I think a lot of people fail to recognize what a huge sacrifice Shimada Kambei makes in the beginning of the movie by shaving off his samurai knot; an extremely value-laden and important symbol of status and a source of pride for every samurai. Anyone seeing him do that to save a child, a peasant child no less(!), would understand what kind of man he is and what level of morals he holds himself to. A brilliant introduction.

Akira Kurosawa was an absolute master of his trade.

Toshiro Mifune gives a great performance as Kikuchiyo, the 'wild man'. He's my favorite character and a departure from many of Mifune's more stoic performances. His speech about samurai is really powerful and his last stand is up there with Boromir's for me.

A little historical context if you will allow: The time period the film takes place in is known as the Sengoku Jidai, a 150 year period of civil war in Japan. Bandits and samurai alike made life for peasants very difficult. Which is why the farmer cut his daughter’s hair and dressed her like a man, he didn’t want any of the seven to assault her. I always took Katsushiro, the youngest samurai, giving money to the villagers to replace the stolen rice as a sign that he came from a wealthy and/or aristocratic background and never saw real battle until the end of the movie.

I'm so glad you watched this. When I was a teenager (a long time ago) I watched this film because Steven Spielberg and George Lucas presented Akira Kurosawa with a lifetime achievement award at The Oscars. I was impressed that these two amazing filmmakers were talking about what an influence Kurosawa had on them. Then they showed a montage of his films, and I was blown away. Kurosawa's body of work is beyond influential. I went down a rabbit hole and have watched every film by him numerous times. It opened my eyes to classic foreign films and directors. That was when I became a film snob - it actually changed my life. Kurosawa's story is pretty amazing. In the 70s he fell out of fashion with the Japanese film industry and could not get any funding. He ended up making one film in Russia, but other than that wasn't able to work. He attempted suicide at one point, luckily he didn't succeed. Eventually, Francis Ford Coppolla and George Lucas realized that nobody was allowing this legend to make more films. They used their influence and convinced 20th Century Fox to produce his next film. After that, he fell back into favor and continued to make films until his death. Sorry for the history lesson, but Kurosawa is important to me. Any Samurai film by Kurosawa would be a great watch, but he also made amazing non-samurai films. I'd recommend High and Low (a film noir) and Ikiru, which was remade last year into a film called Live, I haven't seen it yet, but it was nominated for a lot of awards. Ikiru is a touching film and shows a much softer side to the director. Thank you again for watching a three and a half hour 1950s Foreign Language film, not many reactors would do that. If you are interested in other influential foreign film directors, I'd recommend Ingmar Bergman (The Seventh Seal, or Persona), Federico Fellini (8 1/2), Francis Truafft (400 Blows). Make sure you are in the mood for something artsy, though, they are the type of films you discuss when they are over. Jeez, I never wrote a comment this long before, lol. Thanks again, you two are my favorite reactors (I love that you take chances and are able to appreciate films most others wouldn't go near (2001: A Space Odyssey for example.) Thanks again, keep up the good work.

The quintessential classic on every director and cinephile’s top list…this film has influenced EVERYTHING ❤

I cannot recommend Kurosawa's 1985 masterpiece "Ran" enough. It is based on King Lear and is one of the most visually stunning films I have ever seen!

Toshiro Mifune (Kikuchiyo) is one of the most charismatic actors you'll ever watch. He made numerous classics with Akira Kurosawa. They were one of the legendary film pairings, up there with Humphrey Bogart and John Huston. And there's a wonderful cycle of influence from John Ford who greatly influenced Kurosawa, who subsequently influenced (among many others) Sam Peckinpah, who made the classic The Wild Bunch in 1969, almost a complete inversion of this story, but just as brilliant.

This movie had so many firsts. Slow motion during an action scene. The first instance of a 'hord' cresting a hill to attack the defenders below. Showing Samurai and their fighting more realistically (vs the equivalent of gun-foo today in the wick films). Assembling a 'team' to go fight bad guys, showing both sides not in black and white but rather shades of grey, etc

Akira Kurosawa is one of the greatest, if not the greatest filmmakers of all time.

"Yojimbo" is definitely a must. As is its sequel, "Sanjuro," both starring Toshiro Mifune (Kikuchiyo (the "farmer" samurai)) in this movie.

Definitely Check out Throne of Blood by Kurosawa. It's literally a Samurai adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth. It's an absolute masterpiece

Nice, one of the greatest films ever made. 1960's classic US remake _The Magnificent Seven_ starring Steve McQueen is a must.

The reach and inspiration this story had on western media is incredible. We're still seeing remnants of this story in a lot of things here. 'The Magnificent Seven', Pixar's 'A Bug's Life', Mad Max Fury Road, Predator, and of course Star Wars. Heck, we even saw a whole Mandalorian Episode in the first season based on this premise. Really happy to see you guys giving International films attention in addition to American classics. Keep up the great work!

This may have been the movie I have watched the most in my life. From the first slow motion death on film to the duel between the two samurai Kurosawa has influenced directors all over the world with his movie style - cinematography, social commentary, pacing, use of lenses, wide shots, and use of music.

Toshiro Mifune, one of my all time favorite, legendary actor!!!!

Oh man, this just warms my heart, seeing people go back to the major classics.

When we seasoned cinema buffs talk about the truly great films, this is what we're talking about. Saw this in an old theater 40+ years ago as a young man. Two of the greatest performances of all time with Shimura and Mifune, direction that set the standard, poetry in motion, and a towering humanity and earned emotional impact. This is the top of the heap.

Kurosawa movies. You’ll love Rashomon. It’s the first foreign film to win an Oscar.

The film captivates you more and more. The more we learn about the samurai, we learn why the farmers actually fear the samurai, the samurai understand why they are feared and can understand the reasons why the samurai are absorbed into the village community because they are trusted, the samurai themselves develop affection towards the residents, the residents no longer feel fear, Toshiro Mifune hides his concern and affection behind rudeness, the view changes from top to horizontal. A brilliant, absolutely top-class film.

The film is all the more extraordinary when you consider that Akira Kurosawa’s father was from a Samurai background. To make a warts and all, non-romanticised historical drama about samurai, some of whom have nothing, but their honor to their name, against the backdrop of a culture where filial piety and obedience are of paramount importance is comparable to a revolutionary act. No wonder Akira Kurosawa was admired outside Japan, but never truly considered a great artist by his own country. This film has it all and it's one of the greatest films ever made.

One of the shortest 3 hr films you will ever watch. Its one of the best films of all time in my opinion. I never get bored of revisiting it. Great acting, characters and direction.

There are many great Kurosawa movies. But my favorite is Ran. I still consider it one of the most beautiful movies ever. I also think it is probably the best Shakespeare movie adaptation.

I can't even count how many times I've seen this movie. It's one of my favorites. This movie and RAN, both by Akira Kurosawa, prompted me to major in history in college.

This is a true classic. It's great to see you reacting to it. I'd like to recommend my favorite Akira Kurosawa movie "Ikiru" (1952) starring Tadashi Shimura who also played Kambei, the leader of the Seven Samurai.

Finally! This is a masterpiece of the highest order. Akira Kurosawa, Toshiro Mifune and Seiji Miyaguchi R.I.P.

One of the things Akira Kurosawa was concerned about was the density of the mud in the final battle scene. He made the set dressers get it to just the consistency he wanted, and you could see it in the end product. It was always that way with Kurosawa, wind, rain, sun dark, leaves, fog, if it was on screen, it was because Mr. Kurosawa wanted it there. One of the greatest movies ever made, IMVHO.

I can't tell you how happy I am that you are watching this movie. I am also happy that you are watching it with subtitles and not dubbed. You always want to hear the original actor's performance. I love Akira Kurosawa. He is one of my favorite directors. This is one of his many amazing movies. He does samurai films, period films and contemporary films of his time. He has made at least 2 films based on Shakespeare's plays. Ran is based on King Lear and Throne of Blood is based on Macbeth. When I was in college my theater department did a production based on his movie Rashomon and I played a Japanese woodcutter (I'm not Japanese in the least). This was my introduction to Kurosawa. It's about a samurai and his wife traveling through a bamboo forest to get to the Rashomon Gates. They meet a bandit who fights the samurai for his wife. The story is told through a trial and everyone has a wildly different version of what happened that day. Even the dead samurai gets to testify. George Lucas always said that Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress inspired him for Star Wars. High And Low, Stray Dog, Red Beard, Yojimbo and Sanjuro are just a few of his great films. The samurai in this film that's a bit of an asshole is one of Kurosawa's favorite actors and you'll see him a lot if you keep watching Kurosawa. His name is Toshiro Mifune. My personal favorite Kurosawa film is called Ikiru (To Live). It's a beautiful story about a man in small town government. I don't want to tell you too much more. Watch more Kurosawa.

One of the top 10 to 20 greatest directors of all time, and was a delight to see you an Samantha break down what you saw, what worked for you both. Thank you for showcasing this gem for your younger subscribers. Tremendous fun

I would recommend Kurosawa's Kagemusha. Great story with the most beautiful color cinematography. Each shot was laid out from Kurosawa's personal watercolor art. The film was released in the USA in the 80's by George Lucas and Francis Coppola

This movie was Akira Kurosawa's giving homage to the death of the Samurai. Much like Shane, where that movie represented the end of the old West; this movie had the gun represent the end of the Samurai.

Several Kurosawa films served as inspiration for the original Star wars films by George Lucas. This film is nearly 70 years old, in black and white and in Japanese. And it is still excellent. It has so much influence in so many films. Any film which has a gathering of heroes theme in it from Ocean's 11 to the Blues Brothers is influenced by this film.

I'm really proud of you both for watching this classic film. It's worth having a hard copy of it and add to your collection. 😊

The Magnificent Seven was inspired from this movie, A Fistful of Dollars was inspired by Yojimbo. The Rashomon Effect that is taught in phycology classes came from the movie Rashomon and Star Wars was inspired by The Hidden Fortress. All Kurosawa movies and all worth watching.

You mentioned wanting a samurai movie with more gore and more action. I recommend Takashi Miike's 13 Assassins. A terrific modern samurai movie.

Katsushiro's crying out in grief when Kyuzo dies in the middle of battle, there's a bit of Luke there when Obi Wan gets killed. Lucas cribbed heavily from _Hidden Fortress,_ so I wouldn't be surprised if he pulled from this one as well.

Simply one of the best movies ever. Timeless story, photography, editing, acting, writing, music, and of course, directing. Kurosawa's body of work goes very deep, but this one is still my sentimental favorite.

This remains my all time favorite film, so to see your guys' completely fresh reaction is quite something! Now that you've opened up the floodgates for both Kurosawa and Jidaigeki (Samurai-period) cinema, it'd be amazing to see your reactions to films like Ran or The Tale of Zatoichi in the future. Keep up the great work!

You honestly can't miss with Kurosawa. High and Low is an all time classic.

Always happy to see people discover this film by one of my favorite directors, co-starring my favorite actor. Toshiro Mefune, he played the drunk last Samaurai.

Seven Samurai!! I almost actually need to revisit rewatch this cinematic masterpiece! Would be amazing if you started a Kurosawa Playlist! Heck, in addition to a Miyazaki Playlist! And Casablanca! And Cronenberg with History of Violence and Eastern Promises!

You should try the American Western version of the Film. The Magnificent Seven is a great film with great acting, direction, script, cinematography and musical soundtrack. You will not be disappointed.

Fun Fact Akira Kurosawa was inspired by 40's American Western Cinema to make his movies. 70's/80's US Western Cinema was Inspired by Kurosawa work (7 Samurai's= Magnificent Seven, Yojimbo= For a fistfull of Dollars etc) The Loop is complet.

Excellent choice! Please consider reacting to Akira Kurosawa's other films like Dreams, Ikiru, Ran, High And Low, Throne Of Blood and Drunken Angel

What a great flick. And Kikuchiyo might be one of the greatest characters in all of cinema.

Now you have to see the American western version of the Seven Samurai called, The Magnificent Seven!!! 😃

Greatest Japanese movie ever made, one of the top two greatest movies of all time, one of if not the first big action film of all time, the greatest action film ever made, and probably the first movie to ever use slow motion. Most top film critics, actors, directors, and people agree with these statements/facts.

Fantastic reaction, guys. Thank you so much! I absolutely love how Kikuchiyo's character is revealed gradually throughout the film. You really captured it when you said you'd never expect him of all people to be a voice of reason and have such depth. I never thought about it until re watching your reaction, but after Kyuzo gets shot, Katsushiro starts running to fight the leader who just shot his musket. Kikuchiyo pulls him to the side and charges the house with the leader instead. One could say he was just acting on his anger (he's a super emotional guy), but I think back to his little stunt when the bandits fired on him at the barricade. In the time it took him to run from the moat up the barricade and taunt them, the gunner got off another shot. I like to think he realized in the time it would take them to charge the bandit leader, he'd have reloaded. And he wasn't about to let the kid take that bullet.

I saw this film for the first time in the 7th grade when my world history teacher put it on. We only watched the first 30 min before the bell rang. I RAN home that day to beg my grandmother to take me to the video rental store so I could finish it. Loved it ever since! Toshiro Mifune does a brilliant performance here, as always. He and the legendary director, Kurosawa, made many films together - all of them fantastic! It’s such a treat to see two masters of their crafts working consistently together!

You can see the influence this movie had to even movies today. The gathering of a team or group to overcome a obstacle.

43:51 It's supposedly symbolic the changing times that Kyūzō, whose skills and stoicism sort of embody the best of the classic samurai, is killed by a gunshot.

FUN FACTS: The actor who plays Kambei Shimada (Takashi Shimura) played Dr Yamani in the first Godzilla movie, also released in 1954. The actor who wore the original Godzilla suit- and appeared in the first 12 Godzilla movies (Haruo Nakajima) also appears in this film as one of the bandits, and got the part as he was a friend of the director, Akira Kurosawa. Toshiro Mifune, who plays Kikuchiyo, was considered the 'John Wayne' of Japan for many years.

Toshiro Mifune as Kikuchiyo is one of the greatest performances in the history of film. He's an absolute legend. TBR you should check out his documentary Mifune: The Last Samurai.

Excellent movie from a highly renowned director. Remade several years later into the highly regarded American Western, The Magnificent Seven. Can't wait to jump into this reaction!

The most underrated "actor" of this film, is the weather. The way Kurosawa played with the wind, the dust, the rain... he made it all a character, as much as any of the samurai. In many ways, the weather was the narrator.

I highly recommend RASHOMON, a 1950 psychological thriller film from Akira Kurosawa, and the epic KAGEMUSHA (Shadow Warrior) from 1980.

So many movies have been created based on variations of this amazing classic. Every time I see it I find something new. A simple story of good versus evil.

These older movies might be a choir for you to get around. But if you stick through them, you get why they're classics. Dated, but classic.

Being almost 4 hours long, there is not a single wasted scene. Every character gets their moment. This is a perfectly made film. Another great Kurosawa film that I don’t see people recommend enough is High and Low. That’s probably my favorite Kurosawa film just behind Yojimbo.

Really excited you guys reacted to an iconic and historic film. In Samurai film the silent or quiet samurai character tends to always die. I love these films. A modern film and iconic character beloved in Japan is the movie Zatoichi (2003). It's a really fun action film that is really enjoyable to watch. One film from 1962 is Sanjuro. It has an iconic duel between the two principle characters. It's a full on tension filled duel that storytelling wise is incredible to watch.

It would be a real shame if you watched Yojimbo and didn’t follow it up with Sanjuro. It stars the same main character. It’s not a direct sequel but more of a “the further adventures of…” type of story. Both are great! Looking forward to them 😉

Consider Kurosawa's "Ran" (maybe not for KZfaq, prob wouldn't get views / or worth the edit) it's 1) in color, 2) is basically Shakespeare's "King Lear" but with sons instead of daughters 3) is epic, almost has some Game of Thrones vibes. 4) *EPIC* battle scenes. You will get it, it's pretty accessible, as it was made in the 1980's, and is more 'modern' even though it is set in feudal Japan. Just some thoughts. Loved your reaction! Thank you!

I've loved this movie for the last 50+ years, I'm bad at narrowing down one favorite but this is definitely high on my list.

5:22...A Ronin is a Samurai with no clan or master, an outcast.

Kurosawa is a master of cinematography & editing...all of his shots contain depth of field and motion...there's always something or someone moving, which creates action even in non-action scenes. Imagine what this film would have looked like in color...those flowers, the colorful kimonos, the hustle and bustle of the villages where the samurai were recruited, the differences between the attire of the peasants vs the samurai vs the bandits...would have been spectacular. And he was very much a hands-on editor and director. What you see in the final film, is exactly what he envisioned, because he was the one in the editing room making the final cut.

Kurosawa really shows how fighting was in this time. Quick and brutal. No long drawn out dramatic sword fights. It’s over in seconds. Yojimbo and Sanjuro are excellent.

So glad that you finally reacted to this classic! The dialogue has deeper meaning, given the context of the time (social commentary on class structure, family disgrace of a woman assaulted by a samurai/bandit), etc. Toshiro Mifune (the "crazy, aggressive samurai") is a legendary actor on par of John Wayne; he starred in > 140 films and had 16 film collaborations with Kurosawa. There are so many excellent Kurosawa films, but I would suggest submitting to your patrons either 1) "Throne of Blood", 2) Yojimbo (because it stars Toshiro Mifune and is similar to a "Fistful of Dollars") or 3) "Ran" (similar to Shakespeare's King Lear and a visually beautiful film). Another classic film that I suggest submitting to your patrons is "Zulu", which is a highly regarded classic film about the British Battle at Rorke's Drift in the Anglo-Zulu War in Southern Africa. It is Michael Caine's first major film role (he was not just Alfred in Batman!).

If you have time I would highly recommend rewatching it with Michael Jeck's audio commentary. One of the best and most informative ever recorded.

Just in case no one else mentions it, those were real arrows being shot at the actors. They wore a block of wood under their costume (you can see it if you really look) and expert archers would hit them in it. Kurosawa took this to the extreme in his movie "Throne of Blood" where an actor had dozens upon dozens of arrows shot at him all at once over and over again as he tries to flee from side to side to amazing effect.

the stoic samurai who got shot in the back was supposedly modelled to represent Miyamoto Musashi, Japan's greatest swordsman.

Kurosawa’s THE master of cinema. The way he composes his shots are like no other. Takashi Shimura (lead samurai) and Toshiro Mifune (farmer/comedic samurai) are on thier A Game in this film. For a 3 & 1/2 hour film to be paced this well is honestly incredible. You guys also gotta remember that Kurosawa tends to have a social commentary in his films, even the period pieces like this one. The reason my favorite scene of Mifune’s character calling out the samurai being a direct reflection of the mindset of Japan at the time. Rashomon and Ikiru are very similar in this respect. Couldn’t recommend those enough. They’re also shorter than 7S as this is Kurosawa’s longest film. I’m currently watching in order of his film and just got to this one, so I can’t recommend any past this film. Rashomon and Ikiru are definitely must sees when looking for Kurosawa’s style of directing and humanistic writing style.

Definitely one of my top ten movies of all time, absolutely brilliant. So glad you're watching this. :)

"Rashomon" is a must watch film from Kurosawa. Not only is it one of the best films of all time, it has a very influential storytelling method, "The Rashomon Effect," that is used to this day throughout movies.

Millets are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food.

This was a phenomenal reaction to a phenomenal film! The only movie I enjoy more than this is The Godfather, there's so much richness in the story, the characters and the environment. You get the entire emotional spectrum and many great life lessons all in a single feature. This movie is the epitome of timeless.

Toshiro Mifune and Takashi Shimura were in several films together, with the latter serving as a sort of mentor to the younger actor. The film Stray Dog predates this one by a few years but details a very well-written detective story. Also, one of the wandering samurai that passes by the farmers in the beginning was a young Tatsuya Nakadai, one of Japan's most prominent actors (still active today), who also starred in classics like The Human Condition Trilogy, High and Low, and Hara-Kiri.

I highly, highly recommend checking out The Hidden Fortress. Also by Kurosawa, the main inspiration for Star Wars!

Great reaction. Such a classic. It’s definitely stood the test of time. I’m sad we didn’t get to see the reaction to what I personally think is the best/most emotional line of the movie: Kikuchiyo: “This baby... It's me... It's what happened to me!”

49:55 It would be interesting to see you react to "13 Assassins." The 1963 and 2010 versions are both very good. The 1963 version is slightly more subtle, so I think the 2010 version may be more of a crowd pleaser.

If you like Kurosawa and liked Kikuchiyo in this film in this film. There's a number of films that were collaborations between Kurosawa and Kikuchiyo's actor Toshiro Mifune. (Who is my profile pic by the way). Personally I recommend Yojimbo and its sequel Sanjuro. As well as High and Low, which unlike my other recommendations. Isn't a Samurai flick, it's a modern thriller (well modern being the 1960s) that really shows off Mifune's range. Fun fact, George Lucas originally wanted Toshiro Mifune to play Obi-Wan in Star Wars. Mifune turned down the offer, he considered the movie silly. Alec Guiness saw the financial potential of the franchise and got the role instead, though he thought it was silly too.

Sorry for multiple postings but Akira Kurosawa current most influential movie is Rashomon. The Rashomon effect is even a part of the American judicial system. FYI millet is a cereal grain. I'm just guessing here but in parts of the world it is used for fodder, so I am guessing in medieval Japan it was fodder food and so they looked down on it. In other parts of the world humans eat it.

More Mifune!

Recommendation for you to react: The Amityville Horror (1979), this movie is underrated, but and good

Tarantino always wanted to combine kurosawa, 70s afro gangsta movies and 60s spaghetti westerns. His all time inspirations. EDIT: The world of movies is much larger than Hollywood. Europe and Asia alike are full of the great legendary cult movies.

Trivia: this movie invented the trope of devoting the first act to gathering the team.

Some footnotes... Ronin means "Man of the waves", in that period applied to the "hungry samurai" that came and go searching a new Daimyo to serve (if they were good and lucky enough). Usually they were too proud to do manual labor, so many ended as yojimbo ("bodyguards") for the yakuza. Nowadays applies also for college students that quited. The scene where they ambush some potential recruits is inspired by a story about Sensei Bokuden, a famous swordsman who performed a similar test on his own sons but with a water bucket and a slide door. The youngest received the bucket in the head, got wet, but sliced the bucket in half before it touched the ground. The elder brother opened the door but stayed outside, and catched the bucket without spilling any water, entered the room and reseted the trap. This is an awesome movie in many aspects, I'm glad you watched it!

23:13 I love how she looks at the giant sword, LOL. There were swords that big, called Nodachi or Odachi. They could be used on horseback or on foot to do things like taking out horses, which is gruesome but sometimes necessary when fighting cavalry. You wouldn't normally carry them around like that unless you were going to battle, so the character is meant to be overcompensating for not being a "real" Samurai.

Now you're talkin'. One of the most quintessential films, by arguably the greatest filmmaker, starring the legendary Toshiro Mifune. Hope you eventually get to HIGH & LOW. After hearing your reaction about the end, a little context. Kurosawa was a filmmaker very affected by WWII. Many of his films are steeped in the nuances and peripheral damage of war and the Japanese post-war era. He was very bitter about the nuclear bombings and it directly effected him personally. The use of samurai as a sort of stand-in for the use of soldiers and the military as a dispensable need, was a common theme in many of his films. The portrayal of poor farmers as more dimensional and selfish, was very intentional. We don't want to be occupied by a military presence, but when we need them, we'll play the victim. I think the ending really speaks that truth.

One of the great things of this movie; this was the first movie ever to show a sequence where a team is put together to do a special job. Much repeated since. By all means, watch more Kurosawa movies. You will not be disappointed. I'll just mention 'Ran' and 'The hidden fortress'...

I am impressed. My wife would never watch 7 samurai with me. You got a keeper, son.

Whenever you've watched a film like "Marvel's Avengers", Magnificent Seven, or any film where a group of warriors band together, this is the film that launched that genre. A Masterpiece!

•Despite its daunting length, Seven Samurai is a remarkably fast-paced movie-a series of picture-perfect visuals that manifest Kurosawa's unyielding devotion to its story and characters. Collective viewing may be an exhilarating experience, with students laughing and crying with the film's characters. •Seven Samurai tells the tale of a small group of Ronin who defend an otherwise helpless farming village from an onslaught of marauders. The Star Wars franchise has adapted this famous story template three times, beginning with one of the very first •Legends-era Star Wars stories. The Hidden Fortress was the fourth highest-grossing film of the year in Japan, and Kurosawa's most successful film up to that point. It was a significant influence on the 1977 American film Star Wars.

Millet is a small grain. Essentially a grass seed. You can find it in bird seed. The small round seeds. In this movie it seems to be less desirable than rice. The last scene is a very honorable expression.

So happy to see someone react to a real movie, and Chambarra! One of my favorite genre. Before I forget, i have to recommend Zatoichi. Youve never seen anything like it. I haven't read all the comments but i wanted to explain why Kikuchiyo's excursion was different than Kyuzo's, even though both retrieve a musket, get information, and killed some bandits. Kyuzo was sent out. His absence was a controlled operation where his post inside the village was backed up. Kikuchiyo however was not sent, no one ever knew he was gone except for the untrained peasant he left in charge of his post (who got killed doing it). He created chaos in his own lines which ended up getting a Samurai killed. War is serious especially when anyone who gets killed is a Samurai or Villager, not some nameless person. Look at the effect of burning the outlyer homes had on the Villagers. Chaos Was watching the end of your reaction. You want blood? 13 Assassins (2010) But dont forget, Zatoichi (1962)

One of the many influences this film had was the slow motion. When Kambei kills the thief in the cottage, he dies in slow motion. This was revolutionary: showing the horrors of violence. It greatly influenced many directors (especially Sam Peckinpah). Speaking of Peckinpah, if you're looking for violence, watch The Wild Bunch.

Some tidbits that may or may not interest you. Sorry about the long text: The joke about Kikuchiyo's name that gets lost in translation is not only that he tries to prove that he is a 13 years old upper class person with a huge family tree, but Kikuchiyo is a name for a girl. You can deduce from the film (from Kikuchiyo's apparent age) that it happens in a year 1586 (during the Japanese civil war period) when anyone else than samurai were forbidden to carry weapons and social mobility between classes became practically impossible. Nevertheless the difference between "real" samurai (warrior class nobiity) and "not so real" samurai (just warriors) was already blurred. Samurai honor was honor among peers and to the people they served. It usually didn't extend to the lower classes. In fact, samurai could be very cruel. The peasants in this film need to find "hungry" samurai since samurai who are not hungry would consider their offer an insult and could just easily kill them. So finding samurai to do the job isn't just a difficult job for the peasants because the job they're offering is not enticing, it's also dangerous. They see that the leader of the samurai pack, Kambei, is right for them because he is willing to let go of his hair (a symbol of his honor: losing it was a great shame for samurai) to help a person who is in danger. So he clearly is not just clever but a warrior who has a good heart and who isn't like many other samurai. All the rest of seven samurai are fit for the job too since they're impressed with Kambei and want to follow him. They serve the peasants, but in reality they first and foremost follow the man they admire. So the villagers have an amazing luck: they find exactly the right man for the job. One of the themes of the film is that samurai and bandits aren't that different in the eyes of villagers. Samurai come to loot and rape in the name of their masters in the times of turmoil, bandits do it to survive. You could even say that there's more differences between villagers and samurai than between villagers and bandits. While the villagers hiding their best food may seem ambivalent at best, it's also pretty common in agricultural societies to save the best things for celebrations or some special occasions. The youngest samurai, Katsushiro, can't stay with the girl in the end because the dude actually is nobility (he seems to carry a decent amount of money, unlike the other samurai) and she is basically nothing. Their relationship is literally impossible in the society of 16th century Japan. He is also not like the rest of the seven samurai who are battle-weary older men without masters, ronin. Kikuchiyo is also different than the rest in the sense that he is not a part of samurai class at all, and you are correct in that he is the triangle in the flag. He is a warrior, yes, but not a part of a warrior class. Samurai need Kambei to lead, but, as you noticed, they need Kikuchiyo to lift the spirits. Without him, the whole thing would fall apart. It's an ensemble piece, but he is closest to a hero figure, a protagonist.

Shindo Kaneto’s Onibaba (1964) starts with a woman and her adult daughter hunting down and killing wounded samurai in order to sell their armor and weapons. As referenced in Seven Samurai, the peasants get caught between opposing armies during war, so their ordinarily miserable lives become worse during nearby battles, so scavenging battlefields becomes their compensation. In Mizoguchi Kenji’s Ugetsu Monogatari (1953), a potter both suffers from the effects of a nearby battle and profits from the sale of his wares at market due to the upswing in pricing from the same war. By the way, both of these film have ‘supernatural’ elements!

Takashi Shimura and Toshiro Mifune were paired in some of Kurosawa's best - Stray Dog, Drunken Angel, and Seven Samuarai among the best. This film is so much more epic compared to the western myth adaptations - Samurai, or Ronin (Masterless Samurai) tend to roam in dishonor. The characters willingness to join the fight are multi-faceted, but a major component, I'd say, is having something worthwhile to fight for.

Like i said, this movie 210 minutes (3hrs, 30mins.) Its a good thing you edited your reaction to 1 hour. I have the Blu Ray edition from the Criterion Collection

In the Star Wars prequels, Yoda is often seen rubbing his head. This was a nod to Kambei Shimada, the samurai who cut off his top knot to save the child. When he was interviewed later the actor, Takashi Shimura, confessed that he was unused to being bald, and was rubbing his head because it was itchy.