Film master Akira Kurosawa has made many excellent films, and "Seven Samurai" is one of the classics. As the years go by, it still shines like a diamond.
The film is about a farmer in a small mountain village during the Sengoku period in Japan who invited seven wandering samurai to help them fend off mountain thieves. "Seven Samurai" expresses the samurai spirit in Japanese culture, and also deeply excavates the complexity and light of human nature.
After its release in 1954, the film was well received, winning the Silver Lion Award for Best Film at the 15th Venice Film Festival and being named the first of the "Top Ten Best Films" in the history of Japanese cinema by Japan's "Film Shunbao". In the eyes of some fans, "Seven Samurai" can chase the title of "best movie in film history".
So why is "Seven Samurai" so popular? The following is analyzed from the three aspects of storyline, cultural connotation, and shooting technique.
Now there are many movies that can't even tell the story smoothly, let alone liveliness or not.
"Seven Samurai" sets up special scenes, conflicting, exciting, and reasonable, gripping.
In the beginning, it was not easy for farmers to find samurai. At that time, the samurai only defended the aristocratic class, not to mention that the peasants only provided rice and had no remuneration.
Every samurai who agrees to go has a different way of appearing, which is very interesting.
When the seven samurai first arrived at the village, no one dared to come out to greet them.
To borrow the words of the village elder:
Farmers are always worried, they are afraid of rain and wind, they are afraid of everything.
Kikuchiyo, who seems to be a hanger, cleverly rings the wooden stick that warns the mountain thief, causing the villagers to run out, and allowing the samurai and farmers to break the barrier.
Subsequently, the samurai discovered that the peasants had killed the deserted samurai and hid the armor. The samurai were indignant, and Kuzo even wanted to kill everyone in a village.
Kikuchiyo, a peasant by birth, told the other six samurai that the peasants were more miserly and cunning, but that was due to their miserable circumstances and had nothing to do with the samurai who often fought.
Thus, the conflict was resolved. Kikuchiyo's character is the equivalent of a bridge between samurai and peasants.
Katsushiro and Shino's love is an embellishment of the turbulent times.
The training and defense at the back of the film, as well as the duel with the mountain thief, are magnificent, and the director's rhythm is very well controlled and very infectious.
After defeating the mountain thief, only three samurai remained. The farmers eagerly beat drums and sang songs while planting seedlings.
The guards looked at the four graves and said, "It was the peasants who won, not us," which caused people to think deeply.
The structure of the whole film is like a big tree, although there are many branches and leaves, it is stretched out clearly, and each part is arranged appropriately.
The music of the film is also excellent, which appropriately sets off the plot and enhances the empathy and appeal of the film.
The seven samurai have very different personalities and represent different aspects of the samurai spirit.
The guards are brave and resourceful, as can be seen from the fact that he disguised himself as a monk to rescue the kidnapped child. He is determined, sincere and courageous, good at organizing the formation, and is the leader of the seven people.
Katsushiro is a passionate young man with a kind heart.
There is also Goro, who is resourceful and willing to walk with his confidant, and Qilang, who is not afraid of life and death.
Heihachi, who "knows the sword method of chopping wood", has a straightforward and interesting personality.
Jiuzang martial arts are outstanding and silent. He immersed himself in practicing his sword skills, sneaking into the enemy camp alone in a fierce fight, retrieving a gun without showing off.
Kikuchiyo, played by Toshiro Mifune, is a special one. Although he was a "fake" samurai, he was also upright and bold, thick and thin.
There are also Li Ji, WanZao, Elders, Lone Old Ladies and other people, and the characters are all vividly shaped.
Even the few rough men in the inn where Rigi was looking for samurai, just a few shots, were impressive.
The samurai in the film are roughly divided into three categories: those who are willing to protect the people; those who are concerned about fame and reward and do not want to put down their bodies; and those who are mountain thieves are fallen samurai who fall into the grass and oppress the peasants.
The Seven Samurai certainly belonged to the first category. Although they have different personalities and shortcomings, they all have the spirit of loyalty, bravery, integrity and dedication, which is also the embodiment of the Japanese national spirit.
The spirit of Bushido has been deeply embedded in the japanese national character.
However, the personality of the Japanese is also relatively contradictory.
"The Behavior of the Japanese is as if they were: if they choose one path, they will go all out, and if they fail, they will naturally choose another path..."
From the unrestrained childhood to the control of the rules of the name when they grow up, the discontinuities formed by the Japanese people's education and the strengthening of the post-adult constraints are an important factor in the contradictory character of the Japanese.
The spirit of Bushido was originally loyalty and self-discipline, and great emphasis was placed on observance of social order. However, in World War II, the spirit of Bushido departed from its original essence and evolved into a tool for Japanese militarists to wage war and manipulate public opinion, which requires vigilance.
Seven Samurai pioneered a group narrative and was a highly successful attempt.
And when shooting action scenes, Akira Kurosawa uses a multi-camera shooting method to skillfully integrate long-range, medium-shot, and close-up scenes, as well as a large number of close-ups, which are very realistic, so that the audience can feel the tension of the battle. It's also an innovation.
After the release of "Seven Samurai" that year, both the East and the West were praised.
In 1960, the West also remade "Seven Heroes Of Lang Kouzhi", but only learned the "form", but did not achieve the "god".
Akira Kurosawa's masterpieces were mainly produced in the 1950s and 1980s. In the 1950s, it was represented by the modern drama "Desire for Life", the period drama "Rashomon" and "Seven Samurai", which reflected social problems.
All three films are outstanding, both interesting and profound.
George Lucas admits that some of the character settings and plots in Star Wars absorb the creativity of Akira Kurosawa's films.
Coppola, who is famous for "The Godfather", said:
"I really like Akira Kurosawa, he is a great film artist who consciously conveys mature humanity and emotions, and I want to make works like Akira Kurosawa."
There are also many directors in China who are deeply influenced by Akira Kurosawa. Relatively close is Zhang Yimou. In 2018, he referred to Akira Kurosawa's "Shadow Warrior" and made the ink-style film "Shadow", and the overall effect was not bad.
Chen Kaige also said when receiving the "Akira Kurosawa Prize" in Tokyo:
"Akira Kurosawa is one of the directors who have had the greatest impact on our generation of Chinese film directors. ...... I was able to win this award because I wanted to inherit Akira Kurosawa's spiritual world in the film world and make a film about the world we believe in. ”
It can be said that after Akira Kurosawa's "Seven Samurai" was released in 1954, its influence on later films was far-reaching and vital.
No matter how film technology develops, it is still necessary to integrate with film content. Simple showmanship cannot become a big tool after all.
"Seven Samurai" also has a small flaw, that is, some places are slightly delayed, and the duration reaches 3 hours and 27 minutes. It would be nice if it could be streamlined appropriately.
However, the flaws are not hidden, and the influence of "Seven Samurai" continues.
(*Image from the Internet)
Resources:
[1] Ruth Benedict, Chrysanthemum and the Knife, translated by Lü Wanhe, Xiong Dayun, and Wang Zhixin
[2] Yang Yuezhi and Liu Ye Perspective on Japan's National Spirit from the Movie "Seven Samurai" "Film Review"