#20 Seven Samurai (Kurosawa) at Santa Cruz Cinema
All I knew about this film going into it was (1) it is very long, (2) it’s set in feudal Japan, and (3) it’s widely considered the cinematic blueprint for the “men-on-a-mission” genre.
I suppose there is much to say about this film. But it’s all been said. What I was left thinking about is why there was so much bare ass in this movie.
This is, of course, a ridiculous thing to fixate on when watching Seven Samurai (1954), a film that essentially taught modern cinema how to assemble a team, define each member with economy and clarity, and stage action so cleanly that it still puts contemporary blockbusters to shame. Kurosawa’s command of movement is staggering. Every frame feels deliberate. Nothing is wasted.
And yet. Why is Kikuchiyo, played by Toshiro Mifune, slaying bandits in a thong?
Kikuchiyo is different. While the other samurai are presented as professionals, right down to their clothing, his outfit is improvised and stolen. He looks exposed, sometimes indecent by comparison, which reflects the fact that he’s the only samurai who was born a peasant. So when he charges into the mud at the end of the film and dies there, the samurai myth dies with him. He's just a poor farmer returning to the dirt.
Kurosawa strips the film down to its essentials and lets everything else fall away. Even the pants.