SEVEN SAMURAI (七人の侍)

Directed by: Akira Kurosawa
Country of origin: Japan
Starring: Toshiro Mifune, Takashi Shimura

Akira Kurosawa's 1954 feudal epic Seven Samurai is a true landmark in the history of motion pictures. One of the most popularly and critically acclaimed films of all time, Seven Samurai is constantly ranked among the best, and it's easy to see why. Doing what he did best, Akira Kurosawa broke barriers with his first take on samurai endeavors, setting new precedents narratively, with the camera, and in the editing room. Common devices that people rarely notice, like parallel editing and cutting on motion, were firmly established in Kurosawa's work, and Seven Samurai is no exception. Despite being completed over fifty years ago, Seven Samurai has aged so well in so many ways. Although filmed in low-quality 16mm black and white and utilizing a very specific Japanese acting aesthetic, Kurosawa's masterpiece feels very modern. Its 31/2 hour length will scare away many moviegoers, but once you get used to the tone, the length is never an issue. With appropriate amounts of action and a refreshing dose of comic relief, Seven Samurai flows very smoothly. But what I remember being so distinctly surprising to me was how truly moving the film can be. Over 200 minutes of screen-time, the viewer really gets to know each of the characters; each one has a unique persona or story, and each one, samurai and villager alike, are equally intriguing. You start to build a bond with characters like Kikuchiyo and Yohei, and when turmoil strikes, it's heartbreaking. When you look at the major films that competed with it (The King and I, Around the World in 80 Days), Seven Samurai is so much more accomplished on various levels. The film had numerous subplot and counter-narratives. It had over six fully developed characters. During almost two hundred days of filming, Seven Samurai was the largest scale Japanese film ever. These facts all contribute to making the movie as historically significant as it is. Kurosawa's Seven Samurai is an expertly directed, pioneering action piece, complete with strong performances and subtle laughs that make it so moving. It gave birth to the legendary career of Akira Kurosawa and helped establish one of the most important genres in Asian cinematic history. This is one of those films that everyone needs to see, and one that continues to leave me in awe to this day

***** / *****

DEEPER IN : KUROSAWAN EDITING

Without cuts, wipes, and dissolves film would feel very fractured, and ultimately the element of story telling would be impossible. Specific artists and auteurs have helped to precedent utilizations of these techniques, but none have done so more than Japanese legend Akira Kurosawa. I believe that Asian cinema has had a subtle yet undeniable affect of American cinema, and looking at the methods of Kurosawa’s works truly helps justify that statement. 

Kurosawa made a total of thirty feature films in his illustrious 57-year career, and he was wholly involved in all of them. He was always described as “the hands-on director”, having a part in nearly every aspect of the filmmaking process. Known for his dynamic shots incrementing a deep focus reminiscent of Orson Wells’ work, Kurosawa established a style not only through the camera, but through his work on the flatbed as well. Says longtime production partner Nezu Hiroshi, “…He is the best editor in the world. He is most concerned with the flowing quality which a film must have… The Kurosawa film flows over the cut, as it were.” The editing process was the most important and creatively interesting part for Akira, and certain elements became the signatures of his films.

            Specifically, three techniques have come to be synonymous with the work of Akira Kurosawa. His sprawling period epic Seven Samurai, his first work in what would be an anthology of jidaigeki films, is a perfect example of these. The axial cut is an editing technique in which, instead of zooming or tracking away from or towards a subject, a series of jump cuts is used instead. In Seven Samurai, the axial cut is used numerous times, most frequently in the film’s beginning, where it is used to establish the village and many of its central characters and settings. When the distraught villagers seek out the village elder for advice, they go to his shelter, which is situated inside the village mill. Kurosawa uses the axial cut to establish the relationship between the elder and this mill, first showing a long shot, then cutting to a medium shot, and finally to a close-up. This technique has been adopted in Hollywood and is utilized constantly in films today, often to place emphasis on something.

            Kurosawa also had the tendency to cut on motion, or in other words shoot the action of a character in two shots instead of one.  This can be seen in the scene where lead actor Shimura surprises the bandit who has taken the child hostage. He suddenly rushes into the house, assaulting the bandit and rescuing the child. But instead of showing this as one fluid motion, Kurosawa cuts it in two, showing a medium shot as Shimura is rushing in and a long shot as the audience and the villagers await the result of his actions. In this case, the cut on motion creates a sort of suspense, the audience not knowing what has happened to the samurai or the child. The postproduction choice by Kurosawa is very influential, adding an extra layer for the audience.

            What has becomes Kurosawa’s most identifiable cut device is the wipe. Primarily, Kurosawa used the wipe to communicate a transition between settings or time. But in his drama Ikiru, he used the wipe in a satirical manner in several instances. Basically, the purpose of this device evolved over Kurosawa’s long career, and it became precedented throughout his works. Looking at Akira’s films in accordance with cuts and transitions provides many great examples. The director’s editing techniques have become revered throughout the film world, and rightfully so. Single-handedly, Akira Kurosawa helped revolutionize strategies of postproduction, and his efforts have continued to be remembered posthumously throughout the modern era of cinema.