Renegade Cut - The Seven Hundred Samurai
Written by Leon Thomas Wednesday, 12 December 2012 17:49
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Comments (21)
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12.12.2012 - 19:41 | Neo Ultra MikeYou know, you don't even NEED to watch a movie to feel Kurosawa's influence. You know how many TV shows, comics, video games and other media have taken lifts from his story? Hell Rashomon is an idea that's just been spoofed or used dozens of times in cartoons to the point of being cliche, let alone any of his other works. Still good fodder for thought on how the other guy's works were so inspirational.
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12.12.2012 - 20:33 | soliduz_znake
I think "stone dropped in a lake" is an understatement, he's more like a boulder dropped in lake. I might be wrong saying this but I've never seen a better adaptation of Shakespeare plays such in to films than Kurosawa's Blood of Throne and Ran which are based on King Lear and Macbeth. Plus he had passion for all his films even though he had financial difficulties which pushed him to attempt suicide. The guy was even approached by a Soviet studio to make a Russian film.
also I found this video on youtube, shows Steven Spielberg and George Lucas give tribute to Akira Kurosaw in the Oscars:
http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=HRiBBehTnZU
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12.13.2012 - 03:17 | Vismutti
"I might be wrong saying this but I've never seen a better adaptation of Shakespeare plays such in to films than Kurosawa's Blood of Throne and Ran which are based on King Lear and Macbeth."
I know! This might be weird but it was actually Kurosawa who sparked my interest in Shakespeare.
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12.12.2012 - 21:29 | hazjer21
Seven Samurai is the most influential movie of all time (suck on that Citizen Kane!)
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12.13.2012 - 00:16 | Ptrack_GitGod damn right
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12.12.2012 - 23:09 | CursedbythedicegodsGreat video as always Leon. Glad to see others appreciate such a powerful and influential director. Kurosawa is arguably my favorite director of all time, and he has definitely left his mark on cinematic history. Hidden Fortress and Ikiru are two of my favorite films, and it really is amazing to see how they have influenced so many other directors. Keep up the good work, and we'll keep watching!
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I'm also a great fan of "Dersu Uzala", the only film he made in USSR, about the friendship between a russian explorer and a chukcha scout (the chukchi being usually presented as the most primitive people in Russia)... But I don't think it has spawned any american production, or does anybody know one?
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12.13.2012 - 03:24 | VismuttiHeh... My brother keeps bugging me to watch Dersu Uzala. I probably should. I've loved pretty much everything else by Kurosawa I've seen so far. I've just never gotten around to...
Plus I've recently been studying ethnic minorities in Russia (mostly Uralic but you can't help but learn about the others in the process too).
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12.13.2012 - 10:39 | vonPeterhofDersu wasn't a Chukchi, they live way further to the north than where the film takes place. IIRC he refers to himself as a Gold in the film, but nowadays his ethnic group is called the Nanai. I don't think it inspired any foreign productions, since it wasn't really seen that widely beyond the USSR, but the "noble savage" archetype is quite common in Western literature and films, so there are similar works and characters.
Oh, and another tidbit about Star Wars and Hidden Fortress - the word "Jedi" seems to have been taken from the Japanese "Jidai" . "Jidai geki" is Japanese for "period piece", which is how the movies about the Samurai and the feudal era, like "Hidden Fortress" and "Seven Samurai", are referred to in Japan itself.
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Yojimbo itself is rumored to be a adaption of Dashiel Hammett "Red Harvest". And beyond rumors Kurosaw did mention that he inspired by a noir film called "The Glass Key".
http://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/ Red_Harvest#Adaptations
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12.13.2012 - 07:22 | Redblackdragon
Am I right in thinking of "The Avengers" as a Seven-Samurai influenced film? I mean, nothing official, obviously, but it's still about a bunch of powerful people who have to be made to work together in order the save something (In this case, the whole world).
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12.13.2012 - 11:28 | Moon Spirit
No denying Akira Kurosawa's influence on film. He's definitely one of the best filmmakers of all time. Seven Samurai became one of my top 10 favorite movies of all time as well, and I just watched this movie like well over a year ago.
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12.13.2012 - 13:06 | Captain SiberiaThe sounds quality changes periodically, where you obviously used a better mic setup for a few overdubs. Stick with that second mic the whole time, if you can.
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12.13.2012 - 15:57 | Leon Thomas
There was only one microphone for the entire recording. Not two. Sorry if some of the takes sound better than others, but it has nothing to do with multiple microphones. Only used one.
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12.13.2012 - 13:10 | EwanwhosarmyI couldn't agree more. It actually becomes distracting. When you realise that half the DVDs in your collection are variations of Medieval Seven Samurai, Viking Seven Samurai, Seven Samurai in Space and so on, you kinda start wondering if you own too many DVDs.
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12.13.2012 - 13:56 | Mattteus
It's funny how Hidden Temple, Seven Samurai, and Rashamon are the most influential and they're all period pieces. Personally, I think Kurosawa's genius really shone through with Stray Dog, High & Low, The Bad Sleep Well.
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12.13.2012 - 14:55 | fanime1
I'm ashamed to say I haven't seen a Kurosawa film yet. I've seen clips and read about them, but haven't actually seen one. I want to, but haven't really gotten the opportunity.
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12.13.2012 - 20:43 | Extreme-Madness
Almost every other western or detective movie (although it would be fairer to say that almost every movie of any genre) uses motifs from Kurosawa movies. Kurosawa was one of the greatest artists and geniuses in the history of cinema.
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12.13.2012 - 23:35 | ManWithGoodTaste
Quick, to the time machine!
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12.17.2012 - 04:49 | Kaiju-Z
That was such a beautiful way of saying things!
I enjoyed listening to you as you explained Kurasawa's influence...!
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Love the show BTW. Always very interesting and entertaining.