Seven Samurai: A brief note on a great film

This epic 1954 Japanese masterpiece is probably the most complete film I have ever seen. It contains both chaotic and calm moments, it contains superb character development between the seven diverse samurai and the juxtaposition between them and the farmers, offers commentary between the young and older generations, insight on Japanese society and culture, and social ciriticism in general. Though the film is about 3:30 hours in the uncut version (the one I watched), this I believe adds to the film because one gets the feeling that they are a part of the movie. The movie is realistic in many regards because it is multi-dimensional, portraying not only the action, but also the preparation and the calm before the storm if you will.

Because there is so much to comment on, I will choose to pick what stood out most to me.

There are obviously 'seven samurai' in this film, but one of them is not a samurai at all. The character Kikuchiyo enters the film as an obnoxious, heartless persona. He pretends to come from noble ancestry and claims to be a skilled samurai, which is far from the truth. However, behind this cold-hearted facade, the audience discovers that there is much more to this character. He doesn't seem to fit with either the samurai or the farmers because he is neither. He fits into his own category. I believe this relates to a lot of people who never really seem to fit with a particular group or clique and are instead much more complex. We discover that he is a loving and emotional person through the scene where he disobeys the commands of the elder samurai in order to try to save the villagers who are trapped in the other part of the town which lies aflame. If he had listened to the orders of the elder samurai, the baby of the mother who willed her way to save the child, would have most likely died. This showed that he is in many ways a more humane and loving character than the more reserved characters. He, on many occasions throughout the film, potentially sacrificed himself in order to help others. He takes a much different approach from the others, but still possesses many of the characteristics to reveal that he is indeed a character of greater moral fiber. He serves to show that there are many people that society completely misunderstands and that people often aren't how they seem. This is why though one might get the impression that he is arrogant and annoying, society, especially the children and the samurai are willing to accept him into their community.

In the funeral scenes, he shows that death and lose troubles him greatly and though it may seem as if he doesn't appreciate the people that surround him, he sincerely does, perhaps more as than the others. Throughout the film, his peers criticize him and exploits his flaws, laughing at him; however, it is he who is ultimately the one who kills the last invader despite being shot in point blank range. Through this scene, he earns the title of samurai.

It depresses me somewhat that this is all I will write about the film because it was so epic and utterly awesome and there is so much to write about and discuss. I realize, however, that this post is only truely accessible to the few who have watched the film, I apologize to those of you who have yet to see this classic, you must watch to immediately.