SEVEN SAMURAI (SHICHININ NO SAMURAI)
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Notable Actors: Toshiro Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Daisuke Kato
Awards: Venice Film Festical Silver Lion Award
Year: 1954
Photo-credit: Wikipedia
Directed by one of Japan’s greatest directors of the 20th century, Akira Kurosawa made Seven Samurai which had a huge cultural impact across the world. It was even adapted into the American western film The Magnificent Seven and has inspired filmmakers like Steven Spielberg for Saving Private Ryan. Seven Samurai is set in 1586 during the Sengoku Period when war ravaged the country. It focuses on a village of farmers that hire seven ronin, or masterless samurai to protect the village from bandits who will raid the farmers after after harvest to steal their crops. The film is well known for its innovative idea of having a team assemble of heroic characters and perform a mission.