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anotherfrenchwarrior · 9 years

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Movie of the Day: The Magnificent Seven/Seven Samurai

Or in french: Les Sept Mercenaires and Les Sept Samouraïs (七人の侍, Shichinin no samurai). Yes we can see that they're indeed related in french just by the titles...

Like I said some days ago, this is the double-post I wanted to write, about 2 movies, different but still related.

Those movies aren't the same than all the ones I presented previously: they're movies of action. They're part of our culture and that's why we should watch them, but they're mostly for our enjoyment, not to learn something about our societies (even if they still contains some lessons to learn). There is nothing wrong with this sort of films if the production is good. I like them too and they have their place in "movie of the day" too.

The first one I'm going to present, The Magnificent Seven, was made in 1960, by american people and it's a typical "Western Movie" I believe, maybe I'm wrong, that it was quite famous in his time (and numerous years later). But now, with our young generation, people tend to forget about it. That's sad and that's why I'm talking about it today.

Oh I'm looking at the Wikipedia page to be sure not to forget anything, and here is an important part of the article: " In 2013, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". "

I guess my choice was good.^^

So, what's the plot? It's a typical Western movie where a cow-boy has to save people...in a Mexican Village...yeah I said it was "typical".

Those poor people are indeed threatened by bandits and they don't want to pay their oppressors anymore. But they don't know how to fight and they don't have weapons, so they want to find help. Some of them are thus sent, with the little money they had, to recruit cow-boys to fight those bandits.

They meet Chris Adams (Yul Brynner), a gunman, and they're more than lucky because the guy knows how to fight and, even if at first he doesn't want, will create a team in exchange of a very poor pay.

He's alone at first. But soon, he meets his first partner, the drifter Vin Tanner (Steve McQueen).

Together, they seek for more people and, quickly form a team of seven gunmen. Mhmm the wikipedia page is perfect about that so here a little part of the article with added pictures:

Source:[X]

- The other men include hotheaded, inexperienced Chico (Horst Buchholz);

(who's so annoying...and who will live the typical love story of that sort of movie)

- Chris's friend Harry Luck (Brad Dexter) who believes Chris is seeking treasure;

- Bernardo O'Reilly (Charles Bronson), a gunfighter of Irish-Mexican heritage who has fallen on hard times;

- a cowboy, Britt (James Coburn), who joins for the challenge involved...

(he's my favorite ^^);

- an on-the-run gunman Lee (Robert Vaughn) in the midst of a crisis of confidence.

The group recognizes they will be outnumbered; but they hope that, when Calvera realizes that the village has brought them aboard, he will move on to a different village. "

Once in the place, they try to teach to the mexican people how to fight.

And I'm realizing that I have to stop or I will tell you the end!^^

What attracted me in this story was the first part: the recruitment of the team. This is always the most interesting part in a movie: learning who are the main characters, their capacities, their characters and behaviors. We have here 7 men, very different from each-others and regrouping them all together is indeed something we want to see. For the rest of the movie, well you know Western Movies, so you already know the end...

A lot of remakes were made in tv shows, books and comics and that's also why this movie is important for our culture. What is weirder is that sequels were also made...but weren't as famous as the first one. In fact I didn't know and didn't see them (sorry ^^').

To finish...a little Britt gif again! believe me: you need it. (look at him

(Sources:[X];[X];[X];[X])

The second movie I wanted to present was created earlier. The Magnificent Seven was in fact a remake of a movie made in 1954 by a japanese production. So why presenting this movie after presenting the American one?

Because like a lot of people in our occidental culture (I'm french), I watched the Western movie before this one. I actually really liked the idea behind TMS, and when I knew a japanese movie has been created... I was overjoyed. That's something maybe American people don't know about us in France, but we're talking about a "Japanization" of our country (and of Europe in fact). It simply means that we're learning more and more about their society and that they're influencing us. The popularity of mangas in France is certainly the source of our fascination. But their costums, their food, their culture are also spreading through our country. We have a big event in France called "Japan Expo" (taking place in Paris each year) and yes, I went twice even if I'm living in the other side of the country.

I also went to Japan once (yeah I'm lucky, but I have a friend living there now). It's a big dream for a lot of us and some of our most famous youtubers travelled there too and made videos about it. That's why we tend to be more excited by japanese movies. And if you can read french you're lucky because the wikipedia page about Les Sept Samouraïs (七人の侍, Shichinin no samurai) was rewarded by the little star (for article of quality, basically it means it's the best version in wikipedia). I also wanted to add that I tend, naturally to prefer original versions of a story, like it was already the case for Antarctica (another japanese movie I presented earlier here).

Last but not least: if this film is not very famous for us (because our occidental culture or/and because our generation), it is very very famous in Japan.

(Sources:[X];[X];[X])

So, what about this movie? Well first, here the poster:

Contrary to the poster, the movie is in black and white. I like movies in black and white...so it mays not be the only one you will see in #movie of the day.

The plot is practically the same: some villagers want help to fight some bandits because they don't know how to fight. They meet a wise man who's ready to help them and he has the idea to create a team of seven samurai.

Like for the precedent film, I'm using the wikipedia page for the cast (so simple):

Source:[X]

Takashi Shimura : Kanbei Shimada (島田勘兵衛, Shimada Kanbei), le sensei (chef des samouraïs), ou tateyaku

(I preferred this leader to the american version because he's a true sensei: a very wise man and he has this look, the look of a true leader)

Toshirō Mifune : Kikuchiyo (菊千代), le « faux » rōnin

(when I first saw him, I thought "oh the little shit, no way he's going to be in the team"...well, when I saw him the second time I thought "of f*ck, this little shit is my fave")

Yoshio Inaba : Gorobei Katayama (片山五郎兵衛, Hatayama Gorobei)

Seiji Miyaguchi : Kyuzō (久蔵)

(Britt was his equivalent in the american version)

Minoru Chiaki : Heihachi Hayashida (林田平八, Hayashida Heihachi)

(Bernardo was sort of his equivalent)

Daisuke Katō : Shichiroji (七郎次)

(smart guy...smart guy...)

Isao Kimura : Katsushiro Okamoto (岡本勝四郎, Okamoto Katsushiro), le nimaime

(always annoying, yes Chico was his equivalent and the young one is again living the only love story of the movie)

For the characters, something that I find important was changed between the 2 versions: Kikuchiyo's background was given to Chico (the not-a-warrior part) while Katsushiro Okamoto was the one at the origin of Chico's character. Part of Kikuchiyo's story was also given to Bernardo O'Reilly (the way he's included in the village). It was quite a pity because Kikuchiyo is just the best character and it was also thanks to him that the movie was such a success so cutting part of his character in the american version was...not the best of choice:

Another big difference: Seven Samurai is way more longer than his american counterpart: it lasts 3 hours and is divided into 2 parts: the recruitment and the fight against the bandits. I was quite happy about it because the first part is what I like most. But we can see the difference in the second part: in the american version, they're taking way less time to teach to the villagers how to fight. In the japanese one, they're planning things, trying to find how to defend the village the best they can.

And of course, the biggest advantage to the original film for us in occident is that we're learning more about Japan. It was incredibly interesting to watch them live (the villagers) and fight. There is always this notion of respect which in so much more important in Japan (if the sensei is talking, you listen to him!). The notion of tradition too...

I'm stopping here, because I'm tired, but I highly recommend those movies, especially for those who love action.

So choose your team, or maybe better, watch both!

(Sources:[X];[X];[X];[X];[X])

This was the 2 movies in 1 post I promised and this is the last time I'm doing it ^^ Sorry I didn't tell too much, but like always, I don't want to spoil people by presenting movies, I only want to inform them they exist.

#movie of the day #movies #seven samurai #the magnificent seven #motd

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