Seven Samurai (1954)
(Shichinin no Samurai)

 Director: Akira Kurosawa

Starring: Takashi Shimura, Toshiro Mifune, Yoshio Inaba, Seiji Miyaguchi,
Minoru Chiaki, Daisuke Kato, Isao Kimura

 A poor village under attack by forty bandits turns to its last hope: they recruit seven unemployed Samurai to help defend themselves. The Samurai teach the villagers to fight, and a ferocious battle ensues.

   Described as a 'milestone in cinematic history and the greatest... kick-arse foreign film ever made' (Empire), this film is the Japanese equivalent to Citizen Kane. Its influence is immeasurable: from the obvious parallels with films such as The Magnificent Seven to its general influence on almost every filmmaker who has seen it. Coppola, Lucas, and Peckinpah have all cited Kurosawa as a great influence on their work, and we can see why.

    This film is a dazzling example of a genius at work. Notable for its perfectly conceived action pieces, shining period detail and fantastic performances, particularly by Tagashi Shimura as the veteran samurai and by Kurosawa's favourite actor Toshiro Mifune as the loose canon. Every shot in this movie is a beautiful picture in its own right, and the fusion of all these elements leaves nothing to be desired.

Interesting facts (from IMDb):

• Filming had to be stopped several times due to a shortage of horses for the final battle sequences.
• Seiji Miyaguchi, who played the taciturn samurai Kyuzo, had not touched a sword at all before this movie. Editing and careful cinematography were both used to give the impression that he was a master.

Internet links:

• The Internet Movie Database Site

 James Nockels