Set in 16th Century Japan, Akira Kurosawa's epic SEVEN SAMURAI follows the plight of a defenseless farming village that lives in constant fear of marauding bandits. The farmers know that when their crops are harvested, the thugs will attack, so four men go to town in hopes of employing samurai to fight for them. However, the poor villagers can merely offer payment in the form of shelter and a daily bowl of rice, and initially only Kambei (Takashi Shimura), a brave elder samurai, and his eager young apprentice, Katsushiro (Isao Kimura), take up their cause. Encountering various nomadic warriors on the streets, they slowly put together his team of swordsmen, recruiting Shichiroji (Daisuke Katô), Gorobei (Yoshio Inaba), Heihachi (Minoru Chiaki), and Kyuzo (Seiji Miyaguchi). Finally, Kikuchiyo (Toshirô Mifune), a scruffy wanderer who has been trailing them, completes the small band of ronin. However, upon reaching the village, the samurai learn that the farmers fear them as much the enemy. Despite the tensions, Kambei and his men slowly train the peasants to defend their village. Eventually the warriors launch a preemptive strike against the bandits, and begin a series of intense conflicts that culminates in a rain-soaked final battle--without a doubt, one of the most stunning sequences in cinema history.

Widely considered to be the greatest Japanese film ever made, Kurosawa's SEVEN SAMURAI is also credited with pioneering the modern action movie. This notion is especially evident in thrilling scenes such as Kambei's rescue of a kidnapped child, Kyuzo's duel, and Kikuchiyo's intensive theft of an enemy gun. Although the film clocks in at more than three hours, the story remains consistently engaging and slowly heightens the tension while providing action, drama, comic relief, and character development. Gleefully running amuck, Mifune gives one of his most renowned performances, imbuing the often comical Kikuchiyo with a surprising streak of melancholy and introspection. However, it is Shimura that anchors the entire film as the thoughtful and courageous Kambei, who stoically takes on the leadership of an almost impossible task. A monumental achievement in filmmaking, Kurosawa's SEVEN SAMURAI is cinematic perfection in nearly every aspect, giving the production its much-deserved status as one of the best films ever created.

Additional cast members included Kamatari Fujiwara (Manzo) and Bokuzen Hidari (Yohei) as villagers.

The film was influenced by American westerns and was later remade in the USA by John Sturges as "The Magnificent Seven."

The Home Vision Cinema VHS version is a newly remastered, full-length cut with new subtitles. The print used is from the Janus collection.

DVD Features:

3-Disc Set
Full Frame - 1.33
Audio:
Dolby Digital - Japanese
Subtitles - English - Optional
Additional Release Material:
Audio Commentary - 1. David Desser; Joan Mellen; Stephen Prince; Tony Rayns; Donald Richie
2. Michael Jeck
Behind The Scenes - Making Of - "Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful To Create"
Featurette - 1. "My Life In Cinema"
2. "Seven Samurai: Origins & Influences"
Trailers - Theatrical Trailer
Text/Photo Galleries:
Stills/Photos

Toshirô Mifune: Japanese Actor
Takashi Shimura: Japanese Actor/"Rashomon"
Yoshio Inaba: JAPAN. ACTOR\"7 SAMURAI"
Daisuke Katô: JAPANESE ACTOR
Minoru Chiaki: Actor/"Rashomon"
Seiji Miyaguchi: JAPANESE ACTOR\7 SAMURAI
Isao Kimura: Japanese Actor, SEVEN SAMURAI
Yoshio Tsuchiya: Japanese Actor/"7 Samurai"
Bokuzen Hidari: Japanese Actor, Kurosawa regular
Keiko Tsushima: JAPAN. ACTRESS\7 SAMURAI
Kamatari Fujiwara: Japanese Actor

Akira Kurosawa: Japanese Director

Shojiro Motoki: JAPAN. PRODUCER\7 SAMURAI

Akira Kurosawa: Japanese Director
Shinobu Hashimoto: Screenwriter/Director
Hideo Oguni: Japanese Screenwriter - RAN, THE HIDDEN FORTRESS

Fumio Hayasaka: 

Hiroshi Nezu: Editor "7 Samurai"

"...Witty and surprisingly reflective....The result is a good little action picture with plenty of smarts and a nonchalant air..."
"...Akira Kurosawa's THE SEVEN SAMURAI is not only a great film in its own right, but the source of a genre that would flow through the rest of the century..."
"...THE SEVEN SAMURAI is still a movie that matters..."
"...[A] forceful action movie, perhaps most startling because its heroes never lose sight of their honor and humanity..."
"[S]till one of the most stirring adventure stories in the movies..."
4 stars out of 4 -- "[A]n adventure film with a complex emotional core -- that Hollywood has been imitating for years."