Seven Samurai (1954)

[zen007]

Seven Samurai (1954)
Director:Akira Kurosawa
Oscars: Not applicable

A village hires Samurai to wage a battle against the bandits terrorizing the village.

• Story/Screenplay: Brilliantly written. The mission is established straight away, the search for the Samurai, the character development, resistance and training of the villagers, the battle and sacrifices. The story takes place in the late 16th century (Sengoku period), therefore, captures the class distinction between the farmers and samurai as well. (10/10)
  
• Acting: There are tons of characters ranging from brave samurai, bandits to a mix of shy, simple, and wise villagers. These characters come across nicely on the screen. The main villain could have been more menacing (much like in Sholay, which is based on this film). It is said that actors had to do multiple takes till Kurosawa was satisfied. (9/10)
  
• Cinematography: Uses of different lenses, composition, angles, lighting, deep focus, etc., are all superb. Most frames can be great photographs. (10/10)
  
• Background score: The title roles with mesmerizing drum beats. "Shichinin no samurai" is memorable. (9/10)
  
• Direction: Kurosawa has created a masterpiece. (10/10)
  
• Uniqueness/Impact: This rich and complex film has inspired films such as The Magnificent Seven (1960) and Sholay (1975). The idea of assembling a team for a mission is used in films such as Guns of Navarone (1961) too. (10/10)

Overall score: 58/60 = 97% = 9.7/10 (Great 9-10, Good 7-8, Average 5-6, Bad 3-4, Worst 1-2)





The score:

Seven Samurai (soundtrack) - YouTube

This is a film that most fans would want in 4k UHD ... Is it among your favorites? ... Samurai films like this one can be termed as Westerns equivalents (inspired films in Westerns genre), so in that respect, is Seven Samurai the greatest Western/Western equivalent film ever made?

[Lee A Stewart]

You can add Battle Beyond The Stars as another movie based on Seven Samurai

[principehomura]

Originally Posted by zen007

Is it among your favorites?

Of course it's a masterpiece, but from Kurosawa I prefer Ran and Kagemusha.

[zen007]

Talking about films based on Seven Samurai, I prefer Sholay (1975) over The Magnificent Seven (1960) as:

Sholay has arguably the best villain (Gabbar) in Westerns. Additionally has some nice action sequences + a foot-tapping background score.

In the Magnificent Seven, I do not prefer that the 7 are allowed to leave the village by Calvera. Maybe if there was a different approach. Though this one has a good score too.

[GRD43L]

Disney/Pixar's A Bug's Life (1998). Kurosawa was a great story teller.

I've been enjoying the 7S since the 80s, bought the DVD about 5(?) yrs ago. Replacing the old DVD with the 4K when the price becomes favourable...

[witheygull]

Depending on the day, Seven Samurai is always one of the top contenders for my answer to the question "What's your favorite movie?"

Originally Posted by Lee A Stewart

You can add Battle Beyond The Stars as another movie based on Seven Samurai

Also, these:

[Lee A Stewart]

[88mph]

The Mandalorian

[zen007]

9 Great Films That Seven Samurai Inspired - YouTube