farmers head to town to seek out their possible protectors, but they just can offer three meals of rice per day and lodging for the samurai. They succeed in hiring the warming-hearted veteran Kambei Shimada who advises that they need six other samurai to protect their lands. Kambei recruits the necessary people and they move to the village to plot a defense strategy for the battle that approaches.

Seven Samurai is one of cinema's most influential movies. In terms of its narrative, everything from Star Wars to Oceans Eleven owes a huge amount to Kurosawa who forged an entirely unique structure of cinematic storytelling here that has echoed through the decades. However, it's not just the narrative that set the bar for generations of filmmakers that later arrives. It's also a visual textbook on how to present violence that everyone from Michael Mann to Peter Jackson and Martin Scorsese to Quentin Tarantino, whether they are aware of it or not, has copied from. These scenes of violence, which mostly occur in the finale's battle, put the majority of the modern Hollywood action movies to shame. It may have been made on a tenth of the budget, may be shot in black and white and be as basic in its camera setup as any film that's been made, but the framing, the editing, the structure, the pace and the cinematography all complement each other to give us the single most tense, gripping and realistic battle scene ever constructed.

Putting the fact that it is a cinematic landmark aside for a second though, Seven Samurai is also a stunningly entertaining piece of cinema. For all of its 3 and a half hour running length, while it does have a slow pace, not a single second is wasted and it constantly keeps you glued to the screen wanting to know both the fate of the villagers and the samurai protecting them. But to call simply call it a piece of entertainment feels criminal, especially in light of the incredible cinematography, the fabulous art direction and the enthralling characters. Sure, maybe a little more exploration of the characters psyches and their relationships with one another wouldn't go amiss, but nevertheless, you care equally about every one of the seven samurai and every member of the village feels realistic and genuine.

In fact, the drama involving the characters make up some of the most fascinating moments of the film. When a little extra depth is added to one of the main villagers in a scene involving his wife, it's surprisingly tragic and moving and, furthermore, the character of Kikuchiyo, who at first appears to be in the narrative for comic relief, becomes an essential part of the film when his background is explored.

It's hard to find fault with Seven Samurai - well, except maybe for some questionable acting, but this seems frequent in a lot of Asian cinema so I can let it slide - and, although I won't rush to call it a masterpiece just yet as this was only the first time I've watched it, I can only imagine repeated viewings will make it all the more awe-inspiring.

Epic, influential, near perfect filmmaking from a true master of his profession.

5/5

By Daniel Sarath with 1 comment