This review is Spoiler Free!!
Viewing: DVD
Starring: Toshiro Mifune, Takashi Shimura, et. al.
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Writer: Akira Kurosawa
Rating: NR
Release Date: 1954
Runtime: 3 hours 27 minutes
Style: Chambara (Period/Samurai)
More information on this movie can be found on this IMDB page.
Kurosawa’s Masterpiece
There are sometimes just one of “those movies”. The movies that change the way movies are seen or done. Akira Kurosawa’s movie, Seven Samurai, is one of those movies. It is widely regarded as one of the best or most important movies in history.
Movie Review 10/10
The Good:
Everything. But I’m going to break it into three categories.
Cinematography: This movie is stunningly beautiful. Almost every scene could be used as a still shot for a poster. One of the things to pay attention to is the layering of the scenes. The cinematography creates multiple layers, all in focus. Many of the movie techniques we use today were first employed by Kurosawa in his other movies. It’s almost as if they were being tested in his other movies. Seven Samurai takes all his techniques and allows them to fully tell a story. In 1957 it was nominated for the Oscar for Best Art Direction and Best Costume.
Story: The story has a depth to it that many movies of its time did not. It’s very Shakespearian in that there are multiple levels to enjoy. The “lower bowl” can enjoy the simple action based storyline, while the “balcony” can enjoy the unwritten story about classist society, and the place of samurai in the society. It is such a good story that it was adopted by William Roberts and John Sturges into a Western as The Magnificent Seven.
Acting: Toshiro Mifune was the obvious highlight of the movie. His over the top acting is perfectly in character, and emotionally based. In contrast to him, Takashi Shimura plays Kambei Shimada who is the more reserved samurai that we are used to seeing. Together their performances balance each other. Neither of which truly overshadow the other actors, whom Kurosawa is able to draw amazing performances.
The Bad:
There isn’t much I can say that’s bad about it. The length of the movie is long, and in typical Japanese movie style, it is a slow build. It is in black and white with subtitles. I know that is a negative point for some people, so I’m including it here.
Martial Arts Review 4/10
The Good:
There is sword fighting in the movie. However, it is not the main focus of the movie, so there is not a lot of it. As this was 1954, none of it is flashy or ornate. There is one sword fight scene, earlier in the movie where a “master-swordsman” is showing his technique in a duel that really shows off some of the subtlety of the Japanese sword arts. As I Japanese Sword martial artist, I wasn’t able to fully appreciate the scene until I had at least a decade of study under my belt.
Most of the martial arts-ness of this movie is done in none fighting ways. There are parables and lessons to be learned through the actions of the characters. Some famous stories about Tsukuhara Bokuden are incorporated into this type of storytelling.
The Bad:
Okay, I admit it. This isn’t a “martial arts movie” in the sense that we’ve come to expect from Hong Kong or Hollywood. However, it has just as much martial arts philosophy content as, say, The Karate Kid.
Overall Rating: 7/10
I can’t rate the movie part of this movie high enough. This is probably the best movies with swords in it ever. I would even venture to say, movie-wise no movie with any kind of martial arts would top it. That being said, there isn’t a lot of actual martial arts in the movie. There are some fight scenes, which are nothing spectacular. The martial arts strength lies in the philosophy and samurai ethics portion of the movie.
Have you seen Seven Samurai? What did you think? Let me know in the comments section below!
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