Blu-Ray Review: ‘Seven Samurai’ Lives Up to Legendary Reputation

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Average: 5 (1 vote)

CHICAGO – If one looks at the spine of a Criterion Collection release, he will see a number that indicates the order in which films have been inducted into the most important DVD/Blu-ray series in history. With over 500 films in the collection (this week’s “Paths of Glory” is #538), one might wonder where it all began. “Grand Illusion,” which Criterion no longer has rights to, is #1 but their second inductee has recently been transferred to Blu-ray and the two-disc release for “Seven Samurai” is a beauty.

HollywoodChicago.com Blu-Ray Rating: 5.0/5.0
Blu-Ray Rating: 5.0/5.0

One of several films by Akira Kurosawa than can accurately be called “incredibly influential,” “Seven Samurai” inspired not just other films directly but is one of those movies that’s often cited by modern filmmakers as why they became involved in the movie industry in the first place. “Seven Samurai” is mesmerizing, a film that transports the viewer through Kurosawa’s amazing storytelling ability. It runs over three hours long but flies by in the blink of an eye, offering a master class in how to pace an epic story. See it for the ripples it created through the entire industry but also see it just because it’s damn entertaining.

Seven Samurai was released on Blu-Ray on October 19th, 2010
Seven Samurai was released on Blu-Ray on October 19th, 2010
Photo credit: Courtesy of the Criterion Collection

1954’s “Seven Samurai” takes place in a sixteenth-century village in Japan that’s been overrun by nefarious bandits. The warriors of the title are hired by the inhabitants to protect them and the epic journey that would inspire “The Magnificent Seven” and dozens of other films unfolds over the next three hours with spectacular performances by stars Toshiro Mifune and Takashi Shimura along with some of the most accomplished visuals of Kurosawa’s career.

Seven Samurai was released on Blu-Ray on October 19th, 2010
Seven Samurai was released on Blu-Ray on October 19th, 2010
Photo credit: Courtesy of the Criterion Collection

If you asked a hundred film enthusiasts what film they would most want remastered into Blu-ray, a large percentage would mention Kurosawa and “Seven Samurai.” The film has been released several times before and the most important thing to note is that it’s never looked this good. Does it look perfect? I’m not sure that it does, especially given some recent b&w releases from the same era, but it looks better than “Seven Samurai” ever has before and that’s what really matters. The film is presented in its original 1.33:1 aspect ratio and accompanied by a great DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack.

The Criterion Blu-ray release of “Seven Samurai” features hours of special features; more than your average Criterion release. The company is well-known for not merely including special features as filler, as so many other companies do, so it’s notable that they collected this much worthwhile material for a film that’s over a half-century old.

The disc with the film itself includes two commentaries — a film scholar roundtable featuring David Desser, Joan Mellen, Stephen Prince, Tony Rayns, and Donald Ritchie and one with Japanese film expert Michael Jeck.

The second disc includes a fifty-minute documentary on the making of the film that was created as a part of the “Toho Masterworks” series “Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create,” a two-hour video conversation from 1993 between Kurosawa and Nagisa Oshima called “My Life in Cinema,” an hour-long documentary called “Seven Samurai: Origins and Influences,” 3 theatrical trailers, one teaser, and a gallery of rare posters, behind-the-scenes photos, and production stills.

Finally, the set includes a booklet featuring essays by Kenneth Turan, Peter Cowie, Philip Kemp, Peggy Chiao, Alain Silver, Stuart Galbraith, Arthur Penn, and Sidney Lumet and an interview with Toshiro Mifune from 1993.

The Criterion Collection has had an amazing Blu-ray year with releases from Terrence Malick, Stanley Kubrick, and Akira Kurosawa in just the last few weeks. “Seven Samurai” is one of the best.

‘Seven Samurai’ is released by The Criterion Collection and stars Toshiro Mifune and Takashi Shimura. It was directed by Akira Kurosawa. It was released on Blu-Ray on October 19th, 2010.

HollywoodChicago.com content director Brian Tallerico

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

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