So.....
This is the movie that kind of started me on this whole list thing. I had wanted to watch this for years. The thing is, I can't remember how I heard of it, or why I thought it was important. I just 'knew' somehow that this was an important movie that I wanted to see. It was a bit strange, I didn't really have any expectations on what it was about, but I did have high expectations in general, since I had 'waited' so long to see it.
First impression: LONG!!! It's Black and White. It's in Japanese with Subtitles. AND it's 3 and a half hours long. (On two discs!!!) So I did find it....challenging in a way to watch, since I did have to pay close attention. Having said that....it was a pretty interesting movie.
On the one hand, very simple: a village 'hires' seven samurai to protect their village from bandits. On the other hand, the movie explores a bunch of different themes and issues, which makes is complex. Kurosawa is definitely a master story teller: the movie made me laugh, and cry, and made me outraged, and made me cheer. (Sounds like a movie trailer...it will make you laugh and cry!!!)
I definitely liked it. Don't think that I LOVED it. (Not sure it could have lived up to whatever expectations I had about it.)
I do think it's an important movie to see. And if I am a betting woman (which I am) I think that I will refer back to this one when viewing other movies on the list.
One word to describe 'Seven Samurai': Long.
Friday, April 3, 2009
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The film was remade by John Sturges in 1960 as The Magnificent Seven, which may well be why you wanted to see it.
ReplyDeleteAnd Kurosawa's 1961 film, Yojimbo, another great movie well worth tracking down (but then all his samurai movies are worth watching) was remade by Sergio Leone in 1964 as A Fistful Of Dollars.