Did "Seven Samurai" touch the Hollywood muscle?

Collin 2021-11-25 08:01:23

Why did "Seven Samurai" have such a big impact on the film industry? This movie has been adapted in many fields. In addition to the two adaptations in Hollywood, I have also seen a science fiction Japanese cartoon adapted from this masterpiece. In addition, let alone its subtle influence on a large number of filmmakers. Hollywood's adaptation of "Seven Samurai" is the most interesting. The background is set in the west. Cowboys replaced samurai, pioneers replaced farmers. It was not enough to change it in 1960, but it came again in 2016. This is really interesting. matter.


Two Hollywood adaptations of "Seven Samurai", the lineup is not bad, the 2016 version of "The Heroic Seven Dragons" even let Denzel Washington lead, after "Liberated Jiang Ge", black people once again became a Western movie main character. In my opinion, the narrative of "Seven Samurai" is indeed a very Hollywood-like structure, and it is also very compatible with commercial movies. In Kurosawa Akira's "Seven Samurai", regardless of the theme he tried to express, the whole story structure is also the classic structure of many blockbusters today.

1. Heroism: This is a kind of eternal and inspiring spiritual force in human history. No matter how modern and post-modern deconstruction is in the development of human movies, this classicism is still sultry. A group of down-and-out warriors bravely faced tough enemies and preserved the tranquility of the soil and water at their own sacrifice. Of course, their motives seemed impure, but this was just another advantage of the script.



2. The imperfect hero defeats the self: Gao Daquan’s screen aesthetics has now declined. It will create a sense of distance from the audience and is not easy to resonate. As early as in "Seven Samurai", the samurai under the lens of Akira Kurosawa were more or less flawed, and Kikuchiyo played by Toshiro Mifune was one of them. Yes, the hero who does not eat the fireworks in the world is a god, and the hero who overcomes his own greed and cowardice is the hero in the world. The original intention of this group of people to gather seems to be just for commissions, but after weighing the cost of income, they still stand up and fight, and that is the hero. This kind of temperament is too appetizing for American culture. From profession to business, from battlefield to universe, in American movies, big and small characters can always break through themselves and reach another realm of their abilities. This is a hero.

3. The bravery of the little people: In "Seven Samurai", although the seven samurai can be called the saviors and superheroes of the invaded villages, the film has a more grounded appeal. In some movies, after the heroes appear, mortals When retreating, it is often the heroes directly confronting the evil forces. The "Seven Samurai" reflects the heroes' stimulation of the courage of the little people. A group of villagers who look clumsy and trembling have become fighters fighting evil forces. In this process, they also really aroused the confirmation of self-interest and became their own masters, just like the meaningful line of the surviving samurai at the end of the film: "We still lose, and it is the farmers who really win."

4. The richness of the group play: the establishment of the roles of the seven samurai not only makes the duel between the two sides of the film more balanced, but also enhances the thickness of the film. Seven people with different specialties and personalities, regardless of their external conflicts or internal conflicts, will make the film easy to sparkles everywhere, making the film more exciting and rich. This point is prominently manifested in American superhero movies today. "Group fight" is already the main theme of such American movies. For the audience, it is tired to see a person with one move and one trick, and some heroes are sold at once. Skill performance is naturally more enjoyable. The drama conflicts involved are also more exciting. In life, being alone may be beneficial to personal thinking, but the one-man drama in the movie is not so easy to interpret, so even Tom Hanks’s "Leaves of the Deserted Island" also needs the entire volleyball to be an "opposing scene". .

5. Single-line plot: "Crappy!" This is what many people see in some movies about the "simple" plot. In fact, the well-designed plot is certainly a high-five, but in many cases, some movies are not placed in the plot clues. The "cookie cutter", but the thinness of expression and content in the process of pushing along the clues. The reason why "Seven Samurai" has become a masterpiece of movie history is not how difficult or ingenious its plot is, it is basically a clue that goes in order, there is no complicated switching, no special flashbacks, and no segmented plots or loops. structure. However, in the single-line plot, Akira Kurosawa arranges a character with a distinctive character, one after another, the drama conflicts, not to mention the thinking and depth full of the thick perspective of the historical era. Therefore, "Seven Samurai" is one of the famous film and television masterpieces that is "easy to understand". From the main line to some detailed design, it is simply a classic story template. Commercial movies can also be used with reference to extensions.



The Americans set the story of "Seven Samurai" in the west, which is also a kind of tribute with American characteristics. Like the samurai era, the western cowboy is also a footnote to a passing era, and like the samurai, it is a rootless group in an era of disorder. In the 2016 edition of "Seven Brave Dragons", we still see the familiar "Seven Samurai" classic story advancement mode, that is, the little characters face the threat of foreign powerful forces invading their land and homes, and with the help of another powerful force, they muster Courage to fight it. The director has done a very good job in transplanting the plot structure of "Seven Samurai" and grafting it with the characteristics of western films. For example, the religion and mining of the western era are integrated into the film, making the film full of American flavor.


In addition, this version has been strengthened for the negative role. To put it bluntly, the buddies are more "nonsense", trying to present the image of a neurotic villain that is more "popular" in American movies today. However, in my opinion, this role may be due to actor performance problems and the villain’s lack of sufficient direct conflict with the positive characters. This kind of neurotic shaping seems a bit thin, somewhat self-confident, and some drama.


The whole film is still good-looking, and the many advantages of the plot of "Seven Samurai" are well reflected in this version. In particular, the cowboys have distinct personalities and have all kinds of ghosts. However, there are also adjustments in this area. For example, there are more American-style gags and cynical-style characters, but the somewhat "two" reckless characters like the original Kikuchiyo seem to be unable to match. Although we cannot ask a film adapted from "Seven Samurai" to also reflect the depth of the original, this "Seven Samurai" is really just a tribute to "Seven Samurai" in terms of plot structure. The story of the Western movie action movie, other than that, I don’t seem to have much ideas. Even, the rhythm of the whole movie is not enough for Westerns. It has a very fast pace. The final battle scene has become a venue for heavy weapons and explosions. It seems that Michael Bay has a friendly director here, and lacks Westerns. That kind of stability and atmosphere, the final scene is vast and more like an American Civil War movie.

In terms of paying tribute to the classics, Quentin Tastino’s "Liberated Jiang Ge", which pays tribute to traditional westerns, is different. He has added many of his own distinctive symbols and fun, but the whole rhythm still makes people feel very western. Therefore, "The Brave Seven Dragons" is still a good-looking movie, and Denzel Washington's veteran performance also adds to the film a lot, but after all, the title of the direct remake of "Seven Samurai", so it was used by the audience as "Seven Samurai" It is not a matter of the director’s will to examine the standard. In the future, I don't know how many movies will be remakes of "Seven Samurai" directly, but we know that the essence of this classic will continue to penetrate and flow in the works of more filmmakers.

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Extended Reading
  • Darius 2022-03-23 09:01:36

    Although limited by talent, he still feels a trace of blood and justice. In a multi-character movie, editing is the biggest challenge, and the same 13 assassins also face the same problem.

  • Ashtyn 2022-04-22 07:01:06

    The story of a village (N) widow (P) woman (C) summoning seven major species (vocational) clans (professionals) to fight (brush) soil (deputy) Hao (ben), if I didn't know in advance, I wouldn't dare to take this piece without authorization. Linked to the Seven Samurai. Pure popcorn movie, and mediocre entertainment. The character creation is extremely unsuccessful, and you won't feel any of the seven protagonists who die, because they are just cold symbols and have no flesh at all.

The Magnificent Seven quotes

  • Jack Horne: Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will have no fear!

  • Red Harvest: [to Denali] You are a disgrace!