Seven Samurai - Akira Kurosawa (1954)

This movie was always in my wish list.  After watching Rashoman, and Dreams..my great friend Vikram suggested me to watch this.  The grand marathon movie is of about 3 Hours 26 Minutes classic released in 1954.  Some how the day came in.

This movie is all about the farmers guts to get rid of the bandits who used to torment the villagers at their will. 

As always happens, there were indifference among the villagers to get rid of bandits or feed them on regular basis and plead them not to end the lives.

The grand-dad of the village of the opinion to hire good samurai's who help us only for the meals villagers would provide, and nothing extra.  So few volunteers who were effected by the bandits one or the other way decides to hire the samurai's.  

The movie ticks off from here, the alignment of seven samurai for the task was hillarious, and at the same time..shows the emotional side of the humans as well.  

The finding of the last samurai was the most hilarious one, and from then on he carries the movie on his shoulder.  The favorite actor of Akira Kurosawa steals the show from there on.  He histrionics, body language, dialogue delivery, expression, punch line all worth mentioning.

Breeze camera work, sleek editing, awesome dialogues, and few one liners, and Kurosawa's trade mark rainy shot just takes the breath away. There is not even a single dull moment in the entire length of the movie.

Every character in this movie doesn't act, instead they become the characters itself. 

The plan to stop the bandits, its prepartion, and execution everything had been shot very well.

This movie has some of the best dialogues to ponder over long time

• Danger always strikes when everything seems fine

• So. Again we are defeated. The farmers have won. Not us.

• This is the nature of war. By protecting others, you save yourself. If you only think of yourself, you’ll only destroy yourself.

• Bandits are coming, you fool. Why worry about the beard, when the head is about to fall?

• A good fort needs a gap. The enemy must be lured in. So we can attack them. If we only defend, we lose the war.

• Well — it's impossible to kill 'em all, so I usually run away

• As a matter of fact, I'm preparing for a tough war. It will bring us neither money nor fame. Want to join?.....may be we die this time!!!!

The last scene, where in two surviving samurai talks to each other saying "we have survived again"...and with a pause "Villagers won...we were defeated again" signifies how the moods of the human changes....

This movie inspired making many movies like The Magnificent Seven,  The Guns of Navarone,  and many more..and our own Sholay...

This movie is about different shades of human beings...A great salute to the master craftsman AKIRA KUROSAWA.

Akira Kurosawa's Dreams (1990)

Akira Kurosawa's Dreams (1990)

A royal salute to a man who showed even at the age of 80 plus age, the creative brain ticks and clicks like ever ticking clock.

This movie is about collection of small stories (Dreams) which highlight the greed, ambition, jealous, doing an act with out thinking consequences, curiosity, courage in the crisis, secured nature to safeguard nature all in one in package.

SUNSHINE THROUGH THE RAIN : Curiosity level shown by the kid is amazing.  Generating curiosity always takes a back step to the future.  This episode had been shot in amazing locales, breathtaking photography, choreography, superb background music all it keeps us on intoxicating high

THE PEACH ORCHARD

Our presence in the plot makes us guilty, whether we are part of it or out of it.  The boy crying scene to show his innocence is beautifully captured.

THE BLIZZARD

Fortunes favours the brave.  Want to hit a target, do it honestly, help and way will be in your way all the time.  The settings, the snow fall, the wind, the background music breathtaking.

THE TUNNEL

The greed to own a thing, and pushing innocents for the selfish, always haunts forever.  Wonderful picturisation through a barking dog.  Superb depiction.

CROWS

The nature exploitation by polluting the atmosphere brings doom all the way. 

MOUNT FUJI IN RED

Continuous harassment of nature, by putting a safe mask all the way in their  greedy deeds, how it can bring curtains down to the mother nature, the minute details shown in symbolic way is worth watching.

THE WEEPING DEMON

The demon is all about our feelings, and our thinking and inking against the nature of law to help each other, and also how selfish act can bring to nature on the edge of the slide shown merciless in this episode, where stronger will kill the weakest and try to survive. The final dialogue by demon “do you want to become a demon, too?” puts a big question infront of us.

VILLAGE OF THE WATERMILLS

The most heartening episode, where value, nurturing, caring, love, happiness if we show in our life and neighborhood, and if we care our mother earth, how life will be beautiful.  This episode is perfect icing on human attitude, what he is suppose to do to avoid all the ill nature he has shown in the rest of the episodes.  A perfect lesson learning is lying in the last episode.  A master craft from a master craftsman.

We may dream thousands of things, but the ultimate aim is to 

keep our soul, our nature, our atmosphere happy and healthy.  I 

Understood these things from this master piece

Rashomon (1950)

It is crime to write anything about this classic for the only reason that, even after 60+ years after it was released, still it throws more information each time than any other classic.  This writing a piece of information is like throwing some light on the ever glowing sun.  If we do, it will be a foolish act of me.  

When ever any topic on movies creeps up, people use to say, have you seen, Rashomon, everytime i used to stand like a new bride, turning face down, and making a drawing on the floor with the toes even wearing shoes.

So finally, i made up my mind to get a copy of it from my ever adorable friend cum guide.  His sincere advise to watch this classic was, close the room, put the ear plugs on, and don't let any moment of this movie slips out of your eyes nor ears.  After watching full length of the movie (1hrs. 24 Minutes), i realised how true his suggestion was.  A big salute to my adorable friend cum guide for giving a invaluable suggestion.

Am here will not write any of my regular review nor what i liked most and all. I salute the master craftsman Akira Kurosawa.  

1. A Simple tale, how effectively narrated.

2. The rainy shots had been handled, framed nicely.  If you watch with intensity, you will feel, you are drenching in the rain, and will be searching for the cover from the rain.

3. The actors never tried to act, instead you will realise they are the live characters though out the length of the movie.

4. The steady camera work in the forest sequences were simply makes your jaw drop.  use of technology sixty years back is absolutely mesmerises you.

5. The music constantly keeps you engaged in the movie, it will     not allow you to blink your eyes even once.

6. The human values it emotes nicely, how people interpretation,     perception can vary, you can witness in this movie which was made more than 50 years ago.  What a timeless wonder it is.

Am stopping hear with a big salute to the Ageless wonder Akira Kurosawa.