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Historically, the genre is usually set during the Tokugawa era (1600–1868). The samurai film hence often focuses on the end of an entire way of life for the samurai: many of the films deal with masterless rōnin, or samurai dealing with changes to their status resulting from a changing society.
The film was released in the United States in 1955, initially under the title The Magnificent Seven. [26] [27] [28] Following the 1960 release of the American remake The Magnificent Seven, the Japanese film's title reverted to its original Seven Samurai in the United States. [5]
- Seven Samurai
- Throne of Blood
- New Tales of The Taira Clan
- The Hidden Fortress
- Kagemusha
- Ran
- The Twilight Samurai
- 13 Assassins
- Rurouni Kenshin Part 1: Origins
- Blade of The Immortal
Seven Samuraitakes place in 1586 during the Sengoku period, a time of political unrest and class conflict. The story centres on a village of farmers who decided to hire seven rōnin(masterless samurai) to defend them against bandits who are constantly stealing their crops. Considered one of the most iconic samurai movies of all time, it has been rem...
If you find Shakespeare’s Macbethfascinating, then you’ll definitely enjoy this retelling by (again) Akira Kurosawa. Throne of Blood takes place in feudal Japan and is infused with techniques from Noh: the oldest form of Japanese theatre that actually predates The Bard! Samurai general Taketoki Washizu seizes power by murdering a local lord, at the...
What happens when the warrior class finally refuses to be subservient to the nobles? Such is the plot of New Tales of the Taira Clan. It revolves around Taira Kiyomori, an impulsive young samurai who seeks to avenge his disgraced father and leader of the samurai clan. But, of course, there’s more: Kiyomori later finds out that he might be a son of ...
Clearly, one can never watch too many samurai movies by the renowned Akira Kurosawa. The Hidden Fortress tells the story of Tahei and Matashichi: two peasants who take on the task of escorting a man and a woman across enemy lines — in exchange for gold. Unbeknownst to them, the man is actually General Rokurota Makabe, while the woman is Princess Yu...
Kagemushais the Japanese term for a political decoy, literally translating to ‘shadow warrior.’ In this story, a petty thief is hired by warlord Shingen Takeda and his brother to help them hold off attacks from rival clans. The thief’s task? Impersonate the dying Shingen, whom he bears an uncanny resemblance to. (What could go wrong?) Apart from Ku...
Okay, this is the last Akira Kurosawa film on this list, we promise. Similar to the second item, Ranis also one of his samurai movies loosely based on a Shakespeare play. This time, it’s King Lear— although it also draws inspo from legends about the historical Mōri Motonari. The plot revolves around the ageing warlord Hidetora Ichimonji, who decide...
Now, on to the early ’00s. The Twilight Samurai is an Oscar-nominated historical drama by Yoji Yamada. It takes place in mid-19th century Japan and centres on Seibei Iguchi: a widower and low-ranking samurai who spends most days working in the fields in order to provide for his mother and two daughters. His once normal and contented life turns upsi...
We’ll give you a heads up as early as now: 13 Assassinsis one of the more bloody-violent samurai movies. But don’t let that stop you — this masterpiece by Takashi Miikeis a must-watch. And yes, these said assassins are actually samurais led by Shinzaemon Shimada, who believes that there’s more to Bushido than blind obedience. He and his team are ta...
Some of you might know this as Samurai X, the title of the anime adaptation. Both that and the manga were a hit during the ’90s, so when the live-action came out, it was a childhood dream come true for many. Keishi Ohtomo’s movie series currently has three parts, but for now, we’ll talk about the first:Rurouni Kenshin Part 1: Origins. We meet Kensh...
Finally, we’re down to the most recent one among these samurai movies. Blade of the Immortalis another must-see by Takashi Miikethat also happens to be his 100th film! The main character, Manji, is an immortal samurai. Though, he acts less like a superhero and more like a ‘living ghost’ stuck in the mortal realm. (No kidding—he says stuff like, “Yo...
May 24, 2024 · Pre-war films, like Daisuke Ito’s samurai epics, were the norm. In collaboration with the Japanese government, the film industry began making propaganda pictures known as Bunka Eiga in the 1930s. But when World War II arrived, the film industry was forced to increase its production of war propaganda films.
Apr 15, 2014 · When The Magnificent Seven remake was released in 1960, Kurosawa’s film reverted back to its original title of Seven Samurai in the US, but ultimately it was this Hollywood reworking that came to be seen by the most viewers across the world.
Oct 17, 2013 · As popular as the western in America, films based on legendary figures such as Musashi Miyamoto or the outlaw Chuji Kunisada, or historical tales such as ‘The Great Bodhisattva Pass’ and ‘The Legend of the 47 Loyal Retainers’, allowed filmmakers to reinterpret traditional subject matter for a modern, postwar age.
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Sep 30, 2024 · Directed by Akira Kurosawa and starring Toshiro Mifune and Takashi Shimura, 1954’s Seven Samurai (七人の侍, Shichinin no Samurai), is a technical and creative watershed of the action genre ...
