Seven Samurai (Shichinin no samurai)
Produced and directed by Japanese director Akira Kurosawa in 1954 as an epic jidai-geki.
Film notable for turning an action drama genre into an art form.
Poor 16th Century Japanese village peasants, victimized by bandit raids, hire seven unemployed, samurai to defend it against the upcoming raid.
Recruitment of the samurai by veteran samurai leader.
Climax of film in battle when 40 bandits attack the village.
Kanbei (Takashi Shimura), the ronin samurai leader who recruits the others and maintains order.
Kikuchiyo (Toshiro Mifune), a farmerÆs son and buffoonish, hard-drinking would-be samurai who becomes one of the seven.
Kyuzo (Seiji Miyaguchi), the master swordsman and purest samurai.
Katsushiro (Ko Kimura), the novice samurai.
1. Rikichi (Yoshio Tsuchiya), a young farmer.
Humanistic view of violence and warfare.
Sense of moral outrage at human exploitation.
Social transition in 16th Century Japan.
1. New military tactics cause end of samurai profession.
VI. FilmÆs Place in Cinematic History.
A. Ranks as one of the greatest films.
C. Prototype of new American Westerns.
Produced and directed by American filmmaker John Sturges in 1960.
Based on Akira KurosawaÆs The Seven Samurai.
Seven out-of-work professional American gunmen are hired by a group of poor Mexican farmers to defend their village against bandits who plunder their village on a regular basis.
Interaction and integration of gunslingers with villagers.
Interaction of lead bandit with lead gunslinger.
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