Seven Samurai

( 45 )

Overview

Akira Kurosawa's epic tale concerns honor and duty during a time when the old traditional order is breaking down. The film opens with master samurai Kambei Takashi Shimura posing as a monk to save a kidnapped farmer's child. Impressed by his selflessness and bravery, a group of farmers begs him to defend their terrorized village from bandits. Kambei agrees, although there is no material gain or honor to be had in the endeavor. Soon he attracts a pair of followers: a young samurai named Katsushiro Isao Kimura, who...
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More About This Product

Overview

Akira Kurosawa's epic tale concerns honor and duty during a time when the old traditional order is breaking down. The film opens with master samurai Kambei Takashi Shimura posing as a monk to save a kidnapped farmer's child. Impressed by his selflessness and bravery, a group of farmers begs him to defend their terrorized village from bandits. Kambei agrees, although there is no material gain or honor to be had in the endeavor. Soon he attracts a pair of followers: a young samurai named Katsushiro Isao Kimura, who quickly becomes Kambei's disciple, and boisterous Kikuchiyo Toshiro Mifune, who poses as a samurai but is later revealed to be the son of a farmer. Kambei assembles four other samurais, including Kyuzo Seiji Miyaguchi, a master swordsman, to round out the group. Together they consolidate the village's defenses and shape the villagers into a militia, while the bandits loom menacingly nearby. Soon raids and counter-raids build to a final bloody heart-wrenching battle.
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Special Features

All-new, restored high-definition digital transfer, with an optional Dolby surround soundtrack; Two audio commentaries: one by the film scholars David Desser, Joan Mellen, Stephen Prince, Tony Rayns, and Donald Richie; and one by Japanese film expert Michael Jeck; Theatrical trailers and teaser; Gallery of rare posters and behind-the-scenes and production stills; New and improved English subtitle translation; A 50-minute documentary on the making of Seven Samurai created as part of the Toho Masterworks series Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create; My Life in Cinema, a two-hour video conversation between Akira Kurosawa and Nagisa Oshima from 1993, produced by the Directors Guild of Japan; "Seven Samurai": Origins and Influences, a new documentary looking at the samurai traditions and films that impacted Kurosawa's masterpiece; Plus: a booklet featuring essays by Kenneth Turan, Peter Cowie, Philip Kemp, Peggy Chiao, Alain Silver, and Stuart Galbraith IV; tributes from Arthur Penn and Sidney Lumet; and a reminiscence by Toshiro Mifune
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Editorial Reviews

All Movie Guide - Jonathan Crow
Widely considered one of the greatest films ever made, Seven Samurai was both the apex of Akira Kurosawa's long career and the high-water mark of the Japanese period drama. The film's action rivets the viewer in spite of the three-hour-plus running time: the battle sequences, among the best ever filmed, are immediate and visceral; and the characters are complex and so well-rendered that the viewer grieves when one dies. Like few other historical films, it captures not only the physical look of the time but also its essence. Like Jean Renoir's masterpieces Grand Illusion (1937) and The Rules of the Game (1939), Seven Samurai illustrates the collapse of social distinctions and the growing irrelevance of old traditions in dangerous and chaotic times. Kurosawa questions the division between samurai and bandit, between good and evil. In one scene, peasant-born Kikuchiyo heatedly argues that the samurai have been abusing and exploiting the peasants for centuries. In this framework, the samurais' acts of bravery, selflessness, and honor seem absurd, if not pointless. The peasants' choice of the samurai over the bandits is merely one of a lesser evil. Once the bandits are gone, the samurai will no longer be needed. This is underscored in the film's poignant end, when the surviving three samurai leave the village, receiving neither acclaim nor reward, as the villagers plant rice. American audiences were so impressed with Kurosawa's epic masterpiece that it was remade into John Sturges' Magnificent Seven (1960).
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Product Details

  • Release Date: 9/5/2006
  • UPC: 715515019927
  • Original Release: 1954

    • Rating:

  • Source: Criterion
  • Region Code: 1
  • Presentation: B&W /1.33:1 Full Screen
  • Language: Japanese
  • Time: 3:27:00
  • Format: DVD
  • Sales rank: 8,588

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits
Takashi Shimura Kambei, leader of samurai
Toshiro Mifune Kikuchiyo, would-be samurai
Yoshio Inaba Gorobei, wise warrior
Seiji Miyaguchi Kyuzo, swordsman
Minoru Chiaki Heihachi, amiable samurai
Daisuke Kato Shichiroji, Kambei's friend
Ko (Isao) Kimura Katsushiro, young samurai
Kuninori Kodo Gisaku, village elder
Ichiro Chiba Priest
Kamatari Fujiwara Manzo, Shino's father
Bokuzen Hidari Yohei
Fumiko Homma Peasant Woman
Yoshio Kosugi Mosuke
Haruo Nakajima Bandit
Toranosuke Ogawa Grandfather
Senkichi Omura Bandit
Keiji Sakakida Gasaku
Noriko Sengoku Wife from Burned House
Gen Shimizu Masterless Samurai
Sojin Jr. Minstrel
Eijiro Tono Bandit
Yoshio Tsuchiya Rikichi, militant villager
Kichijiro Ueda Bandit
Atsushi Watanabe Vendor
Isao Yamagata Samurai
Technical Credits
Akira Kurosawa Director, Editor, Screenwriter
Shigeru Endo Consultant/advisor
Kohei Ezaki Costumes/Costume Designer
Shinobu Hashimoto Screenwriter
Fumio Hayasaka Score Composer
Hiromichi Horikawa Asst. Director
Ienori Kaneko Consultant/advisor
So Matsuyama Art Director
Takashi Matsuyama Production Designer
Shojiro Motoki Producer
Shinobu Muraki Production Designer
Yoshiro Muraki Production Designer
Asakazu Nakai Cinematographer
Hideo Oguni Screenwriter
Yoshio Sugino Stunts
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Scene Index

Disc #1 -- Seven Samurai: The Film, Pt. 1
1. Main Titles [3:09]
2. "Is There No God to Protect Us?" [7:17]
3. Shopping for Samurai [6:41]
4. Death of a Thief [7:49]
5. A Master and His Disciples [7:58]
6. Samurai Auditions, Part I [7:34]
7. Samurai Auditions, Part II [9:20]
8. The Seventh Samurai [11:20]
9. Frightened Village [8:33]
10. False Alarm [4:29]
11. Making Plans [8:24]
12. "Still a Child" [3:52]
13. Samurai Armor [7:43]
14. The Secret Garden [6:10]
15. Training [6:13]
16. Intermission [5:14]
1. A Masterpiece/Time Period [3:09]
2. The Setup/Groups [7:17]
3. Lenses/Historical Models [6:41]
4. Izu No Kamu/Modern Movie Violence [7:49]
5. Tragic View of History/Kikuchiyo [7:58]
6. Shooting and Cutting [7:34]
7. Ellipses/Zen-Like Swordsmen [9:20]
8. Toshiro Mifune/Long Shots [11:20]
9. Social Chaos/Ways of Seeing [8:33]
10. Camera Movement/Kikuchiyo and Heihachi [4:29]
11. Process [8:24]
12. Teen Romance/What Makes a Samurai? [3:52]
13. Kurosawa's Position/Intersecting Subplots [7:43]
14. Repeated Motifs/Visual Foreshadowing [6:10]
15. Anti-High Noon/A Rejected Idea [6:13]
16. Reinventing the Jidai-Geki/Influences [5:14]
1. Opening Comments [3:09]
2. Kurosawa's Shooting and Editing Techniques [7:17]
3. Kurosawa as Orchestrator [6:41]
4. Mifune's Acting Style [7:49]
5. Musical Theme [7:58]
6. The Viewer as Omniscient Observer [7:34]
7. Shots for Dramatic Effect [9:20]
8. Extremes [11:20]
9. Dynamism in Shooting [8:33]
10. Pacing [4:29]
11. Compositions of Three [8:24]
12. Coming of Age [3:52]
13. Passion Directed Just Past the Lens [7:43]
14. Samurai Film Themes [6:10]
15. Mifune's Biography [6:13]
16. (No Commentary) [5:14]
Disc #2 -- Seven Samurai: The Film, Pt. 2
1. Harvesting [3:30]
2. Night Watch [3:35]
3. Building Barricades [5:51]
4. The Scouts [7:16]
5. The Surprise Attack [7:54]
6. Funeral [2:16]
7. The First Battle [11:07]
8. Night Skirmish [7:37]
9. The Second Battle [7:47]
10. Behind the Lines [11:28]
11. That Night [13:12]
12. The Last Battle [8:57]
13. Finale [4:24]
1. Rikichi's Secret [3:30]
2. Character Formation [3:35]
3. Film Language [5:51]
4. The Unit/Mifune [7:16]
5. Soviet Sensibility [7:54]
6. Same Theme Repeated [2:16]
7. Known Tropes/Silent Roots [11:07]
8. Anonymity/Master-Disciple Relationships [7:37]
9. Heir to Eisenstein [7:47]
10. Guns/Solidarity [11:28]
11. Character/Criticism [13:12]
12. History Unfolding [8:57]
13. Elegy to Samurai Values [4:24]
1. Critical Reception of Mifune's Character [3:30]
2. Kurosawa's Mentor [3:35]
3. Kikuchiyo [5:51]
4. Kurosawa's POV Style [7:16]
5. Production History [7:54]
6. Parallells [2:16]
7. The Most Imitated Shot [11:07]
8. Kurosawa's Early Biography [7:37]
9. Kurosawa's Later Biography [7:47]
10. The One Technical Mistake [11:28]
11. The Japanese Film Industry [13:12]
12. Tension and Release [8:57]
13. Seven Samurai's Success [4:24]
1. It Was All There in the Script [3:52]
2. The Abandoned First Scene [1:35]
3. Hiring Samurai [7:23]
4. The Samurai Theme [1:51]
5. The Personalities of the Seven Samurai [11:32]
6. Capturing Light in the Eyes [1:41]
7. Problems Burning Down the Water Mill [1:48]
8. Tragedy at the Bandits' Fortress [6:11]
9. The Truth Behind the Battle in the Rain [13:10]
Disc #3 -- Seven Samurai: The Supplements
1. Childhood [5:40]
2. Painting and Illustrating [3:59]
3. Entering the Film Industry [4:17]
4. Life as an A.D. [7:19]
5. Scripts and Screenplays [5:46]
6. Toward a More Dynamic Cinema [5:13]
7. Facing the Censors [6:31]
8. Scripts, Drinks, Directors, Misinterpretations [6:49]
9. Special Exemption From the Military [5:11]
10. "Just Tell a Story" [5:28]
11. The Weight of Dostoyevsky [7:51]
12. Writing With Others [5:26]
13. A Day on the Set With Kurosawa [7:58]
14. Actors and Period Films [6:25]
15. Fumio Hayasaka [6:49]
16. Precomposed Music, Preconceived Notions [5:16]
17. Starting His Own Studio [6:39]
18. The Beauty of Free Rein [5:49]
19. "One Word at a Time" [7:16]
1. The Samurai Tradition [14:04]
2. Early Samurai Film Influences [12:23]
3. The Samurai Film Reinvented [27:52]
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Menu

Disc #1 -- Seven Samurai: The Film, Pt. 1
   Play the Movie
   Chapters
   Commentaries
      Scholars' Roundtable
         Commentary: Off
         Commentary: On
         Index
         About the Scholars
            David Desser
            Joan Mellen
            Stephen Prince
            Tony Rayns
            Donald Richie
      Michael Jeck
         Commentary: Off
         Commentary: On
         Index
   Trailers and Teaser
      Play All
      Trailer No. 1
      Trailer No. 2
      Trailer No. 3
      Teaser
   Production Gallery
      Behind the Scenes
      Posters
   Audio Options
      Monaural Soundtrack
      Dolby Surround Soundtrack
      Scholars' Roundtable Commentary
      Michael Jeck Commentary
   Subtitles
      Subtitles: On
      Subtitles: Off
   Color Bars
Disc #2 -- Seven Samurai: The Film, Pt. 2
   Play the Movie
   Chapters
   Commentaries
      Scholars' Roundtable (Continued)
         Commentary: Off
         Commentary: On
         Index
      Michael Jeck (Continued)
         Commentary: Off
         Commentary: On
         Index
   Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create
      Play
      Index
   Audio Options
      Monaural Soundtrack
      Dolby Surround Soundtrack
      Scholars' Roundtable Commentary
      Michael Jeck Commentary
   Subtitles
      Subtitles: On
      Subtitles: Off
Disc #3 -- Seven Samurai: The Supplements
   My Life in Cinema: Akira Kurosawa
      Play
      Index
   Seven Samurai: Origins and Influences
      Play
      Index
   Subtitles
      Subtitles: On
      Subtitles: Off
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Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4.5
( 45 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(38)

4 Star

(5)

3 Star

(0)

2 Star

(1)

1 Star

(1)

Your Rating:

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See All Sort by: Showing 1 – 20 of 45 Customer Reviews

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    Go buy this movie right now

    Stop reading, go buy it.

    3 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    Seven Samurai from the Eyes of a Teen

    I'm a 15 year old and I've never watched any black & white movies, or any of the classics before. I figured I'd try ''Seven Samurai'' for a change, I thought the samurai ideal was interesting anyways. I watched the movie only to be left sad at the end, I wanted more. Now that I've many of kurosawa's collection, I'm hooked and made watching these good classics as a hobby. This movie was great and will get any one hooked.

    2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted October 1, 2010

    Awesome

    This movie is by far one of the best movies I have seen and there is no other movie like it, it is truly one of a kind.

    1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    Seven Samurai

    I originally owned the DVD previously but with this i was excited with the bonus features. I truly thought it was i worth the purchase and rewatching all over again Akira Kurosawa Seven Samurai is a worth while epic

    1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted October 1, 2010

    more from this reviewer

    Timeless

    I don't want to rehash what everyone else has said. Instead, I'll just say that this film is one of the very few items I will award a 5 / 5 star rating. It's a masterpiece, and you're a fool not to watch this at least once in your lifetime. Kurosawa was a genius, as was Toshiro Mifune. There will never be talent like theirs again.

    1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    Original not letter boxed

    To the viewer who prefered the letter boxed version; the original was NOT! letter boxed so the version you "prefer" is an altered one and should not be prefered to this version.

    1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    One of the greatest films ever made.

    I finally managed to get my hands on a copy of this film, and though I rarely watch movies all the way through in one sitting, I watched all three and a half hours of this one, and then started on the commentary version. In general, I find older movies more theatrical than cinematic, and therefore less personally appealing, but when they say Kurosawa was a master of the medium, they aren't kidding. This is cinema at it's best, utilizing the unique properties of the camera. He used the camera the way a real artist knows how to use his tools, and that's a skill many film makers can't even grasp -now-. Add to this a gripping story, superb acting, and complete and total immersion in the setting, and you have a true masterpiece. I know I'm gushing, I was just so impressed. It's rare that a movie stands up to it's hype for me, and this movie has half a century of hype built up around it. As far as the dvd is concerned, it's worth the little bit of extra money. Not a lot of extras, but the commentary, recorded I believe in 1988 by an expert in Japanese cinema, is worth the extra money. Insights into Kurosawa's techniques, and into some aspects of the culture which might confuse some Americans are given. The commentary isn't needed to appreciate this film, but it enhances the experience as a good commentary often will. The DVD I rented from blockbuster seemed to have a lot of glitches in it, especially towards the middle end, and these interfered with the subtitles so that I missed some significant staements. I am not sure what to blame there. That's just something to be wary of.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted September 9, 2012

    "Seven Samurai" is one of the best movies ever made. R

    "Seven Samurai" is one of the best movies ever made. Ruined by pan and scan. Much obscene language, hex, curse, whammy, and vex, on all who mutilate art!

    0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted July 13, 2012

    This beautiful criterion edition compliments everything great ab

    This beautiful criterion edition compliments everything great about this film. Don't just buy the film, buy THIS edition. It is well worth your money.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    timeless masterpiece

    It's undoubtfully one of the best movie-making in 20th century. What's more is that 'Seven Magnificent' and all other spaghetti westerns were the product of this ingenious film. I think blade is more classier than bullet to begin with.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    Great Movie, Bad Version

    This is certainly a great movie, but the version sold on this site is not the letterbox version I have seen previously, and it really detracts from the effect of viewing the film. I would recommend getting this film, but I would also suggest making sure it is in the letterbox format.

    0 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    The best film ever made

    Kurosawa has accomplished cinematic perfection.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    Best movie

    This movie is seriously one of the movies that set the standard among any japanese movie out today. The characters in this movie have been copied and imitated in many live action and anime films. This movies director has even been hailed as one of Steven Speilberg's heros! If you have an extra 3-3.5 hours sit down and become engulfed in the atmosphere set by this film.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted April 2, 2011

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted July 24, 2009

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted April 20, 2009

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted June 5, 2009

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 15, 2008

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted May 17, 2010

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted February 11, 2009

    No text was provided for this review.

See All Sort by: Showing 1 – 20 of 45 Customer Reviews