The Seven Samurai is one of the greatest movies of all time. I have seen it over 30 times, never get bored, and I always spot something I missed because Kurosawa filled his screen with little details easy to miss if you are not paying attention. Kurosawa treated each scene like an artist painting a canvas.
While "The Seven Samurai" is a well-told movie, cinematically I found "Yojimbo" to be the greater Ronin/Samurai themed film by Kurosawa. I would be much interested in his "Rashomon" with a different topical subject, which is by many considered his masterpiece, but unfortunately I could not get my hands on a copy yet.
I attended the University of Illinois at the same time as Roger Ebert. He wrote reviews for the Daily Illini newspaper and I enjoyed reading them. One summer I had to stay in school so I decided to see every movie that came to town that summer. I would often see Roger at the same movies. Near the end of the summer I was walking on campus and Roger came up to me. He said something about knowing I liked movies and suggested there was a really good movie showing at one of the halls on campus. I thanked him and went to see "The Seven Samurai" and it is still my all time favorite movie.
The film is all the more extraordinary when you consider that Akira Kurosawa’s father was from a Samurai background. To make a warts and all, non-romanticised historical drama about samurai, some of whom have nothing but their honour to their name, against the backdrop of a culture where filial piety and obedience are of paramount importance, is comparable to a revolutionary act. No wonder Kurosawa was admired outside Japan but never truly considered a great artist by his own country. This film has it all.
@@gerardcote8391 You are familiar. I don't want to say badmouth about America, But sadly Bad politics pretending to be MacArthur's good politics led to the inevitable collapse of Japan today ... We don't want to claim to be victims, Just Recalling our Erased important history The meaning is Return to basics of Japanese soul… Our story may look strange but ... If we really wish for the reconstruction of Japan Indefinitely we shouldn't blame others It's only our responsibility, including all the Japanese who are still asleep ... That's exactly why Japanese conservatives supported Trump. We looked like an election to buy America's freedom and democracy for money The big difference from the Japanese sense Electoral fraud is not strange thing over there, And I heard that it is premised that "injustice is natural". Anti-globalist (patriot) vs. globalist They even ousted Trump with falsely accused and kicked him out. This is a battle that Japan challenged the world more than 70 years ago ... against the rule structure of the world.
@@user-ev8po2wt3o Agree, one can be pro America and say America can do no wrong, but that is not to say politicians are perfect, they are all ranging between incompetent or corrupt to irredeemable evil. MacArthur was basically a good guy, working for evil people. I find it inconceivable that people cannot comprehend how WW2 was sold to the people and not question it. The US sided with Imperial Britain, France, and USSR to fight the "evil" Nationalism (Germany and Italy - even though Italy was Imperial) then teamed up with Nationalism - China, Vietnam, New Zealand and Australia to fight the "evil" Imperialism of Japan. Either Imperialism was evil or Nationalism was evil can't be both at the same time and neither at the same time on the other side of the planet. Transcendent moral good and evil are not geography or ethnicity dependant. Given the ongoing CCP oppression and slaughter of the various ethnic minorities it looks hypocritical to "blame Japan" for atrocities that China has committed and continues to commit a thousand times over, but we look the other way.
@@gerardcote8391 "Evil" Imperialism of Japan？ This is probably Roosevelt's view of history, which was cooperative with China. 😊 As you know, wartime propaganda is well known to have been done by every country in the world. And when the war is over, "only the propaganda of the victorious country remains" and "the promotion of the defeated country is temporarily erased from on the earth" Therefore, it is said that it is extremely difficult for a defeated country to regain its history. After the war, the memories of people's history were rewritten by the academia that ruled the world. It is usual to have the defeated nation take all responsibility. then Evil" Imperialism of Japan Either Imperialism was evil or Nationalism was evil can't be both at the same time and neither at the same time on the other side of the planet. It becomes a common recognition of those who believe in propaganda on the American side. Everyone knows that the army during the war cannot be evaluated by the "dual theory of good and evil". But it can be said which was closer to justice from God's eyes? We don't see it like "we are justice and our enemies are devils" like in America ... However, we does not write a history of hypocrisy that claims American war crimes are justice. Many people still misunderstand Japan, and the American claim is just made for their convenience ... For example… Evil" Imperialism of Japan and Japanese army Invasion and Militarism and SHINTO too It denies them with their own logic but… Not from the Japanese perspective So it's not a basis for denial Because they don't understand Japan correctly No matter how much disinformation is analyzed, the conclusion is that the answer is only "fake". However, the lie of the promotion of the Japanese devil in the United States and the lie that many countries rewrote for their own benefit ... When it was revealed, the new Japanese history Rising sun again.
wow. Rare to see anyone react to a Kurosawa film, let alone someone of a younger generation. Bravo to you. I own all his films. Pure genius storytelling.
Excellent film I saw it in the 60s as a child and many times since, it is one of those timeless movies that will forever pass down generations, and still be thought of as not only a masterpiece, but also a classic.
I also love Hidden Fortress which was inspiration for Star Wars. Toshiro Mifune is truly the wise master swordsman that inspired Obi Wan Kenobi. You view the story through the eyes of two peasants Tahei and Matashichi who are the inspiration for C3PO and R2D2. You have the princess leading the rebellion. The duel between the master and his nemesis. It opens with a battle raging which all Star Wars movies adopted. Love it.
You're being very kind with the term "inspiration".😉 A lot of centenary celebrations of Mifune's birth had to be cancelled or postponed in 2020 due to the pandemic. But there is a great documentary about his life, and sadly tragic last years.
Love how perceptive you were to notice the use of motion in Kurosawa's direction. Kurosawa understood when to use motion and when not to. A perfect example is the use of rain in the background and the rustling of the leaves in the trees or along the ground or in the use of motion by groups of characters to direct the viewer to the object Kurosawa wants the viewer to see. Kudos to you for reacting to a movie most people would dismiss out of hand because it is a foreign film and not in color. If you decide to look at another film, I'd consider "Yojimbo" or "High and Low" as candidates, where Kurosawa displays his mastery of the film medium.
@@MoviesWithMia If you are ready for the Kurosawa rabbit hole, I'd add a couple masterpieces to your list: Ikiru (meaning of life investigation from terminally ill man), Roshomon (same tale from three perspectives and questioning the nature of truth), Ran (feudal Japanese loose adaptation of King Lear), Kagemusha (16th C semi historical drama involving an impersonator), I Live in Fear (a post war psychological masterpiece). The rabbit hole runs deep and I could easily list ten more "musts." Oh and since you saw both this and Sergio Leonne version you might want to check out their other pairing; Sanjuro vs For a Few Dollars More.
Fun fact: one of the bandits was played by Haruo Nakajima, who was also the first 'Godzilla' suit actor. The samurai leader was played by Takashi Shimura, who was also a lead actor in 'Godzilla'.
Toshiro Mifune is what you'd call a true star, like Cary Grant. He brings as much charm and energy to every movie, even playing completely different characters. Another Kurosawa classic, Yojimbo, features Mifune as a far different character, and has also been remade by Western cinema time and again. Yojimbo is the template for Clint Eastwood's Man With No Name. Oh! It also just occurs to me. Although Yojimbo is technically a smaller action movie, its soundtrack might actually be more epic than Seven Samurai's. SS is so serious that you almost don't need music, just the drums. But in Yojimbo, the score becomes more a character unto itself, strutting around and being flashy. Another starring vehicle for Mifune was Hidden Fortress--where he's basically Han Solo in the movie that became Star Wars.
@@MoviesWithMiaGeorge Lucas considered Mifune for the role of Obi-wan Kenobi in Star Wars. He also played Lord Toranaga in the epic TV miniseries Shogun.
Toshiro Mifune is also probably best known to Western Audiances for playing Toranaga in the mini-series Shogan. A character who is somewhat based on the real-life warlord, Ieyasu Tokogawa. I remember hearing a story about how he'd get into character where he's sit in a corner by himself, facing a wall, and just growl out loud for minutes at a time to work himself up. That sense of stern menace and controlled anger that could be unleashed at any time carried over into his performance.
OOOO! One of my favorites! Haven't seen anyone else react to it, either! I love watching Toshiro Mifune's performance - he is so physical, acting with his whole body. It's even more amazing when you watch some of his other movies because he plays very different characters equally well! (like the very stoic, cool as a cucumber wandering samurai in 'Yojimbo' and 'Sanjuro' which were also directed by Kurosawa.)
I love the way Kurosawa blends drama and comedy in a way that doesn't feel forced. There is a moment in 'Sanjuro' with a captured samurai that is definitely comedic but not comedy for comedy's sake. I know you're probably getting more suggestions than you can ultimately address, but if you get a chance, you might look into 'Rashomon', even if you watch it for your own enjoyment without doing a reaction to it.
OMG!! I LITERALLY SAID THAT IN THE FULL LENGTH VERSION! His effortless blending of drama and comedy is amazing!! Oh I will definitely take a look at Rashomon! Thank you for recommending!!
Another thing you could say the samurai were fighting was time . Their way of life and weapons were becoming less relevant with the use of guns. They won this battle but time would make them relics of the past.
But don't, whatever you do, watch The Last Samurai with Tom Cruise. OK so it looks great but scriptwise it's your typical Hollywood historical mishmash with American characters with modern viewpoints shoehorned in in a desperate attempt to make the movie 'more interesting' for US audiences...🙄
@@eddhardy1054 not a Tom Cruise fan, but I did like Last Samurai. Had some historical truths in it. US did train their military and the Emperor did try to eliminate the Samurai, and move to a modern military with modern equipment.
Thanks so much for the background history, which adds so much to your reaction. You certainly take these classic films seriously. Keep up the good work! Hope you get a lot of subscribers!
I was one of the people recommending this film. So very influential. The first film with the slow motion fight/death at the beginning. A lot of directors have made their careers based on slow motion fights. The part where you see the large force appear over the horizon - that’s been copied in many films. And just the concept: the gathering of talented people to perform a task. First film to do this. So many films follow this blueprint - from the remake ‘Magnificent Seven’ right through the ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ films.
Some people don"t know that this movie was the inspiration for the cowboy movie magnificent seven. Starring Steve Mcqeen & Yul Brynner. The cowboy movie is replica of this movie.
7:06 - Ooo, that shot of people scattering away to reveal a man standing with a large weapon reminded me of that shot from Raiders of the Lost Ark when the crowd in Cairo scatters to reveal the guy holding the giant sword. Spielberg has definitely talked about being influenced by Kurosawa. I guess that was an intentional nod?
I love your commentary, it really adds to your reaction. This is one of the best movies of all time and definitely worth seeing on the big screen if you get the chance
Takashi Shimura is my favorite actor among the cast.Such quiet dignity he brings to the role,as well as other roles he played,whether in Kurosawa movies or Godzilla movies.The original 1954 Godzilla is a high recommend for your videos,as long as it's the original Japanese cut and not the American cut with Raymond Burr.It's far more serious and devastating compared to the later kiddie-friendly sequels. And Mia,you do a hell of a reaction channel channel.
Seen both loved them both. Also got to see the Original Rodan, in Japanese with English subs, way better film, and it explains that bizzare couple on the hill getting attacked near the beginning of the film. In the Englished dubbed, you ask who are they and why is it important to see them killed without context, then you see the japanese version and oh wait these were major characters, connected to the other major characters.
When I get asked, who is my favourite actor, I usually answer: Takashi Shimura. He had such an "unreal" charisma (hard to explain for me with my poor English).
Thank you Mia!! This is all time favorite film. I believe that is one of greatest films in the entire history of cinema. Citizen Kane is considered the most outstanding film in history. In my personal opinion The Seven Samurai is an even better movie. Kurosawa was a genius. Look at the Hollywood movies inspired by this man. Two examples of this are the following: Yojimbo was remade as " A Fist Full Of Dollars and "The Hidden Fortress" was the inspiration for " Star Wars ". Enough said!
The reason why Shino and Katsushiro did not end up together and why Rikichi's wife did what she did are embodied by the mentality of Shino's father. He believes that women "must keep their purity and integrity intact"; but this standard of purity is established by men, and not by the women themselves. His actions of trying to maintain this "purity culture" (i.e. cutting off Shino's hair and sl*t-shaming her) are never glorified in the film. It is his type of mindset that has ruined completely healthy relationships and Akira Kurosawa does a masterful job of criticizing this type of culture that still affects Japan today.
Also, the social classes were ironclad back in those days. Katsushiro is heavily implied to come from wealth: his appearance and grooming is so much neater than the other samurai, and he's the only one that has money to spare (he gives to the farmers after they lose their rice). For a samurai from a rich, noble family to marry a village girl would be unthinkable, and on some level Shino's father, despite his dickishness, is aware of that and some of his anger is from his daughter effectively being used as a practice girl by a rich dude who's never coming back to their village.
Looked WAY too deeply into it, amigo/a. Evil Ascot and Baroqu laid it out much better. Besides, more "honorable" lifestyles are what maintains and preserves society..broken ones break it down and we see it to this day.
I highly recommend Akira Kurosawa's 1952 drama "Ikiru" starring Takashi Shimura. (who plays the samurai leader Kambei in "Seven Samurai"). I consider it one of Kuroswa's very best movies.
What a wonderful reaction and review! You have a real winner with this one, Mia! First off, as an American who has studied Japanese and was previously married to a Japanese woman, and has been complimented by Japanese people on my good Japanese pronunciation, I have to say that your pronunciation of all the Japanese names you rattled off like a pro was outstanding, especially for a newbie to Japanese pronunciation! So much better than 95% of most English speakers, who regularly mangle Japanese names. Yours wasn’t perfect or flawless, but for a first-timer you definitely get an A! If you haven’t studied Japanese, you should, because I think you have a real knack for it! Also, since you mentioned that this film probably shouldn’t be part of your Epic Scores grouping, I would agree; it should, however, be the first of a new grouping - Classic Foreign Language Films! Not only should you see and react to other Japanese classics from Kurosawa, Yasujirō Ozu (perhaps THE most Japanese of all the great Japanese directors), Kenji Mizoguchi, Shōhei Imamura, Masaki Kobayashi, Keisuke Kinoshita, Mikio Naruse, Nagisa Ōshima, and others, but you can also see and react to other classic non-English language film directors like François Truffaut, Federico Fellini, Ingmar Bergman, Vittorio de Sica, Roberto Rossellini, Werner Herzog, Lina Wertmüller, Jean-Luc Godard, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Jacques Tati, and many others. Given that many foreign directors have influenced generations of American (and non-American) filmmakers, this would help to expand your personal film education as well as that of us, your subscribers!
Thank you so much, RetroExotica! I really wanted to make sure that I pronounced these incredible actors names correctly and give them the utmost respect! Also, yeah I think this film whet my appetite for classic international films! Someone recommended Cocteau's La Belle et la Bete!
Thank you. This is my most favorite film. Every time I watch this movie, it makes me think about what justice is and what courage is. In addition, all the characters are attractive. Even after watching this movie, I still feel like they are there. That's the great thing about this movie.
My favorite film, I have watched at least twice a year for the last 20. The scenes have so many layers of context that even the minor characters are worth paying attention to and don't fade into the background like in western film. The movie is so alive because of the respect and presence given to each shot, nothing is there just because and everything is adding texture and meaning to the whole. This is a movie for everyone.
I was round 12 years when i se 7 samurai's. (58 years ago) and i have been samurai/Japan fan since that day !! Read lots of books an check movies and documetaries . (Sorry my poor english but im self made in it and its my 3 language)
I'm now watching The Sting since you recommended it. I've always been told about how iconic that Redford and Newman movie is along with Butch Cassidy (which I also plan to view at some point)
Props to you Mia, for reacting to this film; one of the greatest films ever made. I wish more reactors would follow your lead and give this film a view. Glad you enjoyed it! 👍😄
This has been one of my favorite films since I first saw it as a teen. I don't recall if it was the first Japanese film I'd seen, but it was among the first. One of my favorite moments is when Kikuchiyo is standing in the river with the baby in his arms. That always gets me. Because the style of clothing and architecture changed relatively slowly in the pre-Modern Japan those cannot be used as clues to the period, as they can in Western films. Kurosawa often includes guns in his Samurai films, as one way of indicating the period. In Seven Samurai the guns are matchlocks, which puts the action in the 17th century. In Yojimbo there is a revolver, putting us in the 19th century. The Magnificent Seven would've been good for Great Scores month, if you'd not done it for Westerns.
Elliot, super random, but I wanted to reach out to you and again thank you so much for The Debonairs book you sent over! It aided my research in The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, specifically with Rex Harrison! Thank you so very much :)
@@MoviesWithMia I'm happy that you found it useful as well as enjoyable. A month of "Debonairs" would be a nice idea. You've already done several Cary Grant films (though one can never get too much of Cary Grant, and _Charade_ is coming up in Audrey month) and a couple with William Powell, but Ronald Colman, Robert Montgomery, David Niven, et alia, would make for interesting selections.
In "The Empire Strikes Back" Yoda's face was modelled after Takashi Shimura's. George Lucas is a huge fan of Kuroswa and you see a lot of references in the Star Wars films even right down to replicating shots.
Arguably one of Akira Kurosawas best masterpiece the Seven Samurai is an epic adventure classic with an engrossing story memorable characters and stunning action sequences that make it one of the most influential films ever made, SEVEN SAMURAI (1954) 100/100% Certified Approved ☑️
Thank you for watching a Japanese classic. For Japanese, the last words a surving samurai said sounds very meaningful. In the ends, the peasants took advantage of the seven samurai as disposable mercenary, which tells why a young lady took a distance from a young samurai . though the threat of the bandits still exists.... Kurosawa went deeply into the Soviet. It is said that he made this story influenced by samurai mercenary history and Aleksandr Fadeev' novel.
I would suggest you see Kurosawa's least mentioned movie, One Wonderful Sunday, a story about a couple struggling to enjoy their one day a week date in a recently defeated in war Japan. No men rolling around in the mud, but is an engaging look at Kurosawa's more intimate side.
This movie is a masterpiece. I'm watching your reaction to duck soup right now and then I'll watch this one. I just wanted to write in the last video you've done how great it is to find a channel that reacts to classic movies. I know they might not be the best if the goal is to be "popular", so that means you're a true film lover first, and I respect the crap out of that. You got a new sub.
When you said that this doesn't feel like a classic movie, I felt the same way when watching Stromboli with Ingrid Bergman. It was so nice to not hear the trans-Atlantic accent for a change...
What makes "Seven Samurai" a classic movie and not a classic movie is it talks about the human condition. The poor are exploited while the privileged benefit. People are separated by class (the shot where the lovesick Katsushiro is in the middle of Shino and the farmers and the other two surviving samurai speaks a lot). Warriors are plagued by loss and death while civilians are plagued by wanting and life.
@@Madbandit77 In the 70s, Neil Simon's plays and film adaptations adopted that same mindset where they were all about the human condition and the human experience
Thanks for doing this one... Kurosawa did his version "Macbeth", entitled "Throne of Blood". Would love to see you do a reaction to that and the latest Macbeth with Denzel Washington. BTW, your Japanese pronunciation is excellent (did you ever take a class?)
@@Progger11 Baloney. You say ripoff, I say remake. And, counterpart: "a person or thing holding a position or performing a function that corresponds to that of another person or thing in another place."
It's no secret that Kurosawa was a great admirer of John Ford. He would wear a beach or bucket hat just like his hero John Ford. When the two met in London in 1958 Ford was wearing a peaked cap and sunglasses. On his return to Japan Kurosawa immediately started wearing a peaked cap and sunglasses. Occasionally he would revert to a bucket hat, but the sunglasses would become a permanent accessory.
The Magnificent Seven redistributes the characteristics of the samurai from the Kurasawa film among the Westernized characters, so there are rough paralllels, but not direct transpositions.
Glad you enjoyed the movie as much as I do too! That 'swag' scene with Kyuzo going in to cut down the bandits by himself is one of my favorite scenes as well. There's a similar scene in Mad Max: Fury Road which I felt like a nod to the O.G. Fantabulistic reaction by the way Mia!
You would absolutely love ''Spellbound'' (1945). It's another of Hitchcock's masterpieces that stars Gregory Peck and Ingrid Bergman. The score, composed by Miklos Rozsa, is incredible and won the Academy Award for best original score that year. It's one of those classic films that just has a feeling about it. It's pretty hard to beat Ingrid + Gregory + Hitchcock + incredible score. I hope I've convinced you! Love your videos!
I find the backstory of "Seven Samurai" (1954) very interesting. I've heard/read that director Akira Kurosawa admired John Ford's vision in Westerns and used a large (movie) canvas. The irony is, Hollywood saluted Kurosawa with "The Magnificent Seven" (1960).
I am very happy to hear your impression of watching the movie "Seven Samurai". Because my brother was one of the first to project "Seven Samurai", and above all, I and my brother and sister are my favorite movies. Today's young people in Japan are reluctant to watch old movies. It's very regrettable. However, I was excited to see your excited impression video. I'm thrilled. thank you!
Daisuke would be pronounced as "dice kay." The vowels in between the consonants are often not where the emphasis is put, and are sometimes even completely silent. But you did a VERY good job. Better than most. You pronounced Akira Kurosawa's name perfectly, which most people do not. I love how you always do your homework and try to contextualize the movies you watch. It really enriches one's appreciation during the viewing experience.
More specifically, the vowel i between consonants is often silent and u is often very short or slurred over. The other vowels tend to be more prominent.
Kurasawa's films, each and every one, are amongst the greatest films ever made. The guy was amazing, as is seen by how many of his films were copied into American cinema, either by taking the whole film as in Magnificent 7 and for a few dollars more, and by taking bits as for Star Wars.
I love "The Seven Samurai", but "The Hidden Fortress" blows my mind. It is my favourite Japanese movie and Toshiru Mifune is mesmerizing. One thing that always bothered me about Japanese Cinema: the histrionic acting of so many of the actors. This applies to men and women, both.
I agree. This is a way better film than Mag. 7. I remember seeing a documentary about Seven Samurai years ago where they mention this film was the first to use the now standard "Line of enemies silhouetted on a hill" shot used in tons of films.
Luckily I saw The Seven Samurai in a small theater at a local university for my first time. The cinematography was amazing, especially the scene of the flowers by the small river. I have seen The Magnificent Seven countless times growing up but The Seven Samuri just blew me away. My general rule of thumb is that the original is better even if you see the remake first. I enjoy The Sting more than Butch Cassidy(I love em both) “ya follow”.
When I was very young, sixth of seventh grade my local PBS station would broadcast films on Saturday early afternoons. Usually foreign, with subtitles and always black and white. I watched this, Battleship Potemkin, and a myriad of that Swedish dude's films...what was his name? I'll look it up. Ingmar Bergman! Didn't understand anything but the images are burned into my memory.
Great pick Mia! This film is influential on so many levels. The whole "gathering of heroes" trope from films going from Oceans 11 to The Blues Brothers comes from this film. This film was also very influential to George Lucas for the Star Wars films - particularly Kurosawa's film "The Hidden Fortress".
All four of the samurai who die, die of gunshots. That was a reality that feudalism couldn't survive in Europe, where the crossbow and longbow did the execution, with the plague, then the gunpowder weapon finishing the work. In Japan the introduction of black-powder muskets meant an part-trained farmer could kill a great, rich lord, who could not wear enough armour to protect himself. A great leveller. Arguably, it resulted in industrialisation and the rise of a middle class who got rich by their own efforts, not any inheritance.
Thank you for SIEEING Kurosawa's genius. I first saw this at 19, in 1970, and I was blown away. Have watched it various times over the years...and I'm still blown away. Great reaction!
So many Kurosawa films are excellent on so many levels. Mia, you astutely covered movement in his images. The "Every Frame a Painting" YT channel has a great video on how movement of people, nature, groups and the camera play into keeping the film dynamic and visually interesting. Kurosawa often times also does a great job of blocking actors in the frame and so often his cinematography is amazing. The scene at 31:24 concentrates so much visual interest in the upper right-hand corner of the frame that the viewer is drawn in and is in as much anticipation as the farmers of what will come into the frame. Many Kurosawa films can be watched repeatedly to notice more of these strokes of brilliance.
Just discovered your channel with this episode (so, that algorithm occasionally works!), had to subscribe, couldn't help myself. If you're interested in more classic World cinema I'd be more than happy to chuck some suggestions your way. In fact, here's one that I think you would genuinely love (and is regarded as one of the greatest films ever made in any language): Yasujiro Ozu's Tokyo Story, it touches on many of the themes and ideas you discussed in this reaction such as the disintegration of Eastern collectivism in the face of growing Western influence, a heartbreakingly beautiful film.
Takashi Shimura has a great year in 1954, playing prominent roles in two classic fiilms from Toho - Seven Samurai and Godzilla. Toshiro Mifune became the biggest movie star in Japan for the next 20+ years. You can't go wrong with Kurosawa. "Rashomon" is a classic, and other good ones include "Throne Of Blood", "Dodes Kaden", and "Ran".
Kurosawa actually had American westerns in mind when he pitched this film. He saw there were parallels between ronin samurai, the ones who had lost their lords and were in search of employment and the American gunfighters near the end of the open American west. He even referred to American westerns when speaking about this film later in life. The irony is that American filmmakers and actors who watched Seven Samurai made the pitch to make a Western which is almost identical. Yul Brynner brought the film to the attention of Walter Mirisch. James Coburn was really a fan of the film especially the part played by Seiji Miyaguchi, the "perfect Samurai." He went out of his way to pattern his character in the Magnificent Seven, Britt, the knife throwing expert shot character. The main disconnect between the two films is the young samurai who idolizes the Master is paralleled in the American film by Horst Buchholz, who is more in the character of the outsider played by Toshiro Mifune. It's Buchholz who idolizes Britt, is the son of farmers, gets involved with the young village girl and eventually goes back to remain in the village. The characters are merged.
What a journey you're on. From classic Hollywood to the wider world of cinema. Many of Kurosawa' films were re-made by Hollywood: Yojimbo (The Bodyguard) became A Fistful of Dollars, The Hidden Fortress became Star Wars. Mifune played Han Solo in that one. Kurosawa also adapted Macbeth and King Lear spectacularly. Love the journey you're on.
The Seven Samurai is one of the greatest movies of all time. I have seen it over 30 times, never get bored, and I always spot something I missed because Kurosawa filled his screen with little details easy to miss if you are not paying attention. Kurosawa treated each scene like an artist painting a canvas.
七人がやってきて丘から村を見下ろすカットが、東宝撮影所入口の大きな白壁に描かれています。
年に数回、その前を通るたびに、また観たいと思ったりします。
そして、その壁の足元には人間大のゴジラ像が居ます。
映画好きなら、一度見に来て下さいな。
While "The Seven Samurai" is a well-told movie, cinematically I found "Yojimbo" to be the greater Ronin/Samurai themed film by Kurosawa. I would be much interested in his "Rashomon" with a different topical subject, which is by many considered his masterpiece, but unfortunately I could not get my hands on a copy yet.
As in Italian, Spanish, Dutch paintings... There is always that little thing missed .
"I wanna remake this movie but remove all of the characterization from every character and all the purpose from every scene." -Zack Snyder
I attended the University of Illinois at the same time as Roger Ebert. He wrote reviews for the Daily Illini newspaper and I enjoyed reading them. One summer I had to stay in school so I decided to see every movie that came to town that summer. I would often see Roger at the same movies. Near the end of the summer I was walking on campus and Roger came up to me. He said something about knowing I liked movies and suggested there was a really good movie showing at one of the halls on campus. I thanked him and went to see "The Seven Samurai" and it is still my all time favorite movie.
同感♪
this is really cool, if you have any other bits of info about Roger's time at uni I'd be really interested in hearing it.
That’s awesome
Roger Ebert is a snob like Gene Siskle. Both of them called people horrible names who liked watching horror movies.I will never forget the disrespect.
@@mikerodgers7620 both of them are dead so I don't think they care
The film is all the more extraordinary when you consider that Akira Kurosawa’s father was from a Samurai background. To make a warts and all, non-romanticised historical drama about samurai, some of whom have nothing but their honour to their name, against the backdrop of a culture where filial piety and obedience are of paramount importance, is comparable to a revolutionary act. No wonder Kurosawa was admired outside Japan but never truly considered a great artist by his own country. This film has it all.
What do you mean?😊
And also during the American occupation of Japan they banned Samurai films for years. Once the ban was lifted this and other movies got made.
@@gerardcote8391 You are familiar.
I don't want to say badmouth about America,
But sadly Bad politics pretending to be MacArthur's good politics led to the inevitable collapse of Japan today ...
We don't want to claim to be victims,
Just Recalling our Erased important history
The meaning is Return to basics of Japanese soul…
Our story may look strange
but ...
If we really wish for the reconstruction of Japan
Indefinitely we shouldn't blame others
It's only our responsibility,
including all the Japanese who are still asleep ...
That's exactly why Japanese conservatives supported Trump.
We looked like an election to buy America's freedom and democracy for money
The big difference from the Japanese sense
Electoral fraud is not strange thing over there,
And I heard that it is premised that "injustice is natural".
Anti-globalist (patriot) vs. globalist
They even ousted Trump with falsely accused and kicked him out.
This is a battle that Japan challenged the world more than 70 years ago ...
against the rule structure of the world.
@@user-ev8po2wt3o Agree, one can be pro America and say America can do no wrong, but that is not to say politicians are perfect, they are all ranging between incompetent or corrupt to irredeemable evil.
MacArthur was basically a good guy, working for evil people.
I find it inconceivable that people cannot comprehend how WW2 was sold to the people and not question it.
The US sided with Imperial Britain, France, and USSR to fight the "evil" Nationalism (Germany and Italy - even though Italy was Imperial)
then teamed up with Nationalism - China, Vietnam, New Zealand and Australia to fight the "evil" Imperialism of Japan.
Either Imperialism was evil or Nationalism was evil can't be both at the same time and neither at the same time on the other side of the planet. Transcendent moral good and evil are not geography or ethnicity dependant.
Given the ongoing CCP oppression and slaughter of the various ethnic minorities it looks hypocritical to "blame Japan" for atrocities that China has committed and continues to commit a thousand times over, but we look the other way.
@@gerardcote8391 "Evil" Imperialism of Japan？
This is probably Roosevelt's view of history, which was cooperative with China. 😊
As you know, wartime propaganda is well known to have been done by every country in the world.
And when the war is over,
"only the propaganda of the victorious country remains"
and
"the promotion of the defeated country is temporarily erased from on the earth"
Therefore, it is said that it is extremely difficult for a defeated country to regain its history.
After the war, the memories of people's history were rewritten by the academia that ruled the world.
It is usual to have the defeated nation take all responsibility.
then
Evil" Imperialism of Japan
Either Imperialism was evil or Nationalism was evil can't be both at the same time and neither at the same time on the other side of the planet.
It becomes a common recognition of those who believe in propaganda on the American side.
Everyone knows that the army during the war cannot be evaluated by the "dual theory of good and evil".
But it can be said which was closer to justice from God's eyes?
We don't see it like "we are justice and our enemies are devils" like in America ...
However, we does not write a history of hypocrisy that claims American war crimes are justice.
Many people still misunderstand Japan,
and the American claim is just made for their convenience ...
For example…
Evil" Imperialism of Japan and Japanese army Invasion and Militarism and SHINTO too
It denies them with their own logic but…
Not from the Japanese perspective
So it's not a basis for denial
Because they don't understand Japan correctly
No matter how much disinformation is analyzed,
the conclusion is that the answer is only "fake".
However, the lie of the promotion of the Japanese devil in the United States
and the lie that many countries rewrote for their own benefit ...
When it was revealed, the new Japanese history
Rising sun again.
wow. Rare to see anyone react to a Kurosawa film, let alone someone of a younger generation. Bravo to you. I own all his films. Pure genius storytelling.
Excellent film I saw it in the 60s as a child and many times since, it is one of those timeless movies that will forever pass down generations, and still be thought of as not only a masterpiece, but also a classic.
I also love Hidden Fortress which was inspiration for Star Wars. Toshiro Mifune is truly the wise master swordsman that inspired Obi Wan Kenobi. You view the story through the eyes of two peasants Tahei and Matashichi who are the inspiration for C3PO and R2D2. You have the princess leading the rebellion. The duel between the master and his nemesis. It opens with a battle raging which all Star Wars movies adopted. Love it.
You're being very kind with the term "inspiration".😉 A lot of centenary celebrations of Mifune's birth had to be cancelled or postponed in 2020 due to the pandemic. But there is a great documentary about his life, and sadly tragic last years.
Love how perceptive you were to notice the use of motion in Kurosawa's direction. Kurosawa understood when to use motion and when not to. A perfect example is the use of rain in the background and the rustling of the leaves in the trees or along the ground or in the use of motion by groups of characters to direct the viewer to the object Kurosawa wants the viewer to see. Kudos to you for reacting to a movie most people would dismiss out of hand because it is a foreign film and not in color. If you decide to look at another film, I'd consider "Yojimbo" or "High and Low" as candidates, where Kurosawa displays his mastery of the film medium.
How fascinating! Yeah I would love to check out more Kurosawa!!! Thank you for recommending
@@MoviesWithMia Definitely "Yojimbo".
Well said, and here's a must-see video that speaks directly to this point: czcams.com/video/doaQC-S8de8/video.html
@@MoviesWithMia If you are ready for the Kurosawa rabbit hole, I'd add a couple masterpieces to your list: Ikiru (meaning of life investigation from terminally ill man), Roshomon (same tale from three perspectives and questioning the nature of truth), Ran (feudal Japanese loose adaptation of King Lear), Kagemusha (16th C semi historical drama involving an impersonator), I Live in Fear (a post war psychological masterpiece). The rabbit hole runs deep and I could easily list ten more "musts." Oh and since you saw both this and Sergio Leonne version you might want to check out their other pairing; Sanjuro vs For a Few Dollars More.
Fun fact: one of the bandits was played by Haruo Nakajima, who was also the first 'Godzilla' suit actor. The samurai leader was played by Takashi Shimura, who was also a lead actor in 'Godzilla'.
Toshiro Mifune is what you'd call a true star, like Cary Grant. He brings as much charm and energy to every movie, even playing completely different characters. Another Kurosawa classic, Yojimbo, features Mifune as a far different character, and has also been remade by Western cinema time and again. Yojimbo is the template for Clint Eastwood's Man With No Name.
Oh! It also just occurs to me. Although Yojimbo is technically a smaller action movie, its soundtrack might actually be more epic than Seven Samurai's. SS is so serious that you almost don't need music, just the drums. But in Yojimbo, the score becomes more a character unto itself, strutting around and being flashy.
Another starring vehicle for Mifune was Hidden Fortress--where he's basically Han Solo in the movie that became Star Wars.
Yeah, I think I found my new celebrity crush 😍
@@MoviesWithMiaGeorge Lucas considered Mifune for the role of Obi-wan Kenobi in Star Wars. He also played Lord Toranaga in the epic TV miniseries Shogun.
@@cleekmaker00 And he was the Submarine Captain in Steven Spielberg's film 1941. "Hollywood!"
@@gerardcote8391 "HORRY-WOOD"! 😄😄
Toshiro Mifune is also probably best known to Western Audiances for playing Toranaga in the mini-series Shogan. A character who is somewhat based on the real-life warlord, Ieyasu Tokogawa. I remember hearing a story about how he'd get into character where he's sit in a corner by himself, facing a wall, and just growl out loud for minutes at a time to work himself up. That sense of stern menace and controlled anger that could be unleashed at any time carried over into his performance.
OOOO! One of my favorites! Haven't seen anyone else react to it, either!
I love watching Toshiro Mifune's performance - he is so physical, acting with his whole body. It's even more amazing when you watch some of his other movies because he plays very different characters equally well! (like the very stoic, cool as a cucumber wandering samurai in 'Yojimbo' and 'Sanjuro' which were also directed by Kurosawa.)
Don't forget him in "The Hidden Fortress" as the samurai general.
Brandon likes movies and few others reacted to it
... and the inspiration for some of the spaghetti western movies with Clint Eastwood ...
I love the way Kurosawa blends drama and comedy in a way that doesn't feel forced. There is a moment in 'Sanjuro' with a captured samurai that is definitely comedic but not comedy for comedy's sake.
I know you're probably getting more suggestions than you can ultimately address, but if you get a chance, you might look into 'Rashomon', even if you watch it for your own enjoyment without doing a reaction to it.
OMG!! I LITERALLY SAID THAT IN THE FULL LENGTH VERSION! His effortless blending of drama and comedy is amazing!! Oh I will definitely take a look at Rashomon! Thank you for recommending!!
@@MoviesWithMia - I promise you that you will look at storytelling differently after watching Rashomon... :)
I love the different personalities of the Samurai. They blend together fairly well
英語が分からなくて申し訳ないのですが、日本の映画を観て頂いて、どうもありがとうございました。
Another thing you could say the samurai were fighting was time . Their way of life and weapons were becoming less relevant with the use of guns. They won this battle but time would make them relics of the past.
Beautifully put 😊
The perfect example here being Kyūzō, the master swordsman. How is he killed? By an arquebus, symbol of the future
You have got to see the movie Samurai Rebellion.
This is the other Samurai film on my top ten best movies of all time.
But don't, whatever you do, watch The Last Samurai with Tom Cruise. OK so it looks great but scriptwise it's your typical Hollywood historical mishmash with American characters with modern viewpoints shoehorned in in a desperate attempt to make the movie 'more interesting' for US audiences...🙄
@@eddhardy1054 not a Tom Cruise fan, but I did like Last Samurai. Had some historical truths in it. US did train their military and the Emperor did try to eliminate the Samurai, and move to a modern military with modern equipment.
"Im not a native Japanese speaker"
Pronunciates the Japanese names as perfectly as a non Japanese speaker can.
Haha!! Oh wow! This made my day 😁
So awesome seeing you react to this incredible and highly influential Japanese film!
how can you not love mifune. his charisma and acting prowess are off the charts. you should watch the zatoichi and lone wolf and cub movies too.
感動しました 脚本家の写真までだしてこの映画に対する尊敬がつたわってきます ありがとう
Thanks so much for the background history, which adds so much to your reaction. You certainly take these classic films seriously. Keep up the good work! Hope you get a lot of subscribers!
I was one of the people recommending this film. So very influential. The first film with the slow motion fight/death at the beginning. A lot of directors have made their careers based on slow motion fights. The part where you see the large force appear over the horizon - that’s been copied in many films. And just the concept: the gathering of talented people to perform a task. First film to do this. So many films follow this blueprint - from the remake ‘Magnificent Seven’ right through the ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ films.
Some people don"t know that this movie was the inspiration for the cowboy movie magnificent seven. Starring Steve Mcqeen & Yul Brynner.
The cowboy movie is replica of this movie.
突然おすすめに出てきました！
日本人として、嬉しいです！
7:06 - Ooo, that shot of people scattering away to reveal a man standing with a large weapon reminded me of that shot from Raiders of the Lost Ark when the crowd in Cairo scatters to reveal the guy holding the giant sword. Spielberg has definitely talked about being influenced by Kurosawa. I guess that was an intentional nod?
This is my first time watching your channel. Thanks for putting the film in context and all the extra details before your reaction. I enjoyed it.
Thank you so much for watching 😁
I love your commentary, it really adds to your reaction. This is one of the best movies of all time and definitely worth seeing on the big screen if you get the chance
Oh absolutely! It was EPIC! And thank you so much for watching!
YES! YES! YES! Foreign cinema reactions have begun!! This is a rich treasure trove that far too few have plundered. I'm pumped!
I agree with you 100%. It was a perfect commentary! Thank you for enjoying the pinnacle of samurai movies. With friendship from Japan.
Takashi Shimura is my favorite actor among the cast.Such quiet dignity he brings to the role,as well as other roles he played,whether in Kurosawa movies or Godzilla movies.The original 1954 Godzilla is a high recommend for your videos,as long as it's the original Japanese cut and not the American cut with Raymond Burr.It's far more serious and devastating compared to the later kiddie-friendly sequels.
And Mia,you do a hell of a reaction channel channel.
His performance in Ikiru is masterful
Seen both loved them both. Also got to see the Original Rodan, in Japanese with English subs, way better film, and it explains that bizzare couple on the hill getting attacked near the beginning of the film. In the Englished dubbed, you ask who are they and why is it important to see them killed without context, then you see the japanese version and oh wait these were major characters, connected to the other major characters.
When I get asked, who is my favourite actor, I usually answer: Takashi Shimura. He had such an "unreal" charisma (hard to explain for me with my poor English).
He was great as the doctor in Drunken Angel too. Wonderful actor
Thank you Mia!! This is all time favorite film. I believe that is one of greatest films in the entire history of cinema. Citizen Kane is considered the most outstanding film in history. In my personal opinion The Seven Samurai is an even better movie. Kurosawa was a genius. Look at the Hollywood movies inspired by this man. Two examples of this are the following: Yojimbo was remade as " A Fist Full Of Dollars and "The Hidden Fortress" was the inspiration for " Star Wars ". Enough said!
The reason why Shino and Katsushiro did not end up together and why Rikichi's wife did what she did are embodied by the mentality of Shino's father. He believes that women "must keep their purity and integrity intact"; but this standard of purity is established by men, and not by the women themselves. His actions of trying to maintain this "purity culture" (i.e. cutting off Shino's hair and sl*t-shaming her) are never glorified in the film. It is his type of mindset that has ruined completely healthy relationships and Akira Kurosawa does a masterful job of criticizing this type of culture that still affects Japan today.
Yes! So well put! I think that was one of my favorite parts of this film!
Maybe they do end up together in the end.
Also, the social classes were ironclad back in those days. Katsushiro is heavily implied to come from wealth: his appearance and grooming is so much neater than the other samurai, and he's the only one that has money to spare (he gives to the farmers after they lose their rice). For a samurai from a rich, noble family to marry a village girl would be unthinkable, and on some level Shino's father, despite his dickishness, is aware of that and some of his anger is from his daughter effectively being used as a practice girl by a rich dude who's never coming back to their village.
@@theevilascotcompany9255 indeed, samurai class, and peasants/lower class. They are bound not to end up together.
Looked WAY too deeply into it, amigo/a. Evil Ascot and Baroqu laid it out much better. Besides, more "honorable" lifestyles are what maintains and preserves society..broken ones break it down and we see it to this day.
That "This is me!" moment ripped my heart out. What an unexpected tender moment from our comic relief character!
I highly recommend Akira Kurosawa's 1952 drama "Ikiru" starring Takashi Shimura. (who plays the samurai leader Kambei in "Seven Samurai"). I consider it one of Kuroswa's very best movies.
Shimura was also in Godzilla (1954). He was great and the Japanese version of that film deserves a watch.
@@reneescala7526 1954 was definitely an extraordinary time for Japanese Cinema to explode on screen.
I will definitely love to see more of you fangirling over Toshiro Mifune!
Oh, he captured my heart! It was the confidence that he exuded on-screen! And, not to mention, his athletic physique 😍
There have been many remake of this movie but nobody recreated a Kikuchiyo(performed by Mifune Toshiro in this movie) character.
What a wonderful reaction and review! You have a real winner with this one, Mia!
First off, as an American who has studied Japanese and was previously married to a Japanese woman, and has been complimented by Japanese people on my good Japanese pronunciation, I have to say that your pronunciation of all the Japanese names you rattled off like a pro was outstanding, especially for a newbie to Japanese pronunciation! So much better than 95% of most English speakers, who regularly mangle Japanese names. Yours wasn’t perfect or flawless, but for a first-timer you definitely get an A! If you haven’t studied Japanese, you should, because I think you have a real knack for it!
Also, since you mentioned that this film probably shouldn’t be part of your Epic Scores grouping, I would agree; it should, however, be the first of a new grouping - Classic Foreign Language Films! Not only should you see and react to other Japanese classics from Kurosawa, Yasujirō Ozu (perhaps THE most Japanese of all the great Japanese directors), Kenji Mizoguchi, Shōhei Imamura, Masaki Kobayashi, Keisuke Kinoshita, Mikio Naruse, Nagisa Ōshima, and others, but you can also see and react to other classic non-English language film directors like François Truffaut, Federico Fellini, Ingmar Bergman, Vittorio de Sica, Roberto Rossellini, Werner Herzog, Lina Wertmüller, Jean-Luc Godard, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Jacques Tati, and many others. Given that many foreign directors have influenced generations of American (and non-American) filmmakers, this would help to expand your personal film education as well as that of us, your subscribers!
Thank you so much, RetroExotica! I really wanted to make sure that I pronounced these incredible actors names correctly and give them the utmost respect! Also, yeah I think this film whet my appetite for classic international films! Someone recommended Cocteau's La Belle et la Bete!
Thank you. This is my most favorite film. Every time I watch this movie, it makes me think about what justice is and what courage is. In addition, all the characters are attractive. Even after watching this movie, I still feel like they are there. That's the great thing about this movie.
Good job on adding the historical and production context.
Shocked to hear 'third best of 1954'; greatest movie EVER made! kerk
My favorite film, I have watched at least twice a year for the last 20. The scenes have so many layers of context that even the minor characters are worth paying attention to and don't fade into the background like in western film. The movie is so alive because of the respect and presence given to each shot, nothing is there just because and everything is adding texture and meaning to the whole. This is a movie for everyone.
Brilliant Video Piece And Your Review And Information Are Excellent. One Of My Favorite KUROSAWA pictures - no surprise.
I was round 12 years when i se 7 samurai's. (58 years ago) and i have been samurai/Japan fan since that day !! Read lots of books an check movies and documetaries . (Sorry my poor english but im self made in it and its my 3 language)
I love that!! And your English is wonderful 😁
I'm now watching The Sting since you recommended it. I've always been told about how iconic that Redford and Newman movie is along with Butch Cassidy (which I also plan to view at some point)
Hope you enjoyed it!
@@Divamarja_CA IT WAS SO MUCH FUN!!!! I still can't get over Paul's awesome card tricks
Great choice. Love your style and concept of your channel. I'm a new subscriber.
Your viewing of GREAT classic movies such as this and The man who shot Liberty Vallance led me to subscribe to your channel thank you.
Props to you Mia, for reacting to this film; one of the greatest films ever made.
I wish more reactors would follow your lead and give this film a view.
Glad you enjoyed it! 👍😄
FINALLY! Someone reacts to a True classic film! Thank you very much!
I just discovered your channel and I've noticed the type of movies you react to and I can only say thank you. THANK YOU. Subscribed.
This has been one of my favorite films since I first saw it as a teen. I don't recall if it was the first Japanese film I'd seen, but it was among the first. One of my favorite moments is when Kikuchiyo is standing in the river with the baby in his arms. That always gets me.
Because the style of clothing and architecture changed relatively slowly in the pre-Modern Japan those cannot be used as clues to the period, as they can in Western films. Kurosawa often includes guns in his Samurai films, as one way of indicating the period. In Seven Samurai the guns are matchlocks, which puts the action in the 17th century. In Yojimbo there is a revolver, putting us in the 19th century.
The Magnificent Seven would've been good for Great Scores month, if you'd not done it for Westerns.
Elliot, super random, but I wanted to reach out to you and again thank you so much for The Debonairs book you sent over! It aided my research in The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, specifically with Rex Harrison! Thank you so very much :)
@@MoviesWithMia I'm happy that you found it useful as well as enjoyable. A month of "Debonairs" would be a nice idea. You've already done several Cary Grant films (though one can never get too much of Cary Grant, and _Charade_ is coming up in Audrey month) and a couple with William Powell, but Ronald Colman, Robert Montgomery, David Niven, et alia, would make for interesting selections.
I believe this movie invented the trope of making the gathering of a team a major part of a movie.
In "The Empire Strikes Back" Yoda's face was modelled after Takashi Shimura's. George Lucas is a huge fan of Kuroswa and you see a lot of references in the Star Wars films even right down to replicating shots.
What!?! No way! Knowing that makes this 1990 honorary award moment so much more special! Check this out: czcams.com/video/MTs5AVcArMs/video.html
@@MoviesWithMia Oh wow, great find :D
He was such a fan of Kurosawa
Now - “Hara Kiri.” A bleak exploration of the implications of bushido that is structured like a tragedy by Sophocles.
Arguably one of Akira Kurosawas best masterpiece the Seven Samurai is an epic adventure classic with an engrossing story memorable characters and stunning action sequences that make it one of the most influential films ever made, SEVEN SAMURAI (1954) 100/100% Certified Approved ☑️
Thank you for watching a Japanese classic. For Japanese, the last words a surving samurai said sounds very meaningful. In the ends, the peasants took advantage of the seven samurai as disposable mercenary, which tells why a young lady took a distance from a young samurai . though the threat of the bandits still exists....
Kurosawa went deeply into the Soviet. It is said that he made this story influenced by samurai mercenary history and Aleksandr Fadeev' novel.
Kurosawa inspired so many directors. A force of nature when behind the camera.
I would suggest you see Kurosawa's least mentioned movie, One Wonderful Sunday,
a story about a couple struggling to enjoy their one day a week date in a recently
defeated in war Japan.
No men rolling around in the mud, but is an engaging look at Kurosawa's more intimate
side.
Sold! I am a sucker for the more tender sides of directors!
All I know is that I love Mia Tiffany.
Aww! Thank you so much 😁
One of the top 3 movies ever made!
This movie is a masterpiece. I'm watching your reaction to duck soup right now and then I'll watch this one. I just wanted to write in the last video you've done how great it is to find a channel that reacts to classic movies. I know they might not be the best if the goal is to be "popular", so that means you're a true film lover first, and I respect the crap out of that. You got a new sub.
Hello! Thank you so much from Tokyo Japan
That’s My most favorite Movie !!
七人の侍！ありがとう！
Arigato gozaimasu!!
When you said that this doesn't feel like a classic movie, I felt the same way when watching Stromboli with Ingrid Bergman. It was so nice to not hear the trans-Atlantic accent for a change...
What makes "Seven Samurai" a classic movie and not a classic movie is it talks about the human condition. The poor are exploited while the privileged benefit. People are separated by class (the shot where the lovesick Katsushiro is in the middle of Shino and the farmers and the other two surviving samurai speaks a lot). Warriors are plagued by loss and death while civilians are plagued by wanting and life.
@@Madbandit77 In the 70s, Neil Simon's plays and film adaptations adopted that same mindset where they were all about the human condition and the human experience
私は日本人です。
1954年、ゴジラと同年に作られたこの作品は、長い間本物の戦国時代にタイムスリップして撮影してきたものだと思っていました。
今世紀になってから、シナリオのある芝居だと気づきました。
黒沢明のスタッフならタイムワープ装置くらい簡単に用意できるものだと思っていました。それくらい真に迫った演技です。
よく見ると、ゴジラに出演している俳優が多数七人の侍に出演しています。
Rikiti役の俳優は同じスタジオ内で撮影されている同時進行のゴジラを空き時間に頻繁に見学して、SF作品にぜひ出演したいとの意向を強くし、のちに日本のSF作品に多数出演することになります。私は子供の時からウルトラマンとかゴジラシリーズをよく見ていましたが、歴史に残るプロ俳優の芝居を見ることができて、とても幸せでした。
Thanks for doing this one... Kurosawa did his version "Macbeth", entitled "Throne of Blood". Would love to see you do a reaction to that and the latest Macbeth with Denzel Washington. BTW, your Japanese pronunciation is excellent (did you ever take a class?)
Don't forget "Ran" his version of King Lear.
Hey Mia. You already reacted to The Magnificent Seven so you must have had fun seeing the Japanese counterparts.
Brandon likes movies and a few others reacted to it already
@@randywhite3947 Good to know. I'll have to check them out.
These aren't "counterparts." They are the originals. The American ripoffs don't even begin to compare.
@@Progger11 Baloney. You say ripoff, I say remake. And, counterpart: "a person or thing holding a position or performing a function that corresponds to that of another person or thing in another place."
It's no secret that Kurosawa was a great admirer of John Ford. He would wear a beach or bucket hat just like his hero John Ford. When the two met in London in 1958 Ford was wearing a peaked cap and sunglasses. On his return to Japan Kurosawa immediately started wearing a peaked cap and sunglasses. Occasionally he would revert to a bucket hat, but the sunglasses would become a permanent accessory.
What can been said about this movie that hasn't been said. It's one of the greatest movies EVER made.
The Magnificent Seven redistributes the characteristics of the samurai from the Kurasawa film among the Westernized characters, so there are rough paralllels, but not direct transpositions.
Glad you enjoyed the movie as much as I do too! That 'swag' scene with Kyuzo going in to cut down the bandits by himself is one of my favorite scenes as well. There's a similar scene in Mad Max: Fury Road which I felt like a nod to the O.G. Fantabulistic reaction by the way Mia!
Thank you, phrokprynz! Kyuzo is the person I want to be when I grow up! Takes nothing from nobody! A true man's man!
You would absolutely love ''Spellbound'' (1945). It's another of Hitchcock's masterpieces that stars Gregory Peck and Ingrid Bergman. The score, composed by Miklos Rozsa, is incredible and won the Academy Award for best original score that year. It's one of those classic films that just has a feeling about it. It's pretty hard to beat Ingrid + Gregory + Hitchcock + incredible score. I hope I've convinced you! Love your videos!
Seconded.
the greatest movie ever made
I find the backstory of "Seven Samurai" (1954) very interesting. I've heard/read that director Akira Kurosawa admired John Ford's vision in Westerns and used a large (movie) canvas. The irony is, Hollywood saluted Kurosawa with "The Magnificent Seven" (1960).
I am very happy to hear your impression of watching the movie "Seven Samurai".
Because my brother was one of the first to project "Seven Samurai", and above all, I and my brother and sister are my favorite movies.
Today's young people in Japan are reluctant to watch old movies. It's very regrettable.
However, I was excited to see your excited impression video. I'm thrilled.
thank you!
Daisuke would be pronounced as "dice kay." The vowels in between the consonants are often not where the emphasis is put, and are sometimes even completely silent. But you did a VERY good job. Better than most. You pronounced Akira Kurosawa's name perfectly, which most people do not.
I love how you always do your homework and try to contextualize the movies you watch. It really enriches one's appreciation during the viewing experience.
More specifically, the vowel i between consonants is often silent and u is often very short or slurred over.
The other vowels tend to be more prominent.
Kurasawa's films, each and every one, are amongst the greatest films ever made. The guy was amazing, as is seen by how many of his films were copied into American cinema, either by taking the whole film as in Magnificent 7 and for a few dollars more, and by taking bits as for Star Wars.
For a few dollars more has nothing to do with Kurosawa. It is A fistful of dollars that is essentially a copycat of Yojimbo.
I love "The Seven Samurai", but "The Hidden Fortress" blows my mind. It is my favourite Japanese movie and Toshiru Mifune is mesmerizing.
One thing that always bothered me about Japanese Cinema: the histrionic acting of so many of the actors. This applies to men and women, both.
It's about the extremes of being emotional and apathetic in an performance when it comes to that style of acting. There's no middle ground.
This article which mentions SEVEN SAMURAI may be of interest:
"Cinematic Explorations on How the Observer’s Vantage Defines Objective and Subjective"
This film is voted among the 10 best films of all time. The Magnificent Seven westerns (and all similar films subsequent is based on this epic film) .
I agree. This is a way better film than Mag. 7.
I remember seeing a documentary about Seven Samurai years ago where they mention this film was the first to use the now standard "Line of enemies silhouetted on a hill" shot used in tons of films.
NO WAY?!? That is wild!!
@@MoviesWithMia It is, but it's not too surprising when you think about this as one of the more influential films (among film makers) of the 1950's.
The masterpiece of masterpieces.
This movie inspired the making of The magnificent seven ! i also watched it as a kid but now i am 71 !
Luckily I saw The Seven Samurai in a small theater at a local university for my first time. The cinematography was amazing, especially the scene of the flowers by the small river. I have seen The Magnificent Seven countless times growing up but The Seven Samuri just blew me away. My general rule of thumb is that the original is better even if you see the remake first. I enjoy The Sting more than Butch Cassidy(I love em both) “ya follow”.
When I was very young, sixth of seventh grade my local PBS station would broadcast films on Saturday early afternoons. Usually foreign, with subtitles and always black and white. I watched this, Battleship Potemkin, and a myriad of that Swedish dude's films...what was his name? I'll look it up. Ingmar Bergman! Didn't understand anything but the images are burned into my memory.
Great pick Mia! This film is influential on so many levels. The whole "gathering of heroes" trope from films going from Oceans 11 to The Blues Brothers comes from this film. This film was also very influential to George Lucas for the Star Wars films - particularly Kurosawa's film "The Hidden Fortress".
Man Kurosawa was THE MAN!! so many of his works influenced our cinema! He is definitely one of the GREATS!!
Not forgetting Yojimbo and a Fistful of dollars :)
@@MoviesWithMia This was my first kurosawa.. this and RAN are his best
All four of the samurai who die, die of gunshots.
That was a reality that feudalism couldn't survive in Europe, where the crossbow and longbow did the execution, with the plague, then the gunpowder weapon finishing the work.
In Japan the introduction of black-powder muskets meant an part-trained farmer could kill a great, rich lord, who could not wear enough armour to protect himself.
A great leveller.
Arguably, it resulted in industrialisation and the rise of a middle class who got rich by their own efforts, not any inheritance.
Toshiro Mifune had a small part in the movie "1941". He was the submarine commander, in the scene with Slim Pickens. Quite funny.
There's something so lovely and tranquil in those scenes
This is one of my favorite it watch it at least twice a year. My favorite it the quiet Samurai
This and its a wonderful life are probably my favourite movies of all time.
Ikiru is very good too. Incredibly touching.
Very good review on a true world classic thank you for this impact ❤️ 👍🏾
Please watch (and show us) Yojimbo and Sanjuro, also by Korusawa, also staring Mifune. I'm certain you'll love them too...
Thank you for SIEEING Kurosawa's genius. I first saw this at 19, in 1970, and I was blown away. Have watched it various times over the years...and I'm still blown away. Great reaction!
I hope you will do some old SiFi movies like 1953 The War of the World. So well made, No CGI.
Oh absolutely! And the two that are ABSOLUTE are 2001: A Space Odyssey and Metropolis!!
So many Kurosawa films are excellent on so many levels. Mia, you astutely covered movement in his images. The "Every Frame a Painting" YT channel has a great video on how movement of people, nature, groups and the camera play into keeping the film dynamic and visually interesting.
Kurosawa often times also does a great job of blocking actors in the frame and so often his cinematography is amazing. The scene at 31:24 concentrates so much visual interest in the upper right-hand corner of the frame that the viewer is drawn in and is in as much anticipation as the farmers of what will come into the frame.
Many Kurosawa films can be watched repeatedly to notice more of these strokes of brilliance.
It's a 3 hours movie with a break in it.
But you'll experience a shortest 3 hours in your life.
Just discovered your channel with this episode (so, that algorithm occasionally works!), had to subscribe, couldn't help myself. If you're interested in more classic World cinema I'd be more than happy to chuck some suggestions your way. In fact, here's one that I think you would genuinely love (and is regarded as one of the greatest films ever made in any language): Yasujiro Ozu's Tokyo Story, it touches on many of the themes and ideas you discussed in this reaction such as the disintegration of Eastern collectivism in the face of growing Western influence, a heartbreakingly beautiful film.
Takashi Shimura has a great year in 1954, playing prominent roles in two classic fiilms from Toho - Seven Samurai and Godzilla. Toshiro Mifune became the biggest movie star in Japan for the next 20+ years. You can't go wrong with Kurosawa. "Rashomon" is a classic, and other good ones include "Throne Of Blood", "Dodes Kaden", and "Ran".
Kurosawa actually had American westerns in mind when he pitched this film. He saw there were parallels between ronin samurai, the ones who had lost their lords and were in search of employment and the American gunfighters near the end of the open American west. He even referred to American westerns when speaking about this film later in life. The irony is that American filmmakers and actors who watched Seven Samurai made the pitch to make a Western which is almost identical. Yul Brynner brought the film to the attention of Walter Mirisch. James Coburn was really a fan of the film especially the part played by Seiji Miyaguchi, the "perfect Samurai." He went out of his way to pattern his character in the Magnificent Seven, Britt, the knife throwing expert shot character. The main disconnect between the two films is the young samurai who idolizes the Master is paralleled in the American film by Horst Buchholz, who is more in the character of the outsider played by Toshiro Mifune. It's Buchholz who idolizes Britt, is the son of farmers, gets involved with the young village girl and eventually goes back to remain in the village. The characters are merged.
Amazing. Thanks so much for this.
If you haven't watched "The Quiet Man" you really should. It has the two biggest names at the time, John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara.
What a journey you're on. From classic Hollywood to the wider world of cinema. Many of Kurosawa' films were re-made by Hollywood: Yojimbo (The Bodyguard) became A Fistful of Dollars, The Hidden Fortress became Star Wars. Mifune played Han Solo in that one. Kurosawa also adapted Macbeth and King Lear spectacularly. Love the journey you're on.
Thank you so much for this awesome reaction! You also should watch "Dersu Uzala" by Kurosawa as well. It's a masterpiece.
Thank you so much for watching :) ooh yes! I am so down for more Akira Kurosawa!!