Comments on: JUST WATCHED: 'Seven Samurai'

By: RaTTleR_NL

RaTTleR_NL — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 11:42:32 +0000

Seven Samurai is such a classic. A fantastic piece of cinematic art.
No wonder hollywood has used the story and the basic over and over again.

By: Paradise

Paradise — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 23:38:28 +0000

This is one of my favorite movies along with the the trilogy, Samurai I, II, III which stars Mifune and directed by Hiroshi Inagaki. I believe Samurai I won the 1955 Academy Award for Best Foreign Film.

The trilogy is available on DVD by Criterion Collection.

By: SaraMichelle

SaraMichelle — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 16:51:30 +0000

I'm so glad you're going back and watching so many of these older movies that you've never had the chance to see. It really opens your eyes to the rich and glorious history film has to offer.

As for your thoughts on SEVEN SAMURAI, it's so very hard to disagree with many of your thoughts. I think you truly nail it right on the head where it comes to Mifune. He is a force of nature in this picture, a titan of emotional barbaracy that's almost shocking to behold. His final ferocious moments are one for the ages and it is easy to see why he is widely regarded as one of the finest actors of the mid-20th Century.

I do have to say, I don't think you give enough credit to what Shimura is ble to accomplish here. He is the steady, galvanizing force that maintains order, not only amongst the samurai, but with the villagers as well. This is a hard balancing act for an actor, so when he finally does spring into action that makes what does all the more thrilling and impressive. In a film of show-stopping performances that could almost be accused of calling attention to themselves, his is one of commanding restraint and as such I think he's every bit as brilliant here as Mifune.

By: amnesiac01

amnesiac01 — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 20:03:50 +0000

I just finished watching it this morning, and I must say that I enjoyed it very much. It's rare that I enjoy "epic" movies, because I really hate it when characters are forsaken for action and pretty visuals. This is the kind of epic that I love, because you actually come to know and care about the characters, so that it actually means something when steel clashes. Kurosawa's style is what really made the movie for me, though, as managed to approach the action with the gravity and intensity that it deserved, while still keeping things entertaining. For a movie that's nearly three and a half hours long, it flies by pretty quickly. Now, I can't wait to see more Kurosawa.