AKIRA KUROSAWA

Bil’s rating (out of 5):  BBBBB. 

Original title:  Shichinin No Samurai

Alternate title:  The Magnificent Seven

Japan, 1954.  Toho Company.  Screenplay by Akira Kurosawa, Shinobu Hashimoto, Hideo Oguni.  Cinematography by Asakazu Nakai.  Produced by Sojiro Motoki.  Music by Fumio Hayasaka.  Production Design by Takashi Matsuyama.  Costume Design by Kohei Ezaki, Mieko Yamaguchi.  Film Editing by Akira Kurosawa.  Podcast:  My Criterions.  

Epic masterpiece by Akira Kurosawa, about a tiny Japanese village who hire seven samurai warriors to protect their village from bandits who are threatening their peace. The film combs carefully over the experiences of all the characters before bringing them together for their eventual goal, and is fascinating the entire way. Toshirô Mifune stands out from the cast as a goofy, irresponsible warrior who brings an extra air of cynicism to the group’s intentions. This is a much looser role than the usual stoic heroes he often played in period adventures, and he does extremely well with it.

Academy Award Nominations:  Best Art Direction-BW; Best Costume Design-BW

The Criterion Collection:  #2