The Seven Samurai

The Seven Samurai (七人の侍 Shichinin no samurai, 1954) is a movie by Akira Kurosawa starring Takashi Shimura and Toshiro Mifune. The film takes place in war-ridden 16th century Japan, where a village of farmers look for ways to ward off a band of marauding robbers. Since they do not know how to fight, they hire seven ronin (lordless samurai) to fight for them. Kurosawa made The Seven Samurai because he wanted to make a real jidaigeki, a period-film that would present the past as meaningful, while also being an entertaining film.

Related Topics:
1954 - Movie - Akira Kurosawa - Takashi Shimura - Toshiro Mifune - 16th century - Japan - Ronin - Samurai - Jidaigeki

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The Seven Samurai is widely regarded as a significant film in many respects. It is regarded by many as one of Akira Kurosawa's greatest achievements. Both on a national and international level, it is regarded as one of the greatest Japanese films ever made, and has been declared the best Japanese movie by many organizations and polls. It is also one of the few Japanese films to become widely known in the West, and is the subject of both popular and critical acclaim; it consistently ranks in the top ten movies on the IMDB Top 250 List and was voted one of the Sight & Sound Directors' Top Ten movies in 2002.

Related Topics:
Japanese films - IMDB Top 250 List - Sight & Sound - Directors - 2002

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This movie was also an important milestone in movie history. The single largest undertaking by a Japanese filmmaker at the time, it was a technical and creative watershed that became Japan's highest-grossing movie and set a new standard for the industry. Many regard it as the epitome of the action movie, defining such plot elements as the reluctant hero and motley crew of fighters. Its use of such cinematographic elements as slow motion and panning battle shots helped to create a movie that would influence cinema worldwide. After the earlier success of Rashomon, this movie solidified Kurosawa as a talent in worldwide film circles. In the decades after its release, The Seven Samurai would inspire many screenwriters and directors, particularly in Hollywood.

Related Topics:
Action movie - Plot elements - Cinematographic elements - Slow motion - Rashomon - Screenwriters - Hollywood

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