THE SEVEN SAMURAI (SHICHININ NO SAMURAI)

Japan, 1954, 160 minutes (restored version 207 minutes), Black and white.
Takashi Shimura, Toshira Mifune.
Directed by Akira Kurosawa.

The Seven Samurai is considered the masterpiece of Samurai action. It is considered a classic. It had a great influence in Japanese cinema, especially with Kurosawa himself moving into a great number of Samurai films from this period including Throne of Blood, his variation on Macbeth, Yojimbo and Sanjuro which were very influential on Sergio Leone and his Fistful of Dollars films. Kurosawa is not confined to Samurai films, making such classics as Living and adaptations of Ed McBain? with High and Low. This film was made in striking black and white. In the 1970s, Kurosawa moved to colour with two Samurai films, Ran (his version of King Lear) and Kagemusha.

The plot of the film is very simple. A village in trouble hires seven Samurai to protect it from bandits. The plot has become very familiar to western audiences in the American adaptation, The Magnificent Seven.

Kurosawa is considered one of the major film directors of the 20th century.

1. This is considered a classic Samurai film. Can you understand why? Its epic scope, its dealing with Japanese legend, with the life of the people, the vastness of the events, characterizations, an insight into the events? Which were its major successful features?

2. How well communicated was the Samurai background? The role and importance of the Samurai in Japanese society? Their attitudes and arrogance? Their skill? Their violence? The contrast with the poor? Their contrast with bandits? The need for survival, the ups and downs of the Samurai's reputation? Their nobility? What insight into the Samurai did the film give?

3. Comment on the structure of the film and its success: the portrayal of the peasants' plight, the bandits' cruelty and the desperation for the peasants; the details of the search for the Samurai and the introduction to them; the Samurai as persons; the work of the Samurai and the prosperity of the village; the siege; the deaths of the Samurai and the peasants' survival.

4. How important was the contribution of the black and white photography, the locations and their atmosphere, the atmosphere of village and Samurai, the presentation of real people in close-up, the vast amount of time of the film's duration, the musical background, the sparse dialogue and the stylistic characterisations.

5. How did the film communicate the plight of the villagers - the details of their work, information about them and their crops, their fears, their meetings, the interactions for decisions, the horror of the bandits and their robbery and massacres? The audience's identifying with the ordinary plight of the poor?

6. How entertaining were the recruiting sequences? The peasants out of place in the town, searching for Samurai, searching for poor Samurai? Their amazement at Samurai's skills? The individual Samurai - what characterised them, what communicated their individuality to the audiences? How was this done in incident and detail?

7. How important was Kikuchyo? As a focus for the Samurai, as a peasant, his following the Samurai and his determination, his craziness and ambitions? Did his humour add to the film? How did he contrast with Samurai ideals and how did he achieve them? The possibility of audiences identifying with him?

8. The impact of the Samurai's contribution to village life, the details of the defences, the possibilities of the villagers growing their crops? The interaction of Samurai and villagers, fear, co-operation, the love story? was this convincing? What insight into human behaviour and interaction and trust did these sequences give?

9. The importance of the battles for the film? As a Samurai film? Samurai skill? The details of the battles?

10. What judgment did the film make about the outcome of the battles - those who remained alive, the reality of deaths, the heroism in dying for others, the peasants remaining alive with their land? What did the Samurai have? What insight into heroism did the film give?

11. What overall impression of skilfulness in film-making did this film give?