Released in 1954, Akira Kurosawa’s fifteenth film, Seven Samurai is often considered his best work That’s saying something, since he’s also responsible for such classics as Rashomon, The Hidden Fortress (George Lucas’s inspiration for Star Wars), Yojimbo, High and Low, and Ran among others, in a career spanning nearly sixty years.
The late 16th century in Japan is a time of civil war. The residents of a small farming village are being threatened by bandits. Frequent raids on their crops have left them with little to feed themselves. Learning that the bandits will return when its time to harvest their barley, a group of local men decide to travel to the nearest town and recruit some samurai to come and protect them. Without any money to pay the samurai, they get no takers. Eventually, they come across Kambei (Takashi Shimura) an older warrior with lots of experience, both good and bad. Initially, Kambei is reluctant to take on the cause, until he realizes the great sacrifice the farmers are willing to make to enlist him.
The recruitment of the samurai is a delight. Each is introduced in a way that shows their distinct personalities. With the help of the young Katsushiro (Ko Kimura), Kambei recruits four additional samurai. Some are friends, some aren’t. the stoic One, Kyuzo (Seiji Miyaguchi) is a seasoned master. One short of the number Kambei had hoped, Kikuchiyo (Toshiro Mifune), a drunk once rejected, will be the seventh, whether they like it or not.
If this all sounds familiar, it’s because it’s a story that would inspire many other films—everything from The Magnificent Seven to A Bug’s Life. Kurosawa’s casting choices separate Seven Samurai from its imitators, particularly Kurosawa favorites Shimura Takashi and Mifune Toshirō as calm. knowledgeable Kambei and the brash, excitable wannabe samurai Kikuchiyo. While this wasn’t Toshirō’s first film, it’s the role that helped cement his later legendary status. The supporting cast is filled with actors that inhabit there characters so well, it’s hard to envision another actor playing them.
“This new digital transfer was created from a 35 mm master positive by TOHO Archive Co., Ltd. The original negative of the film is no longer available.” The result is impressive. Compared to Criterion’s Blu-ray release, this 4K offers some further improvements. Cleaner looking, the period aesthetic is in full flight. New details are apparent throughout. The excellence of the production is a revelation. The scenes with large crowds offer surprising dimensionality. Black levels are dark and inky throughout. there’s no signs of crushing during nighttime scenes. Closeups of natural facial features. There are no scratches or other anomalies.
“The original monaural audio was remastered from a 35 mm soundtrack positive.” Despite limited dynamics because of its mono origins, dialogue is clean, clear and concise throughout.
English SDH subtitles are included.
The extras are spread out as follows:
4K BLU-RAY DISC / Blu-ray Disc One
Commentaries
- Scholar’s Roundtable – Film Scholars David Desser, Joan Mellen, Stephen Prince, Tony Rayns, and Donald Richie all take turns discussing 40-minute sections of the film. Recorded between 2005 and 2006.
- Michael Jeck – Japanese film expert Michal Jeck. Recorded in 1998.
BLU-RAY DISC TWO
- Akira Kurosawa – It Is Wonderful to Create (SD, 49:10) An archival documentary about the making of the film, taken from the Toho Masterworks series.
- My Life in Cinema (SD, 115:59) A feature length conversation with Kurosawa and filmmaker Nagisa Oshima, originally filmed for the Directors Guild of Japan in 1993. Presented in Japanese.
- Seven Samurai: Origins and Influences (SD, 55:12) An archival documentary originally produced by Criterion, featuring various scholars and critics. Presented in English and Japanese with optional English subtitles.
- Promotional Materials
- Trailer One (SD, 4:11)
- Trailer Two (SD, 2:57)
- Trailer Three (SD, 2:44)
- Teaser Trailer (SD, 0:42)
Galleries
- Behind the Scenes (HD)
- Posters (HD)
Booklet: A sixty page booklet with essays by Kenneth Turan, Peter Cowie, Philip Kemp, Peggy Chiao, Alain Silver, Stuart Galbraith IV, Arthur Penn, and Sidney Lumet, and an interview with actor Toshiro Mifune from 1993.
