Directed by: Akira Kuroswa
Written by: Akira Kurosawa, Shinobu Hashimoto, Hideo Oguni
Starring: Toshiro Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Keiko Tsushima
In watching so many new films this year, one thing that I've come to appreciate above all is efficiency. If a film can tell its story and be done within 90 minutes, I'm way more willing to watch it because I know my attention will be held for the duration and I can watch two, three, four, or even five back-to-back without missing a beat. If a movie is over 120 minutes, I start to feel a little less enthusiasm about sitting down to watch the film, especially since that also usually means a slower pace.
I've also found difficulty in engaging in certain types of films, namely films that are both old and foreign. I have no difficulty with old, english-spoken films; Dr. Strangelove, Citizen Kane, Casablanca are all over 50 years old and I had no problem sitting through them and loving every minute. I also have little problem with modern foreign films; 2002's Hero is a personal favourite of my for this year. However, there is something about older foreign films that I can't quite put my finger on, perhaps a certain style or pacing, that makes it diffiult for me to engage with them, even if I can recognise their brilliance; the 1965 French film Alphaville by Jean-Luc Goddard, the 1972 Russian film Solaris by Andrei Tarkovsky, even another of Kurosawa's films Yojimbo (1961) were all films that I watched this year and thought were brilliant, but couldn't find a connection to on a personal level.
Maybe it's not the fact that they are films that are both old and foreign, and these two factors are merely a coincidence; I did get a lot of personal enjoyment out of both the 1931 German film M by Fritz Lang, and the 1972 German film Aguirre, Wrath of God by Werner Herzog, after all. Maybe the old and foreign rule holds true for me, and German films are merely an exception. maybe it's all in my head, and it's more tied to each individual director's style and I shouldn't be comparing films based on an arbitrary term like 'old'.
Either way, my preference for efficiency and my trepidation in looking into older films that are foreign in style both probably had a little to do with it taking this long for me to watch Seven Samurai, a 207-minute Japanese venture made in 1954. It also happens to be such a prolific film that at this point it simply is one of the greatest films of all time; its influence on film-making in both Japanese and Western cinema is undeniable, presenting Kurosawa's excellent use of movement of both the camera and the characters, telling a story that has been copied both directly and indirectly plenty of times.
This is where it gets a little unfortunate for me, and why I stress the importance in separating what you like from what you think is good. I certainly liked the film, but I wasn't constantly engaged, on the edge of my seat; I didn't feel much of anything when Heihachi (Minoru Chiaki) died needlessly, I didn't get a lot of satisfaction out of Kikuchiyo (Mifune) being totally awesome and taking out the bandit leader despite being shot. I recognised that theses things were happening and that they were very well done, I saw that it was all extremely well made and that there were definite reasons for this film to be considered one of the greatest of all time, but I didn't find a way for myself to connect with the film personally, like someone was telling me the story of their greatest life experience; I understood was they were saying and I appreciated that, but I wasn't there for it so I can't get the same satisfaction. It may have been because of where I was emotionally at the time, it may have been something transcendant, something about the film that I may never quite be able to put my finger on that simply prevents me from enjoying it as much as others.
So here, instead of talking about the film, I'd instead like to suggest some of my personal philosophy that I've developed while watching all of these films; firstly, watch a film more than once. If a film didn't engage you on its first run, but everyone else raves about it, try again, maybe you were just having a bad day. Likewise if you loved a film, but it otherwise seems universally reviled, try to see what others are talking about.
Secondly, don't automatically let others sway you. This ties in with the first principal; while it's important to understand human consensus, don't let that entirely forge your opinion. Compare your ideas about a film to others; you may end up agreeing with them on the topic but also still love the film, you may find your attitude swayed, but be sure that your ideas are in fact yours. To use an example, my personal favourite film of all time is Pacific Rim (2013), and no-one can change my mind on that, but I also recognise the issues that everyone had with the film and why they may not enjoy it.
Finally, and this is the most important, differentiate between liking something and thinking it is good. Liking a film is subjective; to use the example of Pacific Rim again, I love that film more than any other because of several extenuating points that matter to me alone. However, the quality of a film, how good a film is or indeed how great a film is, is more relative, a consensus developed by people over time as an overall attitude towards how this film has impacted film culture or indeed culture in general, the ways in which the film employs certain techniques, or utilises new technology for storytelling purposes and how people as a whole feel about it determines a film's quality of greatness. This makes it necessary to thoroughly examine your opinions, and discern whether you felt a movie was genuinely bad, or whether you simply had no personal attachment to it.
So, even though I wasn't the biggest fan of Seven Samurai, I can also say nothing bad about the film. Its direction and editing flow perfectly; the whole film has a smoothness to it that feels like the shot is always moving, even when its static. The acting contrasts the characters well, melodramatic Kikuchiyo playing well off of the much more subtle Kambei (Shimura). It would seem every aspect of this movie is fantastically crafted, and yet I found it really difficult to get through. Such it life, I guess.
The Verdict: I think I've said all I needed to say. Seven Samurai is important, and if you care about film history and culture then it's a must see, but if you share similar tastes with me you may find it difficult to sit through, so I don't recommend this to someone just looking to watch a film on a lazy Sunday afternoon.
Rating: 9.5/10
Published December 3rd, 2016
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