3h26 of Pure Cinema: This masterpiece adored by Tarantino and Spielberg returns to the cinema in a complete version!

A great classic in movie history, The Seven Samurai returns to theaters on July 3rd in a full 4K version thanks to distributor The Jokers. Directed by maestro Akira Kurosawa in 1954, the film is set in medieval Japan in the late 16th century.

The peace of a small Japanese village is disturbed by repeated attacks by a group of robbers. Seven homeless samurai agree to protect the helpless peasants. This re-release was launched to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the feature film, whose influence continues to loom large in the minds of many filmmakers, including Quentin Tarantino, Clint Eastwood, George Lucas, Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg.

“It is Kurosawa’s fourteenth film, where he decides for the first time to talk about this period of civil wars that destroyed Japan in the 16th century. It is an era that fascinates him because, he says, it is the last century. where the individual can choose his destiny”Catherine Kadu, director of the documentary Kurosawa, the Way, explains.

necessary work

“Every time I make a movie, whether it’s an action movie, a comedy or a war movie, I watch Seven Samurai. I ask my cinematographer to watch Seven Samurai and also the choreographer for all my movies, even for a period. Like the movie. Miss Impossible 2, I mean this movie. Seven Samurai is an unforgettable movie!”Film director John Woo emphasized.

Seven Samurai was first released in France on December 2, 1955. The production was awarded the Silver Lion at the 1954 Venice Film Festival and was nominated for an Oscar for its sets and costumes. Rated 4.6 out of 5 by the press, the feature film is one of the most famous Japanese films in the world.

The feature film marks Akira Kurosawa’s 7th collaboration with his favorite actor, the legendary Toshiro Mifune. In total, the two men worked together sixteen times, most notably on Rashomon (1950), Castle of the Spiders (1957), Hidden Castle (1958), and Yojimbo (1961).

With an original running time of 3h20, The Seven Samurai was greatly shortened during its original release in Europe and the United States to reach 2h10, thus losing its significance and becoming a true western. The original cut of the film was not released in France until 1980. On July 3rd, the public will be able to enjoy the full 4K version, which lasts 3 hours 26 minutes!

Epic shoot

Filming Seven Samurai was not easy for Akira Kurosawa and his team. Filming began in May 1953 and was to take place over the course of nearly a year. For a long time, the feature film was the most expensive in the history of Japanese cinema.

Originally, filming was only supposed to last 71 days; Obviously, that wasn’t enough to box this giant mural. The spread of filming allowed Kurosawa to film the fight scenes in torrential rain. If this sequence is dazzling on the screen, the team has been put to the test, having had to deal with a lot of bad weather.

In addition, 5 main locations were defined for the shots, which was a real challenge for the team, especially the scenery team. In addition, Akira Kurosawa was often at odds with the managers of the production company Toho, who financed the project. The director had to personally explain to his producers who wanted to stop filming.

“Something was always happening. We didn’t have enough horses; it was raining all the time. It was exactly the kind of film that couldn’t be made in this country.”– the perfectionist Akira Kurosawa confided.

“I think Kurosawa has greatly inspired or influenced my cinema to represent space, he is the best in terms of directing.”said South Korean Bong Joon-ho, Oscar winner for Parasite.

For his part, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Oscar winner for The Revenant, is full of praise for the Japanese filmmaker: “For me, it was Kurosawa who finally broke the linear narrative. And I believe all of us directors who play with that owe him a debt.”

If you’ve never seen The Seven Samurai, go see it during this special release starting July 3rd!