2 Seven Samurai

Message

Steven H · #126 Post by **Steven H** » Mon Sep 18, 2006 9:56 am

Colin0380, there's a CD-ROM floating around with extensive information (including video and benshi audio clips) related to Japanese silent films. I believe it's called something like "Masters of Japanese Silent Film", but I couldn't find an etailer link.

I enjoy all of the commentators as well. Desser's Eros Plus Massacre, Richie (and Anderson's) The Japanese Film, Mellen's Waves at Genji's Door, and Stephen Prince's The Warrior's Camera are all worth reading. Also, there's a great issue of Post-Script that Keiko McDonald put together a few years ago about Kurosawa. Anyone interested in the director could do no better than search for a copy.

This is one of the aspects of Criterion (and also of Warner) that I most admire - the ability to include material that the audience for their discs will find fascinating, but which might relate to films put out by other companies or that aren't released at all.

I think just about any title they bring up during an in-house produced extra can be considered a "future title". All the people who bought and watched the extras of Harakiri and the Seven Samurai rerelease are all in heat over The Human Condition Trilogy and Humanity and Paper Balloons now, if they weren't before (and rightfully so.) It's probably just a matter of time (but random speculation goes somewhere else around here, so I'll just leave it at that.)

I think this episode of It's Wonderful To Create was *the* best of the series so far. There were so many details, I ended up watching it twice. The Oshima/Kurosawa conversation was fantastic as well. If only every release had that kind of "face time" with the director, to really get to know them.

French completist · #127 Post by **French completist** » Mon Sep 18, 2006 12:32 pm

I have to triple dip... I have both versions of the original Criterion...

Steven H · #128 Post by **Steven H** » Mon Sep 18, 2006 2:00 pm

There are a few parts of the film where Kyuzo is compared to Miyamoto Musashi, but in an essay included in the issue of Post Script (Vol. 20, No. 1) I brought up a couple posts back, Eddy Von Mueller makes a different connection:

Kyuzo suggests a classical samurai source, Tsukahara Bokuden (1490-1579), one of Japan's most accomplished swordsmen. Bokuden was a zen-man, the instructor to the Ashikage Shoguns, and an accomplished duelist. He also founded a school of sword play, hitotsu-tachi (or "single-cut style") the goal of which was to slay the opponent with a single blow on the draw of the blade (Cook 75). Demanding both unwavering courage and consummate skill, ihtotsu-tachi demands that the swordsman must be willing to leave himself open to attack while awaiting the perfect split-second to fell his foe.

It is Bokuden's single-cut style Kyuzo uses in his duel in the village. His technique is quintessential zen swordcraft, "simple, direct, self-reliant, [and] self-denying" (Suzuki). Kyuzo registers neither fear nor pride in the encounter. Having assured himself o fhis skill with faux swords, he is not eager to prove it at the price of a life, and he faces the lethal duel with equanimity. Kyuzo exemplifies the almost ego-lesss discipline of zen swordsman. Zen sword-masters like Bokuden and Kyuzo strove towards a stage of "ego-lessness," called by master Hariya Seikun the "sword of No-Abiding Mind" (Suzuki). The game of sword play is one of life-and-death, and the player whose mind is "stopped" by doubt, fear, or intellection will fall to a swordsman who can free his instincts, allowing his subconscious to wield his training to full effect.

The references were to Harry Cook's Samurai: The Way of the Warrior (1993), and Suzuki Daisetz T.'s Zen and Japanese Culture (1959).

Also, anyone interested in reading the David Ehrenstein essay from the OOP edition of this DVD can go here. It's no longer available on criterion's main page and is not included in the new booklet (if this has already been mentioned, I didn't notice).

Matango · #129 Post by **Matango** » Tue Sep 19, 2006 9:58 am

I thought the new commentary worked quite well, but only as a supplement to Michael Jeck's. Most disappointing was Joan Mellen in the last segment. After hearing Tony Rayns' and Donald Richie's conversational, very natural deliveries, her stilted commentary, seemingly read almost entirely from notes, was inappropriate for the last and most dynamic 40 minutes of the film. During one of the final battle scenes, she deliberately goes off on a tangent about Ikiru, and seems to lose her place a couple of times (saying we'll soon see Mifune planting swords in the mud, when it's already happened). It would have been better to have her change places with Tony Rayns (who seemed none too impressed with being limited to 40 minutes) in my opinion.

Kristoffer4 · #130 Post by **Kristoffer4** » Tue Sep 19, 2006 11:30 am

The rare photos are also nice to see, but I can't help wonder if there exist any photo in color? I would like to see what color the costums had...

Has anubody seen any in color?

Matango · #131 Post by **Matango** » Wed Sep 20, 2006 10:58 am

"I think just about any title they bring up during an in-house produced extra can be considered a "future title". All the people who bought and watched the extras of Harakiri and the Seven Samurai rerelease are all in heat over The Human Condition Trilogy and Humanity and Paper Balloons now, if they weren't before (and rightfully so.) It's probably just a matter of time (but random speculation goes somewhere else around here, so I'll just leave it at that.)"

The 2005 edition of Donald Richie's A Hundred Years of Japanese Film has a comprehensive DVD listing in the back that lists Humanity and Paper Balloons as being a Criterion disc. This could either be an error or insider knowledge on Richie's part, I suppose.

Cinephrenic · #132 Post by **Cinephrenic** » Wed Sep 20, 2006 11:32 am

This is old news. Early Spring is also listed as upcoming from Criterion in his book.

Jimaku · #133 Post by **Jimaku** » Thu Sep 21, 2006 12:20 pm

The production schedule is constantly changing at Criterion because of various factors (inability to find suitable elements, etc.) that are outside of anybody's control. I doubt even the executives in the company can say with complete certainty what they'll be releasing a year from now, so take the list in Richie's book with a big slab of salt.

Panda · #134 Post by **Panda** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 3:03 pm

Discussed in today's CNN: How 'Seven Samurai' was saved

Panda

Anonymous · #135 Post by **Anonymous** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 5:57 am

Colin0380, there's a CD-ROM floating around with extensive information (including video and benshi audio clips) related to Japanese silent films. I believe it's called something like "Masters of Japanese Silent Film", but I couldn't find an etailer link.

Helpful reviews about the CD-Rom about Japanese Silent Film can be found here and here.

Technical details and other stuff, here.

HerrSchreck · #136 Post by **HerrSchreck** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 5:59 am

250 bucks!!!!!!?????????????

Anonymous · #137 Post by **Anonymous** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 6:08 am

Could even be more. The CD-Rom seems to contain a massive amount of film clips, information material and other stuff. Considering the fact that you wonÂ´t be able to get this material in a 100 years, the costs are actually somewhat low. Rememer that a huge amount of filmmaterial was destroyed after the big 1923 Kanto earthquake, so this may be the last crops. Just checked: costs for this CD-Rom are 200 USD.

colinr0380 · #138 Post by **colinr0380** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 9:48 am

There's a very nice review of Seven Samurai (and Godzilla) on the Ain't It Cool News site.

gubbelsj · #139 Post by **gubbelsj** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 5:38 pm

Sorry if this has already been covered, but what is the general consensus on the new and improved subtitles for this re-release? The booklet lists Masako Mori and Kerim Yasar alongside the notorious Linda Hoaglund as handling the new titles. I didn't see any "piss-pants" or "fucks" this time around, and thought the mild cursing fit unobtrusively into the film. But how does the current translation compare to the older?

Anthony · #140 Post by **Anthony** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 7:18 pm

I think the current translation is better, but then again, I don't speak Japanese.

BWilson · #141 Post by **BWilson** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 8:01 pm

The issue isn't really how the new subs compare to the subs on the old DVD, but rather how the new subs compare to the 2002 theatrical re-release. It was those subs that got everyone upset. I saw the 2002 rerelease, and the new DVD seems the same, but it's been awhile.

Le Samouraï · #142 Post by **Le Samouraï** » Fri Dec 08, 2006 11:57 am

Could someone please tell me where the layer change is on Disc One? I am experiencing some green pixels around 44:52, and on my Ibook that scene freezes for at short moment. Just wondering whether my copy is faulty.

The Invunche · #143 Post by **The Invunche** » Fri Dec 08, 2006 1:00 pm

Just tried it on my PC. I don't see anything out of the ordinary around that time.

monkeybrow · #144 Post by **monkeybrow** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 8:47 am

God I love this film... having purchased it originally on VHS in the 80's... and twice now on Criterion. What a terrific piece of filmmaking.

kaujot · #145 Post by **kaujot** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 10:09 am

If any of you are in Austin, Texas, Seven Samurai is playing August 18-19 at the Paramount Theatre on Congress Ave.

monkeybrow · #146 Post by **monkeybrow** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 10:59 am

kaujot wrote:If any of you are in Austin, Texas, Seven Samurai is playing August 18-19 at the Paramount Theatre on Congress Ave.

Wish I could be there....arrrgghh!

MilkManX · #147 Post by **MilkManX** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 11:48 am

Bought this new version months ago. Finally watched it last Saturday.

HOLY CRAP.

It was so clean and so clear it was almost a new film. Seriously one of the best DVD restorations ever done.

tholly · #148 Post by **tholly** » Thu Jun 19, 2008 11:43 am

Quick question that may have been asked somewhere else....

Which version of Seven Samurai comes with the Akira Kurosawa: Four Samurai Classics box set?

Is it the 207 minute 2nd version or the 203 minute 1st version? Also, if it is the 203 minute version, do two versions of this one exist (one with the restoration demo and one without?) Or, is the only version of the 203 minute film the one with the restoration demo?

I'm just trying to get my head around the versions of this film. (No need to explain the newest, most restored version.)

Tommaso · #149 Post by **Tommaso** » Fri Jun 20, 2008 5:45 am

tholly wrote:Is it the 207 minute 2nd version or the 203 minute 1st version? Also, if it is the 203 minute version, do two versions of this one exist (one with the restoration demo and one without?) Or, is the only version of the 203 minute film the one with the restoration demo?

Are there really any differences? The four minutes difference may be there only because in one case they might have counted the 'intermission' between the two parts of the film, which plays with a black screen and music if I recall correctly. And you can be sure that the Samurai Classics set contains the old, unrestored version which now should be avoided in any case.

tholly · #150 Post by **tholly** » Fri Jun 20, 2008 7:28 am

I realize there is an updated version out. What I really want is all the OOPs, and the 203 minute version with the restoration demo is one such movie that I know will be hard to find.....