Celebrating the 70th anniversary of Akira Kurosawa’s black-and-white epic seven samurai It will return to theaters in a new 4K restored version.
Arguably the crowning achievement of one of the world’s most acclaimed filmmakers, the film depicts a small 16th-century village threatened by bandits. To protect themselves from invaders, peasants sought out ronin—ownerless mercenary warriors—who could fight off the marauders and keep their villages safe.
Shinobu Hashimoto, one of the film’s co-writers, discovered the process of putting it all together seven samurai He was so exhausted that he was admitted to the hospital. “I thought I would never write anything that good again,” he said. “On the other hand, I figured since writing was so difficult and I survived it, I could write anything.”
It was also an extremely expensive film, especially for the 1950s, with a budget estimated at between $150,000 and $200,000, well above the $70,000 average for Japanese films of the era. During the course of filming, Kurosawa realized that he had only used up one-third of the funds for the shoot and had to stop production. The entire filming lasted nearly a year.
still, seven samurai It proved worthwhile, becoming a box office success in Japan and, 70 years after its release, now considered one of the greatest films of all time.
The 4K restoration debuted at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year. In New York, the film will screen at the Film Forum on July 5; in Los Angeles, the premiere will be at the Egyptian Theater on July 7, followed by its premiere at the Theater Royal Laemmle on July 12.
