Seven Samurai

1954  NR  DRAMA  3h 27min

CAST— Toshio Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Yoshio Inaba, Ko Kimura, Seiji Miyaguchi, Minoru Chiaki

MUSIC— Fumio Hayasaka  DIRECTOR— Akira Kurosawa

     Throughout history man has struggled to protect his people by facing incredible odds, regardless of the risk involved. Centuries past, in Japanese culture, there was a certain class of warrior known as the Samurai, trained to fight with dignity and honor. This film chronicles the adventures of seven such Samurai, a ragtag team of characters ranging from the honorable to the jolly, from the quiet to the comic. When a small village is in danger of losing their crops to a band of roving marauders, the Samurai are recruited for protection. When they arrive they realize what easy targets these poor farmers are, so combat training is soon under way.  Bring it on, bandits! The only drawback to the film is its length, running at about three and a half hours, but it’s worth viewing for the camaraderie between the players and the exciting battle sequences throughout. Domo arigato. In Japanese with English subtitles.

OUR RATING— ** ½

REMADE AS— The Magnificent Seven (1960)