Back around 1970, I was 16 years old, and me and a friend had gone to watch The Beatles' "Yellow Submarine". Before the movie they showed a trailer for "7 Samurai". We were just kids and Japanese, Black and White, hmmmm "it does look pretty cool though". For some reason it hadn't been shown in Denmark until then. So when it came up we went to see it, and afterwards as we were leaving , I asked my friend "what do you think ?", and he said "I think it's the best movie I've ever seen", and I could only say "I believe you're right". I'm 70 now and to this day it remains my number 1 favourite of all time. A timeless masterpiece. A true work of art in all aspects.
Seven Samurai also show it's greatness because it is one of the very few three hour movies that does not feel padded and scenes do not go on and on and....etc. I bought the film after seeing it for the first time. As you say, a person can watch it over and over again, and still find new things and be entertained.
I saw this masterpiece years ago late at night. I was committed to staying with it despite the long running time and having to get up early in the morning. What stood out to me was the rich character development coupled with the ever growing tension and excitement of knowing that good and evil will inevitably clash. Despite its dated appearance to some, it is an incredible film and well worth your focus.
Kurosawa films aren't about good vs. evil generally (maybe the Shakespeare adaptations), the samurai aren't really 'good' at all, Mifune's dramatic peak early in the movie tells you this, it's kind of hard to miss
@@helvete_ingres4717 Yes I see your point. Very well said. I believe when I commented I had in mind the timid townspeople more so than the samurai. Interesting all around! Regards.
My favorite part is right at the very end, all the peasants are singing and back to farming, living in their new idyllic paradise free from the torments of the bandits, while the 3 remaining samurai look on stone-faced, 'This victory is for the peasants. not for us' as the camera pans up to end on the 4 samurai sword grave mounds, silhouetted against the sky.
i cry every time i watch the scene where the samurai just arrived at the village and no one would come out to greet them, and than kikuchiyo did the false alarm thing.. all the villager panicked and the samurai just ran out to saved them... without knowing anything... that just get me.. they are trained elite warriors given a high risk test which essentially just for thank you and a pat on the back
I agree. Seven Samurai is hand's down the greatest film. And thank you for acknowledging Takashi Shimura. I always felt Mifune represented the daring, strong, fool-hardy young upstarts that every aging man wishes he could be. Shimura represented the world-weary, down-to-earth man that is the reality for aging men. Watch the two of them together in Stray Dog.
I loved Toshiro Mifune’s performance and his character, he’s wasn’t born a Samurai, only a Peasant who had been through hardships while having a personality. He shows he is not your typical Warrior who has Strong Discipline and Knowledge, but someone we could relate to!
After Japan lost World War II, the Allied Powers banned films and plays about martial arts and the samurai. With the conclusion of the Treaty of SaFrancis in 1951, the ban was lifted, and Seven Samurai was planned, produced and performed. "All the men in this film have military experience." Therefore, it is a generation that is used to handling swords and bows and has always been familiar with them. I used to wear kimono everyday. In the army, kobudo would have been familiar. So all works are genuine. It can be said that it is close to a samurai. Also, the nobushi who ride horses are from the cavalry.
I first seen this movie when I was only a kid. Been from Ireland I did not understand Japanese. But that didn't matter too me I enjoyed it even more. Still watch it when it's on TV.
Saw your video title and had to upvote it without even watching a second of it. Thanks for spreading the word. I first watched SS in the '70s at a retro theater, and have rewatched it at least once each decade since. It gets better every time, and means something different, too.
Thank you for this. I had heard about this film with a touch of skepticism for my whole adult life. So I finally watched it, and now I've seen it maybe 50 times. I'm always blown away by the choreography of the editing.
Kurosawa takes a short moment to establish the relationship between Takashi Shimura as Kambei and Daisuke Katō as Shichirōji - friends and fellow soldiers who were lucky to survive being on the losing side of their last battle. The final bandit is killed and the battle is over, Kambei remarks to Shichirōji, "Again - we’ve survived." Always lands like a hammer.
I was feeling down in the dumps last week, so I've been watching all Kurosawa's films again (and again); they always bring me up... watched _Seven Samurai_ yesterday, and woke up to this video - nice!
Kurosava one of my favorite directors, i wish he was alive today xd, watched seven samurai over 10 times, and still don't get bored, will watch it again soon, also make a video on mindunter please, you'll love it
definitely Kurosawa and Seven Samurai had massive impact on the filmamkers at that time.. and tarkovsky is one of them... It happens so because whenever I watch Andrei Rublev.. i always get a feel that it was heavily inspired from Seven Samurai.. the cinematic style and camerawork resonate with it.. almost feels like a tribute to Kurosawa.. but .. that was the early times of Tarkovsky.. not until later after Solaris.. he found his own style.. nevertheless.. Kurosawa is a legend and Seven Samurai will definitely inspire each generation of filmmaker.. a true masterpiece 👏
This is my all time favorite movie. I bought the criterion edition for a pretty penny about a year ago. I've probably watched it over a dozen times. Toshiro Mifune is a legend in my book
For me it's the greatest film ever made. Every single frame is crafted with the utmost passion and love for cinema. A film of stunning composition and movement, a masterful showcase of editing and camera work, and a powerful story of humanism, heroism, sacrifice and altruism. I think George Lucas said "the art of cinema is in every frame".
My favorite all-time movie, #1 on my personal top 10. I watched it at least as many times as you say, and I also always find something I missed before, the little details that escape you the first and every other times you see it
5:48 Sengoku jidai is not the end of samurai era by far. After Sengoku Jidai there was almoust 300 years of relative "peace" in Edo Jidai and then there was another samurai civil war true last stand of samurai class is in Satsuma rebellion in 1877.
5:21 You could pretty much have a history documentary "Kings and General" style tactical map showing everything that happened during the battles in this movie its so well developed.
Couldn't agree more. Rewatched it months ago to review it, but completely forgot how amazing the directing, storytelling, acting and music was. I constantly have the 7S theme in my head now. I also never considered the lighting, which just adds to the masterpiece. Great vid!
Thank you for this kind and incisive analysis to Kurosawa-San. I love his films, especially Seven Samurai. It was an incredible achievement and will always be honoured and remembered as such. Kurosawa-San once said, and I truly believe this film embodies this, “I suppose all of my films have a common theme. If I think about it, though, the only theme I can think of is really a question: Why can’t people be happier together?”
One of the great remakes of this film is the the Bollywood movie "Sholay", considered the greatest film in Bollywood history. Instead of Seven Samurai there were two outlaws, but the basic story arc is the same.
I'd say a similar film in a lot of ways and equally good is "The Lord of the Rings; The Fellowship of the Ring". It has countless every frame a painting shots, smart and limited use of new tech like CGI, and the greatest rewatchability of any film I've ever watched. Just recently on my last rewatch, I noticed a new detail about Boromir when he's talking with Aragorn in Lothlorien. You can see on his dirty face a clean line from his eye down to his chin. It really shows you the weight and pathos he's carrying without showing him straight up crying in front of Aragorn and us, the audience. Which also would be worse and out of his character.
Thank you for this video! Watched the Criterion BluRay recently and it was very clean, but rather soft like a typical 16mm print would have been (seen many in black and white Academy back in the 1970s). I'm sure that the original negative would have been pin sharp. I was always wondering why the shutter angle was so narrow. Most scenes have a strobe-like motion rendering and I can't believe that this was always desired. Might have been the strong daylight combined with fast film stock. Then again: to achieve deep focus one needs to close the aperture. So my speculation: either the lenses couldn't be stopped down that much, or the lenses caused too much haze through diffraction when stopped down that much - and ND filters weren't available. Being a foreign film (for US viewers), it is more demanding to watch: you have to read subtitles and "translate" the expressive Japanese acting. It's worth it. The two opposites Mifune and Shimura (the hot headed, rough, eager, hyperactive and the wise, tired seen-it-all respectively) are perfection.
Excellent analysis, especially in the allusion to the balance between the two lead actors, Mifune and Shimura. Mifune is a constant source of tension, but Shimura grounds the film with his character's calm competence and wisdom. He cares about people without much regard to social class, and his friendships are deep. And in contrast with Mifune's character, he has nothing to prove; he knows his status and his worth. He values peace because he knows war. If you want to know who the best film actor who ever lived was, watch this film and then "Ikiru" soon after, and get back to me. : )
@@inyobill Well, he was in "Godzilla," which is something Mifune could never say, so there's that. But seriously he was an actor's actor and I wonder if you can achieve so consistently at that stratospheric level for so long without understanding how good you are. When every moment you're on screen is intensely believable, no matter what the role, that's something special. I hope he knew. I do hope so.
Can you watch a movie again and again without getting bored? Yes, for me it's Godfather. My favourite movie of all time since i was like 8 when i've seen it first time. I've seen it more than 50 times and it's tradition for me and my wife to watch Godfather 1, 2 and 3 in every day of Christmas. End of november is always "i can't wait to see Godfather again", but i stick to our tradition, as watching such good movies too often takes some small part of fun, at least for me. So once a year is perfect.
I just finished watcing this movie on tv. It was an amazing experience and i enjoyed it very much. The fight scenes were brutal and quick unlike the flashy pointless sword dancing in Hollywood movies. Amazing movie overall and i immediately thought of the magnificent seven and if it was inspired by this film.
I am a Japanese and a movie fan. When I saw the title of this video, I thought it would just be about your y subjective thoughts on "Seven Samurai," but it was very meaningful, as if I had just taken a class on film studies.
You comment at 6:18: "...from the first shots of Samurai silhouetted against a sky coming over the hill...". My understanding is that those are bandits coming to raid the village. I don't think those were Samurai. I agree this is one of the greatest films of all time.
I edit myself into movies and TV shows with green screen and “Seven Samurai” looks pretty cool. I’m thinking of editing myself into this movie!!! Any movie suggestions would be great!!!
I'd have to say that I've seen roughly 10,000 fils in my lifetime and yeah, you guessed it, Kurosawa is my fav director of all time. He's got 3 in my top 30. Ran being my fav film of all time, Yojimbo being #5 and Seven Samurai being #23 at this point of course if a masterpiece film comes along to me, that list might change as all lists do. At any rate, wow I gotta disagree 100% with Wolfcrow here as to what makes a great film? There are 2 things on his list that rings true. Technical Artistry? Perhaps he is referring to the "technical cinematography" which is better terminology, but that's not what makes a film great. Most people don't go into watching a film for its technical brilliance. Most people don't go into watching a film for its "art" either. Granted, both are HUGE plusses should they occur in the film, but they are not necessities for a film to be great. Fight Club, American History X, Children of Heaven, Spotlight, etc which all made IMDB top charting films of all time are famous for their stories and not by any means for their Technical Artistry and Art. Now, what makes a great film and or novel great that is far above any other thing and it's not even a close call are the characters. You can have the absolute greatest Technical Artistry, Art, Storytelling Artistry, and entertainment values, but if those characters are sticks in the mud and boring and not interesting to an audience, that specific will bomb. Say you have a documentary on rocks? If those rocks, they are the film's leading characters, if they are not interesting to an audience, that film is going to bomb even if that film has the greatest Technical Artistry, Art, Storytelling Artistry, and entertainment values of all time. Try it! In the second position by far and nothing comes close, yeah, it's the storytelling, and sure tack on the "artistry" for good measure as today's filmmaking sorely lacks in that department as many films are either sequels or ripoffs of other films and or plagiarized from other films and or there's no ideas to carry a full-length film all the way through without running out of ideas, thus the film is boring and the audiences are bored to tears. Third is the direction. Who exactly is the director? If it's a great director who is directing the film, chances are it's going to be a great film, though of course that's not true all the time. And of course, even if not known as a director that director should incorporate Technical Artistry, Art, Storytelling Artistry, and entertainment values as best as he/ she can. And of course there's the big and mighty Entertainment values. How can the producer(s), the writer(s), the director(s) possibly know what is good and or great "entertainment"? In other words, they guess as to what their target audience is. It's never a hole in one. It is always up to an audience to decide what good and or great entertainment values are. Granted, many create entertainment for themselves and then leave it up to an audience to decide if that entertainment is good or not. But yeah, that entertainer has got to realize, once again, that characters always come first. Another example is the circus. Lions, tigers, clowns, etc are all characters. Take them away and what entertainment does anyone have for this circus? Granted, oh yeah, Kurosawa knew this in droves. A perfect example of this is the scene where Scorcese is playing Van Gough. Again, characters. And in The Seven Samurai, wow, and watching it for roughly the 10th time or so, I noticed something truly great, the framing. How many shots in the film are there where there is not more than one character in the specific shot? See if you can count them? I lost count because I was so engrossed by it that I lost count. I bet it's not more than 50, if that. How truly remarkable. So indeed, everything that is stated by Worlfcrow is so so so important in spades for the Seven Samurai, and yeah, if a film has what is listed, they most certainly make a booster shot to that specific film, but it's not everything. Thank you for your valuable time.
you watched 10,000 movies in your lifetime? lets say that the average length of a movie is 2 hours long. that means over 20,000 hours of your life has been spent watching movies. that means that you have spent 833 days in your life watching movies.
I began to watch this movie, but unfortunately I couldn't enjoy it, probably due to my own ignorance. I hope I'll learn to appreciate the film as I learn about cinema in general. Nevertheless, I was rooked from the start when watching Harakiri.
I would well imagine that it's not the film for all thoughtful people. It's my favorite, which matters not a whit from where you're sitting. I honestly intend this as friendly and non-judgemental.
It is the best film I've ever seen. However i find Kurosawa's Duology of Yojimbō & Sanjurō more entertaining, and it has a lot to do with Mifune's Sanjurō. He is the baddest masculine man ever put to film. Calm, cool collected and when his blade comes out its going to take someone down and swiftly. Seven Samurai is a better film no doubt, best film I've ever seen. I still need to watch Zatōichi Meets Yojimbō.
great overview. Number 4 in your criteria could probably use an attributive noun. You have 1 and 2 which also speak to art. If I'm understanding your intent, #4 is photographic artistry, cinematic artistry, visual artistry or similar. "Art" is more vague than your obvious depth of knowledge and intent. thanks again
Reading the comments here, I had to laugh. I've seen the film at least a half dozen times (I was 9 when it was released) and never realized how long it is.
Great videos overall and very informative in this case. Perhaps you could consider addressing more criticism for the sake of objectivity. I think the excessive length of the film should at least be addressed in any assessment of Seven Samurai. I appreciate the film very much but I personally believe that the excessive run time demeans the efforts of expert editing.
Demeans the efforts of expert editing? Kurosawa uses multiple cameras for every scene so there'll be more than one cut to show everything that happens in the battles, there's barely much editing in it and it's still good.
Back around 1970, I was 16 years old, and me and a friend had gone to watch The Beatles' "Yellow Submarine". Before the movie they showed a trailer for "7 Samurai". We were just kids and Japanese, Black and White, hmmmm "it does look pretty cool though". For some reason it hadn't been shown in Denmark until then. So when it came up we went to see it, and afterwards as we were leaving , I asked my friend "what do you think ?", and he said "I think it's the best movie I've ever seen", and I could only say "I believe you're right". I'm 70 now and to this day it remains my number 1 favourite of all time. A timeless masterpiece. A true work of art in all aspects.
Toshiro Mifune stole the show. He captivates your attention in every scene.
One of the top 4 or 5 actors ever. Full stop.
And Takashi Shimura is _right there,_ too!
anybody else think this movie f ing sucks
@cancerxnd again its subjective theres no such thing as a BS opinion
All of his movies are awesome. I really love the Musashi one.
Kikuchiyo speaks to the American "define yourself" mentality. As an adoptee, "this is me" holding the newly orphaned baby spoke much more personally.
The thing of this movie that was amazing is that in 3 and a half hours I never got bored for a minute.
Your 100 movies list is an absolute masterpiece. It's always good to see someone appreciate old art in this Marvel-infested era.
Where can I see his list?
@@winstonredandblue1. Open youtube search 2. Type "wolfcrow 100 films" 3. Run search
Seven Samurai also show it's greatness because it is one of the very few three hour movies that does not feel padded and scenes do not go on and on and....etc. I bought the film after seeing it for the first time. As you say, a person can watch it over and over again, and still find new things and be entertained.
I saw this masterpiece years ago late at night. I was committed to staying with it despite the long running time and having to get up early in the morning. What stood out to me was the rich character development coupled with the ever growing tension and excitement of knowing that good and evil will inevitably clash. Despite its dated appearance to some, it is an incredible film and well worth your focus.
Kurosawa films aren't about good vs. evil generally (maybe the Shakespeare adaptations), the samurai aren't really 'good' at all, Mifune's dramatic peak early in the movie tells you this, it's kind of hard to miss
@@helvete_ingres4717 Yes I see your point. Very well said. I believe when I commented I had in mind the timid townspeople more so than the samurai. Interesting all around! Regards.
My favorite part is right at the very end, all the peasants are singing and back to farming, living in their new idyllic paradise free from the torments of the bandits, while the 3 remaining samurai look on stone-faced, 'This victory is for the peasants. not for us' as the camera pans up to end on the 4 samurai sword grave mounds, silhouetted against the sky.
And as the camera pans to the graves, you realize what Kambei meant when he says he's never fought a battle without losing.
i cry every time i watch the scene where the samurai just arrived at the village and no one would come out to greet them, and than kikuchiyo did the false alarm thing.. all the villager panicked and the samurai just ran out to saved them... without knowing anything... that just get me.. they are trained elite warriors given a high risk test which essentially just for thank you and a pat on the back
I agree. Seven Samurai is hand's down the greatest film. And thank you for acknowledging Takashi Shimura. I always felt Mifune represented the daring, strong, fool-hardy young upstarts that every aging man wishes he could be. Shimura represented the world-weary, down-to-earth man that is the reality for aging men. Watch the two of them together in Stray Dog.
Takashi Shimura was wonderful in Ikuru
Have done. V good too.
Personally, Seven Samurai is in my top 10. I wouldn't personally say it's the best. But it's absolutely a masterpiece and one of the all time greats
there are definitely better movies out there
I think its quite opinionated, I think there are many movies better than this
I agree. I have yet to see a film better than Seven Samurai.
I loved Toshiro Mifune’s performance and his character, he’s wasn’t born a Samurai, only a Peasant who had been through hardships while having a personality. He shows he is not your typical Warrior who has Strong Discipline and Knowledge, but someone we could relate to!
After Japan lost World War II, the Allied Powers banned films and plays about martial arts and the samurai. With the conclusion of the Treaty of SaFrancis in 1951, the ban was lifted, and Seven Samurai was planned, produced and performed.
"All the men in this film have military experience." Therefore, it is a generation that is used to handling swords and bows and has always been familiar with them. I used to wear kimono everyday. In the army, kobudo would have been familiar. So all works are genuine. It can be said that it is close to a samurai. Also, the nobushi who ride horses are from the cavalry.
I first seen this movie when I was only a kid. Been from Ireland I did not understand Japanese. But that didn't matter too me I enjoyed it even more. Still watch it when it's on TV.
Saw your video title and had to upvote it without even watching a second of it. Thanks for spreading the word. I first watched SS in the '70s at a retro theater, and have rewatched it at least once each decade since. It gets better every time, and means something different, too.
Thank you for this. I had heard about this film with a touch of skepticism for my whole adult life. So I finally watched it, and now I've seen it maybe 50 times. I'm always blown away by the choreography of the editing.
One is put off by hype. On rare Occasion it's not hype.
I'm inspired to watch it for the second time now. Watched it last year for the first time and it was perfect.
I’ve watched this video three or four times and it’s never boring. Thanks
Finally it's here waiting since your 10 films for cinematography video
That video is a stressbuster and I don't want to miss being schooled
Kurosawa takes a short moment to establish the relationship between Takashi Shimura as Kambei and Daisuke Katō as Shichirōji - friends and fellow soldiers who were lucky to survive being on the losing side of their last battle. The final bandit is killed and the battle is over, Kambei remarks to Shichirōji, "Again - we’ve survived." Always lands like a hammer.
I just watched ‘The Bad Sleep Well’ and have to say, every Kurosawa movie has impeccable movement. That actors really shine
I was feeling down in the dumps last week, so I've been watching all Kurosawa's films again (and again); they always bring me up... watched _Seven Samurai_ yesterday, and woke up to this video - nice!
how in the actual f does watching this movie make you feel happy???????
This has been my favourite movie since I was a kid. However, you only understand this movie when you get older.
Seven Samurai is amazing! I also loved Hidden Fortress as well... and Yojimbo... Kurosawa is a legend.
Kurosava one of my favorite directors, i wish he was alive today xd,
watched seven samurai over 10 times, and still don't get bored,
will watch it again soon,
also make a video on mindunter please, you'll love it
please make this a series too. We love u
I remember first watching it when I was 7 or 8 years old. I cried my eyes out when Toshiro Mifune was not initially allowed to join the others.
definitely Kurosawa and Seven Samurai had massive impact on the filmamkers at that time.. and tarkovsky is one of them... It happens so because whenever I watch Andrei Rublev.. i always get a feel that it was heavily inspired from Seven Samurai.. the cinematic style and camerawork resonate with it.. almost feels like a tribute to Kurosawa.. but .. that was the early times of Tarkovsky.. not until later after Solaris.. he found his own style.. nevertheless.. Kurosawa is a legend and Seven Samurai will definitely inspire each generation of filmmaker.. a true masterpiece 👏
This is my all time favorite movie. I bought the criterion edition for a pretty penny about a year ago. I've probably watched it over a dozen times.
Toshiro Mifune is a legend in my book
Let’s be honest one of the greatest films ever made
For me it's the greatest film ever made. Every single frame is crafted with the utmost passion and love for cinema. A film of stunning composition and movement, a masterful showcase of editing and camera work, and a powerful story of humanism, heroism, sacrifice and altruism. I think George Lucas said "the art of cinema is in every frame".
My favorite all-time movie, #1 on my personal top 10. I watched it at least as many times as you say, and I also always find something I missed before, the little details that escape you the first and every other times you see it
5:48 Sengoku jidai is not the end of samurai era by far. After Sengoku Jidai there was almoust 300 years of relative "peace" in Edo Jidai and then there was another samurai civil war true last stand of samurai class is in Satsuma rebellion in 1877.
Awesome film. A great story slowly building and developing the characters.
you would love Wong Kar Wai's The Ashes of Time Redux
@@ezraakhaled4513 I haven’t heard of that one. I’ll seek it out and take a look. Thanks.
5:21 You could pretty much have a history documentary "Kings and General" style tactical map showing everything that happened during the battles in this movie its so well developed.
Just the title deserved my like. I also think this is the best film ever.
Couldn't agree more. Rewatched it months ago to review it, but completely forgot how amazing the directing, storytelling, acting and music was. I constantly have the 7S theme in my head now. I also never considered the lighting, which just adds to the masterpiece. Great vid!
Thank you for this kind and incisive analysis to Kurosawa-San. I love his films, especially Seven Samurai. It was an incredible achievement and will always be honoured and remembered as such. Kurosawa-San once said, and I truly believe this film embodies this, “I suppose all of my films have a common theme. If I think about it, though, the only theme I can think of is really a question: Why can’t people be happier together?”
this movies good but rashomon is in my opinion better
A very entertaining and moving homage to a great film.
One of the great remakes of this film is the the Bollywood movie "Sholay", considered the greatest film in Bollywood history. Instead of Seven Samurai there were two outlaws, but the basic story arc is the same.
This video made me appreciate the film and Kurosawa even more. Thx 🙏🏿
Absolutely excellent analysis of the film. Well done!
This is the greatest movie ever made ❤️
It is certainly the best I am aware of, and beats out other higher touted films, IMHO.
I'd say a similar film in a lot of ways and equally good is "The Lord of the Rings; The Fellowship of the Ring". It has countless every frame a painting shots, smart and limited use of new tech like CGI, and the greatest rewatchability of any film I've ever watched. Just recently on my last rewatch, I noticed a new detail about Boromir when he's talking with Aragorn in Lothlorien. You can see on his dirty face a clean line from his eye down to his chin. It really shows you the weight and pathos he's carrying without showing him straight up crying in front of Aragorn and us, the audience. Which also would be worse and out of his character.
i watched the last this morning. beautiful. i turn the commentary on, and listen to what is happening.
Thank you for this video! Watched the Criterion BluRay recently and it was very clean, but rather soft like a typical 16mm print would have been (seen many in black and white Academy back in the 1970s). I'm sure that the original negative would have been pin sharp. I was always wondering why the shutter angle was so narrow. Most scenes have a strobe-like motion rendering and I can't believe that this was always desired. Might have been the strong daylight combined with fast film stock. Then again: to achieve deep focus one needs to close the aperture. So my speculation: either the lenses couldn't be stopped down that much, or the lenses caused too much haze through diffraction when stopped down that much - and ND filters weren't available.
Being a foreign film (for US viewers), it is more demanding to watch: you have to read subtitles and "translate" the expressive Japanese acting. It's worth it. The two opposites Mifune and Shimura (the hot headed, rough, eager, hyperactive and the wise, tired seen-it-all respectively) are perfection.
Because it's a great film,period.
I completely agree that Seven Samurai is the the best film every made!
A true classic for sure 👍🏾
Excellent analysis, especially in the allusion to the balance between the two lead actors, Mifune and Shimura. Mifune is a constant source of tension, but Shimura grounds the film with his character's calm competence and wisdom. He cares about people without much regard to social class, and his friendships are deep. And in contrast with Mifune's character, he has nothing to prove; he knows his status and his worth. He values peace because he knows war. If you want to know who the best film actor who ever lived was, watch this film and then "Ikiru" soon after, and get back to me. : )
IMHO, often over-looked and under-reated.
@@inyobill Well, he was in "Godzilla," which is something Mifune could never say, so there's that. But seriously he was an actor's actor and I wonder if you can achieve so consistently at that stratospheric level for so long without understanding how good you are. When every moment you're on screen is intensely believable, no matter what the role, that's something special. I hope he knew. I do hope so.
What? but Seven Samurai is one of my favorite movies DDD:
Before watching this video, let me tell you that Seven Samurai is my favourite movie.
Can you watch a movie again and again without getting bored?
Yes, for me it's Godfather. My favourite movie of all time since i was like 8 when i've seen it first time. I've seen it more than 50 times and it's tradition for me and my wife to watch Godfather 1, 2 and 3 in every day of Christmas.
End of november is always "i can't wait to see Godfather again", but i stick to our tradition, as watching such good movies too often takes some small part of fun, at least for me. So once a year is perfect.
My favorite and the best movie ever made
Toshiro Mifune was definitely a big part of it. The part with the horns and the flag destroyed me man...
The end of the Sengoku was definitely not the end of the samurai era.
You're wrong, it already was my favorite
This is my favorite movie!
One of the few black and white films I watched. The other being _It's a Wonderful Life._ Both are good.
I just finished watcing this movie on tv. It was an amazing experience and i enjoyed it very much. The fight scenes were brutal and quick unlike the flashy pointless sword dancing in Hollywood movies. Amazing movie overall and i immediately thought of the magnificent seven and if it was inspired by this film.
This is the greatest movie in cinematic history.
Because...it is.
Seriously, all pithy aside, Seven Samurai is my favorite film of all time so I'm a 'bit' biased. :D
Well, Spielberg, Lucas and Scorsese called Kurosawa 'Master'
However, Akira Kurosawa himself loved John Ford.
多分ジョンフォードも誰かの影響を受けていただろうし、ルーカスやスコセッシの影響を受けている映画監督も数多くいることでしょう
I LOVE Wolfcrow!!!
Great Video! I would recommend you watch Harakiri, the only Smaurai movie that's better than seven samurai in my opinion.
Just watched it. Amazing. And I caught the last bus home.
Seven samurai is my favourite movie of all time too!! ❤😊
The reason why this film is so great,is because it' s about manlyhood,,strong men who protect the weak.
I have wanted to see it for Many Decades
'Escapism' has to be one of the criteria. That is why James Bond movies and Mission Impossible do so well at the box office. And 'special effects'.
I am a Japanese and a movie fan. When I saw the title of this video, I thought it would just be about your y subjective thoughts on "Seven Samurai," but it was very meaningful, as if I had just taken a class on film studies.
👍🏾 Very Excellent! Thanks, Sareesh!
You’re welcome!
Realism..
I've never seen another samurai movie just as dirty as Seven Samurai.
You comment at 6:18: "...from the first shots of Samurai silhouetted against a sky coming over the hill...". My understanding is that those are bandits coming to raid the village. I don't think those were Samurai. I agree this is one of the greatest films of all time.
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, is my Seven Samurai, but this is a great, great movie.
The cover of this film is so Goated
I edit myself into movies and TV shows with green screen and “Seven Samurai” looks pretty cool. I’m thinking of editing myself into this movie!!! Any movie suggestions would be great!!!
My suggestion would be don’t do that.
Ahh, I’d love to see how he would have composed for 2:39:1
I'm with you. Best film ever made!
Seven Samurai is also my favorite film and
The Empire Strikes Back is second.
The Sengoku period was not the end of the samurai. The Satsuma Rebellion ended in September of 1877 and that was the very end.
Kurosawa is my favorite director, Mifune is my favorite actor but this was Takashi Shimuras movie.
I'd have to say that I've seen roughly 10,000 fils in my lifetime and yeah, you guessed it, Kurosawa is my fav director of all time. He's got 3 in my top 30. Ran being my fav film of all time, Yojimbo being #5 and Seven Samurai being #23 at this point of course if a masterpiece film comes along to me, that list might change as all lists do.
At any rate, wow I gotta disagree 100% with Wolfcrow here as to what makes a great film? There are 2 things on his list that rings true. Technical Artistry? Perhaps he is referring to the "technical cinematography" which is better terminology, but that's not what makes a film great. Most people don't go into watching a film for its technical brilliance. Most people don't go into watching a film for its "art" either. Granted, both are HUGE plusses should they occur in the film, but they are not necessities for a film to be great. Fight Club, American History X, Children of Heaven, Spotlight, etc which all made IMDB top charting films of all time are famous for their stories and not by any means for their Technical Artistry and Art.
Now, what makes a great film and or novel great that is far above any other thing and it's not even a close call are the characters. You can have the absolute greatest Technical Artistry, Art, Storytelling Artistry, and entertainment values, but if those characters are sticks in the mud and boring and not interesting to an audience, that specific will bomb. Say you have a documentary on rocks? If those rocks, they are the film's leading characters, if they are not interesting to an audience, that film is going to bomb even if that film has the greatest Technical Artistry, Art, Storytelling Artistry, and entertainment values of all time. Try it!
In the second position by far and nothing comes close, yeah, it's the storytelling, and sure tack on the "artistry" for good measure as today's filmmaking sorely lacks in that department as many films are either sequels or ripoffs of other films and or plagiarized from other films and or there's no ideas to carry a full-length film all the way through without running out of ideas, thus the film is boring and the audiences are bored to tears.
Third is the direction. Who exactly is the director? If it's a great director who is directing the film, chances are it's going to be a great film, though of course that's not true all the time. And of course, even if not known as a director that director should incorporate Technical Artistry, Art, Storytelling Artistry, and entertainment values as best as he/ she can.
And of course there's the big and mighty Entertainment values. How can the producer(s), the writer(s), the director(s) possibly know what is good and or great "entertainment"? In other words, they guess as to what their target audience is. It's never a hole in one. It is always up to an audience to decide what good and or great entertainment values are. Granted, many create entertainment for themselves and then leave it up to an audience to decide if that entertainment is good or not. But yeah, that entertainer has got to realize, once again, that characters always come first. Another example is the circus. Lions, tigers, clowns, etc are all characters. Take them away and what entertainment does anyone have for this circus?
Granted, oh yeah, Kurosawa knew this in droves. A perfect example of this is the scene where Scorcese is playing Van Gough. Again, characters. And in The Seven Samurai, wow, and watching it for roughly the 10th time or so, I noticed something truly great, the framing. How many shots in the film are there where there is not more than one character in the specific shot? See if you can count them? I lost count because I was so engrossed by it that I lost count. I bet it's not more than 50, if that. How truly remarkable. So indeed, everything that is stated by Worlfcrow is so so so important in spades for the Seven Samurai, and yeah, if a film has what is listed, they most certainly make a booster shot to that specific film, but it's not everything.
Thank you for your valuable time.
you watched 10,000 movies in your lifetime? lets say that the average length of a movie is 2 hours long. that means over 20,000 hours of your life has been spent watching movies. that means that you have spent 833 days in your life watching movies.
go outside my friend
He can make a great film with my mobile where I can't take a photo at least.
Wow! Great stuff
I began to watch this movie, but unfortunately I couldn't enjoy it, probably due to my own ignorance. I hope I'll learn to appreciate the film as I learn about cinema in general.
Nevertheless, I was rooked from the start when watching Harakiri.
I would well imagine that it's not the film for all thoughtful people. It's my favorite, which matters not a whit from where you're sitting. I honestly intend this as friendly and non-judgemental.
Jokes on you, this is my favorite
It is the best film I've ever seen. However i find Kurosawa's Duology of Yojimbō & Sanjurō more entertaining, and it has a lot to do with Mifune's Sanjurō. He is the baddest masculine man ever put to film. Calm, cool collected and when his blade comes out its going to take someone down and swiftly. Seven Samurai is a better film no doubt, best film I've ever seen.
I still need to watch Zatōichi Meets Yojimbō.
To make it simple no western movie nor star wars movie would exist without 7 samurai.
great overview. Number 4 in your criteria could probably use an attributive noun. You have 1 and 2 which also speak to art. If I'm understanding your intent, #4 is photographic artistry, cinematic artistry, visual artistry or similar. "Art" is more vague than your obvious depth of knowledge and intent.
thanks again
Toshiro Mifune was the Ol’ Dirty Bastard of the Samurai group.
I love this movie. It they had blood effect back then … it s more perfect
I have the battle flag tattooed on my right forearm
Do you not need to block as much because of dynamic camera movements nowadays?
I seen this movie one’s a year ; for the last 15 years .
Great analysis and insight, thank you!
Great movie I watch it twice a year
Audio little bit low... Next time must touch to clipping
Reading the comments here, I had to laugh. I've seen the film at least a half dozen times (I was 9 when it was released) and never realized how long it is.
So, how´s that Criterion made a restoration of the film if the negatives are lost?
Shogun assassin is still my number one lol
Great videos overall and very informative in this case. Perhaps you could consider addressing more criticism for the sake of objectivity. I think the excessive length of the film should at least be addressed in any assessment of Seven Samurai. I appreciate the film very much but I personally believe that the excessive run time demeans the efforts of expert editing.
"Excessive length"? I would call it "Generous". When the story and presentation are this good, the length is well justified.
Demeans the efforts of expert editing? Kurosawa uses multiple cameras for every scene so there'll be more than one cut to show everything that happens in the battles, there's barely much editing in it and it's still good.