Shichinin no samurai (1954)

User Rating:

8.8/10   

Director:

Akira Kurosawa

Writers:

Akira Kurosawa (screenplay) &
Shinobu Hashimoto (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

19 November 1956 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama

Tagline:

The Mighty Warriors Who Became the Seven National Heroes of a Small Town

Plot:

A poor village under attack by bandits recruits seven unemployed samurai to help them defend themselves.

Plot Keywords:

Samurai | Bandit | Farmer | Japan | 16th Century

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Takashi Shimura	...	Kambei Shimada
Toshirô Mifune	...	Kikuchiyo
Yoshio Inaba	...	Gorobei Katayama
Seiji Miyaguchi	...	Kyuzo
Minoru Chiaki	...	Heihachi Hayashida
Daisuke Katô	...	Shichiroji
Isao Kimura	...	Katsushiro Okamoto
Keiko Tsushima	...	Shino
Yukiko Shimazaki	...	Rikichi's Wife
Kamatari Fujiwara	...	Manzo, father of Shino
Yoshio Kosugi	...	Mosuke
Bokuzen Hidari	...	Yohei
Yoshio Tsuchiya	...	Rikichi
Kokuten Kodo	...	Gisaku, the Old Man
Takuzo Kumagaya	...	Peasant (as Jirô Kumagai)
Eijirô Tôno	...	Kidnapper
Haruko Toyama	...	Ginsaku's Daughter-in-law
Tsuneo Katagiri	...	Farmer in front of Gono
Kichijiro Ueda	...	Captured Bandit Scout
Jun Tatara	...	1st Coolie
Yasuhisa Tsutsumi	...	Farmer in front of Gono
Atsushi Watanabe	...	Bun Vendor
Toranosuke Ogawa	...	Grandfather of Kidnapped Girl
Yu Akitsu	...	Husband
Isao Yamagata	...	Samurai
Sojin	...	Blind Minstrel (as Sojin Kamiyama)
Gen Shimizu	...	Samurai who kicks farmers
Keiji Sakakida	...	Gosaku
Shinpei Takagi	...	Bandit Chief
Shin Otomo	...	Bandit second-in-command
Toshio Takahara	...	Samurai with gun (as Shuno Takahara)
Hiroshi Sugi	...	Tea Shop Owner
Miki Hayashi
Sachio Sakai	...	2nd Coolie
Akira Tani	...	Bandit
Sokichi Maki	...	Strong-looking Samurai
Haruo Nakajima	...	Bandit
Ichirô Chiba	...	Buddhist Priest
Noriko Sengoku	...	Wife of Gono Family
Fumiko Honma	...	Woman Farmer
Masanobu Ôkubo	...	Samurai
Etsuro Nishijo	...	Samurai
Etsuryo Saijo
Minoru Ito	...	Samurai
Hideo Shibuya
Kiyoshi Kamoda	...	Samurai
Senkichi Omura	...	Bandit who escapes
Takashi Narita	...	Bandit who escapes
Shoichi Hirose	...	Bandit
Koji Uno	...	Bandit
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Hiroshi Agetsu	...	Gono Husband
Ryutaro Amami	...	Bandit
Goro Amano	...	Farmer
Shizuko Hogashi	...	Farmer's Wife
Tazue Ichimanji	...	Woman Farmer
Toku Ihara	...	Farmer
Kaneo Ikeda	...	Samurai
Kazuo Imai	...	Farmer
Hisaya Ito	...	Samurai wandering through town
Koji Iwamoto	...	Farmer
Kyoichi Kamiyama	...	Farmer
Shigeo Kato	...	Farmer
Masayoshi Kawabe	...	Farmer
Michiko Kawabe	...	Farmer's Wife
Ippei Kawagoe	...	Farmer
Yoshikazu Kawamata	...	Farmer
Akira Kichijoji	...	Farmer
Yayoko Kitano	...	Farmer's Wife
Fumiyoshi Kumaya	...	Ginsaku's Son
Akio Kusama	...	Bandit
Masahide Matsushita	...	Samurai
Jun Mikami	...	Bandit
Sanpei Mine	...	Farmer
Keiko Mori	...	Farmer's Wife
Kyoji Naka	...	Bandit
Eisuke Nakanishi	...	Farmer
Toshiko Nakano	...	Farmer's Wife
Junpei Natsuki	...	Farmer
Hideo Oe	...	Farmer
Yasuo Onishi	...	Farmer
Matsue Ono	...	Woman Farmer
Masako Oshiro	...	Woman Farmer
Hideo Otsuka	...	Farmer
Keiko Ozawa	...	Woman Farmer
Haruya Sakamoto	...	Samurai
Kyoro Sakurai	...	Samurai
Takeshi Seki	...	3rd Coolie
Megeru Shimoda	...	Farmer
Seiji Sunagawa	...	Bandit
Misao Suyama	...	Woman Farmer
Jiro Suzukawa	...	Farmer
Kazuo Suzuki	...	Farmer
Toriko Takahara	...	Woman Farmer
Yuko Togawa	...	Farmer's Wife
Kamayuki Tsubono	...	Bandit
Tomeko Umayato	...	Woman Farmer in front of Gono
Michiko Uwamoto	...	Farmer's Wife
Akira Yamada	...	Farmer
Tatsuya Nakadai	...	Samurai wandering through town (uncredited)
Kaneyuki Tsubono	...	Bandit (uncredited)
Ken Utsui	...	Samurai wandering throuth town (uncredited)
Ren Yamamoto	...	Farmer (uncredited)

Directed by
Akira Kurosawa

Writing credits
Akira Kurosawa		(screenplay) &
Shinobu Hashimoto		(screenplay) &
Hideo Oguni		(screenplay)

Produced by
Sojiro Motoki	....	producer

Original Music by
Fumio Hayasaka

Cinematography by
Asakazu Nakai

Film Editing by
Akira Kurosawa

Production Design by
So Matsuyama

Costume Design by
Kôhei Ezaki
Mieko Yamaguchi

Makeup Department
Midori Nakajo	....	hair stylist
Junjiro Yamada	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Hiroshi Nezu	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Sakae Hirosawa	....	assistant director
Hiromichi Horikawa	....	chief assistant director
Toshi Kaneko	....	assistant director
Masaya Shimizu	....	assistant director
Yasuyoshi Tajitsu	....	assistant director

Art Department
Kôhei Ezaki	....	art consultant
Koichi Hamamura	....	property master
Yoshirô Muraki	....	assistant art director

Sound Department
Ichirô Minawa	....	sound effects editor
Masanao Uehara	....	sound assistant
Fumio Yanoguchi	....	sound recordist

Camera and Electrical Department
Masao Fukuda	....	still photographer
Mitsuo Kaneko	....	assistant lighting technician
Shigeru Mori	....	lighting technician
Takao Saitô	....	assistant camera

Editorial Department
Hiroshi Nezu	....	editing manager

Music Department
Masaru Satô	....	assistant to composer

Other crew
Shigeru Endo	....	instructor: horseback archery
Kôhei Ezaki	....	folklore researcher
Yuji Hamada	....	accountant
Ienori Kaneko	....	archery instructor
Toshio Nakane	....	acting office
Teruyo Nogami	....	script supervisor
Takeharu Shimada	....	production assistant
Yoshio Sugino	....	swordplay instructor

Production Companies

• Toho Company

Distributors

• Toho Company (1954) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Columbia Pictures (1956) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) (1972) (USA) (TV) (US network premiere)
• AVCO Embassy Pictures (1982) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Films Incorporated (1982) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Janus Films (1982) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Landmark Films (1982) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Embassy Home Entertainment (1987) (USA) (VHS)
• Criterion Collection, The (1989) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Criterion Collection, The (1991) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Criterion Collection, The (1998) (USA) (DVD)
• Cowboy Pictures (2002) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Toho Company (2002) (Japan) (DVD)
• Shoval Film Production (2003) (Israel) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Bright Angel Distribution (2004) (Netherlands) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Madman Entertainment (2004) (Australia) (DVD)
• Total Film Home Entertainment (2004) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Total Film Home Entertainment (2004) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Nihon Eiga Satellite Broadcasting (2007) (Japan) (TV)
• Asociace Ceských Filmových Klubu (ACFK) (2009) (Czech Republic) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Atlantic Film (2002) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Jaguar Film (1965) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Rosenbergs Filmbyrå (1965) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Svenska Filminstitutet (SFI) (2002) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Television och Smalfilm (1965) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Continental Home Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Sandrews (2007) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Tocantins (????) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Toho Video (1996) (Japan) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Toho Genzosho  video editing

Also Known As:

Seven Samurai (UK)
Shichi-nin no samurai (Japan) (alternative transliteration)
The Seven Samurai (USA)

Runtime:

160 min (international version) | Argentina:163 min | Japan:206 min (initial release) | Sweden:202 min (2002 re-release) | UK:150 min (original version) | UK:190 min (1991 re-release) | USA:141 min | USA:203 min (re-release) | USA:207 min (restored version) | Spain:202 min (DVD edition)

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Portugal:M/12 | Brazil:10 | Czech Republic:U | Spain:T | Argentina:16 | Australia:PG | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG | Denmark:15 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | Sweden:11 (re-rating) (2002) | Sweden:15 (original rating) | Switzerland:14 | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) (1991) | USA:Unrated | West Germany:16

Company:

Toho Company

Trivia:

Seiji Miyaguchi, who played the taciturn samurai Kyuzo, had not touched a sword at all before this movie. Editing and careful cinematography were both used to give the impression that he was a master.

Goofs:

Continuity: Shichiroji throws a spear out the door of Rikichi's hut in anger, it lands obviously in parallel with the door. Later, after Kikuchiyo's outburst he runs outside and picks the spear up, however it's now laying sideways compared to the door.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Bandit second-in-command: We'll take this place next.
Bandit Chief: We took it last autumn. They haven't got anything worth taking yet. Let's wait.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Seven Samurai: Origins and Influences (2006) (V)

Kurosawa's triumphant epic- totally & successfully driven by character and story

Akira Kurosawa was and is considered the master of east-western film-making (in that he made his Japanese films accessible for fans of American westerns while still making the movies his country found popular), and out of the few Kurosawa movies I've had the pleasure of viewing (Hidden Fortress, Rashomon, and this) I'd have to say that while Rashomon is still my favorite, I nevertheless had a blast during this one. The story has become quite influential to filmmakers from the likes of John Sturges (The Magnificent Seven) to John Lasseter (A Bug's Life): a small village has been terrorized by bandits for far too long, amid times of civil war in the nation, and so on the advice of Grand-Dad, they decide to hire four - which soon becomes seven - samurai for the job. There's no money, just food and honor, even though the village isn't exactly pleased to have samurai back in their village. Each character is drawn and executed compellingly, though for my money Toshiro Mifune proves why he became one of Japan's most notorious film actors. His work as the brave, bold outcast of the seven is awe-inspiring practically all the way through, like the hero of a western that anyone can root for since he's a true rebel at heart within a group of men with a task at hand.

Kurosawa directs his tale and main and supporting players like a grand composer, orchestrating a vivid story and extracting from great actors like Takashi Shimura (the old, wise Samurai), Ko Kimura (the disciple Samurai), Daisuke Kato (Schichiroji), and Mifune (Kikuchiyo, which isn't his real name) just the right touches of humanity, humor, tragedy, romance, and intensity. The overall intensity, by the way, isn't over-estimated; its long length (almost 3 1/2 hours) isn't distracting in the slightest since Kurosawa's editing and photography (the later helmed by Asakazu Nakai) are extraordinary. Not to compare the two films, but one thing I saw in common with Seven Samurai and a Lord of the Rings film is that, if anything else, it definitely isn't a boring experience. Along with a score by Fumio Hayasaka that gives the film just a bit more of a pulse, and a showdown that is relentless with excitement, this is one of the must-see action films for film buffs, or anyone with an serious interest in having fun with an epic.