هفت سامورایی

BFI Film Classics

by Joan Mellen

هفت سامورایی آکیرا کوروساوا به اعتقاد بسیاری بزرگ‌ترین دستاورد سینمای ژاپن است. حماسة خیزشی اجتماعی که بر اثر سقوط نظامی‌گری ژاپن در قرن شانزدهم سر برآورده بود. پیرنگ فیلم به طرز فریبنده‌ای ساده است. ساکنان یک روستا از حملات گروهی راهزن به ستوه آمده‌اند. آن‌ها در اوج ناامیدی تصمیم می‌گیرند برای محافظت از خودشان چند سامورایی آواره را به استخدام درآورند. در هیچ‌کدام از فیلم‌های ژاپنی‌ تا آن زمان، دهقانان سامورایی‌ها را به خدمت نگرفته بودند؛ امری که بنیان‌های طبقاتی فئودالیسم را به چالش می‌کشید.
هفت سامورایی شاید بهترین فیلم اکشن تاریخ سینما باشد، شاهکاری تکنیکی که در نمایش حرکت و خشونت بی‌رقیب است. جون مِلن با بازخوانی این فیلم جایگاهش را در سینمای ژاپن و کارنامة کوروساوا می‌سنجد.

مجموعۀ (یک فیلم، یک جهان) مشتمل بر تک‌نگاری‌هایی است بر فیلم‌های نامی و اثرگذار تاریخ سینما.در انتخاب این کتاب‌ها نه فیلم‌هایی خاص و سلیقه‌ای مشخص، بلکه اهمیت فیلم و کتاب موردنظر در اولویت است.

Genres: Film, Nonfiction, Media Tie In, Japan, Art

116 pages

First published February 26, 2002

About the author

Joan Mellen is the bestselling author of twenty books, including A Farewell to Justice, her biographical study of Jim Garrison s New Orleans investigation of the Kennedy assassination. She has written for a variety of publications, including the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, and Baltimore Sun. Mellen is a professor of English and creative writing at Temple University in Philadelphia.

(from http://www.booksandbooks.com/book/978...)

Reviews

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was in my early teens when I first saw the Hollywood remake of Seven Samurai. The Magnificent Seven is a fun film but not anything more. I subsequently found out it was a remake of a 1950s Japanese movie, and some years later saw the original on TV. I was hugely impressed by it, and for me the ending was one of most memorable I’ve seen. I recently watched Kurosawa’s film again.

This book provides a good analysis of the film, highlighting the importance of the historical setting to the coherence of the story, and how it features the clash between the traditional ideals of the samurai class and the modernising world encroaching on those ideals. The class distinctions between the samurai and the peasants are also a significant aspect, and understanding that aspect is important in a full appreciation of the movie.

The book also provides a defence against critics of the film, mainly those who criticised it from a left-wing perspective over its portrayal of the samurai and the peasants. The edition I read also had an Afterword looking at some of Kurosawa’s other films, but my interest in this book really concerned Seven Samurai itself.

If I have a criticism of the film, it’s that from my westernised perspective it contains an element of over-acting. I suspect though this is a difference in cultural expectations. The issue, if indeed it is one, isn’t mentioned in this book.

I found this a worthwhile entry in the BFI film classics series.

[HaMiT · Rating 3 out of 5]

من خطاب به کوروساوا هروقت یه دونه از این فیلمای پر از جلوه‌های ویژه‌ی هالیوودی رو می‌بینم که می‌خوان ادای یه فیلم حماسی قهرمانانه رو در بیارن



حقیقتاً تماشای باسن رو به هوای میفونه تو هفت سامورایی جذابتر از بعضی از این فیلم‌هاست

از تعریف‌های بومرطور خودم از فیلم بگذریم، از مجموعه‌ی بی اف آی فیلم کلاسیک که طبق گودریدز 180 عنوان کتاب داره، نشر خوب 5 تا عنوان رو چاپ کرده. هفت سامورایی، درخشش، پالپ فیکشن، در حال و هوای عشق و شب مردگان زنده.
قبل‌تر از این هم بعضی نشرها و خصوصاً علمی فرهنگی و هرمس تعداد خوبی از این عناوین رو منتشر کرده بودن
نویسنده‌ی این کتاب جون ملن هست که قبلاً هم با دانلد ریچی سر کتاب فیلم‌های آکیرا کوروساوا همکاری داشته و به سینمای ژاپن کاملاً آشناست و از این مجموعه کتاب، عصر جدید چاپلین و در قلمروی احساسات اوشیما رو هم نوشته
این کتاب شامل چند بخش مختلفه
یک- معرفی کلی فیلم و کوروساوا
دو- هفت سامورایی از نگاه تاریخی
سه- درون مایه‌ی فیلم
چهار- بخش فنی و تخصصی فیلم که بزرگترین بخش کتاب هم هست
پنج- منتقدین کوروساوا، صحبت در مورد هفت دلاور که ورژن وسترن هفت ساموراییه و دفاع نویسنده از کوروساوا در مقابل کسانی که میگن غرب‌زده‌اس
و در آخر هم نگاهی به پایان بندی معرکه‌ی فیلم

کتاب خوبی بود و از خوندنش راضی‌ام و اگه فیلم رو دوست داشتید، خوندنش رو پیشنهاد می‌دم
اگر هم که فیلم رو دوس نداشتید، براتون متاًسفم. هرکسی سلیقه‌ای داره و این حرفا هم نداریم. باید شرم کنید :|

[Nooshin · Rating 4 out of 5]

چه قدر من این مجموعه نشر خوب رو دوست دارم

اگه فیلم رو دوست داشتین بهتون پیشنهاد میکنم اگه فیلم رو دوست نداشتین باز هم بهتون پیشنهاد میکنم این کتاب رو بخونین و دوباره برین فیلم رو ببینین

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

_سامورایی ها با مرگ خود جهانی را زیر خاک میبرند!


خیلی اصرار کرد،من هم نشستم فیلم رو دیدم. تا همون موقع هم به خاطر تایم زیادش بود که همت نمیکردم برم سمتش:) نشستم،تو دو نوبت دیدم.لذت بردم.عاشق ساموراییا شدم.عاشق کوروساوا شدم...این کتابو خوندم.

به شخصه با خوندن این کتاب،دلم بیشتر و بیشتر از قبل برای سینما و فرهنگ ژاپن میسوزه!سینمایی که یه زمانی پر بوده از نابغه ها و فیلم هایی که دنیا رو به وجد میوردن؛الان خلاصه شده توی انیمه هایی که هر چی بیشتر پیش میره،بیشتر به سمت زوال مزخرفی میرن...قصدم دقیقا هیته!هیت به انیمه ها نه؛ به سینمایی که خود مردم ژاپن به خاطر صنعت یا هر چیز دیگه ای دارن نابودش میکنن.(حالا جدا از فیلمایی که چند سال یبار اکران میشن و...وای بعضیاشون خیلی خوبن!)

اسپویل!!!
کامبی دست به سینه جلو می اید و می گوید: باز هم باختیم.
صدای تعجب شیچیروجی بلند می شود که: ها؟
آیا راهزنان را نکشته بودند؟آیا امنیت به روستا بازنگشته بود؟
کامبی می گوید:برنده ها اون کشاورزهان ، نه ما!


+کوروساوا زندگی خیلی جالبیم داشته!یه سری چیزای جالب خوندم دربارش.https://www.instagram.com/p/CheYnhLsV...

[Patrick McCoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The BFI Film Classics series is a really good way to get into the intricacies of a beloved film. I am a big fan of Akira Kurosawa and his masterpiece Seven Samurai. Joan Mellon analyzes the film in her second book I have read for the series, the first was about Nagisa Oshima's film In The Realm of the Senses. Mellon has written several books on Japanese film and as a result has a great understanding of the history and culture of the country. In this book she first discusses the history and context of the film Kurosawa's career and then discusses his themes and motifs in the film. This is followed by a discussion of Kurosawa's skill as a craftsman/auteur that pays close attention to all of the details that go into the production of a film including his great skill at framing shots, using multiple cameras to artistic affect. Then Mellon takes on some of the critics of Kurosawa and shows where they were erroneous in their criticism of the great film maker. It is only 77 pages long but Mellon manages to identify concisely why this is such an extraordinary film and inspired me to re-watch it paying attention to the artistry in which he has setup many of the shots and scenes.

[kelly]

a very loving defence of the brilliant seven samurai that eviscerates any notions of kurosawa's work as 'apolitical' — recognising the film's abundant humanism, kurosawa's initial marxist roots (i know he gave it up after being unable to understand the communist manifesto but he still demonstrated a keen interest in class/hierarchy/exploitation throughout his entire career), nuanced portrayal of class differences and violence of the ruling class. the romanticisation of samurai & the bushido code is something i find deeply troubling (considering its origins in imperial propaganda) and mellen wonderfully points out the complexity of seven samurai's approach, with the film being kurosawa's apology for the actions of his ancestors hailing from the samurai class.

[Miriam · Rating 3 out of 5]

خیلی وامدار ریچی بود خودش هم جاهایی بهش اشاره میکنه ولی در مورد تاریخ اون دوره و اتفاقات و نقدهای و صحبتهای مخالفان کوروساوا چیزهای خوبی داشت.

[Alexander Curran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Posted : 9 years, 8 months ago on 21 August 2008 10:25 (A review of Seven Samurai film...)

''What's the use of worrying about your beard when your head's about to be taken?''

A poor village under attack by bandits recruit seven unemployed samurai to help them defend against the foes.

Takashi Shimura: Kambei Shimada

Toshirô Mifune: Kikuchiyo

Akira Kurosawa had recently, and very quickly, become one of my all-time favourite directors. I had only seen four of his films and given each and every one of them my highest rating and approval. His greatest, and undoubtedly his most popular film was in 1954 epic Shichinin no samurai. The top-selling movie out of Japan for the year and won the Japanese Academy Award for Best Picture. Present day, it is ranked one of the greatest motion pictures ever, and it rightfully holds this honour still.

This is a spectacular story; as well as film. Full of wonderful characters, envisioned scenery, and great performances all around; it is Kurosawa's fantastic story about a poor farming village in 16th century Japan being consistently placed under attack by marauding bandits. Facing starvation if the bandits raid them again, the peasants fearfully and reluctantly turn to seven unemployed samurai to defend themselves.

There is no weak foundation to Seven Samurai. One of its greatest aspects is its characters. Every single one of them, farmer or samurai, is given tremendous development, making them all memorable. This is one of those films where if a character is eliminated, you suddenly find yourself missing their presence on the film; because you got to know them so well. I will not name him, but there was one ill-fated character in the film when, after he died, I felt kind of cheerless because I had come to respect him as a human being instead of an actor performing in front of a camera and reading out scripted dialogue. If you were to ask me which character was my favorite, I would be tied between two of them. The characters played by Takashi Shimura and Toshiro Mifune, two of the finest Japanese actors who ever breathed air.

Another thing I admire in Shichinin no samurai is the feeling of authenticity. The feeling that it all scenes could really have occurred. There are very few moments where the unbelievable happens, as most action movies tend to drift towards. One thing I admired was the antagonists of the film: the bandits. Unlike most Hollywood movies where the bad guys have names and are introduced as characters to make them effective, the bandits in Seven Samurai all have no names. We only know them as the bandits and that is appropriate because that's all the main characters know them as too. Just marauding, murdering bandits who must be defeated as soon as possible.

Kurosawa was undoubtedly one of the most influential directors of all time and that is clear in this film. Many of the transitions and techniques that motion pictures today seem to follow on a conventional level were inspired by this film: slow-motion, a fade wipe between scenes like what you see in the Star Wars movies; using the weather to affect emotion and atmosphere, a team forming to take on a larger enemy, the list goes on. The movie was so influential that it was remade in the United States as The Magnificent Seven(1960). Not as good as its original source; not by a long shot; but considerably effective and noteworthy.

In regards to the film's soundtrack, it's a success. The music was composed by Fumio Hayasaka and it's simply wonderous. We seldom hear any of it; when we do, its an efficacious presence of impact. The opening score is very effective and the music that plays when the farmers are searching for samurai in the town remains one of my favourite soundtrack pieces today; it penetrates your soul.

There is one thing in the film that might ward off some viewers. It is long. At over three and a half hours in length, some people will be cautious before sitting down to view it and some will lose their patience; but to those who can sit down and enjoy a film no matter how long it lasts, it will be realized as fast-moving storytelling. Even the long takes and the slow pacing seems surrealist fast because it is so well-written and so masterfully directed by Kurosawa.
Akira Kurosawa gives us one of the greatest masterpieces of all time.

''The farmers have won. We have lost.''

[Ethan Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very nice and in depth analysis of Kurosawa’s classic film Seven Samurai. I did find her dismissal of Sturges Magnificent Seven to be very amusing. I do not wholly share her opinions regarding that western adaptation, but she is very spot on in pinpointing the weaknesses of it when compared to a masterpiece like Seven Samurai. The Sturges adaptation is also very much a nostalgic love for me, I remember watching it often with my big brother as a child.

Was very interested in the critical context she gives to Kurosawa’s place in Japanese film culture. Particularly the resistance and resentment from critics and filmmakers towards Kurosawa who perceived him as too influenced by Western cinema. Such characterization is no doubt unfair, but understandable given how much attention western critics and audiences have given to Kurosawa as opposed to the myriad of other extremely talented Japanese directors who were contemporaries of his.

[Ahmadreza Mousavi · Rating 5 out of 5]

با اینکه کتاب حجم اندکی دارد، اما نویسنده موفق شده است در عین ایجاز، مباحث خود را گیرا بیان کند. نویسنده مباحث خود را در سه محور اساسی بیان می‌کند. در ابتدایِ بحث، پس از مقدمه‌ای کوتاه، نویسنده بافت تاریخي که جهان درام در آن رخ می‌دهد را بررسی می‌کند. برای درک روابط میان سامورایی‌ها و کشاورزان، و جایگاه طبقاتی هرگروه، این بستر تاریخی بسیار حائز اهمیت است. نویسنده نیز به خوبی از عهده بیان آن برآمده است.
بدنه اصلی کتاب به تحلیل عناصر فیلم می‌پردازد و با بیان جزئیات دقیق، تهمیدات تکنیکی کار کوراساوا را مورد بررسی قرار می‌دهد. این عناصر تکنیکی در کار کوراساوا، در کنار نسبتی که او با تاریخ قرن شانزدهم ژاپن برقرار می‌کند، فرم منحصر به فرد فیلم را می‌سازد.
در بخش پایانی کتاب، جایگاه فیلم در میان منتقدان بحث می‌گردد و بسیاری از کج فهمی‌ها در مواجهه با اثر روشن می‌شود. کتاب با بررسی پایان‌بندی درخشان فیلم به پایان می‌رسد، جایی که حماسه و تراژدی توامان می‌شوند.

[Banu Kibar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yedi Samuray oldukça uzun bir film (3:27), dikkati toparlamak zor olabiliyor. Bu kitap ile film hakkında derinleşilebiliyor, filmin değeri daha iyi anlaşılıyor.

Temelinde kendini düşünmeme;

"Yalnızca kendini düşünen kişi, aynı zamanda kendi sonunu da hazırlar."

Yönetmenin niyeti;

"Dünyayı daha iyi bir yer, insanları daha az bencil kılmaya çalışmış, kesin bir çözüm bulamamış olsa da boyun eğme ve kabullenme onun için asla bir seçenek olmamıştır."

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

At it's best when the writer sticks to explaining the elements of each scene, although her tendency to dislocate her narrative with examples from other contexts suggests that another -- maybe more thematic -- structure might have served her better. Far too much space is given over to refuting other critics and her discussion of "The Magnificent Seven" could serve as an object lesson about how ludicrous criticism can become when the critic can't tell the forest from the trees.

[Conor Farah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I watched this movie a long time and didn’t understand the entirety of Japanese shogunate culture especially during it’s collapse. I remember turning off my tv and thinking for the next hour about how I would appreciate the movie 1000 times more had I known the context. Not only does this book dive into the historical layer but the production, analysis, and brief overview of Akira Kurosawa’s other works. I’m very excited to rewatch this movie with a brand new appreciation.

[Brett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like many of the other BFI Film Classics releases, Joan Mellen’s focus here is broad despite revolving around a singular film. Much time is spent on the film's thematic intentions, but it rarely ever does much to provide new insight to a viewer who is familiar with the film. Its gushing admiration is entertaining and reinforces the film’s stature in cinematic history, but as I said, an alternative or challenging perspective could have added more to fuelling my overall opinion.

[Drjazzbob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great summary with analysis. Book length essay.

Fine writer, contributor to Criterion commentary on their physical media. Helpful to get into this very long but impressive film.

[Pat Jakubik · Rating 4 out of 5]

it was good. i liked it.

[Jeremy Hornik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insightful essay on Seven Samurai, lots of discussion of camerawork, editing, etc. Much attention to the many ironies of the story and the characters. Very engaging.

[James F · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is in the series of British Film Institute guides to classic films.
Seven Samurai is one of the major masterpieces of Japanese film. The book begins with some historical background on the period in which the film is set. and some general comments on the meaning of the film, followed by a scene by scene description and commentary. Unlike the author's book on Chaplin's Modern Times in the same series, there is very little biographical information on Kurosawa or discussion of his earlier works, which I would have liked to have had as I know less about his early works than I do about Chaplin's. I could also have done without the last chapter which argues with various (mainly Japanese) critics and film historians whom the author believes misunderstand the film.

[Orin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I watched Seven Samurai twice yesterday (the second time with the tag-team commentary track) and read this book this morning. It is excellent in treating the details of editing, plotting, and cinemetography. I suspect her observations on the shallowness of American films based on Kurosawa's oeuve will tick a few readers off, but most of her points are well-taken.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Explains both why Seven Samurai is great and why it was not appreciated in its time (it still has detractors) using historical context, Kurosawa's personal history, and what was happening in American film at the time (particularly the Western, from which Kurosawa took influence, much to the chagrin of Japanese critics).

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great book in the BFI Film Classics series. Mellen is an authority on Japanese cinema and the films of Akira Kurosawa. This is a concise but thorough analysis of this classic film. Gave me a lot of insight into the film and made me want to watch it yet again.

[Shakespeare · Rating 1 out of 5]

it's fucking big and you have also the movie in black and white.