from: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v24/Green13/images%20for%20blog/title20akira20kurosawa20seven20samu.jpgSeven Samurai is an immortal work of the world. It is fully appreciated by people all over the world, and influenced on post movies and directors like George Lucas, and Steven Spielberg. But it is too old, maybe modern youths have never seen that, no more than maybe they don't know what Seven Samurai is. I just got a chance to see it because of my required class. I also fully appreciate it. It lasts two hundred ten minutes. but I never minded that. Now I'm gonna tell you about details of Seven Samurai.
Directed by 黒澤明(Kurosawa Akira)
Starring: 三船敏郎(Toshiro Mufune) / 志村僑(Takashi Shimura) / 加東大介(Daisuke Kato) / 宮口精二(Seiji Miyaguchi) / 千秋実（Minoru Chiaki) / 木村功(Isao Kimura) / 稲葉義男(Yoshio Inaba) / 藤原釜足(Kamatari Fujiwara) / 左卜全(Bokuzen Hidari) / 土屋嘉男(Yoshio Tsuchiya) / 津島恵子(Keiko Tsujima)
Story
Peasants（百姓） in a mountain village suffer from bandit(野武士）'s misdeeds. They can no longer take anymore, and decides to hire Samurai for protecting the village. 4 peasants each named Rikichi, Manzo, Yohei, and Mosuke go to the city to find Samurai. But their offer are turned away by Samurai that they asked. They are tired, but finds an excellent samurai named Kanbei. He excecutes a thief who took a baby hostage, and saves the baby's life. The peasants try to offer him, but he is a war-weary(負け戦の） samurai...
Chracter
Kanbei Shimada(島田勘兵衛）
The leader of the group and the first "recruited" by the peasants, he is a wise but war-weary samurai
Gorobei Katayama(片山五郎兵衛）
The second samurai, recruited by Kambei. A skilled archer, he acts as the second in command
Shichiroji(七郎次）
The third samurai. He uses a spear. He was once Kambei's comrade
Heihachi Hayashida(林田平八）
The fourth samurai, recruited by Gorobei. He is amiable, but less-skilled. He often teases Kikuchiyo
Kyuzou(久蔵）
The Fifth Samurai. He is serious, stone-faced and a supremely skilled swordsman. But basically he is gentle
Katsushiro Okamoto(岡本勝四郎）
The sixth samurai. He is immature, and is treated as a child. He falls in love with Shino
Kikuchiyo(菊千代）
The Seventh Samurai. Actually, he is not a samurai. He is mercurial and temperamental. Sometimes he acts on his own. But he is often attached by children in the village. He comes out that he was a war orphan.
Rikichi(利吉）
A young peasant who is willing to find samurai. He hates bandits so much because once he had his wife taken by a bandit.
Manzo(万造）
An old peasant who is reluctant to find samurai. He has a daughter named Shino, and forces her to disguise not to be identified as a woman.
Yohei(与平）
An very timid and soppy peasant. He is teased by Kikuchiyo, but gets well with him.
Mosuke(茂助）
A peasant who is not so much impressive as the other 3 peasants.
Shino(志乃）
Manzo's daughter who falls in love with Katsushiro
Gisaku(儀作）
A village elder
Review
It's the best of Japanese movie I've ever seen. From finding samurai to the end, the screenplay's good. It's perfect. Most of important characters are impressive. Sometimes, this movie makes me heavy, but sometimes makes me laugh.
Kikuchiyo
Kikuchiyo is a very important role on mediating between the samurai and the peasants. he is very temperamental, but sometimes he is sentimental and feels guilty. He was an orphan, so he might fought with the samurai against bandits to save the peasants and bring about peace in the village.
Kyuzo
I thought Kyuzo has no feelings at first. But it was wrong. He just doesn't show what he feels on his face. He concerns a relationship between Katsushiro and Shino. Basically he is gentle, but just he doesn't show his kindness to others. His kindness is blind, but is real. Not all visible kindness is real. This is a Japanese philosophy. I think he is a good old Japanese. Recently, I rarely see a Japanese like him. By the way, he laughs with the other samurai.
Human Relationship in Seven Samurai
Kikuchiyo and Yohei- Their relationship is impressive. Kikuchiyo teases Yohei. It's hilarious.
Katsushiro and Shino- Their romance process is unoriginal. But considering their positon, it's very meaningful. A romance between Samurai and a daughter of peasant it is not common at that time. There's a wall between them. They temporarily cross over, but it's gone. This is one of tragedies arisen by status society.
Kyuzo and Katsushiro- Katsushiro respects Kyuzo so much. Kyuzo never respond to him whatever he praises. But actually Kyuzo concerns him. Kyuzo never let him dare, and concerns his relationship with Shino. When Kyuzo dies, he is in floods of tears. He also couldn't make it with her, but he would grew up as samurai
Heihachi and Rikichi- Rikichi is active, but there's something darkness with him. Once he has his wife taken by a bandit. Heihachi concerns him more than anyone else. Rikichi appreciates his concern. I feel it when I see he cries at Heihachi's grave
(918 words)
