50
years later...the brilliance remains.
I've dreaded
writing this review. This is one of those films
that is "protected" by cinema fans, action fans,
Kurosawa fans and generally anyone with a true
love of the "art" of filmmaking. It is held up
as one of the greatest films ever...certainly
one of the greatest action films ever.
In all honesty, I have recently upgraded this
film to a B+. A recent viewing of the film
allowed me to see it in a different light...to
appreciate its action, choreography, lighting,
direction and performances on a deeper level. I
must confess that a certain amount of this was
due to having just watched "The Last Samurai."
It provided me with a frame of reference that
allowed me to more fully appreciate this film.
"The Seven Samurai" was written and directed by
Akira Kurosawa in 1956. It's cinematography is
simplistically beautiful in black & white, the
choreography stellar and the action scenes
without question among the best ever captured on
film. The storyline evolves around a village
that is destined to be attacked by 40
thieves...they hire seven samurai to protect
them. The three and a half hour film captures
beautifully the struggles of the village to
discover answers, find samurai, hire samurai
and, of course, the final battle. The film is
filled with passion and philosophy and
spirituality and beauty and truth and action.
One viewing is not nearly enough for this film.
So, how could I possibly rate this film a B+
when so many revere it as a true masterpiece of
filmmaking?
Even recognizing the 1956 factor for this film,
there were aspects of this film that simply did
not work for me.
First, I hear constantly about the humanity of
this film...quite honestly, several of the
scenes (especially early) felt histrionic. The
voices were screeching and irritating...it
didn't feel like authentic emotion. Yes, the
characters are developed well...Kurosawa is a
master storyteller...but, in the more "human"
scenes I just didn't believe the actors as much.
Secondly, the background sound...okay,
okay...it's part of the ambience. I understand
the purpose, but it simply didn't work for me.
In particular, the stream had this obnoxious,
bought from Walgreen's sound to it. It nearly
pushed me over the edge.
Finally, the film is simply too long. Okay,
master storyteller...we get your points, we get
your Buddhist philosophies, we get the power and
the majesty...now, just end the damn thing.
"Seven Samurai" is, indeed, a wonderful action
film and among the best of the best action
films. I would agree it's a masterful film on
many levels, but I simply can't consider it
among the best films ever made. It is the road
map for so many filmmakers today...Kurosawa did
it first, but I'm just not convinced he did it
best. It's a wonderful film, but just shy of
greatness.
©
Written by Richard Propes
TC Candler's Comment
A film that
demonstrates Kurosawa's greatness.
Jacob
Hall's Comment
N/A
