'The Magnificent Seven' is officially in theaters today and I wanted to briefly discuss the film that inspired both the original and the new remake. Akira Kurosawa's films truly have a timeless feel to them. Their stories can be told hundreds of times and with slight differences with each telling and you would still have a unique story in some way every time. The story of 'Seven Samurai' is very similar to 'Magnificent Seven' in which a group of warriors stand up against an evil army who wish to do harm to a small village. The film's Japanese setting and language does not hinder the engaging story throughout. As I said, the film tells a story that exceeds languages and most can keep up with it even without subtitles.
This film is simply gorgeous to look at. Every single frame is a work of art all its own, and the black and white cinematography is one of the finest I have seen. The film brings so many emotions whenever I view it. I rarely see a film nowadays that can bring so much to a small 3-hour window. The fact that this epic of a film could have been done back in 1954 in Japan during the fallout of WWII when the country was still in heavy decline is nothing short of a miracle. This film is better in all aspects more than most US films during that time and Japan would have a Renaissance of sorts during this period of time with Kurosawa's 'Yojimbo', 'Rashamon', and even 'Gojira'. These films in their own ways would go to influence modern cinema overseas much the same way 'Seven Samurai' did, using tales of old and modern topics of society to make for some great cinema.
Let me put it this way: If you enjoy 'Star Wars', 'The Good The Bad and The Ugly', or any modern action film, you can thank 'Seven Samurai' and Japanese Samurai Cinema for some of your favorite films of all time. Check this one out as soon as possible guys.
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