Akira Kurosawa (1910–1998)

A village hires seven samurai to defend them from rampaging bandits. While the seven warriors initially clash over varying differences, they eventually unite over their task to defend the villagers and vanquish their enemies.

I'll lead off with this: I know that the 3 hour+ runtime and subtitles will turn off many viewers, but if you can overlook those two things, certainly do so. This is a great classic film that, when you watch it, you can see how it has influenced so much of cinema since it was released. The way massive battles were shot obviously has influenced such franchises as Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and even superhero films, and its character development, humor, acting, music, and so much more combine into a wonderful blend that makes for a classic Japanese action film that I am extremely glad to have watched. Aside from the lengthy runtime, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and look forward to revisiting it more in the future. Highly recommended for those who can get past the runtime and subtitled dialogue.

Content Concerns: There's quite a bit of (mostly) bloodless violence that does result in death and destruction. Language, while not in English, is a bit of a problem. There are approximately 50 subtitled uses of profanity, but strangely enough, after doing research I found out that apparently various translations have given various counts of language throughout, so apparently some was added in the Criterion Collection version that isn't in others and apparently the original Japanese version uses light profanity? It's a bit of an interesting dilemma, but it's worth noting since the language is present in the subtitles.

(November 2023)… (more)

Something like an autobiography, and something much more like a memoir, which is no bad thing. Kurosawa explains that he'd rather his work speak for him, but that in his old age, he's been persuaded to write about himself.

The first half of the book beautifully evokes the pre-war Japan of his childhood, his adventures with his friends, his brother and parents. Then, his 'bohemian' period as a struggling painter and writer, then his almost accidental entry into the movie industry. The later chapters revolve around his film-making and studio politics, but always involve the personal, rather than dry history. He ends with the production of his classic film, Rashomon, on 1950, saying he'd now written enough and he was losing interest in the memoir project. An honest (though he questions his own honesty), fascinating, and conversational account of a major figure of 20th century culture.… (more)