Seven Samurai Full Movie Download
Akira Kurosawa's "Seven Samurai" (1954) is not only agreat film in its own right, but the source of a genre that would flow throughthe rest of the century. The critic Michael Jeck suggests that this was thefirst film in which a team is assembled to carry out a mission--an idea whichgave birth to its direct Hollywood remake, "The Magnificent Seven,"as well as "The Guns of Navarone," "The Dirty Dozen" andcountless later war, heist and caper movies. Since Kurosawa's samurai adventure"Yojimbo" (1960) was remade as "A Fistful of Dollars" andessentially created the spaghetti Western, and since this movie and Kurosawa's"The Hidden Fortress" inspired George Lucas' "Star Wars"series, it could be argued that this greatest of filmmakers gave employment toaction heroes for the next 50 years, just as a fallout from his primarypurpose.
Seven Samurai Full Movie Download
Thatpurpose was to make a samurai movie that was anchored in ancient Japaneseculture and yet argued for a flexible humanism in place of rigid traditions.One of the central truths of "Seven Samurai" is that the samurai andthe villagers who hire them are of different castes and must never mix. Indeed,we learn that these villagers had earlier been hostile to samurai--and one ofthem, even now, hysterically fears that a samurai will make off with hisdaughter. Yet the bandits represent a greater threat, and so the samurai arehired, valued and resented in about equal measure.
Thatbureaucrat was played by Takashi Shimura--who, incredibly, also plays Kambei,the leader of the seven samurai. He looks old and withered in the 1952 picture,tough and weathered in this one. Kurosawa was loyal to his longtimecollaborators, and used either Shimura, Mifune, or often both of them, in everymovie he made for 18 years.
Repeatedviewings of "Seven Samurai" reveal visual patterns. Consider theirony, for example, in two sequences that bookend the first battle with thebandits. In the first, the villagers have heard the bandits are coming, andrush around in panic. Kambei orders his samurai to calm and contain them, andthe ronin run from one group to the next (the villagers always run in groups,not individually) to herd them into cover. Later, after the bandits have beenrepulsed, a wounded bandit falls in the village square, and now the villagersrush forward with delayed bravery to kill him. This time, the samurai hurryabout pushing them back. Mirrored scenes like that can be found throughout themovie.
Manycharacters die in "Seven Samurai," but violence and action are notthe point of the movie. It is more about duty and social roles. The samurai atthe end have lost four of their seven, yet there are no complaints, becausethat is the samurai's lot. The villagers do not much want the samurai aroundonce the bandits are gone, because armed men are a threat to order. That is thenature of society. The samurai who fell in love with the local girl is usedsignificantly in the composition of the final shots. First he is seen with hiscolleagues. Then with the girl. Then in an uncommitted place not with the samurai,but somehow of them. Here you can see two genres at war: The samurai movie andthe Western with which Kurosawa was quite familiar. Should the hero get thegirl? Japanese audiences in 1954 would have said no. Kurosawa spent the next 40years arguing against the theory that the individual should be the instrumentof society.
Akira Kurosawa was and is considered the master of east-western film-making (in that he made his Japanese films accessible for fans of American westerns while still making the movies his country found popular), and out of the few Kurosawa movies I've had the pleasure of viewing (Hidden Fortress, Rashomon, and this) I'd have to say that while Rashomon is still my favorite, I nevertheless had a blast during this one. The story has become quite influential to filmmakers from the likes of John Sturges (The Magnificent Seven) to John Lasseter (A Bug's Life): a small village has been terrorized by bandits for far too long, amid times of civil war in the nation, and so on the advice of Grand-Dad, they decide to hire four - which soon becomes seven - samurai for the job. There's no money, just food and honor, even though the village isn't exactly pleased to have samurai back in their village. Each character is drawn and executed compellingly, though for my money Toshiro Mifune proves why he became one of Japan's most notorious film actors. His work as the brave, bold outcast of the seven is awe-inspiring practically all the way through, like the hero of a western that anyone can root for since he's a true rebel at heart within a group of men with a task at hand. Kurosawa directs his tale and main and supporting players like a grand composer, orchestrating a vivid story and extracting from great actors like Takashi Shimura (the old, wise Samurai), Ko Kimura (the disciple Samurai), Daisuke Kato (Schichiroji), and Mifune (Kikuchiyo, which isn't his real name) just the right touches of humanity, humor, tragedy, romance, and intensity. The overall intensity, by the way, isn't over-estimated; its long length (almost 3 1/2 hours) isn't distracting in the slightest since Kurosawa's editing and photography (the later helmed by Asakazu Nakai) are extraordinary. Not to compare the two films, but one thing I saw in common with Seven Samurai and a Lord of the Rings film is that, if anything else, it definitely isn't a boring experience. Along with a score by Fumio Hayasaka that gives the film just a bit more of a pulse, and a showdown that is relentless with excitement, this is one of the must-see action films for film buffs, or anyone with an serious interest in having fun with an epic.
While this movie is probably the most widely recognized film of the director Kurosawa, it isn't my personal favorite--though it's close. But considering how many wonderful films he made and how this movie sparked the Magnificent Seven films, its impact and importance can't be ignored. And I would have to say that it deserves all the attention--it's just too bad that other films like YOJIMBO, SANJURO and THE BAD SLEEP WELL just haven't gotten all the attention this film has. Actually, it['s strange that I am getting around to reviewing this film now--as I have seen it several times and thought I'd already reviewed it.The film begins in the feudal period in Japan in a small town that is being terrorized by a gang. These thugs periodically come to strip the people of what little they have as well as their dignity--much like locusts. Eventually, the gang's demands are so extreme that it appears they have no choice but to fight back when they next return--otherwise they face starvation. The problem is that these are simple peasants and they haven't got a prayer against Ronin (i.e., samurai who have no master). Eventually, townspeople get the idea to bring in some of their own Ronin to fight against the evil gang. At this point, the film concentrates on the seven men--who they are, their motivations, etc. It is here that the film really excels. In fact, probably the least exciting portion of the film is the eventual battle between the forces.An excellent character study and a film with so much to love--great acting, direction and a dandy and exciting script.
This Japanese samurai film from Akira Kurosawa sets up a classic action template that would inspire everything from THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN to THE SEVEN MAGNIFICENT GLADIATORS and utilises the style of camera-work and direction that would inspire Hollywood movies till this day. Be warned, at three hours and ten minutes, this is a leisurely-paced film that takes its time to get to know the leading characters, and many fans of the type of slickly-edited, no-attention-span blockbusters that are made these days will find themselves struggling to sit through the film in one go. However, perseverance is worthwhile, because SEVEN SAMURAI is a very well made film despite the low budget. The direction and camera-work, as mentioned previously, are spot on and Kurosawa reveals himself at home both in the crisply-shot action sequences and the character-fuelled drama.Another big plus for the film is the cast, all of whom really add to the movie experience as a whole. Best of all is Takashi Shimura as Shimada, the chief samurai; taciturn yet friendly, strong yet understanding, he gives an outstanding performance. Shimada's character is off-set by Toshiro Mifune's Kikuchiyo, who has more of a scene-stealing part as a farmer's-son-turned-samurai; Mifune brings vitality and humour to the movie and, while I'm sure his gurning and frenzied comedy will not be to all tastes, he certainly ups the excitement and fun of the film whenever he's around. The supporting characters are also great, especially the stern Kyuzo and the youngster of the seven, Katsushiro.The plot is simple yet is strong enough to have been rehashed countless times. Elements of battle tactics and warfare are used sparingly but effectively, and the emotional punch is there; at the closing scenes, I felt like crying right along with Katsushiro, due to all the unnecessary bloodshed and killing that immediately preceded that moment. SEVEN SAMURAI is best experienced by watching it appreciatively; of course it looks dated nowadays, and many of the plot elements have become clichéd. Appreciating what it did to cinema in 1954, though, reveals what a strong, expertly-made and influential movie it really is.
Writer-director Christopher McQuarrie (One Shot) is set to produce, write, and direct Rubicon, a multi-platform remake of Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai. According to Deadline, the property is intended to be turned into a movie, graphic novel, and videogame. For those unfamiliar with Kurosawa's masterpiece, the story focuses on a group of ronin hired by hapless villagers to defend against bandits. Rubicon will recast the samurai as Navy SEALs in Afghanistan fighting against the Taliban. I can get on board with a Seven Samurai remake that lifts the premise and puts it into a new setting, and Rubicon's set-up sounds like it could be a solid movie/graphic novel/video game.