Editing Seven Samurai

{{Short description|1954 Japanese film by Akira Kurosawa}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Seven Samurai
| image          = Seven Samurai poster.jpg
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| native_name    = {{Infobox Japanese| kanji=七人の侍 | revhep=Shichinin no Samurai}}
| director       = [[Akira Kurosawa]]
| producer       = [[Sōjirō Motoki]]
| writer     = {{Plain list|
* Akira Kurosawa
* [[Shinobu Hashimoto]]
* [[Hideo Oguni]]
}}
| starring       = {{Plain list|
<!-- Per poster -->
* [[Toshiro Mifune]]
* [[Takashi Shimura]]
* [[Keiko Tsushima]]
* [[Isao Kimura]]
* [[Daisuke Katō]]
* [[Seiji Miyaguchi]]
* [[Yoshio Inaba]]
* [[Minoru Chiaki]]
* [[Kamatari Fujiwara]]
* [[Kokuten Kōdō]]
* [[Yoshio Tsuchiya]]
* [[Eijiro Tono]]
* {{ill|Jun Tatara|ja|多々良純}}
* [[Atsushi Watanabe (actor, born 1898)|Atsushi Watanabe]]
* [[Yoshio Kosugi]]
* [[Bokuzen Hidari]]
* [[Yukiko Shimazaki]]
}}
| music          = [[Fumio Hayasaka]]
| cinematography = [[Asakazu Nakai]]
| editing        = Akira Kurosawa
| studio         = [[Toho]]
| distributor    = Toho
| released       = {{Film date|1954|04|26}}<!-- Do not add the US release date here, please; see WP:FILMRELEASE. -->
| runtime        = 207 minutes (with intermission)
| country        = Japan
| language       = Japanese
| budget         = {{¥|210 million}} ({{US$|580,000|long=no}})<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ryfle|first1=Steve|last2=Godziszewski|first2=Ed|url=https://archive.org/details/ishiro-honda-a-life-in-film-from-godzilla-to-kurosawa|title=Ishiro Honda: A Life in Film, from Godzilla to Kurosawa|publisher=[[Wesleyan University Press]]|year=2017|page=105|isbn=9780819570871}}</ref> or US$556,000<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=Variety|title=Top budget Jap film| url=https://archive.org/details/variety194-1954-04/page/n76/mode/1up|date=14 April 1954|page=14}}</ref>
| gross          = Japan [[Theatrical rental|rentals]]: {{¥|268.2 million}}<ref name="JasperSharp">{{cite web |last=Sharp |first=Jasper |title=Still crazy-good after 60 years: Seven Samurai |url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/seven-samurai-akira-kurosawa-classic-status |publisher=[[British Film Institute]] |date=May 7, 2015 |access-date=February 16, 2015 |archive-date=October 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211024173400/https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/seven-samurai-akira-kurosawa-classic-status |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Kinema"/> ({{US$|2.3 million|long=no}}) <br> USA: $833,533
}}

{{Nihongo|'''''Seven Samurai'''''|七人の侍|Shichinin no Samurai|lead=yes}} is a 1954 Japanese [[Epic film|epic]] [[Samurai cinema|samurai]] [[Action (genre)|action]] film directed by [[Akira Kurosawa]] from a screenplay co-written with [[Shinobu Hashimoto]] and [[Hideo Oguni]]. Taking place in 1586{{efn|"Kikuchiyo" has a genealogy which shows he was "born the 17th of the 2nd month of Tenshô 2 (1574), a wood-dog year". Kambei's comment is "o-nushi 13 sai niwa mienu ga" (You don't look 13...). Since the traditional way of counting ages in Japan is by the number of calendar years one has lived in, this means the story takes place in 1586.}} in the [[Sengoku period]] of [[Japanese history]], it follows the story of a village of desperate farmers who seek to hire [[samurai]] to combat bandits who will return after the harvest to steal their crops.

At the time, the film was the most expensive film made in Japan. It took a year to shoot and faced many difficulties. It was the second-highest-grossing domestic film in Japan in 1954. Many reviews compared the film to the [[Western film]] genre.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Sharp|first=Jasper|date=May 20, 2020|title=Seven Samurai: The rocky road to classic status of Akira Kurosawa's action masterpiece|url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/seven-samurai-akira-kurosawa-classic-status|access-date=January 18, 2021|website=British Film Institute|archive-date=October 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211024173400/https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/seven-samurai-akira-kurosawa-classic-status|url-status=live}}</ref>

''Seven Samurai'' is regarded as one of the [[List of films voted the best|greatest and most influential films]] in cinema history. Since its release, it has consistently ranked highly in critics' lists of greatest films, such as the [[British Film Institute|BFI]]'s ''[[Sight & Sound]]'' and [[Rotten Tomatoes]] polls.<ref name="RT300"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/sightandsoundpoll2012/critics|title=Critics' top 100|work=bfi.org.uk|publisher=[[British Film Institute]]|access-date=June 26, 2019|archive-date=January 9, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200109154650/https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/sightandsoundpoll2012/critics|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Sight & Sound 1992 Critics poll|url=https://www.listal.com/list/sight-sound-1992-critics|website=listal.com|access-date=March 4, 2021|archive-date=June 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210604185631/https://www.listal.com/list/sight-sound-1992-critics|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Sight & Sound 2002 Critics' Greatest Films poll|url=https://www.listal.com/list/sight-sound-2002-critics|website=listal.com|access-date=March 4, 2021|archive-date=June 3, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210603015451/https://www.listal.com/list/sight-sound-2002-critics|url-status=live}}</ref> It was also voted the greatest foreign-language film of all time in the [[BBC]]'s 2018 international critics' poll.<ref name="bbc"/> It is regarded as one of the most "remade, reworked, and referenced" films in cinema.<ref name="Desser">{{cite journal|last1=Desser|first1=David|title=Reviewed Work: The Films of Akira Kurosawa by Donald Richie|journal=The Journal of Asian Studies|date=Nov 1998|volume=57|issue=4|page=1173|jstor=2659350|doi=10.2307/2659350|s2cid=159855562 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

==Plot==
<!-- Per [[WP:FILMPLOT]], film plot summaries should be between 400 and 700 words.-->
In 1586, a bandit gang discusses raiding a mountain village, but their chief decides to wait until after the harvest for a better haul. The villagers overhear this and turn to Gisaku, the village elder and miller. Because the local magistrate is useless, Gisaku plans to hire [[samurai]] to protect the village. Since they have no money and can only offer food as payment, Gisaku advises the villagers to find ''hungry'' samurai.

Traveling to a nearby town, the villagers find Kambei, an aging but experienced [[rōnin]], whom they see rescuing a young boy from a thief. A young samurai named Katsushirō asks to become Kambei’s disciple. The villagers ask for Kambei’s help, and he reluctantly agrees. He then recruits his old comrade-in-arms Shichirōji, along with Gorobei, Heihachi, and Kyūzō, a taciturn master swordsman whom Katsushirō regards with awe. Kikuchiyo, a wild and eccentric samurai-poser, is eventually accepted as well after attempts to drive him away fail.

Arriving at the village, the samurai and farmers slowly begin to trust each other. Katsushirō meets Shino, a farmer's daughter disguised as a boy by her father, and begins a relationship with her despite knowing the difference in their social classes prohibits it. Later, the samurai are angered when Kikuchiyo brings them armor and weapons, which the villagers acquired by killing other samurai injured or fleeing from battle. Kikuchiyo angrily retorts that samurai are responsible for much of the suffering farmers endure, revealing he is an orphaned farmer's son. The samurai's anger turns to shame.

Kambei arms the villagers with [[bamboo]] spears, organizes them into squads, and trains them. Three bandit scouts are spotted; two are killed, while the last reveals their camp's location before the villagers execute him. The samurai burn down the camp in a [[pre-emptive strike]]. Rikichi, a troubled villager aiding the samurai, breaks down when he sees his wife, who was kidnapped and made a [[concubine]] during a previous raid. Upon seeing Rikichi, she runs back into a burning hut to her death. Heihachi is killed by a gunshot while trying to stop Rikichi from pursuing her. At Heihachi's funeral, the saddened villagers are inspired by Kikuchiyo, who raises a banner Heihachi made to represent the six samurai, Kikuchiyo, and the village.

When the bandits finally arrive, they are confounded by the new fortifications, which include a [[moat]] and high wooden fences. They burn the village's outlying houses, including Gisaku's mill. Gisaku's family tries to save him when he refuses to abandon it, but all perish except a baby rescued by Kikuchiyo. The bandits then besiege the village, but many are killed as the defenders thwart every attack.

The bandits possess three [[Tanegashima (gun)|matchlock muskets]]. Kyūzō ventures out alone and captures one; an envious Kikuchiyo abandons his squad to bring back another. However, Kikuchiyo's absence allows a handful of bandits to infiltrate his post and kill several farmers, and Gorobei is slain defending his position. That night, Kambei predicts that the bandits will make one final assault due to their dwindling numbers.

Meanwhile, Katsushirō and Shino's relationship is discovered by her father, who is enraged that her virginity has been taken and beats her. Kambei and the villagers intervene; Shichirōji reasons that such behavior is normal before battle and that the couple should be forgiven.

The next morning, the defenders allow the remaining bandits to enter the village and ambush them. As the battle nears its end, the bandit chief hides in the women's hut and shoots Kyūzō dead with his musket. An enraged Kikuchiyo charges in and is shot as well, but kills the chief before dying. The remaining outlaws are slain.

Afterward, Kambei, Katsushirō and Shichirōji stand in front of the funeral mounds of their comrades, watching the joyful villagers sing while planting their crops. Katsushirō and Shino meet one last time, but Shino walks past him to join in the planting while Katsushiro despondently watches her. Kambei declares to Shichirōji that it is another [[pyrrhic victory]] for the samurai: "The victory belongs to those peasants. Not to us."

== Cast ==

=== The seven samurai ===
* [[Takashi Shimura]] as {{nihongo|Kambei Shimada|島田勘兵衛|''Shimada Kambei''}}, a war-weary but honorable and strategic [[rōnin]], and the leader of the seven
* [[Yoshio Inaba]] as {{nihongo|Gorōbei Katayama|片山五郎兵衛|''Katayama Gorōbei''}}, a skilled archer, who acts as Kambei's second-in-command and helps create the master-plan for the village's defense
* [[Daisuke Katō]] as {{nihongo|Shichirōji|七郎次}}, Kambei's old friend and former lieutenant
* [[Seiji Miyaguchi]] as {{nihongo|Kyūzō|久蔵}}, a serious, stone-faced and supremely skilled swordsman
* [[Minoru Chiaki]] as {{nihongo|Heihachi Hayashida|林田平八|''Hayashida Heihachi''}}, an amiable though less-skilled fighter, whose charm and wit maintain his comrades' morale in the face of adversity
* [[Isao Kimura]] as {{nihongo|Katsushirō Okamoto|岡本勝四郎|''Okamoto Katsushirō''}}, the untested son of a wealthy, land-owning samurai, whom Kambei reluctantly takes in as a disciple<ref name="documentary">{{cite AV media |people= Toho Masterworks|title= Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create|medium= DVD|language= ja}}</ref>
* [[Toshiro Mifune]] as {{nihongo|Kikuchiyo|菊千代}}, a humorous, mercurial and temperamental rogue who lies about being a samurai, but eventually proves his worth, bravery and resourcefulness

=== Villagers ===
* [[Yoshio Tsuchiya]] as {{nihongo|Rikichi|利吉}}, a hotheaded villager
* [[Bokuzen Hidari]] as {{nihongo|Yohei|与平}}, a timid old man
* [[Yukiko Shimazaki]] as Rikichi's wife
* [[Kamatari Fujiwara]] as {{nihongo|Manzō|万造}}, a farmer who disguises his daughter as a boy to try to protect her from the samurai
* [[Keiko Tsushima]] as {{nihongo|Shino|志乃}}, Manzō's daughter
* [[Kokuten Kōdō]] as {{nihongo|Gisaku|儀作}}, the village patriarch, referred to as "Grandad"
* [[Yoshio Kosugi]] as Mosuke, one of the farmers sent to town to hire the samurai

=== Others ===
* [[Shinpei Takagi (actor, born 1902)|Shinpei Takagi]] as the bandit chief<ref name="Galbraith-2008">{{cite book|last1=Galbraith IV|first1=Stuart|title=The Toho Studios Story: A History and Complete Filmography|date=May 16, 2008|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=978-0810860049|page=101|url={{Google books|f7o8pq6G_dYC|page=PA101|plainurl=yes}}|access-date=July 7, 2015}}</ref>
* {{ill|Shin Otomo|ja|大友伸}} as the bandit second-in-command
* [[Haruo Nakajima]] as a bandit scout killed by Kyūzō<ref name="Galbraith-2008"/>
* [[Eijirō Tōno]] as a thief<ref name="Galbraith-2008"/>
* [[Atsushi Watanabe (actor, born 1898)|Atsushi Watanabe]] as a bun seller
* [[Toshio Takahara]] as Samurai with a gun
* {{ill|Jun Tatara|fr|Jun Tatara|ja|多々良純}} as a [[coolie]]
* [[Sachio Sakai]] as a coolie
* Takeshi Seki as a coolie
* [[Tatsuya Nakadai]] (uncredited) as a samurai wandering through town

==Production==
===Writing===
Akira Kurosawa had originally wanted to direct a film about a single day in the life of a samurai. Later, in the course of his research, he discovered a story about samurai defending farmers. According to actor Toshiro Mifune, the film was originally going to be called ''Six Samurai'', with Mifune playing the role of Kyūzō. During the six-week scriptwriting process, Kurosawa and his screenwriters realized that "six sober samurai were a bore—they needed a character that was more off-the-wall".<ref>{{cite AV media notes|title=Toshiro Mifune interview|type=Pamphlet|publisher=Criterion Collection|date=August 25, 1993}}</ref> Kurosawa recast Mifune as Kikuchiyo and gave him creative license to improvise in his performance.<ref name="Perera_2021">{{cite web | last=Perera | first=Ashen | title=Seven Samurai: Kurosawa's masterpiece | website=[[Sunday Observer]] | url=https://archives1.sundayobserver.lk/2021/09/05/seven-samurai-kurosawa%E2%80%99s-masterpiece | date=September 5, 2021 | access-date=March 3, 2024 | archive-date=March 4, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240304165717/https://archives1.sundayobserver.lk/2021/09/05/seven-samurai-kurosawa%E2%80%99s-masterpiece | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Wheeler 2020 m761">{{cite web | last=Wheeler | first=David | title='Seven Samurai,' a timeless world treasure, one of cinema's greatest masterworks | website=The Standard | date=April 28, 2020 | url=https://www.the-standard.org/life/reviews/seven-samurai-a-timeless-world-treasure-one-of-cinema-s-greatest-masterworks/article_8aec556c-8965-11ea-aac9-2bbe925cfea7.html | access-date=March 4, 2024 | archive-date=March 4, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240304162703/https://www.the-standard.org/life/reviews/seven-samurai-a-timeless-world-treasure-one-of-cinema-s-greatest-masterworks/article_8aec556c-8965-11ea-aac9-2bbe925cfea7.html | url-status=live }}</ref> During the six-week scriptwriting process, the screenwriters were not allowed visitors or phone calls.<ref name=":3" />

Kurosawa and the writers were innovative in refining the theme of the assembly of heroic characters to perform a mission. According to Michael Jeck's [[Audio commentary (DVD)|DVD commentary]], ''Seven Samurai'' was among the first films to use the now-common plot element of the recruiting and gathering of heroes into a team to accomplish a specific goal, a device used in later films such as ''[[The Guns of Navarone (film)|The Guns of Navarone]]'', ''[[Sholay]]'', the western remake ''[[The Magnificent Seven]]'', and Pixar's animated film ''[[A Bug's Life]]''.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Lack|first1=Jonathan R.|title=An Appreciation of Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai|url=http://www.jonathanlack.com/2012/05/appreciation-of-akira-kurosawas-seven.html|website=Fade to Lack|access-date=February 20, 2015|archive-date=June 1, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230601022246/http://www.jonathanlack.com/2012/05/appreciation-of-akira-kurosawas-seven.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Film critic [[Roger Ebert]] speculates in his review that the sequence introducing the leader Kambei (in which the samurai shaves off his topknot, a sign of honor among samurai, in order to pose as a monk to rescue a boy from a kidnapper) could be the origin of the practice, now common in action movies, of introducing the main hero with an undertaking unrelated to the main plot.<ref name="StillInterEmpire">{{cite news|author=Roger Ebert|author-link=Roger Ebert|title=The Seven Samurai (1954)|work=[[Chicago Sun-Times]]|date=August 19, 2001|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-the-seven-samurai-1954|access-date=February 24, 2021|archive-date=March 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210305233724/https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-the-seven-samurai-1954|url-status=live}}</ref>

Other plot devices such as the reluctant hero, romance between a local woman and the youngest hero, and the nervousness of the common citizenry, had appeared in other films before this, but were combined in this film.{{cn|date=January 2024}}

===Set design===
Kurosawa refused to shoot the peasant village at [[Toho Studios]] and had a complete set constructed at [[Tagata District, Shizuoka|Tagata]] on the [[Izu Peninsula]], [[Shizuoka Prefecture|Shizuoka]]. Although the studio protested against the increased production costs, Kurosawa was adamant that "the quality of the set influences the quality of the actors' performances... For this reason, I have the sets made exactly like the real thing. It restricts the shooting but encourages that feeling of authenticity."<ref name="robnixon">{{cite web|last=Nixon|first=Rob|title=Behing [sic] the Camera of the Seven Samurai|url=http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/191474%7C0/Behind-the-Camera-Seven-Samurai.html |access-date=April 30, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706060910/http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/191474%7C0/Behind-the-Camera-Seven-Samurai.html |archive-date=July 6, 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
He also spoke of the "intense labour" of making the film: "It rained all the time; we didn't have enough horses. It was just the kind of picture that is impossible to make in this country."<ref name="richiedonald">{{cite book|last1=Richie|first1=Donald|url=https://archive.org/details/filmsofakirakuro0003rich|title=The Films of Akira Kurosawa|date=1996|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=0520200268|edition=3|location=Berkeley|page=[https://archive.org/details/filmsofakirakuro0003rich/page/107 107]|url-access=registration}}</ref>

===Filming===
[[File:Eiganotomo-thesevensamurai-dec1953.jpg|thumb|alt=Film makers stand in front of actors while filming the movie.|Akira Kurosawa directing Seiji Miyaguchi (far right side)]]Long before it was released, the film had already become a topic of wide discussion.<ref name="richiedonald" /> After three months of pre-production, it had 148 shooting days spread out over a year—four times the span covered in the original budget, which eventually came to almost half a million dollars. Toho Studios closed down production at least twice. Each time, Kurosawa calmly went fishing, reasoning that the studio had already heavily invested in the production and would allow him to complete the picture. The film's final battle scene, originally scheduled to be shot at the end of summer, was shot in February in near-freezing temperatures. Mifune later recalled that he had never been so cold in his life.<ref name="robnixon" />

During filming for the scene where the samurai arrive at the village, Kurosawa set up a shot at the top of the mountain from which the village could be seen in the valley. In order for this to work as an evening shot, the crew spent the entire day setting up for the single shot, but camerman Asakazu Nakai and Kurosawa ended up debating when to start shooting the scene by looking at the light through the camera's viewfinder. Despite spending the entire day preparing, Nakai's hesitation to start shooting caused the sun to set and the scene wasn't shot.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Nogami |first=Teruyo |title=Waiting on the Weather: Making Movies with Akira Kurosawa |publisher=Stone Bridge Press |year=2001 |isbn=9781933330099 |location=Berkeley |publication-date=2006 |pages=112–114 |language=en |translator-last=Carpenter |translator-first=Juliet Winters}}</ref>

Through the creative freedom provided by the studio, Kurosawa made use of [[telephoto lens]]es, which were rare in 1954, as well as [[Multiple-camera setup|multiple cameras]] which allowed the action to fill the screen and place the audience right in the middle of it.<ref name="richiedonald" /> "If I had filmed it in the traditional shot-by-shot method, there was no guarantee that any action could be repeated in exactly the same way twice." He found it to be very effective and he later used it in movies that were less action-oriented. His method was to put one camera in the most orthodox shooting position, another camera for quick shots and a third camera "as a kind of [[guerrilla]] unit". This method made for very complicated shoots, for which Kurosawa choreographed the movement of all three cameras by using diagrams.<ref name="robnixon" />

The martial arts choreography for the film was led by [[Yoshio Sugino]] of the [[Tenshin Shōden Katori Shintō-ryū]]. Initially Junzo Sasamori of the [[Ono-ha Itto-ryu]] worked with Sugino, but he was asked by the Ministry of Education to teach in Europe during production.

===Editing===
During filming, Kurosawa quickly earned a reputation with his crew as the "world's greatest editor" because of his practice of editing late at night throughout the shooting. He described this as a practical necessity that is incomprehensible to most directors, who on major productions spent at least several months with their editors assembling and cutting the film after shooting is completed.<ref name="bertcardullo">{{Cite book
 | last = Cardullo
 | first = Bert
 | title = Akira Kurosawa: Interviews
 | publisher = University Press of Mississippi
 | date = 2008
 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=eVs7KxKpWeEC
 | isbn =978-1578069972 }}</ref>{{rp|89}}

===Soundtrack===
Kurosawa had a heightened interest in the soundtracks of his films. For ''Seven Samurai'', he collaborated for the seventh and penultimate time with friend and composer [[Fumio Hayasaka]]. Hayasaka was already seriously ill when Kurosawa visited him during the filming of ''Seven Samurai'' and he died of tuberculosis on October 15, 1955, at the age of 41, while Kurosawa was filming ''[[I Live in Fear]]'', his next film, which Hayasaka was unable to complete.<ref>Larson, Randall. "The Vintage Score: Seven Samurai", analysis in Cinemascore: The Film Music Journal. Vol. 15, Winter 1986/Summer 1987. 1987 Fandom Unlimited, Sunnyvale, California. Pgs. 121</ref>

{{Track listing
| all_music       =
| headline = Track list

| title1 = Title Backing (M-1-2)
| length1 = 3:17

| title2 = To the Water Mill (M-2-1)
| length2 = 1:00

| title3 = Samurai Search One (M-3-1)
| length3 = 0:49

| title4 = Kambei and Katsushiro ~ Kikuchiyo's Mambo (M-6-2)
| length4 = 3:43

| title5 = Rikichi's Tears ~ White Rice (M-7-1)
| length5 = 2:09

| title6 = Samurai Search Two (M-8-2)
| length6 = 1:30

| title7 = Gorobei (M-9-1)
| length7 = 2:18

| title8 = Let's Do It (M-10-1)
| length8 = 1:04

| title9 = A Fish That Was Caught (M-11-2)
| length9 = 1:43

| title10 = Six Samurai (M-12-2)
| length10 = 2:51

| title11 = Unconventional Man (M-13-2)
| length11 = 1:13

| title12 = Morning of Departure (M-14-1)
| length12 = 1:02

| title13 = Travel Scenery ~ Our Castle (M-15-1)
| length13 = 2:51

| title14 = Wild Warrior's Coming (M-17-2)
| length14 = 0:35

| title15 = Seven Men Complete (M-18-1)
| length15 = 1:24

| title16 = Katsushiro and Shino (M-19·20-3)
| length16 = 2:43

| title17 = Katsushiro, Returning (M-21-3)
| length17 = 0:12

| title18 = Bed Change (M-22-1)
| length18 = 0:57

| title19 = In the Forest of The Water God (M-23-4) 
| length19 = 1:34

| title20 = Barley Field (M-24-1)
| length20 = 0:20

| title21 = Kambei's Anger (M-25-2)
| length21 = 2:15

| title22 = Interlude (M-Interlude)
| length22 = 5:18

| title23 = Harvest (M-26-1)
| length23 = 2:05

| title24 = Rikichi's Conflict (M-27·28-3)
| length24 = 1:51

| title25 = Heihachi and Rikichi (M-28-5)
| length25 = 0:57

| title26 = Rural Landscape (M-29·30-1)
| length26 = 2:35

| title27 = Wimp, Samurai's Habit (M-31-1) 
| length27 = 1:49

| title28 = Omen of Wild Warriors (M-32-4)
| length28 = 0:26

| title29 = To the Night Attack (M-35, From Film)
| length29 = 0:55

| title30 = Flag (M-39, From Film)
| length30 = 0:20

| title31 = Sudden Reunion (M-40-1)
| length31 = 0:25

| title32 = Magnificent Samurai (M-41-2)
| length32 = 2:29

| title33 = Invisible Wild Warriors (M-43-1)
| length33 = 1:00

| title34 = Kikuchiyo's Rouse (M-44-1)
| length34 = 0:49

| title35 = Compensation (M-45-1)
| length35 = 1:07

| title36 = Tryst (M-46-1)
| length36 = 1:02

| title37 = Manzo and Shino (M-47-4, M-48)
| length37 = 1:02

| title38 = Rice Planting Song (PS. From Film)
| length38 = 1:22

| title39 = Ending (M-49-2)
| length39 = 0:43

|total_length = 62:14
}}

== Themes ==
In analyzing the film's accuracy to sixteenth century Japan, Philip Kemp discusses the similarities between the samurai and the bandits.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=Kemp|first=Philip|date=October 19, 2010|title=A Time of Honor:Seven Samurai and Sixteenth-Century Japan|url=https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/443-a-time-of-honor-seven-samurai-and-sixteenth-century-japan|access-date=January 18, 2021|website=Criterion Collection|archive-date=July 10, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180710042006/https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/443-a-time-of-honor-seven-samurai-and-sixteenth-century-japan|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Kenneth Turan]] notes that the long runtime "reflects the entirety of the agricultural year, from planting to gorgeous blossoming to harvesting."<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|last=Turan|first=Kenneth|date=October 19, 2010|title=The Hours and Times: Kurosawa and the Art of Epic Storytelling|url=https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/442-the-hours-and-times-kurosawa-and-the-art-of-epic-storytelling|access-date=January 18, 2021|website=Criterion Collection|archive-date=January 27, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210127205406/https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/442-the-hours-and-times-kurosawa-and-the-art-of-epic-storytelling|url-status=live}}</ref> Historian David Conrad notes that at the time of the movie's release, nearly half of the Japanese population was still employed in agriculture. Although farm incomes were already rising as part of the [[Japanese economic miracle]] that would transform rural and urban lives in the 1950s and 60s, many of the village conditions depicted in the movie were still familiar to audiences in 1954.<ref>Conrad, David A. (2022). ''Akira Kurosawa and Modern Japan'', pp101-105, McFarland & Co.</ref>

==Release==
{{Expand section|date=April 2022}}

===Theatrical===
At 207 minutes, including a five-minute intermission with music, ''Seven Samurai'' was the longest film of Kurosawa's career. Fearing that international audiences would be unwilling to sit through the entire picture, Toho Studios, alongside Kurosawa himself, originally removed 50 minutes from the film for international distribution & reshowing in Japan.<ref name=":3" /> This "General Release" cut distributed around the world until the 1990s; since then, the complete version is usually seen.

The film was released in the United States in 1955, initially under the title ''The Magnificent Seven''.<ref name=":4">{{Cite news |last=LaFave |first=Kenneth |date=February 6, 1983 |title=Full-length 'Samurai' is masterful |pages=73 |work=[[Arizona Daily Star]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/162688962/ |url-access=subscription |access-date=April 21, 2022 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |archive-date=April 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220421134259/https://www.newspapers.com/image/162688962/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Daily">{{cite news |last1=Hale |first1=Wanda |title=The Guild Presents Fine Japanese Film |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/455680836/ |access-date=April 21, 2022 |work=[[New York Daily News]] |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |date=November 20, 1956 |page=50 |url-access=subscription |archive-date=April 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220421135802/https://www.newspapers.com/image/455680836/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=March 23, 1959 |title=New Shoes: "The Magnificent Seven" |pages=14 |work=[[Spokane Chronicle]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/565651391/ |url-access=subscription |access-date=April 21, 2022 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |archive-date=April 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220421134300/https://www.newspapers.com/image/565651391/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Following the 1960 release of the American remake ''[[The Magnificent Seven]]'', the Japanese film's title reverted to its original ''Seven Samurai'' in the United States.<ref name=":0" />

===Home media===
Prior to the advent of DVD, various edited versions were distributed on video, but most DVDs and Blu-rays contain Kurosawa's complete original version, including its five-minute intermission. Since 2006, the [[The Criterion Collection|Criterion Collection]]'s US releases have featured their own exclusive 2K restoration, whereas most others, including all non-US Blu-rays, have an older HD transfer from [[Toho]] in Japan.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dvdcompare.net/comparisons/film.php?fid=211|title=Seven Samurai DVD comparison|publisher=DVDCompare|access-date=October 27, 2019|archive-date=March 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200301145950/http://www.dvdcompare.net/comparisons/film.php?fid=211|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://dvdcompare.net/comparisons/film.php?fid=16834|title=Seven Samurai Blu-ray comparison|publisher=DVDCompare|access-date=October 27, 2019|archive-date=November 3, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191103112703/http://www.dvdcompare.net/comparisons/film.php?fid=16834|url-status=live}}</ref>

===4K restoration===
In 2016, [[Toho]] carried out a six-month-long [[4K resolution|4K]] restoration, along with Kurosawa's ''[[Ikiru]]'' (1952). As the whereabouts of ''Seven Samurai'''s original negative are unknown, second-generation fine-grain positive and third-generation duplicate negative elements were used.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://av.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/topic/744265.html|title=4K Restoration Aiming at Highest Quality for Seven Samurai and Ikiru (Japanese)|date=February 22, 2016|publisher=AV Watch|access-date=November 8, 2019|archive-date=November 8, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191108123004/https://av.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/topic/744265.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20160223/k10010419301000.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160223104038/http://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20160223/k10010419301000.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 23, 2016|title=Seven Samurai Restored with 4K High Image Quality|publisher=NHK News}}</ref> It is available as a [[Digital Cinema Package]] from the [[British Film Institute]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/distribution/node/3589|title=Seven Samurai (4K Restoration) &#124; Distribution|website=British Film Institute|access-date=June 3, 2021|archive-date=June 3, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210603155304/https://www2.bfi.org.uk/distribution/node/3589|url-status=live}}</ref> This version was first released on [[4K Blu-ray]] in Japan as [[standard-dynamic-range video]] in June 2023<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://tohotheaterstore.jp/items/TBR33123D|title=Seven Samurai (4K Ultra HD Blu-ray) &#124; Distribution|website=Toho Co., Ltd.|access-date=January 25, 2024|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125040157/https://tohotheaterstore.jp/items/TBR33123D|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://tohotheaterstore.jp/items/TBR33124D|title=Seven Samurai (Blu-ray) &#124; Distribution|website=Toho Co., Ltd.|access-date=January 25, 2024|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125040550/https://tohotheaterstore.jp/items/TBR33124D|url-status=live}}</ref> and was released on home video by the [[British Film Institute]] .<ref>{{cite web |title=Seven Samurai 4K Blu-ray |url=https://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=34944 |website=Blu-ray.com|access-date=2 August 2024 |date=1 August 2024}}</ref>

==Reception==

===Box office===
''Seven Samurai'' was well received by Japanese audiences, earning a [[Theatrical rental|distribution rental]] income of {{JPY|268 million}},<ref name="Kinema">{{cite magazine |title=キネマ旬報ベスト・テン85回全史 1924-2011 |magazine=[[Kinema Junpo]] |date=2012 |page=112 |publisher=Kinema Junposha}}</ref> within the first twelve months of its release.<ref name="JasperSharp"/> It was Japan's third-[[List of highest-grossing films in Japan|highest-grossing film]] of 1954, out-grossing ''[[Godzilla (1954 film)|Godzilla]]'',<ref>{{cite web|title=Die Top 10-Listen zu den größten Kassenerfolge der 1950er Jahre|trans-title=The top 10 lists of the biggest box office hits of the 1950s|url=http://www.nippon-kino.net/die-groumlszligten-japanischen-kassenerfolge-der-1950er-jahre.html|website=Nippon-Kino|language=de|access-date=February 27, 2015|archive-date=March 30, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160330164419/http://www.nippon-kino.net/die-groumlszligten-japanischen-kassenerfolge-der-1950er-jahre.html|url-status=live}}</ref> which had sold {{nowrap|9.7 million}} tickets<ref>{{cite book |last1=Forrest |first1=Jennifer |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GscbAQAAIAAJ |title=The Legend Returns and Dies Harder Another Day: Essays on Film Series |date=August 12, 2008 |publisher=[[McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers]] |isbn=978-0-7864-3943-0 |page=214 |quote=''Gojira'' opened on November 3, 1954 and receipts were strong: the film recorded the best opening-day ticket sales ever in Tokyo and eventually grossed {{¥|152 million}} on {{nowrap|9.69 million}} paid admissions, though it was only the twelfth largest grossing film in Japan that year (well behind the leading Japanese film, the final installment of the sentimental ''Kimi no na wa?'' trilogy, and the leading import, ''Roman Holiday''). |access-date=April 21, 2022 |archive-date=August 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230807021700/https://books.google.com/books?id=GscbAQAAIAAJ |url-status=live }}</ref> and grossed an inflation-adjusted equivalent of {{¥|13.7 billion}} or {{US$|{{To USD|13700|JPN|year=1998|round=yes}},000,000|long=no|year=1998|round=-6}} by 1998.<ref name="Nippon">{{cite book |last=Takarada |first=Akira |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=31hLAAAACAAJ |title=Nippon Godzilla Golden Legend |date=August 10, 1998 |publisher=[[Fusosha Publishing]] |isbn=978-4-594-02535-9 |language=ja |quote=「ゴジラ」の観客動員数、960万人。現在の入場料に換算すれば、興行収入は137億円となる。 |author-link=Akira Takarada |trans-quote=The number of spectators of "Godzilla" is {{nowrap|9.6 million}}. When converted to the current admission fee, the box office revenue would be {{¥|13.7 billion}}. |access-date=April 21, 2022 |archive-date=August 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230807021620/https://books.google.com/books?id=31hLAAAACAAJ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Overseas, the box-office income for the film's 1956 North American release is currently unknown.<ref>{{cite web |title=Seven Samurai |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/releasegroup/gr2012434949/ |website=[[Box Office Mojo]] |access-date=June 20, 2020 |archive-date=June 20, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200620203159/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/releasegroup/gr2012434949/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The film's 2002 re-release grossed $271,841 in the United States and $4,124 in France.<ref>{{cite web |title=Seven Samurai (re-issue) (2002) |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=sevensamurai02.htm |website=[[Box Office Mojo]] |access-date=November 6, 2018 |archive-date=November 8, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181108105305/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=sevensamurai02.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> At the 2002 Kurosawa & Mifune Festival in the United States, the film grossed $561,692.<ref>{{cite web |title=Kurosawa & Mifune Festival |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/releasegroup/gr11096581/ |website=[[Box Office Mojo]] |access-date=June 20, 2020 |archive-date=June 21, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200621112026/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/releasegroup/gr11096581/ |url-status=live }}</ref> This adds up to at least $833,533 grossed in the United States. Other European re-releases between 1997-2018 sold 27,627 tickets.<ref>{{cite web |title=Film #5129: Shichinin no samurai |url=http://lumiere.obs.coe.int/web/film_info/?id=5129 |website=[[Lumiere (database)|Lumiere]] |publisher=[[European Audiovisual Observatory]] |access-date=June 20, 2020 |archive-date=June 22, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200622015620/http://lumiere.obs.coe.int/web/film_info/?id=5129 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Critical response===
''Seven Samurai'' was released to broadly positive reviews in the West, but film scholar [[Stuart Galbraith IV]] has noted it received "praise from American critics, but praise tainted by cultural condescension" for its perceived similarities to the American Western; nevertheless, it is now considered one of the greatest films in history.<ref>{{cite book |last=Galbraith IV |first=Stuart |url=https://archive.org/details/emperorwolf00galb |title=The Emperor and the Wolf: The Lives and Films of Akira Kurosawa and Toshiro Mifune |publisher=[[Faber and Faber, Inc.]] |year=2002 |isbn=978-0-571-19982-2 |pages=194–197 |author-link=Stuart Galbraith IV |url-access=registration}}</ref> On the [[review aggregator]] website [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film is "Certified Fresh" with a [[List of films with a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes|perfect approval rating of {{RT data|score}}]] based on 101 reviews, with an average rating of {{RT data|average}}. The site's critical consensus reads: "Arguably Akira Kurosawa's masterpiece, ''The Seven Samurai'' is an epic adventure classic with an engrossing story, memorable characters, and stunning action sequences that make it one of the most influential films ever made".<ref name="rotten">{{Cite Rotten Tomatoes|title=Seven Samurai|id=seven_samurai_1956|type=m|access-date={{RT data|access date}}}}</ref> The site ranked it fourth on their "300 Best Movies of All Time" list in 2025,<ref name="RT300">{{cite web |title=300 Best Movies of All Time |url=https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/guide/best-movies-of-all-time/ |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |date=24 April 2025 |access-date=24 April 2025}}</ref> having previously ranked 8th on their [[Action film|action]]/[[Adventure film|adventure]] voting list<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/top/bestofrt/top_100_action__adventure_movies|title=Top 100 Movies Of All Time|website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]|publisher=[[Fandango Media]]|access-date=June 26, 2019|archive-date=August 18, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150818055305/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/top/bestofrt/top_100_action__adventure_movies|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Top 100 Action & Adventure Movies|url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/top/bestofrt/top_100_action__adventure_movies/?category=1|website=Rotten Tomatoes|access-date=June 30, 2019|archive-date=April 8, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150408005844/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/top/bestofrt/top_100_action__adventure_movies/?category=1|url-status=live}}</ref> and third on their top 100 art house and international films.<ref>{{cite web|title=Top 100 Arthouse and International Films|url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/top/bestofrt/top_100_art_house__international_movies/?category=4|website=Rotten Tomatoes|access-date=June 30, 2019|archive-date=August 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801124000/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/top/bestofrt/top_100_art_house__international_movies/?category=4|url-status=live}}</ref> On Metacritic, it received a 98 out of 100 based on 7 critic reviews.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/seven-samurai-1954 |title=Seven Samurai |publisher=Metacritic |accessdate=June 18, 2023 |archive-date=June 18, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230618083219/https://www.metacritic.com/movie/seven-samurai-1954 |url-status=live }}</ref> On Spanish site {{ill|SensaCine|es}}, the film received a 4.3 out of 5 based on 3 critic reviews.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sensacine.com/peliculas/pelicula-297/ |title=Seven Samurai |publisher=Sensacine |accessdate=June 18, 2023 |archive-date=June 18, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230618083344/https://www.sensacine.com/peliculas/pelicula-297/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The film made its international debut at the 1954 [[Venice Film Festival]] in Italy, receiving a [[Silver Lion]] award. ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' reviewed the film, stating "High adventure and excitement are stamped all over this solid-core film" but said "the lone drawback is its length, which can be sheared."<ref>{{cite book |last=Galbraith IV |first=Stuart |url=https://archive.org/details/emperorwolf00galb |title=The Emperor and the Wolf: The Lives and Films of Akira Kurosawa and Toshiro Mifune |publisher=[[Faber and Faber, Inc.]] |year=2002 |isbn=978-0-571-19982-2 |pages=192–193 |author-link=Stuart Galbraith IV |url-access=registration}}</ref> Upon its US release as ''The Magnificent Seven'' in 1956, film critic Wanda Hale reviewed the film in ''[[New York Daily News]]'' and rated it four stars. She noted it was very different from Kurosawa's previous film ''[[Rashomon]]'' (1950) in that it was "an action picture" but Kurosawa "has exceeded himself". She praised Kurosawa's storytelling for "his deep perception of human nature" and "awareness that no two people are alike," his "sensitive, knowing direction" that "never lets audiences lose interest" in the plot, his talent for making the battle scenes and violent action "terrifically exciting to audiences" and his ability to naturally weave humor and romance between the serious action. She praised the "inspired performances" of the cast, including Takashi Shimura and Toshiro Mifune, among other actors.<ref name="Daily" />

Many critics outside of Japan have compared the film to [[Western (genre)|Westerns]]. [[Bosley Crowther]], writing for ''[[The New York Times]]'', compared it to ''[[High Noon]]''.<ref name=":0" /> Film historian [[Peter Cowie]] quoted Kurosawa as saying, "Good westerns are liked by everyone. Since humans are weak, they want to see good people and great heroes. Westerns have been done over and over again, and in the process, a kind of grammar has evolved. I have learned from this grammar of the western." Cowie continues this thought by saying, "That ''Seven Samurai'' can be so seamlessly transposed to an American setting underlines how carefully Kurosawa had assimilated this grammar."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Cowie |first1=Peter |title=Seven Rode Together: Seven Samurai and the American Western. 'Seven Samurai': Eight Takes |date=2006 |publisher=[[Criterion Collection]] |page=13}}</ref>

In 1982, it was voted third in the ''[[Sight & Sound]]'' critics' poll of [[List of films considered the best|greatest films]]. In the 2002 ''Sight & Sound'' critics' poll the film was ranked 11th.<ref>{{cite web|title=Sight & Sound Greatest Films of All Time 2002|url=http://old.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/polls/topten/poll/critics-long.html|website=bfi.org|access-date=May 2, 2021|archive-date=August 13, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160813112813/http://old.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/polls/topten/poll/critics-long.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> In the ''Sight & Sound'' directors' poll, it was voted 10th in 1992<ref>{{cite web|title=Sight & Sound top 10 poll 1992|url=http://old.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/polls/topten/history/1992.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120618100140/http://old.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/polls/topten/history/1992.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 18, 2012|website=BFI|access-date=February 17, 2015}}</ref> and number nine in 2002.<ref>{{cite web|title=BFI Sight & Sound 2002 Top 10 Poll|url=http://old.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/polls/topten/poll/directors.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120618081540/http://old.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/polls/topten/poll/directors.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 18, 2012|access-date=February 20, 2015}}</ref> It ranked 17th on the 2012 ''Sight & Sound'' [[The Sight & Sound Greatest Films of All Time 2012|critics' poll]],<ref>{{cite web|title=The Top 50 Greatest Films of All Time|url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/news/50-greatest-films-all-time|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120802102928/http://www.bfi.org.uk/news/50-greatest-films-all-time|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 2, 2012|work=[[Sight & Sound]]|publisher=[[British Film Institute]]|access-date=August 5, 2012|date=August 1, 2012}}</ref> in both cases being tied with Kurosawa's own ''[[Rashomon (film)|Rashomon]]'' (1950). It ranked 17th in 2012 ''Sight & Sound'' directors' poll.

In 1998, the film was ranked 5th in ''[[Time Out (magazine)|Time Out]]'' magazine's Top 100 Films (Centenary).<ref>{{cite book |last1=Pym |first1=John |last2=Andrew |first2=Geoff |title=Time Out Film Guide, 7th Edition |publisher=Time Out Group Limited |location=London, UK |url=http://www.filmsite.org/timeout.html |date=1998 |access-date=December 14, 2014 |isbn=978-0-14-027525-4 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150326071829/http://www.filmsite.org/timeout.html |archive-date=March 26, 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' voted it the 12th greatest film of all time in 1999.<ref>{{cite web|title = Entertainment Weekly's 100 Greatest Movies of All Time|url = http://www.filmsite.org/ew100.html|publisher = [[Filmsite.org]]|access-date = January 19, 2009|url-status = live|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140331185517/http://www.filmsite.org/ew100.html|archive-date = March 31, 2014|df = dmy-all}}</ref> In 2000, the film was ranked at No.23 in ''[[The Village Voice]]''{{'}}s 100 Greatest Films list.<ref>{{cite news |last=Hoberman |first=J. |title=100 Best Films of the 20th Century |publisher=Village Voice Media, Inc. |location=New York |url=http://www.filmsite.org/villvoice.html |date=January 4, 2000 |access-date=December 14, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140331174817/http://www.filmsite.org/villvoice.html |archive-date=March 31, 2014}}</ref> In January 2002, the film was included on the list of the "Top 100 Essential Films of All Time" by the [[National Society of Film Critics]].<ref name="Carr81">{{Cite book |last=Carr|first=Jay |title=The A List: The National Society of Film Critics' 100 Essential Films |year=2002 |publisher=Da Capo Press |isbn=978-0-306-81096-1 |page=[https://archive.org/details/alistnationalsoc00jayc/page/81 81] |url=https://archive.org/details/alistnationalsoc00jayc |url-access=registration|access-date=July 27, 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=100 Essential Films by The National Society of Film Critics|url=https://www.filmsite.org/alist.html|website=filmsite.org|access-date=March 7, 2022|archive-date=July 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210716022159/https://www.filmsite.org/alist.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2007, the film was ranked at No. 3 by ''[[The Guardian]]''{{'}}s readers' poll on its list of "40 greatest foreign films of all time".<ref>{{cite web|title=As chosen by you...the greatest foreign films of all time|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2007/may/11/1|website=[[The Guardian]]|date=May 11, 2007|access-date=July 21, 2021|archive-date=July 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210721174107/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2007/may/11/1|url-status=live}}</ref> The film was voted at No. 57 on the list of "100 Greatest Films" by the prominent French magazine ''[[Cahiers du cinéma]]'' in 2008.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.filmdetail.com/2008/11/23/cahiers-du-cinemas-100-greatest-films/|title=Cahiers du cinéma's 100 Greatest Films|date=November 23, 2008|access-date=May 12, 2021|archive-date=July 16, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180716224153/http://www.filmdetail.com/2008/11/23/cahiers-du-cinemas-100-greatest-films/|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2009 the film was voted at No. 2 on the list of ''The Greatest Japanese Films of All Time'' by Japanese film magazine ''[[Kinema Junpo]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mubi.com/topics/greatest-japanese-films-by-magazine-kinema-junpo-2009-version|title=Greatest Japanese films by magazine Kinema Junpo (2009 version)|access-date=December 26, 2011|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120711021342/http://mubi.com/topics/greatest-japanese-films-by-magazine-kinema-junpo-2009-version|archive-date=July 11, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> ''Seven Samurai'' was ranked number one on ''[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]'' magazine's list of "The 100 Best Films of World Cinema" in 2010.<ref>{{cite web| title = The 100 Best Films Of World Cinema - 1. Seven Samurai| url = http://www.empireonline.com/features/100-greatest-world-cinema-films/default.asp?film=1| work = Empire| access-date = July 30, 2010| archive-date = September 5, 2015| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150905094207/https://www.empireonline.com/features/100-greatest-world-cinema-films/default.asp?film=1| url-status = live}}</ref>

Film critic [[Roger Ebert]] added it to his list of Great Movies in 2001.<ref>{{cite web| title = The Seven Samurai movie review| url = https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-the-seven-samurai-1954| work = Roger Ebert| access-date = February 24, 2021| archive-date = March 5, 2021| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210305233724/https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-the-seven-samurai-1954| url-status = live}}</ref> [[Martin Scorsese]] included it on a list of "39 Essential Foreign Films for a Young Filmmaker."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.openculture.com/2014/10/scorseses-list-of-39-essential-foreign-films.html |title=Martin Scorsese Creates a List of 39 Essential Foreign Films for a Young Filmmaker |publisher=Open Culture |date=October 15, 2014 |access-date=February 1, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150207201938/http://www.openculture.com/2014/10/scorseses-list-of-39-essential-foreign-films.html |archive-date=February 7, 2015 }}</ref> It was also listed by Russian filmmaker [[Andrei Tarkovsky]] as one of his top ten favorite films.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lasica |first=Tom |title=Tarkovsky's Choice |url=http://www.nostalghia.com/TheTopics/Tarkovsky-TopTen.html |access-date=January 19, 2020 |website=Nostalghia.com |archive-date=December 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211208122803/http://nostalghia.com/TheTopics/Tarkovsky-TopTen.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Kurosawa both directed and edited many of his films, including ''Seven Samurai''. In 2012, the [[Motion Picture Editors Guild]] listed ''Seven Samurai'' as the 33rd-best-edited film of all time based on a survey of its members.<ref>{{cite journal |title=The 75 Best Edited Films |journal=Editors Guild Magazine |date=May 2012 |volume=1 |issue=3 |url=https://www.editorsguild.com/magazine.cfm?ArticleID=1102 |access-date=April 25, 2017 |archive-date=March 17, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150317101140/https://www.editorsguild.com/magazine.cfm?ArticleID=1102 |url-status=live }}</ref> It was voted the greatest foreign-language film of all time in [[BBC]]'s [[BBC's 100 Greatest Foreign-Language Films|2018 poll]] of 209 critics in 43 countries.<ref name="bbc">{{Cite web|url=http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20181029-the-100-greatest-foreign-language-films|title=The 100 greatest foreign-language films|website=BBC Culture|date=October 29, 2018|access-date=November 1, 2018|archive-date=November 1, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181101011949/http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20181029-the-100-greatest-foreign-language-films|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2019, when ''[[Time Out (magazine)|Time Out]]'' polled film critics, directors, actors and stunt actors, ''Seven Samurai'' was voted the second-best [[action film]] of all time.<ref name="Time">{{cite web|url=http://www.timeout.com/newyork/film/best-action-movies|work=[[Time Out (magazine)|Time Out]]|title=The 100 best action movies|date=April 5, 2019|access-date=June 20, 2020|archive-date=November 6, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141106142045/http://www.timeout.com/newyork/film/best-action-movies|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2021, the film was ranked at number 7 on ''[[Time Out (magazine)|Time Out]]'' magazine's list of "The 100 Best Movies of All Time".<ref>{{cite web|title=The 100 Best Movies of All Time|work=Time Out New York |url=https://www.timeout.com/newyork/movies/best-movies-of-all-time|date=April 8, 2021|access-date=May 21, 2021|archive-date=June 6, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190606054932/https://www.timeout.com/newyork/movies/best-movies-of-all-time|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Home media===
As of 2017, ''Seven Samurai'' is the best-selling [[home video]] title ever released by the [[British Film Institute]].<ref>{{cite news |date=August 8, 2017 |title=Top 10 bestselling BFI DVDs of 2015 |work=[[British Film Institute]] |url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/news-bfi/lists/top-10-bestselling-bfi-dvds-2015 |access-date=October 15, 2023 |archive-date=October 19, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231019040141/https://www2.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/news-bfi/lists/top-10-bestselling-bfi-dvds-2015 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Legacy and cultural impact==
''Seven Samurai'' was a technical and creative watershed that became Japan's highest-grossing movie and set a new standard for the industry. It has remained highly influential, often seen as one of the most "remade, reworked, referenced" films in cinema.<ref name="Desser" />

There have been [[pachinko]] machines based on ''Seven Samurai'' in Japan. ''Seven Samurai'' pachinko machines have sold 94,000 units in Japan {{as of|2018|March|lc=y}},<ref name="fields20">{{cite book |title=Fact Book: Supplementary Financial Document for the Year Ended March 31, 2018 |date=May 11, 2018 |publisher=Fields Corporation |pages=20–21 |url=http://www.fields.biz/ir/j/files/press/2018/press_20180511oe.pdf#page=20 |access-date=September 26, 2018 |archive-date=June 17, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180617043126/http://www.fields.biz/ir/j/files/press/2018/press_20180511oe.pdf#page=20 |url-status=live }}</ref> equivalent to an estimated {{US$|{{#expr:(94000*5000)/1000000}} million|long=no}} in gross revenue.<ref name="fields20"/><ref name="variety">{{cite news |last=Graser |first=Marc |title='Dark Knight' Producer Plays Pachinko to Launch Next Franchise (EXCLUSIVE) |url=https://variety.com/2013/digital/games/dark-knight-trilogy-producer-plays-pachinko-to-launch-next-franchise-1200571785/ |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=August 2, 2013 |quote=Each machine typically costs around $5,000 each. |access-date=November 8, 2018 |archive-date=November 29, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191129044609/https://variety.com/2013/digital/games/dark-knight-trilogy-producer-plays-pachinko-to-launch-next-franchise-1200571785/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Remakes ===
{{Further|Remakes of films by Akira Kurosawa}}

Its influence can be most strongly felt in the Western ''[[The Magnificent Seven]]'' (1960), a film specifically adapted from ''Seven Samurai''. Director [[John Sturges]] took ''Seven Samurai'' and adapted it to the Old West, with the samurai replaced by [[gunslinger]]s. Many of ''The Magnificent Seven''{{'}}s scenes mirror those of ''Seven Samurai''.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Anderson|first1=Joseph L.|title=When the Twain Meet: Hollywood's remake of 'Seven Samurai'|journal=Film Quarterly|date=1962|volume=15|issue=13|pages=55–58|doi=10.2307/1210629|jstor=1210629|url=http://spot.colorado.edu/~mcmorran/1962AndersonSevenSamurai.pdf|access-date=February 17, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150217160014/http://spot.colorado.edu/~mcmorran/1962AndersonSevenSamurai.pdf|archive-date=February 17, 2015}}</ref> The film's title itself comes from the US localized title of ''Seven Samurai'', which was initially released under the title ''The Magnificent Seven'' in the United States in 1955.<ref name=":4" /> However, in an interview with R. B. Gadi, Kurosawa expressed how "the American copy of ''The Magnificent Seven'' is a disappointment, although entertaining. It is not a version of ''Seven Samurai''".<ref name="bertcardullo" />{{rp|42}} [[Stephen Prince]] argues that considering samurai films and Westerns respond to different cultures and contexts, what Kurosawa found useful was not their content but rather he was inspired by their levels of syntactic movement, framing, form and grammar.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Prince|first1=Stephen|title=The warrior's camera : the cinema of Akira Kurosawa.|date=1999|publisher=Princeton University Press|location=Princeton, N.J.|isbn=978-0691010465|page=18|edition=Rev. and expanded}}</ref>

''[[The Invincible Six]]'' (1970), an [[United States|American]] [[action film]] directed by [[Jean Negulesco]], has been described as "a knockoff of the ''Seven Samurai''/''Magnificent Seven'' genre set in 1960s Iran."<ref name="Schell">{{cite web |last1=Schell |first1=Michael |title=Film review: The Invincible Six |url=http://www.schellsburg.com/InvincibleSix.htm |website=Schellsburg |access-date=March 15, 2019 |archive-date=May 27, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190527141238/http://schellsburg.com/InvincibleSix.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

''[[Battle Beyond the Stars]]'' (1980) is an American [[science fiction film]] directed by [[Jimmy T. Murakami]] and produced by [[Roger Corman]]. The film, intended as a "''Magnificent Seven'' in outer space",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/battle_beyond_the_stars/|title=Battle Beyond the stars|date=December 25, 1980|work=rottentomatoes.com|access-date=March 10, 2016|archive-date=March 10, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310022122/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/battle_beyond_the_stars/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Gray|first=Beverly|title=Roger Corman: Blood-sucking Vampires, Flesh-eating Cockroaches, and Driller Killers|publisher=Thunder's Mouth Press|year=2004|page=147|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1E_3Zy1QhKkC&pg=PA147
| isbn = 978-1-56025-555-0}}</ref> is based on the plots of ''The Magnificent Seven'' and ''Seven Samurai''. The movie acknowledges its debt to ''Seven Samurai'' by calling the protagonist's homeworld ''Akir'' and its inhabitants the ''Akira''.

Some film critics have noted similarities between Pixar's ''[[A Bug's Life]]'' (1998) and ''Seven Samurai''.<ref>{{cite web |last=Armstrong |first=Olivia |date=November 19, 2014 |title='Seven Samurai' and 'A Bug's Life' are the Same Movie |url=http://decider.com/2014/11/19/seven-samurai-a-bugs-life/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161018232952/http://decider.com/2014/11/19/seven-samurai-a-bugs-life/ |archive-date=October 18, 2016 |access-date=October 17, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Brew |first=Simon |date=December 7, 2010 |title=The origins of A Bug's Life |url=http://www.denofgeek.com/us/movies/16747/the-origins-of-a-bug%E2%80%99s-life |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161018223348/http://www.denofgeek.com/us/movies/16747/the-origins-of-a-bug%E2%80%99s-life |archive-date=October 18, 2016 |access-date=October 17, 2016 |work=Den of Geek}}</ref>

Several elements from ''Seven Samurai'' are also argued to have been adapted for ''[[Star Wars (film)|Star Wars]]'' (1977).<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.forcecast.net/story/blog/In_Memory_of_Akira_Kurosawa_130542.asp | title=In Memory of Akira Kurosawa | date=April 7, 2010 | publisher=ForceCast.net | access-date=May 9, 2018 | archive-date=May 10, 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180510050701/http://www.forcecast.net/story/blog/In_Memory_of_Akira_Kurosawa_130542.asp | url-status=live }}</ref> Plot elements of ''Seven Samurai'' are also used in the [[Star Wars Anthology|''Star Wars'' Anthology]] film ''[[Rogue One]]'' (2016).<ref name="Billson">{{cite news |last1=Billson |first1=Anne |date=October 30, 2018 |title=Why is Seven Samurai so good? |work=BBC Culture |agency=[[BBC]] |url=https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20181025-why-is-seven-samurai-so-good |access-date=May 31, 2020 |archive-date=August 14, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200814052437/https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20181025-why-is-seven-samurai-so-good |url-status=live }}</ref> The ''[[Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008 TV series)|Clone Wars]]'' episode "Bounty Hunters" (2008) pays direct homage to Akira Kurosawa by adapting the film's plot, as does ''[[The Mandalorian]]'' episode "[[Chapter 4: Sanctuary]]" (2019).<ref name=":2">{{cite news |last1=Sherlock |first1=Ben |date=December 13, 2020 |title=10 Ways Akira Kurosawa Has Influenced Modern Blockbusters |work=[[Screen Rant]] |url=https://screenrant.com/akira-kurosawa-huge-influence-major-hollywood-blockbusters-star-wars/ |access-date=April 21, 2022 |archive-date=April 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220421071150/https://screenrant.com/akira-kurosawa-huge-influence-major-hollywood-blockbusters-star-wars/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Director [[Zack Snyder]] credited ''Seven Samurai'' as being an inspiration for his 2023  [[space opera]] film ''[[Rebel Moon]]'', which shares the plot element of villagers assembling a team of warriors to defend their farming settlement.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Colbert |first1=Stephen M. |title=What Zack Snyder Is Doing With Rebel Moon That Differs From Star Wars & George Lucas |url=https://screenrant.com/rebel-moon-zack-snyder-star-wars-george-lucas-differences/ |website=Screen Rant |date=December 26, 2023 |access-date=January 5, 2024 |archive-date=December 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231226212844/https://screenrant.com/rebel-moon-zack-snyder-star-wars-george-lucas-differences/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Snyder has described the movie as "Seven Samurai in space."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Travis |first1=Ben |title=Why Zack Snyder's Rebel Moon Didn't Become A Star Wars Movie: 'I Knew It Was A Big Ask' – Exclusive Image |url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/news/why-zack-snyder-rebel-moon-didnt-become-star-wars-movie-exclusive/ |website=Empire |date=March 7, 2023 |access-date=January 5, 2024 |archive-date=September 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230902224958/https://www.empireonline.com/movies/news/why-zack-snyder-rebel-moon-didnt-become-star-wars-movie-exclusive/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Director [[Denis Villeneuve]] cited ''Seven Samurai'' as one of his favorite films of all time and as an influence on his 2015 film ''[[Sicario (2015 film)|Sicario]]''.<ref>{{cite news |title=Denis Villeneuve’s Favorite Movies: 29 Films the Director Wants You to See |url=https://www.indiewire.com/gallery/denis-villeneuve-favorite-movies/ |access-date=17 March 2025|work=IndieWire |date=26 February 2023 }}</ref>

"Marauders", the sixth episode of the second season of the American science fiction television series ''[[Star Trek: Enterprise]]'' (2002), is based on ''Seven Samurai''.

===Cultural impact===
''Seven Samurai'' is largely touted as what made the "assembling the team" trope popular in movies and other media. This has since become a common trope in many [[action movies]] and [[heist films]].<ref name="Billson" /> ''Seven Samurai'' spawned its own subgenre of "men-on-a-mission" films,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Warren |first1=Adrian |date=June 11, 2014 |title='Seven Samurai' Spawned a Subgenre All of Its Own, PopMatters |work=[[PopMatters]] |url=https://www.popmatters.com/182639-seven-samurai-2495651387.html |access-date=April 21, 2022 |archive-date=April 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220421063159/https://www.popmatters.com/182639-seven-samurai-2495651387.html |url-status=live }}</ref> also known as the "''Seven Samurai'' formula" where "a team of disparate characters are grouped to undertake a specific mission." The formula has been widely adopted by many films and other media.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" /> Along with remakes already listed above, other examples of the "''Seven Samurai'' formula" can be seen in films such as ''[[Saving Private Ryan]]'' (1998),<ref name=":2" /> ''[[The Dirty Dozen]]'' (1967), [[Star Wars (film)|''Star Wars'']] (1977),<ref name=":0" /> ''[[The Savage Seven]]'' (1968),<ref>{{Cite news |last=Baltake |first=Joe |date=September 9, 1998 |title=Kurosawa deserved master status |page=B6 |work=[[The Windsor Star]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/504336842/ |url-access=subscription |access-date=April 21, 2022 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |archive-date=April 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220419020915/https://www.newspapers.com/image/504336842/ |url-status=live }}</ref> ''[[The 13th Warrior]]'' (1999), ''[[The Expendables (franchise)|The Expendables]]'', and ''[[Marvel Cinematic Universe|Avengers]]'',<ref name="Flickeringmyth">{{cite web |last1=Jolliffe |first1=Tom |date=April 13, 2019 |title=How Seven Samurai created the blueprint for this year's biggest film Avengers: Endgame |url=https://www.flickeringmyth.com/2019/04/how-seven-samurai-created-blueprint-for-this-years-biggest-film-avengers-endgame/ |access-date=May 3, 2022 |website=flickeringmyth.com}}</ref> as well as television series such as ''[[The A-Team]]'' and ''[[The Walking Dead (TV series)|The Walking Dead]]''.<ref name=":2" />

According to Stephen Prince, the film's "racing, powerful narrative engine, breathtaking pacing, and sense-assaulting visual style" (what he calls a "kinesthetic cinema" approach to "action filmmaking and exciting visual design") was "the clearest precursor" and became "the model for" the [[Hollywood blockbuster]] "brand of moviemaking" that emerged in the 1970s.<ref name="Prince132">{{cite book |last1=Prince |first1=Stephen |title=Rashomon Effects: Kurosawa, Rashomon and their legacies |date=November 6, 2015 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |isbn=978-1-317-57464-4 |editor-last1=Davis |editor-first1=Blair |page=132 |chapter=Kurosawa's international legacy |access-date=April 21, 2022 |editor-last2=Anderson |editor-first2=Robert |editor-last3=Walls |editor-first3=Jan |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ebXhCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA132}}</ref> The visuals, plot, dialogue and film techniques of ''Seven Samurai'' inspired a wide range of filmmakers, ranging from [[Steven Spielberg]] and [[George Lucas]] to [[Martin Scorsese]] and [[Quentin Tarantino]].<ref name="Prince132" /><ref name="Winfrey">{{cite web |last1=Winfrey |first1=Graham |date=May 2, 2017 |title='Seven Samurai': How Akira Kurosawa's Masterpiece Continues to Influence Filmmakers Today — Watch |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2017/05/seven-samurai-akira-kurosawa-masterpiece-influence-filmmakers-mad-max-fury-road-1201811690/ |access-date=May 31, 2020 |website=[[IndieWire]] |publisher=[[Penske Media Corporation]] |archive-date=June 1, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200601083522/https://www.indiewire.com/2017/05/seven-samurai-akira-kurosawa-masterpiece-influence-filmmakers-mad-max-fury-road-1201811690/ |url-status=live }}</ref> According to Prince, Kurosawa was "a mentor figure" to an emerging generation of American filmmakers, such as Spielberg and Lucas, who went on to develop the Hollywood blockbuster format in the 1970s.<ref name="Prince132" />

Elements from ''Seven Samurai'' have been borrowed by many films. Examples include plot elements in films such as ''[[Three Amigos]]'' (1986) by [[John Landis]], borrowed scenes in [[George Miller (filmmaker)|George Miller]]'s ''[[Mad Max: Fury Road]]'' (2015), and various elements (including visual elements and the way the action, suspense and movement are presented) in the large-scale battle scenes of films such as ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers]]'' (2002), ''[[The Matrix Revolutions]]'' (2003) and numerous [[Marvel Studios]] films.<ref name="Winfrey" /><ref name=":2" /> The opening action scene (where the hero is introduced in an action scenario unrelated to the rest of the plot) later seen in many action films (such as the [[Pre-credit|pre-title]] scenes in [[List of James Bond films|''James Bond'' films]]) has origins in ''Seven Samurai'', whose first action scene has Kambei posing as a monk to save a boy from a kidnapper.<ref name=":2" /> A visual element from ''Seven Samurai'' that has inspired a number of films is the use of [[rain]] to set the tone for action scenes; examples of this include ''[[Blade Runner]]'' (1982), ''The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers'', and ''The Matrix Revolutions''.<ref name="Scroll">{{cite web |last1=Karkare |first1=Aakash |date=September 19, 2016 |title=What keeps drawing filmmakers to Akira Kurosawa's decades-old 'Seven Samurai'? |url=https://scroll.in/reel/815224/what-keeps-drawing-filmmakers-to-akira-kurosawas-decades-old-seven-samurai |access-date=June 1, 2020 |website=[[Scroll.in]] |archive-date=June 25, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200625000447/https://scroll.in/reel/815224/what-keeps-drawing-filmmakers-to-akira-kurosawas-decades-old-seven-samurai |url-status=live }}</ref> ''Seven Samurai''<nowiki/>'s [[film editing]] technique of [[cutting on action|cutting on motion]] and the mentor–student dynamics in the plot (also seen in other Kurosawa films) have also been widely adopted by Hollywood blockbusters (such as Marvel films).<ref name=":2" />

''[[Sholay]]'' (1975), a "[[Curry Western]]" [[Indian film]] written by [[Salim–Javed]] ([[Salim Khan]] and [[Javed Akhtar]]) and directed by [[Ramesh Sippy]], has a plot that was loosely styled after ''Seven Samurai''. ''Sholay'' became the most [[List of highest-grossing Indian films|commercially successful Indian film]] and revolutionized [[Hindi cinema]].<ref name="nyt">{{cite news |last=Pandya |first=Haresh |date=December 27, 2007 |title=G. P. Sippy, Indian Filmmaker Whose ''Sholay'' Was a Bollywood Hit, Dies at 93 |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/27/arts/27Sippy.html |url-status=live |access-date=February 23, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110828135232/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/27/arts/27Sippy.html |archive-date=August 28, 2011}}</ref><ref name="rediff1">{{cite web |last=Raheja |first=Dinesh |date=August 9, 2009 |title=Why Sholay is a cult classic |url=http://www.rediff.com/movies/2002/aug/09dinesh.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304122450/http://www.rediff.com/movies/2002/aug/09dinesh.htm |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |access-date=December 1, 2010 |work=[[Rediff.com]]}}</ref> Later Indian films inspired by ''Seven Samurai'' include [[Mani Ratnam]]'s ''[[Thalapathi]]'' (1991) and the Hindi film ''[[China Gate (1998 film)|China Gate]]'' (1998).<ref name="Scroll" />

Director [[Zack Snyder]] said, "[[Batman|Bruce [Wayne]]] is having to go out and sort of 'Seven Samurai' the [[Justice League]] together” in the 2021 film ''[[Zack Snyder's Justice League]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Butler |first=Tom |date=March 24, 2016 |title=Zack Snyder Teases 'Intense, Gigantic' Seven Samurai-inspired Justice League |url=https://news.yahoo.com/zack-snyder-teases-intense-gigantic-seven-164828113.html?nf=1 |access-date=May 25, 2020 |website=Yahoo News |archive-date=August 7, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807050603/https://news.yahoo.com/zack-snyder-teases-intense-gigantic-seven-164828113.html?nf=1 |url-status=live }}</ref> According to [[Bryan Young (filmmaker)|Bryan Young]] of ''[[Syfy Wire]]'', the [[Marvel Cinematic Universe]] films ''[[The Avengers (2012 film)|The Avengers]]'' (2012) and ''[[Avengers: Infinity War]]'' (2018) also owe "a great debt to" ''Seven Samurai'', noting a number of similar plot and visual elements.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Young |first1=Bryan |date=May 9, 2018 |title=Yep, Infinity War owes a great debt to The Phantom Menace (and Seven Samurai) |url=https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/yep-infinity-war-owes-a-great-debt-to-the-phantom-menace-and-seven-samurai |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180509193726/http://www.syfy.com/syfywire/yep-infinity-war-owes-a-great-debt-to-the-phantom-menace-and-seven-samurai |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 9, 2018 |access-date=May 31, 2020 |website=[[Syfy Wire]] |publisher=[[NBCUniversal]] }}</ref> Other examples of films that reference ''Seven Samurai'' include the Australian [[science fiction film]] ''[[Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior]]'' (1981), the American [[comedy film]] ''[[Galaxy Quest]]'' (1999), and the [[The Magnificent Seven (2016 film)|2016 remake of ''The Magnificent Seven'']].<ref name="Scroll" />

American author [[Helen DeWitt]]'s debut novel ''[[The Last Samurai (novel)|The Last Samurai]]'' heavily features ''Seven Samurai'' as the title is a reference to the movie and characters within the novel watch and respond to the movie throughout the book.

==Awards and nominations==
;[[Venice Film Festival]] (1954)
* '''Winner''' – [[Silver Lion]] – [[Akira Kurosawa]]
* Nominated – [[Golden Lion]] – [[Akira Kurosawa]]

;[[Mainichi Film Award]] (1955)
* '''Winner''' – Best Supporting Actor – [[Seiji Miyaguchi]]

;[[British Academy Film Awards]] ([[9th British Academy Film Awards|1956]])
* Nominated – [[BAFTA Award for Best Film]]
* Nominated – [[BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role|BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Actor]] – [[Toshiro Mifune]]
* Nominated – [[BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role|BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Actor]] – [[Takashi Shimura]]

;[[Academy Awards]] ([[29th Academy Awards|1957]])<ref name="NY Times">{{cite web|last=|first=|title=NY Times: Seven Samurai|url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/43855/Seven-Samurai/details|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071015210841/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/43855/Seven-Samurai/details|archive-date=October 15, 2007|department=Movies & TV Dept.|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=2007|access-date=December 22, 2008}}</ref>
* Nominated – [[Academy Award for Best Production Design|Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White]] – [[So Matsuyama]]
* Nominated – [[Academy Award for Best Costume Design|Best Costume Design, Black-and-White]] – [[Kohei Ezaki]]

;[[Jussi Awards]] (1959)
* '''Winner''' – Best Foreign Director – [[Akira Kurosawa]]
* '''Winner''' – Best Foreign Actor – [[Takashi Shimura]]

==See also==
* [[List of films considered the best]]
* [[List of historical drama films of Asia]]
* ''[[Edo no Gekitou]]'' a 1979 Japanese [[jidaigeki]] drama inspired by the film and produced by Toho
* [[List of films with a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes]], a film review aggregator website

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
{{Commons category}}
* {{IMDb title|0047478}}
* {{Metacritic film|title=Seven Samurai}}
* {{mojo title|id=sevensamurai|title=Seven Samurai}}
* {{rotten-tomatoes|seven_samurai_1956}}
* [https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/443-a-time-of-honor-seven-samurai-and-sixteenth-century-japan "A Time of Honor: Seven Samurai and Sixteenth-Century Japan"]—An essay by Philip Kemp at the [[Criterion Collection]]
* [https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/442-the-hours-and-times-kurosawa-and-the-art-of-epic-storytelling "The Hours and Times: Kurosawa and the Art of Epic Storytelling"]—An essay by [[Kenneth Turan]] at the Criterion Collection

{{Akira Kurosawa}}
{{Silver Lion (1953–1994)}}
{{The Magnificent Seven}}
{{Portal bar|Film|Japan|1950s|Middle Ages}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Seven Samurai| ]]
[[Category:1954 films]]
[[Category:Japanese black-and-white films]]
[[Category:Films scored by Fumio Hayasaka]]
[[Category:Films directed by Akira Kurosawa]]
[[Category:Films produced by Sōjirō Motoki]]
[[Category:Films set in 16th-century Sengoku period]]
[[Category:Films set in the 1580s]]
[[Category:Japanese epic films]]
[[Category:1950s Japanese-language films]]
[[Category:Jidaigeki films]]
[[Category:1950s samurai films]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Akira Kurosawa]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Hideo Oguni]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Shinobu Hashimoto]]
[[Category:Siege films]]
[[Category:Toho films]]
[[Category:Historical epic films]]
[[Category:Japanese action drama films]]
[[Category:1954 drama films]]
[[Category:1950s Japanese films]]