Seven Samurai on blu-ray

Andrew · January 03, 2010, 04:07:33 PM

I just noticed this note over at Criterion. There will be a restored blu-ray of "Seven Samurai" in late 2010. Criterion is spending months doing a complete restoration of the movie. Yowza! Now I'm going to be eagerly awaiting that release for the rest of 2010...

http://www.criterion.com/current/posts/1330

"Seven Samurai" is one of my favorite films, and I mean I love it. The characters and story are amazing. If you've never seen it, I highly recommend checking it out - even if you do not like subtitles. "The Magnificent Seven" is a westernized version, and while it is very good, it doesn't hold a candle to the original in my mind.

SPazzo · January 03, 2010, 04:18:37 PM

:drooling-smiley:

Now I have another reason to want a Blu-ray player.

Rev. Powell · January 03, 2010, 08:56:24 PM

I love SEVEN SAMURAI too, and I'm proud of Andrew for risking his bad movie cred by admitting to liking this very non-awful movie.

It's interesting that Criterion is releasing a restored version so soon after putting out "AK 25," a box set with 25 Kurosawa films including SEVEN SAMURAI. People who bought that set might feel a bit ripped off to find a restored version of the most popular film following so closely on its heels.

Leah · January 03, 2010, 09:52:13 PM

# 15

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047478/

Mofo Rising · January 04, 2010, 02:41:41 AM

I've got the 3-disc DVD version released by Criterion. I too love this film.

I probably won't upgrade to Blu-ray, the upconversion of DVD is pretty good. I would like to own it though.

Andrew · January 04, 2010, 10:19:08 AM

Quote from: Rev. Powell on January 03, 2010, 08:56:24 PM
I love SEVEN SAMURAI too, and I'm proud of Andrew for risking his bad movie cred by admitting to liking this very non-awful movie.

It's interesting that Criterion is releasing a restored version so soon after putting out "AK 25," a box set with 25 Kurosawa films including SEVEN SAMURAI. People who bought that set might feel a bit ripped off to find a restored version of the most popular film following so closely on its heels.

Hey, I have a taste for the good films. What better way to understand the bad movies by knowing the good movies? My collection of bad movies is huge, but I also have an impressive collection of great movies.

Quote from: Mofo Rising on January 04, 2010, 02:41:41 AM
I've got the 3-disc DVD version released by Criterion. I too love this film.

I probably won't upgrade to Blu-ray, the upconversion of DVD is pretty good. I would like to own it though.

I have the older single-disc edition, and had been thinking about finally buying that 3-disc version. It's supposed to be a fantastic restoration. Since the blu-ray is coming, I will probably wait for it.

Flick James · January 06, 2010, 10:51:50 AM

I'm going to push the conversation a bit, but what Andrew says is true. Bad movie nuts sometimes forget that many of the turkeys we love were made by filmmakers who were being sincere, and also who knew what a good movie is supposed to look like, but they lacked any combination of the following: expertise/budget/talent/studio support. There are other factors, but those are the big ones that come to mind. Since the start of the "camp" movement in the 1970's, that is, the tongue-in-cheek appreciation of bad/inappropriate/exploitative pop culture, there have been many filmmakers who made movies bad on purpose. But we sometimes may forget that before that, the classic turkeys were almost always made with serious intent, and the filmmakers were trying to make "good" films.

You kind of have to know what a good film looks like before you know what a bad film looks like.

Rev. Powell · January 06, 2010, 12:35:50 PM

Quote from: jlb67 on January 06, 2010, 10:51:50 AM
I'm going to push the conversation a bit, but what Andrew says is true. Bad movie nuts sometimes forget that many of the turkeys we love were made by filmmakers who were being sincere, and also who knew what a good movie is supposed to look like, but they lacked any combination of the following: expertise/budget/talent/studio support. There are other factors, but those are the big ones that come to mind. Since the start of the "camp" movement in the 1970's, that is, the tongue-in-cheek appreciation of bad/inappropriate/exploitative pop culture, there have been many filmmakers who made movies bad on purpose. But we sometimes may forget that before that, the classic turkeys were almost always made with serious intent, and the filmmakers were trying to make "good" films.

You kind of have to know what a good film looks like before you know what a bad film looks like.

Yeah, I agree with Andrew too. I was kind of teasing him. And in the bad movie community (not necessarily here) you do occasionally run into "reverse snobs" who sneer at anything "arty" or "good." I like both kinds of movies as well, for different reasons, and I agree that it is necessary to know both types.

I also like some of the intentionally campy movies (DEAD-ALIVE, anyone?), although this is a much harder road to take and be successful at. For the most part it seems to me Troma makes "intentionally bad" movies that turn out to be actual bad movies, just not for the reasons they thought.

But back on topic: SEVEN SAMURAI would probably make my top 10 films of all time, and it does deserve all the special treatment it can get.

mahoney · January 06, 2010, 03:44:08 PM

I'm yet to see this, been meaning to for a good few years and never got around to it though I think it'll be best if I wait for this restoration to see it in all its glory.