-->

• Seven Samurai is a 1954 Japanese action-drama film directed by Akira Kurosawa

• Fast Facts

  1. Director: Akira Kurosawa
  2. Producer: Sojoiro Motoki
  3. Writers: Akira Kurosawa, Shinobu Hashimoto, Hideo Oguni
  4. Starring: Takashi Shimura, Toshiro Mifune
  5. Released: April 26, 1954 (Japan), November 19, 1956 (U.S.)
  6. Runtime: 207 min
  7. Budget: $500,000
  8. The first of many collaborations between Kurosawa and Mifune
  9. Film was set in [1586

• Plot

  A mountain village threatened by an army of bandits seeks the protection of masterless samurai. Seven come to its aide, and with its barley crop harvesting in a few weeks, there is not much time to prepare.

  After squaring away their own individual differences, the samurai fortify the village and its people, and plan a meticulous strategy to take on the bandits. In an epic, intense battle, four of the seven are killed, but the villagers win in the end.

• Legacy

  Seven Samurai is widely considered to be one of the greatest and most influential films ever made, with a perfect 100% "Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

  Critics praise its well-captured action sequences and narrative form, which started a genre that is still seen in movies to this day. The Magnificent Seven, Ocean's Eleven, The Dirty Dozen, Three Amigos and many other ensemble films have borrowed from Seven Samurai.

  The film also marked one of only a handful of Kurosawa films that were well-received in both the West and in his home country.

• Related Mahalo Pages

  Akira Kurosawa | Sanjuro | Ran | Yojimbo | The Hidden Fortress | Learning Japanese with Akira Kurosawa | Yojimbo | Rhapsody in August | Seven Samurai Remake | Big Man Japan

Categories

• View History
• Discuss on the Message Board
• Embed this Page
• Share this page