Seven Samurai is a film by Akira Kurosawa is hailed as one of the greatest films of all time. The basic story line is centered on the historically chronicled rift that existed between the Samurai and the farmers in post-industrialist Japan eventually caused the extinction of the Samurai. The story does not dwell on the extinction of the Samurai, however, but instead focuses on the uneasy relationship that existed between these two different social classes in Japan.It focuses on the challenges that a group of Samurai encounter as they try to help a small farming village against the bandits.
At the onset, it may seem that it is such a simple tale but a basic knowledge of Japan’s history will reveal a lot more. Traditionally, farmers were considered to be one of the lowest classes in Japan while the Samurai were regarded as on
...e of the highest social classes. This uneasy alliance between “hungry” Samurai warriors and the farmers bridges the past social gap that existed between these two parties.This is clearly shown in the scene where Kikuchiyo scolds his companions for reacting angrily at the scared peasants, explaining that the farmers were only scared because the Samurai have long been oppressing these farmers.
There are other various political, cultural and socio-economic themes that abound within this wonderful film yet after watching the film one cannot help but feel that there was not enough time devoted to explore the depths of such themes.While the focus is centered on the relationship between the different social classes and the difficulties that they encounter together, it does not show the full extent of the resentment that the farmers
had for the samurai which eventually led to the downfall of the samurai during the industrialist stage of Japan. Despite the lack of this development, however, one cannot deny that this is truly a masterpiece that has deserved its title thusly.
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