Seven Samurai - 3 Disc Remastered Edition (Criterion...

Buy This Item Seven Samurai - 3 Disc Remastered Edition (Criterion... by Criterion  Available from Amazon  $27.27  on 11-26-2008     Hailed as the greatest film in the history of Japanese cinema, <i>Seven Samurai</i> is director Akira Kurosawa's undisputed masterpiece. Arguably the greatest of all <i>jidai-gecki</i> (or historical swordplay films), Kurosawa's classic 1954 action drama has never been surpassed in terms of sheer power of emotion, kinetic energy, and dynamic character development. The story is set during the civil unrest of 16th-century Japan, as the cowering residents of a small farming village are seeking protection against seasonal attacks by a band of marauding bandits. Offering mere handfuls of rice as payment, they hire seven unemployed "ronin" (masterless samurai), including a boastful swordsman (Toshiro Mifune) who is actually a peasant farmer's son, desperately seeking glory, acceptance, and revenge against those who destroyed his family. Led by the calmly strategic Kambei (Takashi Shimura, star of Kurosawa's previous classic, <i>Ikiru</i>), the samurai form mutual bonds of honor and respect, but remain distant from the villagers, knowing that their assignment may prove to be fatal.<p> Kurosawa masterfully composed his shots to emphasize these group dynamics, and <i>Seven Samurai</i> is a textbook study of the director's signature techniques, including extensive use of telephoto lenses to compress action, delineate character relationships, and intensify motion. While the climactic battle against raiding thieves remains one of the most breathtaking sequences ever filmed, <i>Seven Samurai</i> is most triumphant as a peerless example of character development, requiring all of its 2-hour, 37-minute running time to illuminate every essential detail of villagers and samurai alike, including an abundance of humor as Kambei's defense plan unfolds. In terms of its overall impact, <i>Seven Samurai</i> spawned dozens of copycat films (notably the American Western remake <i>The Magnificent Seven</i>) and cannot be adequately summarized by even the most comprehensive synopsis; it must be seen to be fully appreciated, and the Criterion Collection's 2006 DVD reissue is an essential addition to any definitive home-video library. <i>--Jeff Shannon</i> <p> <b>On the DVDs</b> According to the accompanying booklet, "the picture has been slightly window-boxed (in correct original 1.33:1 aspect ratio) to ensure that the maximum image is visible on all monitors." The two-disc format was necessary "to maintain optimal image quality throughout the compression process," with dual-layered DVD-9's encoded "at the highest possible bit rate for the quantity of material included." The picture and sound quality are simply amazing compared to Criterion's one-disc release from 1998. The all-new, fully restored high-definition digital transfer takes full advantage of HD's clarity and crispness, resulting in picture detail far surpassing the previous DVD. This also applies to the soundtrack, presented in optional Dolby surround in addition to the remastered original mono track. The new transfer "was mastered in 2k resolution from a duplicate negative created with wetgate processing from the original fine-grain master positive" (the film's original negative is no longer available), and "several different digital hardware and software solutions were utilized for flicker, instability, dirt, scratch, and grain management." <p> The complete 207-minute film is accompanied by two full-length commentary tracks, including a new track combining the critical insights of film scholars David Desser, Joan Mellen, Stephen Price (author of <i>The Warrior's Camera: The Cinema of Akira Kurosawa</i>), Tony Rayns, and the dean of Japanese film experts, Donald Richie (author of <i>The Films of Akira Kurosawa</i>). Each scholar is given approximately 40 minutes of film-time, and their commentaries represent a unique opportunity to appreciate <i>Seven Samurai</i> from distinct yet complementary critical perspectives. The commentary by Japanese film expert Michael Jeck (from Criterion's original 1988 laserdisc release) remains useful as a thorough analysis of <i>Seven Samurai</i>, primarily in terms of visual composition. <p> The 50-minute "making of" documentary, from Japan's 2002 Toho Masterworks TV series <i>Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create</i> emphasizes Kurosawa's collaboration with co-screenwriters Shinobu Hashimoto and Hideo Oguni, including production footage, crewmember interviews, and a reverent visit to the rural inn where <i>Seven Samurai</i> was written over a six-week period of intense seclusion. The two-hour "My Life in Cinema" interview with Kurosawa was recorded in 1993, with fellow filmmaker Nagisa Oshima serving as a gentle admirer, colleague, and well-informed historian of Kurosawa's career. "Seven Samurai: Origins and Influences" is a richly informative documentary that places Kurosawa's classic in both historical and cinematic context, examining its place in the <i>jidai-gecki</i> (swordplay) genre, its accurate depiction of samurai codes and traditions, and its stature as the prototype for many films that followed. The lavishly illustrated 58-page booklet includes eight brief essays on various aspects of <i>Seven Samurai</i>, each written by noted film scholars or film directors (including Arthur Penn and Sidney Lumet). Also included is a reminiscence by the great actor Toshiro Mifune, excerpted from a conversation recorded in 1993. Taken as a whole, the remastered three-disc <i>Seven Samurai</i> ranks as one of the finest DVD sets ever released. <i>--Jeff Shannon</i> Reader Reviews If you're one of those people who loves classic movies, foreign or otherwise, or even if you are just a lover of great movies or a student of the arts, you owe it to yourself to see this film at least once. Why? That's more a book than a review... but here goes. In this world there are talents, and there are geniuses. Countless films are produced by talents, but great works of art are produced by geniuses. The films of people like John Ford and Frank Capra are extraordinary not just because of their genius though. They are extraordinary because of their humanity, the way that they tell the story of human beings and the world that they live in, the tragedies and triumphs of normal people in extraordinary circumstances, the epic stories that make up real history and the soul of every human being. Kurosawa's movies are like that. They reflect the same genius of people like Ford and Capra. They are very human stories. I have seen many Kurosawa films over the years, but in my mind this is undoubtedly his greatest film. It is an epic story about a much loved period of Japanese history, a brief period equivalent to the Wild West, when Samurai roamed the streets with no master like so many wandering gunfighters. In fact, this story is the basis of the well-known western The Magnificent Seven. But the story is not about the Samurai so much as it is about how they relate and must cooperate with the villagers they are hired to protect. Across three and a half hours you are introduced to the villagers in a truly desperate situation, and watch as they lament their plight, seek the help of the samurai, and then repeated mistrust them by hiding their possessions and women from them. The samurai who expect to be heroes after a fashion find themselves seemingly unwelcomed and feared by the peasants who not only feared them, but have killed their kind in the past as they came through the town. And when the actual conflicts begin it's not enough just to fight samurai vs. bandits, the samurai actually have to build fortifications and arm the villagers for a long series of engagments. And as the bandits are killed one by one it becomes not a battle, but a war of attrition to see who will last longer. There are many losses along the way, and the ultimate victory leaves you with not a feeling of triumph, but of the real sense of loss that battle can give. There are extraordinary performances all around, from the stereotypical charicatures that are the villagers to the extraordinary personalities of the samurai which range from a wize old man to a crazed eccentric buffoon (played brilliantly by Toshiro Mifune), from a perfectionist swordsman to a young nobleman determined to become a hero somehow. There are numerous scenes which could be a film unto themselves, from the old man rescuing a kidnapped child to the young nobleman's first romantic encounter among the cherry blossoms. And the battle scenes are better than anything Ridley Scott or Wolfgang Peterson (with all due respect) ever put to film, with every sword slash meaning instant death and a final epic showdown in the muddy rain that hs to be some of the most amazing footage ever filmed. If you like historical samurai films, you can't go wrong with Kurosawa. And if you like Kurosawa, it doesn't get an better than this film. You simply have to have the patience to get through the arduous experience that it is, and give the film time to get going (I'd say at least an hour). Of course you can always watch it in pieces, and it holds up remarkably well watched that way (thanks to the way so many segments hold up on their own like seperate short films. Gorgeous black and white cinematography, splendid acting, fantastic plot and dialog (even translated from Japanese). The film may be somewhat poor quality just because of it's age, and recording equipment when the film was made isn't what it is today obviously, but if you ask me, you'd have to be just plain crazy to let age or subtitles keep you from seeing this classic. Everyone should see this film at least once. Film lovers of all ages should buy it and cherish it forever.

Seven Samurai - 3 Disc Remastered Edition (Criterion... Available from Amazon Price: $27.27 Updated on 11-26-2008.

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