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Seven Samurai (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]
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Genre | Action & Adventure |
Format | Mono, Special Edition, Blu-ray, NTSC, Black & White, Full Screen, Subtitled |
Contributor | Noriko Sengoku, Eijiro Tono, Haruo Nakajima, Fumiko Homma, Isao Yamagata, Daisuke Kato, Ko (Isao) Kimura, Shojiro Motoki, Yoshio Inaba, Atsushi Watanabe, Gen Shimizu, Yoshio Kosugi, Senkichi Omura, Isao Kimura, Takashi Shimura, Yoshio Tsuchiya, Akira Kurosawa, Toshiro Mifune, Kokuten Kodo, Kamatari Fujiwara, Sojin Jr., Kuninori Kodo, Ichiro Chiba, Keiji Sakakida, Kichijiro Ueda, Bokuzen Hidari, Minoru Chiaki, Jiro Kumagai, Ko Kimura, Seiji Miyaguchi, Toranosuke Ogawa See more |
Language | Japanese, English |
Runtime | 3 hours and 27 minutes |
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From the manufacturer
Criterion's best-selling edition of Akira Kurosawa's masterpiece
"The source of a genre that would flow through the rest of the century." -Roger Ebert
One of the most thrilling movie epics of all time, Seven Samurai (Shichinin no samurai) tells the story of a sixteenth-century village whose desperate inhabitants hire the eponymous warriors to protect them from invading bandits. This three-hour ride from Akira Kurosawa—featuring legendary actors Toshiro Mifune and Takashi Shimura—seamlessly weaves philosophy and entertainment, delicate human emotions and relentless action, into a rich, evocative, and unforgettable tale of courage and hope.
Special Edition Features
- New, restored high-definition digital transfer, with the original uncompressed monaural soundtrack
- Two audio commentaries
- Fifty-minute documentary on the making of Seven Samurai
- And more!
Product Description
Product Description
One of the most thrilling movie epics of all time, Seven Samurai (Shichinin no samurai) tells the story of a sixteenth-century village whose desperate inhabitants hire the eponymous warriors to protect them from invading bandits. This three-hour ride from Akira Kurosawa—featuring legendary actors Toshiro Mifune and Takashi Shimura—seamlessly weaves philosophy and entertainment, delicate human emotions and relentless action, into a rich, evocative, and unforgettable tale of courage and hope.
TWO-BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES
- New, restored high-definition digital transfer, with the original uncompressed monaural soundtrack and an optional DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
- Two audio commentaries, one featuring film scholars David Desser, Joan Mellen, Stephen Prince, Tony Rayns, and Donald Richie, and the other Japanese film expert Michael Jeck
- Fifty-minute documentary on the making of Seven Samurai, created as part of the Toho Masterworks series Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create
- My Life in Cinema, a two-hour video conversation from 1993 between directors Akira Kurosawa and Nagisa Oshima
- “Seven Samurai”: Origins and Influences, a documentary looking at the samurai traditions and films that helped shape Kurosawa's masterpiece
- Theatrical trailers and teaser
- Gallery of rare posters, behind-the scenes photos, and production stills
- New and improved English subtitle translation
- PLUS: Essays by Kenneth Turan, Peter Cowie, Philip Kemp, Peggy Chiao, Alain Silver, Stuart Galbraith, Arthur Penn, and Sidney Lumet and an interview with Toshiro Mifune from 1993
Amazon.com
Unanimously hailed as one of the greatest masterpieces in the history of the motion picture, Seven Samurai has inspired countless films modeled after its basic premise. But Akira Kurosawa's classic 1954 action drama has never been surpassed in terms of sheer power of emotion, kinetic energy, and dynamic character development. The story is set in the 1600s, when the residents of a small Japanese village are seeking protection against repeated attacks by a band of marauding thieves. Offering mere handfuls of rice as payment, they hire seven unemployed "ronin" (masterless samurai), including a boastful swordsman (Toshiro Mifune) who is actually a farmer's son desperately seeking glory and acceptance. The samurai get acquainted with but remain distant from the villagers, knowing that their assignment may prove to be fatal. The climactic battle with the raiding thieves remains one of the most breathtaking sequences ever filmed. It's poetry in hyperactive motion and one of Kurosawa's crowning cinematic achievements. This is not a film that can be well served by any synopsis; it must be seen to be appreciated (accept nothing less than its complete 203-minute version) and belongs on the short list of any definitive home-video library. --Jeff Shannon
Product details
- Aspect Ratio : 1.33:1
- Is Discontinued By Manufacturer : No
- MPAA rating : Unrated (Not Rated)
- Product Dimensions : 0.7 x 7.5 x 5.4 inches; 5.92 ounces
- Item model number : CTIN1877
- Director : Akira Kurosawa
- Media Format : Mono, Special Edition, Blu-ray, NTSC, Black & White, Full Screen, Subtitled
- Run time : 3 hours and 27 minutes
- Release date : October 19, 2010
- Actors : Ko (Isao) Kimura, Toshiro Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Yoshio Inaba, Seiji Miyaguchi
- Subtitles: : English
- Producers : Shojiro Motoki
- Language : Japanese (PCM)
- Studio : Criterion Collection
- ASIN : B003KGBISY
- Country of Origin : USA
- Number of discs : 2
- Best Sellers Rank: #676 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
- #124 in Action & Adventure Blu-ray Discs
- Customer Reviews:
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perfect film to get into japanese cinema
Zach Snyder
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The 1954 film is considered one of the most influential and best films on all time that has a lasting impact that has stood the test of time as well leaving an indelible mark on the entertainment world, but the film more than a excellently written story full of Samurai, action and drama as it deals with heavier topics than that as the Seven Samurai takes place in 1587 during the "Warring States Period". Since before the Ōnin War (1467-1477) the Ashikaga Shogunate was in decline as Japan had erupted into a continuous civil war as lords fought for power. By then 1587 Japan was in total chaos which caused the rise of ruthless warlords, bandits, wondering Ronin (Samurai warriors without masters) rape, pillaging, death and class conflict which Kurosawa showcases in the Seven Samurai. The great script co-written by Kurosawa starts out in a small farming village in the mountains. The citizens of the village learn of a band of bandits plan to raid their village when their harvest is complete later in the year and take all the harvest and food they had worked so hard on during the year. Some of the villagers want to search for and hire some Ronin samurai, but others don't want outsiders like the samurai in the village and would rather appease the bandits, and even if they agreed to hire some samurai how could they pay them. The village was just some poor mountain farming village with nothing of real value to the likes of samurai. The village elder Gisaku (Kokuten Kodo) makes a decision to hire some Ronin Samurai, but only to "find hungry samurai." as the elder puts it. A small group of villagers goes in search of some hungry samurai, but get turned away again and again at every village and town they travel to until they meet the samurai Kambei Shimada (Takashi Shimura) a veteran and battle hardened samurai. It takes the villagers some time, but they manage to convince Shimada to help them and Shimada and the villagers go about recruiting other samurai for the mission. Shimada brings together a rag tag team of five other samurai along with the wannabe Kikuchiyo (Toshiro Mifune).
The samurai team and villagers travel back to their village, but are not hailed as heroes and saviors and instead looked upon with distrust and suspicion. The villagers are wary of the samurai who they believe will eat what little foot they have left, sleep with their daughters and even take what they want like they bandits will who the villagers have hired the samurai to protect them from. The situation quickly worsens when the samurai learn that the villagers have robbed and killed other wondering Ronin, but it is Kikuchiyo who understands the villagers plight and puts his comrades in place explaining that the villagers have suffered so many hardships because of the noble and warrior classes that the villagers have been forced to do what they have to survive. Shimada and his fellow samurai come to a truce and begin to prepare for the coming raid of the bandits and through this begin to understand and even respect each other. When the bandits come the samurai and villagers are ready as they battle each other for two days and nights until the samurai and villagers manage to defeat the bandits, but at a high price for the samurai, for only three have survived in Kambei Shimada, Katsushirō Okamoto (Isao Kimura) and Shichirōji (Daisuke Katō). With their mission complete the three remaining samurai begin to leave the village with little or nothing to show for it and losing their friends and comrades, but Shimada and the three stop and look down at the village and the villagers who have gone back to their farming ways as if nothing has happened and then at the graves of their fallen comrades and says "Again we are defeated. The winners are those farmers. Not us."
It is a fitting end to the Seven Samurai. The story is beautifully written and put to film, but admittedly when I first saw the Seven Samurai on AMC at the age of fourteen I didn't understand or know exactly what was going on. In school history classes didn't teach much about Japanese history outside of World War II, so all I had to go on was what I saw in films and anime. Still that didn't keep me from falling in love with the film. Who doesn't love samurai and a film about them along with action and killing? That along with the story made this one of my favorite films of all time and eventually made the Seven Samurai the greatest film of all time or at least in my opinion. With age came better knowledge and understanding of the film and the themes in it. Kurosawa's story does an exceptional job of showing off the tumultuous time period in Japanese history and the class conflict that came to life because of it. The lower class and poor felt betrayed, used and abandoned by the nobles and upper class of Japan as they used them for soldiers, taking their crops and taxing them with getting little or nothing in return yet Kurosawa's story also wonderfully display's their misconceptions on both the villagers and samurai's sides as well as showing both are human also. The lasting legacy from the Seven Samurai story in that it is the first film and one of the first stories about bringing together a group of men or women for a mission, and films and filmmakers have been using that concept since in the likes of The Dirty Dozen, Ocean's Eleven, The Guns of Navarone, A Bugs Life, Ronin and countless others. I guess I should point out a flaw with the story, which is extremely hard to find, but if there was one thing I could find is that the film is long at a running time of over three hours and methodically paced and I could see how some people might not like this style of filmmaking. I guess that is a flaw for some, but it isn't for me as the length and pace of the film didn't bother me at all.
While the story was excellent, it would not have been so good without the remarkable acting by the Japanese cast. Takashi Shimura was outstanding as Kambei Shimada the wise leader as did Daisuke Katō who played Shichirōji another veteran samurai and Shimada's friend and lieutenant. Katō easily showcased his wonderful acting ability especially at the end of the film when he figured out he the war torn and battle hardened samurai had survived while all his younger comrades had perished. You could just tell from his display of emotion that he would have preferred to die in their place and to be honest I think he wanted to and maybe expected to die. Keiko Tsushima does a splendid acting job as Shino the daughter of a villager who falls in love with Katsushirō (Isao Kimura). Perhaps the backbone of the cast is Toshiro Mifune who played Kikuchiyo. Kikuchiyo is a would be samurai from a common birth who dreams of coming a samurai. Kikuchiyo is a lively and temperamental man who while wanting to become a samurai he also has come from the lower class and understands their plight. Mifune brilliantly brings his character to life and is perhaps the best all-around character in the film and that is lofty praise since all the characters are well written and all the actors and actresses to a tremendous job in their roles.
With his direction of the Seven Samurai, Akira Kurosawa demonstrates the epitome of filmmaking. In the Seven Samurai Kurosawa shows growth is his directorial leadership, writing and organization from his earlier films such as Ikiru, The Quiet Duel and Rashomon. Akira Kurosawa helped write a unique and original story demonstrated his craft and leadership as he brought the story, actors, music and cinematography together perfectly to create an artistic masterpiece. With the Seven Samurai, Kurosawa truly put his stamp on filmmaking for generations to come.
What more can be said about the Seven Samurai besides near that it is near perfection in filmmaking, but the Seven Samurai is more than that as it showcased a tumultuous Japan and the class conflict it brought with it along with an excellent and original story with compelling characters, beautiful cinematography and wonderfully choreographed action. People were captivated by the samurai of Japan before the Seven Samurai, but with the Kurosawa's Seven Samurai the samurai and their way of life were brought to the eyes of the world and the growing film audience in the United States and around the world. That is just one of many things that came out of the film along with the other points I talked about earlier, like the influence of the story as well as directing and filmmaking. I know the Seven Samurai is one the most beloved films of all time, but for me it is the greatest film of all time, and if the Kurosawa had never made the film I don't think we would have films like Star Wars, The Dirty Dozen, The Wild Bunch and The 13th Warrior, or at very least they would be very different from the films we have today. I without a doubt highly recommend the Seven Samurai, and is a must if you are a true fan of movies and the filmmaking process.
In this original story, the filmmaker and his colleagues present to us the epic saga of a village and its preparation against the upcoming raid that a group of 30 brigands is planning on their community after the harvest period. As the villagers learned of that project without the brigands being aware of it, and as the harvest’s aftermath will be in many months, the villagers do everything they can to prepare themselves to this crisis. Engaging by themselves and with their own resources a team of 7 samurais. Who shall train them & prepare their defense strategy until the confrontation.
Of the seven Samurai, each has different personalities, principles, ages, qualities and flaws. One of them a particular force of nature. Kikuchiyo. The most colourful and comical of the lot. Bold and sometimes independent, the perfect role for Toshiro Mifune. Latter who said this character was one of the most enjoyable roles he ever played. A very rich personality with lots of layers regarding his life story that we learn through subtle moments. Same things for other companions like Kambei Shimada, who leads the group and rejoins with friends like Shichiroji. Many of them individuals portrayed by notable collaborators from Kurosawa movies. Like Takashi Shimura, who worked on masterpieces like Ikiru, Daisuke Kato on Rashomon, and Minoru Chiaki in The Hidden Fortress.
However, for the antagonists, they are not further explored. Never do we learn who they are nor their life baggage. They are just brigands whose interests are to rob that sixteenth-century village and its precious crops. Though by this lack of antagonist perspective, they remain more frightening and mysterious to the audience. More dreading as the story evolves and the battle looms closer.
Now though Seven Samurai could have been told in two hours, Akira Kurosawa took the incredible initiative of presenting a 207 minutes production. Following all the trials of these villagers as they meet in villages and ask samurais for help. Getting either scorn from certain arrogant ones or sympathy from those interested to join. Then we progress toward the training and clashes between the samurais.
Separated in two parts by an intermission segment, the film sets the first part as the preparation for the showdown and the second part as the showdown itself.
So for me, I decided to watch the movie for two days. One day for each part. And that initiative pleased me as it allowed me to properly digest the content of that movie and its participants. Letting them all bubble in my heart as I could there appreciate further the beauty of that story. Alongside its incredible tension as to who will survive or die after the battle. For indeed, some of the samurais and the villagers will pass away during this battle. But as to who it will be, that is up to you to find out. And for that, you need to see this operatic saga filmed on natural locations. Where Akira Kurosawa recreated a typical sixteenth-century village. And filmed his production for over six months. With multiple cameras filming simultaneously during a scene. Organized through certain seasons, Akira Kurosawa and his team did a superb work capturing the lives of these characters. Some scenes done under cold and rainy weather; as many cast and crew members reported in interviews. Many of them available in the special features of that motion picture’s Criterion Collection release.
A beautiful HD release as the image quality is excellent, respecting the original intents of the director and his cinematographer Asakazu Nakai. Interestingly, we are told in the Blu-Ray’s leaflet (page 52) that as the original negative remains unavailable, the restoration was done with a duplicate negative created with the original fine-grain master positive. A situation that is quite interesting for those who love to follow the procedures of movie restorations. And I am pleased by the excellent image quality. Same thing for the sound work as we can enjoy better the amazing music Fumio Hayasaka composed. A partition that displays the tensions in the village’s trials and how it evolves thanks to the samurais’ presence.
How before these warriors’ arrival, the village was in despair and morbid. But due to the Seven Samurai, life returns in that community and the villagers become stronger. Ready to fight the enemy. Making this story an ode about the power of positive actions/persons that help communities. An ode to life.
But also a jewel of cinema that influenced other artists, such as Sergio Leone, Peter Jackson, and John Sturges’s The Magnificent Seven. Adaptation itself of Kurosawa’s classic.
Top reviews from other countries
In this DVD, both image and sound quality are excellent. As usual with Criterion, bonuses are abundant. They include for instance a very long TV interview with Akiro Kurosawa, the filmmaker, shot a short time before he passed away.