The Seven Samurai

lothared · 10-01-2002, 06:26 PM

I was searching the top lists on imdb.com and saw this at the top of one of em. Personally i have never heard of it and was wondering if someone could clue me in on it.

Any thoughts about it?

Searyx · 10-01-2002, 06:44 PM

I own it on DVD. It deserves it's place in the top 10. To explain why would require a 300 page essay. I suggest you watch the movie instead

Synd D`nys · 10-02-2002, 02:35 AM

Akira Kurosawa pwns. If you can sit through a 3.5 hour subtitled movie, I highly recommend it. If the plot seems familiar, it's because it was remade as the American western, The Magnificent Seven, later on.

Also great watches by Kurosawa:
Ran (A retelling of King Lear and got Oscar nominations for Best Director and Cinematography)
Throne of Blood (a retelling of MacBeth)

Awanka · 10-02-2002, 05:14 AM

I'm surprised you've never heard of The Seven Samurai. It's as famous as Citizen Kane and ClockWork Orange. It's the only black and white film that doesn't make me want to take a crap on it afterwards, so it's pretty decent.

dak · 10-02-2002, 09:46 AM

Anyone seen the Seven STRING Samari? That movie owned ;p

Jasek · 10-02-2002, 03:20 PM

It was actually called Six-String Samurai, and it was a great movie. I only saw it the once, and can't remember any of the principals names. The main character, while a white guy, does a ton of work in Kung-Fu movies in Asia as well.

edit: The Seven Samurai is better tho. =)

Szlia · 10-02-2002, 08:54 PM

I think one of the key reason of the 7 Samurai popularity is because it's one of the few movies that allowed to rediscover the japanese cinema.

In the mute era, it was not rare to see japanese movies screened in Europe (like Kurutta Ippeji - A Crazy Page - or Jujiro - Crossroads aka Shadows of the Yoshiwara). But when sound came into play, the japanese movies disappeared from the screens. Europe (and more generaly speaking, the occident) has to wait until the Venice Film Festival and the Cannes Film Festival bring some japanese movies in competition. It's first Rashomon from Kurosawa, then Jigokumon (Gate of Hell) by Kinugasa (who also directed the 2 silent movies I mentioned earlier btw), Ugetsu Monogatari (Tales of a Pale and Mysterious Moon After the Rain) by Mizoguchi and finaly the 7 Samurai.

Note that when Kurosawa and Mizoguchi almost instantly became world class Auteurs with these movies, I am pretty sure only a very few of us heard of Kinugasa. I guess it has to do with skill and destiny sorta... Gate of Hell is not a great movie but it's use of color still is amazing and was simply groundbreaking in 1953.

Note too that in these same years Yasujiro Ozu and Mikio Naruse are directing masterpieces that are critically acclaimed in Japan. But Ozu will have to wait until the 70s to get known outside Japan and Naruse is still unknown to many movie fans.

Of course, the critical success and the popularity of the 7 Samurai is also due to its qualities as a movie. A very well built story, a good set of characters, a breathtaking beauty, especially in the composition, and universal themes.

Searyx · 10-03-2002, 08:27 PM

Quote:

I'm surprised you've never heard of The Seven Samurai. It's as famous as Citizen Kane and ClockWork Orange. It's the only black and white film that doesn't make me want to take a crap on it afterwards, so it's pretty decent.

So, to sum up: You hate asian actors, and you hate black and white films.

I bet you're a big fan of the new Godzilla, aren't you?

Szlia · 10-04-2002, 01:13 AM

heh thanks Searyx, I feared to have killed the thread with my verbose essay :P

And I must be a negative copy of Awanka or something since the japanese movies of the 70s (a lot of them being still in B&W) is prolly my favorite era in Movie history around the globe

Pokn · 10-04-2002, 11:29 PM

It's very long and all subtitled

Take a nice Sunday or something to watch it.

If you can't wait or watch/read anything that long Magnificent Seven with Steve McQueen is pretty straight up a western rip-off of Seven Samaurai. There's even a few things Lucas grabbed from it for Star Wars (Han Solo To save the DAYYYYYY!!!)

Awanka · 10-05-2002, 06:12 PM

Akira Kurosawa was a pretty good director. And Toshiro Mifune was a good actor. And together they were one of the great cinematic director/actor collaborations, alongside Herzog/Kinski, and to a lesser extent Burton/Depp. What makes Kurosawa's work stand out is that it's timeless. I'm of the opinion that most everything filmed before the 1980's was a huge piece of shit. You can tell a movie from that time just because it's so fucking lame, you can just tell from the cornball material and moralizing and crudeness, the lack of subtlety and refinement, they fucking suck. But you can show one of Akira's movies right now and it's as powerful and sophisticated in its direction and theme as the stuff they're showing today. To put it in perspective, take the Magnificent Seven, which as you all know is the western rip-off of Seven Samurai. Back then it was considered great, but if you watch it now it's such a piece of shit. The hammy acting, bad dialog, bad direction, shitty unrealistic action sequences. Whereas the Seven Samurai you can watch right now and it's still a cool movie. Kurosawa was truly ahead of his time.

Blackdoom · 10-05-2002, 08:05 PM

hey shit head, what are you doing commenting on akira's work and the casts' performace?

what ever happened to your theory on how: "there are no really good asian actors, asians lack the kind of showmanship and histrionic ability that it takes to make a good screen presence."

get the fuck out of here.

Awanka · 10-05-2002, 09:13 PM

What do they teach in schools nowadays? Hey genius, if you had gained some critical reading skills you might have noticed that there was one exception I made to all asian actors sucking, and that was Toshiro Mifune. Besides him they're all bad.

10-01-2002, 06:26 PM	#1 (permalink)
lothared Registered User Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 17 -1 Internets	The Seven Samurai I was searching the top lists on imdb.com and saw this at the top of one of em. Personally i have never heard of it and was wondering if someone could clue me in on it. Any thoughts about it?

10-01-2002, 06:44 PM	#2 (permalink)
Searyx I'm still the master of Mistmoore, dammit! Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 2,072 +2 Internets	I own it on DVD. It deserves it's place in the top 10. To explain why would require a 300 page essay. I suggest you watch the movie instead __________________ "“Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel.” --Socrates--

10-02-2002, 02:35 AM	#3 (permalink)
Synd D`nys The root of all evil Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Hockeytown, U.S.A. Posts: 548 +0 Internets	Akira Kurosawa pwns. If you can sit through a 3.5 hour subtitled movie, I highly recommend it. If the plot seems familiar, it's because it was remade as the American western, The Magnificent Seven, later on. Also great watches by Kurosawa: Ran (A retelling of King Lear and got Oscar nominations for Best Director and Cinematography) Throne of Blood (a retelling of MacBeth) __________________ EverQuest free since 7/03

10-02-2002, 05:14 AM	#4 (permalink)
Awanka Seething with dark power and -internets Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 1,715 -45 Internets	Wow I'm surprised you've never heard of The Seven Samurai. It's as famous as Citizen Kane and ClockWork Orange. It's the only black and white film that doesn't make me want to take a crap on it afterwards, so it's pretty decent.

10-02-2002, 03:20 PM	#6 (permalink)
Jasek Registered User Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: San Diego Posts: 52 +0 Internets	It was actually called Six-String Samurai, and it was a great movie. I only saw it the once, and can't remember any of the principals names. The main character, while a white guy, does a ton of work in Kung-Fu movies in Asia as well. edit: The Seven Samurai is better tho. =) Last edited by Jasek : 10-02-2002 at 03:22 PM.

10-02-2002, 09:46 AM	#5 (permalink)
dak My sig will turn you wicked gay. Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: France Posts: 4,034	Anyone seen the Seven STRING Samari? That movie owned ;p

10-02-2002, 08:54 PM	#7 (permalink)
Szlia Conquest Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Switzerland Posts: 4,612 +5 Internets	I think one of the key reason of the 7 Samurai popularity is because it's one of the few movies that allowed to rediscover the japanese cinema. In the mute era, it was not rare to see japanese movies screened in Europe (like Kurutta Ippeji - A Crazy Page - or Jujiro - Crossroads aka Shadows of the Yoshiwara). But when sound came into play, the japanese movies disappeared from the screens. Europe (and more generaly speaking, the occident) has to wait until the Venice Film Festival and the Cannes Film Festival bring some japanese movies in competition. It's first Rashomon from Kurosawa, then Jigokumon (Gate of Hell) by Kinugasa (who also directed the 2 silent movies I mentioned earlier btw), Ugetsu Monogatari (Tales of a Pale and Mysterious Moon After the Rain) by Mizoguchi and finaly the 7 Samurai. Note that when Kurosawa and Mizoguchi almost instantly became world class Auteurs with these movies, I am pretty sure only a very few of us heard of Kinugasa. I guess it has to do with skill and destiny sorta... Gate of Hell is not a great movie but it's use of color still is amazing and was simply groundbreaking in 1953. Note too that in these same years Yasujiro Ozu and Mikio Naruse are directing masterpieces that are critically acclaimed in Japan. But Ozu will have to wait until the 70s to get known outside Japan and Naruse is still unknown to many movie fans. Of course, the critical success and the popularity of the 7 Samurai is also due to its qualities as a movie. A very well built story, a good set of characters, a breathtaking beauty, especially in the composition, and universal themes. __________________ -retrosabotage-

10-04-2002, 01:13 AM	#9 (permalink)
Szlia Conquest Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Switzerland Posts: 4,612 +5 Internets	heh thanks Searyx, I feared to have killed the thread with my verbose essay :P And I must be a negative copy of Awanka or something since the japanese movies of the 70s (a lot of them being still in B&W) is prolly my favorite era in Movie history around the globe __________________ -retrosabotage-

10-04-2002, 11:29 PM	#10 (permalink)
Pokn Registered User Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 139 -1 Internets	It's very long and all subtitled Take a nice Sunday or something to watch it. If you can't wait or watch/read anything that long Magnificent Seven with Steve McQueen is pretty straight up a western rip-off of Seven Samaurai. There's even a few things Lucas grabbed from it for Star Wars (Han Solo To save the DAYYYYYY!!!)

10-05-2002, 06:12 PM	#11 (permalink)
Awanka Seething with dark power and -internets Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 1,715 -45 Internets	Nah Akira Kurosawa was a pretty good director. And Toshiro Mifune was a good actor. And together they were one of the great cinematic director/actor collaborations, alongside Herzog/Kinski, and to a lesser extent Burton/Depp. What makes Kurosawa's work stand out is that it's timeless. I'm of the opinion that most everything filmed before the 1980's was a huge piece of shit. You can tell a movie from that time just because it's so fucking lame, you can just tell from the cornball material and moralizing and crudeness, the lack of subtlety and refinement, they fucking suck. But you can show one of Akira's movies right now and it's as powerful and sophisticated in its direction and theme as the stuff they're showing today. To put it in perspective, take the Magnificent Seven, which as you all know is the western rip-off of Seven Samurai. Back then it was considered great, but if you watch it now it's such a piece of shit. The hammy acting, bad dialog, bad direction, shitty unrealistic action sequences. Whereas the Seven Samurai you can watch right now and it's still a cool movie. Kurosawa was truly ahead of his time.

10-05-2002, 08:05 PM	#12 (permalink)
Blackdoom team vkuruv Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: no uncle timmy, i don't wanna play this game anymore Posts: 151 -1 Internets	hey shit head, what are you doing commenting on akira's work and the casts' performace? what ever happened to your theory on how: "there are no really good asian actors, asians lack the kind of showmanship and histrionic ability that it takes to make a good screen presence." get the fuck out of here. Last edited by Blackdoom : 10-05-2002 at 08:09 PM.

10-05-2002, 09:13 PM	#13 (permalink)
Awanka Seething with dark power and -internets Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 1,715 -45 Internets	What do they teach in schools nowadays? Hey genius, if you had gained some critical reading skills you might have noticed that there was one exception I made to all asian actors sucking, and that was Toshiro Mifune. Besides him they're all bad.

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