Posted on 06/11/2024 3:13:19 PM PDT by sphinx
After a debut screening at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, the Toho Company’s 4K restoration of Akira Kurosawa‘s seminal epic Seven Samurai is hitting the U.S. for a theatrical release through Janus Films. The trailer is in the linked article.
Janus will open the restoration on Friday, July 5 in New York at Film Forum after which a Los Angeles premiere will take place at the American Cinematheque’s Egyptian Theatre on Sunday, July 7. The film will open wide on Friday, July 12 in Los Angeles at Laemmle Royal.
(Excerpt) Read more at deadline.com ...
movie ping
I’ve always meant to see it...but never have.I suspect that this is one I’m gonna be checking ebay for later this year or next year.
Dang, I first saw this film - maybe a 16mm print (?) - in the 11th grade film studies class. I’m sure I’ve seen it since but this would be nice to view on a large screen.
On HBO (now Max) I recently watched Rashoman and High and Low. All great movies by a master.
For those who don’t know The Magnificent Seven was based on this Kurosawa film, The Seven Samurai.
Way better than I imagined. I think it’s something like 3 1/2 hours long. But it’s astonishing how you don’t seem to notice. One of the most amazing parts of the movie is when one samurai manages to get his hands on a matchlock. The damage he does with that one very slow rifle is remarkable and very plausible. Made me look at old rifles like that in a whole new way. End it just wanders from one thing to another of the smallest matters of morality, honor, etc. Do not miss this if you have a chance to see it.
Already sold out for the July 7th event. I’ll try to catch it when it goes wider.
Alright!
Something else that occurs to me about this film. There’s no reason a woman shouldn’t enjoy it as much as a man. It involves relationship issues, everything of the small village, and other things. It’s a lot more than swords and fighting. It’s really an amazing feat. And it seems long, until you realize when and where it was made. A lot of Japan was still a smoking ruin, and going into a theater with some air conditioning and taking your mind away to hundreds of years distant, and forgetting about how hard life was. This is truly a masterpiece.
I’ve seen my old Criterion Collection DVD a few dozen times, but I’ve never seen The Seven Samurai on the big screen. I will now.
Movie is fairly long but you don’t feel it. Amazing was great editing and pacing can do when watching a film.
Dersu Uzala is another good one from Akira.
I hope it gets released on 4K disc . I’ll buy it the day it’s available.
Yes, Dersu Uzala is probably my favorite Kurosawa flick. Unfortunately, the film IIRC, sits in custody of Russia somewhere, since the Soviet Union funded and produced the movie (Moskfilm?). Kurosawa always had trouble funding his projects.
Kino Lorber released a non-anamorphic DVD of this film years ago, of which I own a copy. It has a terrible video transfer, but it’s the best way you can currently watch the movie. I think it’s truly unknown if Dersu Uzala will ever see restoration at all, considering who owns it. I think it’s likely as well that the original film negative has not been stored properly and has severely deteriorated.
Seen in on TCM already. Good flick!
I remember thinking it was a great movie back in the day.
What is interesting is after watching it I did not remember it being in Japanese cause it was so easy to follow.
bttt
I’m seeing dvds on Amazon and Ebay.
Recently watched Yojimbo and it seems it was the template for ‘A Fist Full of Dollars’.
|Also watched the 1941 version of 47 Ronin. 3hrs and 45 min. but I enjoyed it.
My guess is that I could get a copy on DVD or Bluray from our excellent local library network. But I just might wait for it to be released on a 4K disc.
It’s a masterpiece of film making.
L
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