Seven Samurai [VHS]

Seven Samurai [VHS]
by Akira Kurosawa

Seven Samurai [VHS]

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Product details

Actor: Kamatari Fujiwara, Keiko Tsushima, Takashi Shimura, Toshir? Mifune, Yukiko Shimazaki
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Cinematographer: Asakazu Nakai
Editor: Akira Kurosawa
Writer: Akira Kurosawa
Producer: S?jir? Motoki
Writer: Hideo Oguni
Writer: Shinobu Hashimoto
Edition: VHS Tape
Audio: English (Subtitled); Japanese (Original Language), Analog
Format: Black & White, NTSC, Subtitled
Running Time: 141 minutes
Release Date: 2000-06-16
Audience Rating: Unrated
Publisher: Homevision
Studio: Homevision

VHS Movie Reviews of Seven Samurai [VHS]

Movie Review: One of the greats...
Summary: 5 Stars

A cinematic giant, now on DVD.
Probably the best movie to ever come from the east, and the basis for some of the great American westerns.

Movie Review: Criterion quality just enhances this great film
Summary: 5 Stars

Having first viewed this film in a theatre over 30 years ago (a Japanese film festival no less... so they had an "original", not export version), it is still up there in my top 10.

I really do not want to duplicate other praise for this MasterWork - Bernabo's review covers it so well.

However it is worth noting that if you needed any other reason to buy this film, it is the Criterion label.
In Australia at least, Laser Disc was a rarity - mostly caused by the unrelenting greed of the Studios - who would not import them for sale or rental - but attacked any video shop that tried to, with legal injunctions et al.
Suffice to say I was convinced by the owner of my local video hire, a collector of note and sagacity, to buy this title as a laser disc as it was a Criterion re-master - and the first "commercial" version of the full 3+ hour release.
I am guessing this is the base material that went to the DVD issue.

At any rate, it was a superb result - my only regret it was not put on a blu-ray disc (really only for the convenience...)but that is just being picky :-)

Movie Review: Eyeing another sacred cow qith my kebab skewers ready...
Summary: 4 Stars

The Seven Samurai (Akira Kurosawa, 1954)

It is no secret among those who follow my reviews that I tend to disagree with a lot of both critical and public choices for the best movies ever made. The Seven Samurai is currently ranked at #18 on IMDB's Top 250 list, and only two thousand-best lists I've ever seen have a Japanese film ranked higher on their lists than this one (the Halliwell Guide not only has a Japanese film higher--it ranks Ozu's Tokyo Monogatari as the finest movie ever made--while on IMDB's list, Spirited Away occasionally supplants it for a short time). And as you can probably guess form the opening, I disagree. While I understanding the reasoning behind the reverence--The Seven Samurai is, after all, the first modern action film, and is just as innovative as Nosferatu had been thirty years earlier--it's not really all that memorable when it comes to anything but its technical innovations. (It's also possible I just don't cotton to Akira Kurosawa's movies; the only one I've seen to date that's stuck with me for more than a few weeks is Dersu Uzala.)

Simple plot: a village is under siege by bandits, and the elders decide to hire out-of-work samurai to guard them. They get a mix ranging from the stern, masterful warrior to the illiterate samurai wannabe who's not afraid to break any rules necessary to make sure the job gets done (Throne of Blood's Yoshio Inaba and Kurosawa regular Toshiro Mifune, respectively). Much of the film focuses on the samurai's preparations for the village, the day-to-day lives of the villagers and the samurai, weaving in understated humor and pathos with the drama before the explosive action sequences.

Of course it's been influential; I can't think of a major action film made afterwards that doesn't co-opt one or more aspects from this movie. But just because it's influential doesn't mean it's immortal; one of the things about influential movies is that when so many people do what you did, some of them are bound to do it better. I don't think many people necessarily disagree with me on this; after all, one of the movies on IMDB ranked higher is The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, which ripped its structure straight from The Seven Samurai. (I have to say I wasn't that fond of that one, either, and probably for the same reason; glacial pace punctuated by action sequences that are entirely too short, especially given previous films like Alexander Nevsky that were much better paced). Still, while you're watching it, there's more than enough to compensate for the film's running time. I am not in any way saying that The Seven Samurai is a bad movie. It's a good movie, and it is without doubt one of the most influential films in history. But is it, from the standpoint of simply being a fun, watchable, perfectly-made film, one of the twenty best movies ever made? I think there are much, much better candidates for the title. *** ?

Movie Review: Still and Always a Wonderful Movie
Summary: 5 Stars

I first saw Seven Samurai late at night on PBS when flipping through the channels as a teenager. The movie kept going and going, it was so long, but I was totally absorbed and before I knew it I had spent the whole night watching it and didn't go to bed until around 4am in the morning. Now I'm 37 years old and it remains one of my favorite movies. When Criterion released a DVD of the movie in 1998 I bought a copy right away.

I enjoyed watching the movie once again, and got the added benefit of Japanese film expert Michael Jeck's excellent commentary. After reading the reviews about the higher video quality of this new Criterion release, I bought the new DVD as well and have enjoyed watching it on my 50 inch plasma. It's worth every penny to have the best copy of this great movie.

The one thing that puzzles me though is the different subtitles on the new release. Michael Jeck's commentary on the 1998 release was partly based around the subtitles. For example, in the part when three of the Samurai go and set the bandits' fort on fire and cut down the bandits as they come running out, afterwards one of the Samurai tells Kikuchiyo "Well done" because he came up with the idea. Mr. Jeck points out that this is actually the moment when Kikuchiyo is accepted and becomes a full fledged member of the Seven Samurai. On the new release, according to the subtitles, the Samurai simply says "We did it." What was the point of changing the subtitles like that? Still, Seven Samurai is a timeless classic.

Movie Review: "Japan's Towering Achievement"
Summary: 5 Stars

This film arguably Kurosawa's greatest film. This particular version allows us to see his masterpiece in unprecedented clarity. The new translation provides the audience a greater emotional understanding of the plot.

The humor and action are timeless entertainment. I was honestly expecting to become bored given the extremely lengthy presentation, but not a scene is wasted. It tells a fairly simple story but develops each character meticulously. You will remember scenes from this movie for weeks to come and will be compelled to watch it again and again.

The documentaries are excellent additions. One provides information about early Japanese films and the other gives us an entertaining glimpse into what it was like to shoot Seven Samurai. There is a very dull interview with Kurosawa that should be skipped by all except the most avid of Kurosawa fans.

I also feel bizarrely inclined to mention the beautiful packaging. The fold-out DVD box is adorned with iconic scenes from the film. The color scheme is pleasant. The booklet that comes with it also looks very artsy. It comes with information to teach us about the creators of the film and essays from various movie buffs to provide different perspectives about the importance of the film.

All in all, a fantastic package that should not be missed by anyone who considers themselves a movie fan. As trailers of the movie gloated without restraint, it might be "Japan's Towering Achievement" in film. 5/5

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Summary of Seven Samurai [VHS]

This extraordinary tale of adventure, romance, humor, and suspense has been hailed by critics worldwide as one of the best films of all time. A peasant village hires seven medieval mercenaries to defend it from marauding bandits. When the samurais arrive, a spectacular series of battles begin in which a splendidly mobile camera seems to be everywhere: shooting through foliage, rainstorms, dust, and wind. Toshiro Mifune's performance is ferocious as an overzealous and loudmouthed would-be samurai. He is complemented by the wise, veteran warrior played masterfully by Takashi Shimura. The inspiration for the Hollywood Western The Magnificent Seven, Kurosawa's classic explores the timeless themes of personal bravery and the resilience of the human spirit.

Unanimously hailed as one of the greatest masterpieces in the history of the motion picture, Seven Samurai has inspired countless films modeled after its basic premise. But Akira Kurosawa's classic 1954 action drama has never been surpassed in terms of sheer power of emotion, kinetic energy, and dynamic character development. The story is set in the 1600s, when the residents of a small Japanese village are seeking protection against repeated attacks by a band of marauding thieves. Offering mere handfuls of rice as payment, they hire seven unemployed "ronin" (masterless samurai), including a boastful swordsman (Toshiro Mifune) who is actually a farmer's son desperately seeking glory and acceptance. The samurai get acquainted with but remain distant from the villagers, knowing that their assignment may prove to be fatal. The climactic battle with the raiding thieves remains one of the most breathtaking sequences ever filmed. It's poetry in hyperactive motion and one of Kurosawa's crowning cinematic achievements. This is not a film that can be well served by any synopsis; it must be seen to be appreciated (accept nothing less than its complete 203-minute version) and belongs on the short list of any definitive home-video library. --Jeff Shannon

Stills from Seven Samurai - 3 Disc Remastered Edition (Click for larger image)

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