Seven Samurai

“All farmers ever do is worry, whether the rain falls, sun shines, or the wind blows. In short, all they know is fear.” This film is a ruthless critique of dignity, pride, perceptions of good and evil, and social/cultural status (which is in service of class status) in general… how imposed cultural standards keep the rich rich and happy and the poor poor and unhappy The artificiality of class disparities and antagonisms between divisions of the proletariat that do labor in service of the ruling class Hard economic times, times where our necks matter more than the whiskers on our chins, remove the mystical distinctions that separate and bring internal antagonisms to the working class (imposed honor, valor, wiseness, athletic training in service of feudal lords) imposed by the ruling class Samurai are belittled if they temporarily become a less dignified type of laborer, the quality of their being a samurai (serving the rich) is dependent on the need for samurai, not their actual skill There’s a much larger world than the sliver of goodness that supports these farmers, and yet that small scale is all they needed, imagine what could be done if the merchants and other samurai glossed over (hey Tatsuya Nakadai) joined the fight The bandits are gracious by comparison to their position, in a similar situation of coming together for the sake of mutual survival, and, albeit upon surrender, spare defenseless lives Bandits and an analysis/context of why they exist aren’t forgotten in this narrative, in fact it’s one of the most resonant pay-offs in a film full of satisfying individual and collective resolutions So why are they fighting a people also struggling to live? The bandits in the beginning reveal this, the workers are the source of the means of production, instead of raiding the exploiters, they raid the exploited There is no class mobility in becoming a samurai, the values of the samurai should not be contained only to their class and the class they are paid to serve, the implicit value of these elites training the poor to become the heightened image of a ‘samurai’ is to embolden their potential (with their strategic training, skill, composure) to eventually protect and serve the proletariat when the samurai recognize their own position in exploitation Shimura’s character recognizes that his strength lies in applying his moral code to the working class, but he and others who follow this stipulation are considered second-rate samurai because of this (even some that join them on their journey initially hold classist reservations) Valor doesn’t lie in serving those with your bourgeois values, it lies in serving those without the material capacity to uphold these values It’s not about rigidity it’s about the ability to do what is necessary now for you and your metaphorical neighbor to survive and continue the ongoing Mifune is ruthlessly hilarious and at the same time one of the most dynamic characters regarding what he learns, experiences and becomes… off the wall energy where even at his “this baby is me,” he’s wholly sincere and animated Bourgeois samurai class fears of the farmer (the murderer, rapist, stupid farmer) are the representation of many things… primarily: projections of things they themselves believe they are guilty of + a historical misunderstanding, not recognizing that samurai are conscripted by lords to be the ‘bandits’ they are now fighting off, misplacing the death of samurai on the farmers they are sicced upon Even then, the farmers are detached from the class struggle as well, literally breaking formation to mourn the loss of “rickety shacks”  Heartwarming ass love story that feels well-ingrained into the plot as a whole Engaging sound, editing, and camerawork with a thoughtful disposition for the purposes of stillness and movement, sustaining and relieving suspense, which lenses (DoF) and character framing styles are utilized when, particularly the employment of blocking I struggle to connect symbols, I recognize them and can experience them but can’t rly analyze them or make connections with them, but each visual symbol (flowers, rain/water, flag, rice) is employed in such a gorgeous way It’s Seven Samurai, you numbskull, watch it, idc if you don’t have the time to watch it, make the time to watch it, especially now RE:Palestine… unity necessitates sacrifice which necessitates memory… beautiful film