Martial Arts and Katana Instructor Awards Seven Samurai half-decent score for samurai realism. Directed by Akira Kurosawa, released in 1954. Seven Samurai tells the story of a band of samurai warriors who gather to defend a village from brutal bandits. The film, which starred Toshiro Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Keiko Tsushima and Kamatari Fujiwara, is widely regarded as one of the best samurai films ever made and would inspire a Western remake in the form The Magnificent Seven (1960).
In a recent video for InsiderSeki Nobuhide Sensei, martial arts expert and katana instructor, analyzes one fight scene from Seven Samurai this involves fighting opponents riding horses. Seki tells how a samurai of the time would fight an enemy on horseback, showing that some aspects of the film get it right. One character’s use of a bow and arrow is also believable.although Seki admits that weapons are usually not liked unless used at such close range. Read his comments or watch the video (the relevant section starts at 19:04) below:
“For those who ride, it is important to handle the sword because you cannot cut the horse’s neck or reins. That is why they had to use such a sword so that it would not interfere with the neck of the horse in front of them. It is not beneficial for those on the ground to fight someone on horseback, so the best way is to pull them down using a tool such as a musha-otoshi, as I mentioned earlier. Another way is to harm the horse itself, which will cause him pain and distress.
“As to whether the bow was effective or not, in such a hand-to-hand situation, you are shooting at the enemy from an outside position. Normally it would be weird to use a bow at such close range, but I think it’s effective because the enemy is on horseback. The bow attack is effective because it allows you to shoot from a position where the sword of a man on horseback cannot reach.
“I give it a seven [out of 10] on the scale of reality.”
What does Seven Samurai’s realism rating mean for the film’s reputation?
Akira Kurosawa’s film is a masterpiece
Kurosawa is widely considered one of the best and most important directors of all time. Seven Samurai perhaps his most iconic film. The film currently has a 100 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoesa truly rare feat. The audience score doesn’t quite reach those heights, but it’s still very high at 97%. Seven Samuraithen this is an undisputed classic, and Of course, it would be unwise to use the word “masterpiece” when you describe it.
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The fact that Seven Samurai not entirely realistic and unlikely to affect the film’s reputation. It was filmed 70 years ago when filmmaking technology was not as advanced as it is today. Although much attention was clearly paid to costumes and production design during filming, Combat elements have been modified somewhat for entertainment or practical reasons..
Our view of the realism of “Seven Samurai”
Historical accuracy isn’t everything
Any film must have a balance between realism and entertainment. Seven Samuraiscoring seven out of 10 seems to be doing a good job of maintaining that balance. Moreover, the reasons why he lost several points are unlikely to be known to most viewers. Still, Analyzing films for historical accuracy is at least a fun way to learn more about history as well as filmmaking.as well as its strengths and weaknesses. While it may not have received a perfect score for realism, Seven Samurai remains an undeniable classic.
Source: Insider