Samurai Cinema Meet-Up: THE SEVEN SAMURAI

Let's talk about movies! Join Movie Club Member Jennifer K for the next movie in her Samurai Cinema Series, "Seven Samurai."
Here's how it works:

1. Watch the movie on your own before we discuss, streaming links below.
2. Then, we'll all meet at Lucky Lab on SE Hawthorne at 4pm (map), there will be a sign at our table.
3. Grab some food and drinks and we'll spend some time discussing this masterpiece.

Movie Spotlight: Seven Samurai
"Seven Samurai" is the classic Japanese film epic, directed by Akira Kurosawa and starring Takashi Shimura and Toshiro Mifune, about a group of samurai who band together to protect a village from bandits trying to steal their crops. Since its release in 1954, viewers, critics, and film historians have consistently regarded “Seven Samurai” as one of the greatest and influential films in cinema history. The film is renowned for its striking visuals, thrilling action sequences, and exploration of themes such as humanism, rebellion against social traditions, honor, courage, and hope.

About Samurai Cinema
Samurai cinema, also known as chanbara, is a Japanese film genre that is roughly equivalent to Western swashbuckler films. It is a sub-category of jidaigeki, which equates to period drama. This genre is usually set during the Tokugawa era (1600–1868) and 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.

Samurai films highly influenced Western cinema including films like A Fistful of Dollars, The Magnificent Seven, Six-String Samurai, Last Man Standing, and Star Wars. They were also a significant influence on Hong Kong Action Cinema and many visual elements appear in movies like Lord of the Rings, The Matrix, and Mad Max: Fury Road.

Tips:

1. Haven't seen the movie in a while? You're in for a treat - try to watch the movie sometime before we meet (Streaming Options). Just like a book club we don't watch the movie at our meetup, just discuss it. You don't have to watch the movie to join us, but it'll be more fun if you can.
2. I usually take a few notes while I watch to keep from forgetting the most interesting stuff. If you think of some interesting discussion topics while you watch, bring them with you!

Resources:

• Letterboxd Page
• Follow Jennifer on Letterboxd

Other films discussed
Coming to the Samurai Cinema group for the first time, but interested in movies previously watched and discussed? Here are the other films we have watched in this series: Yojimbo (1961), Sanjuro (1962), The Sword of Doom (1966), Kill! (1968), Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999), Lady Snowblood (1973), Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance (1972), Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx (1972), and Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart to Hades (1972).