Seven Samurai (1954) ✦ Full-Length Watchalong Reaction
Added 2025-06-29 18:45:02 +0000 UTCMy first Kurosawa and wow! Thanks to everyone for voting for this in the Historical Epics poll.
So many good things to say about this one. Please enjoy! I'm looking forward to your comments. [Direct link here.]
✦ KL
Comments
Yeah I do think I missed seeing him originally. Probably felt he wasn't an important character when we first saw him.
kaiielle
2025-07-01 14:59:21 +0000 UTCFinally finished this -- I started it yesterday when it went up and made it to the intermission, and then I had to leave for my sister's birthday dinner, and then when I got home this evening, a different request showed up, so I actually watched a movie in the middle of the intermission. I only have a very basic understanding of samurai, but some historical backstory: samurai were the elite guard of Japan's lords during feudal times. Much like contemporary American police and military, they were sometimes used to oppress civilians, like farmers. During the period in which Seven Samurai is set, power was constantly changing hands in Japan as various clans fought to take control. When a lord fell out of power or was killed, if the samurai could not find another lord to pledge his allegiance to, they would essentially become mercenaries, called ronin. Class distinction was a big deal in that period, and even when samurai became ronin they would stick to it, with the samurai viewing themselves as a higher class above farmers. As such, it was considered forbidden for samurai to take on menial labor jobs in order to make money, resulting in many ronin becoming bandits, just like the ones in the movie. With this context, you can see why the farmers were so scared of and intimidated by the samurai. (One other little detail is that the topknot is a hugely important symbol in the samurai world; Kambei shaving his head in order to save that kid is not just brave, it is also shockingly selfless.) One thing I am not sure you totally picked up on was that we actually meet Kikuchiyo almost at the start. He enters the movie when Kambei is taking out the thief, pushing through the crowd and pulling up a seat as close as possible, and then he follows Kambei and Katsushirō on the road between towns, and angrily throws a rock in the river when Kambei rebuffs him. It is probably because Kambei rebuffs him that he then gets drunk and crashes into their lodgings and waves his supposed family tree in their face. Toshiro Mifune, who played Kikuchiyo, was widely considered one of the greatest actors in movie history, and worked with Kurosawa on no less than 16 films. He would eventually cross over into Hollywood and appear in some American movies as well.
Tyler Foster
2025-07-01 06:28:41 +0000 UTCLove that the influence goes in a circle!
kaiielle
2025-06-30 00:13:39 +0000 UTC“Seven Samurai” is my personal favorite Akira Kurosawa film but you really can’t go wrong with any of his movies. “Rashomon” has been copied so many times (even in an episode of “Happy Days”) that it’s almost become a movie trope in and of itself (stories told from differing perspectives). “Yojimbo” was remade as “A Fistful of Dollars” (and, of course, Samurai was remade as “The Magnificent Seven”). “Yojimbo” was also loosely based on Dashiell Hammett’s “Red Harvest” and, in addition to “A Fistful of Dollars” was later remade as “Last Man Standing” starring Bruce Willis. “High and Low” was based on one of Ed McBain’s 87th Precinct novels. “The Hidden Fortress” was a HUGE influence on “Star Wars” (who are we kidding, George Lucas ripped it off). And “Throne of Blood” is a masterful adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Macbeth.” All in all, Kurosawa was heavily influenced by Western culture and literature and he, in turn, made a big impact on Western culture. And, in my opinion, both cultures are better off for the cross-pollination he provided. He was an absolute genius and belongs on any Mt. Rushmore of great filmmakers anyone could devise (he and Hitchcock should both be unanimously selected for such an honor, IMO).
Just Plain Bob
2025-06-29 22:11:37 +0000 UTC
