Seven Samurai vs. Magnificent Seven

     In the Seven Samurai and the Magnificent Seven, there are a lot of similarities, but also a lot of differences. The Magnificent Seven was made after the Seven Samurai, and was even a sort of tribute to the Seven Samurai. For the first thing, and foremost, the most extreme difference that is noticeable, is that the Seven Samurai is in black-and-white, and it is placed in a small town in Japan, where the villagers are farmers. The Magnificent Seven is based in a small town in Mexico, and a small town in Texas, right across the border from each other.


     The biggest similarity is the plot of both films. There is a town/village of farmers that keep getting raided or pushed around by bullies, who want food. After so much time, then the villagers get extremely agitated with the bandits, so they decided to ask the highest respected person in the village. In Seven Samurai, they ask “Grandfather” what they should do, and it is decided that they should go into town, the main area, to find samurai....7 of them. Then, with the Mexican village, they ask the wise old man who lives near the village what they should do. He tells them they need to fight. But, that they need cowboys. Both of the men that are the ‘advisers’ give them their own monetary to try to buy the fighters that they need to help the village.


     The costumes that the 'seven' wear in each film, resemble each other, again, as most other things. However, you can see how the 'sevens'' costumes have slightly different fabrics, or colours, so that, to an outside person, they may seem normal, but when inside their respectable villages, they stand out.


     A crucial difference in these movies is that Akira Kurosawa, the director of the Seven Samurai, likes to focus on the people. Everyone of his shots is preplanned and thought out, with the influence of the other shots and the audience in mind. With Seven Samurai being in black-and-white, the emotions and shadows, what is being depicted in the film, stands out more. It is more noticeable, as well as held to a higher degree. The shots mainly focus on what is going on and what is helping move the film along in the plot, setting, and story. The Magnificent Seven has a lot of amateur shots that don’t really focus on the emotion and action of each scene. It is a bit agitating watching the film, comparing it to Seven Samurai, shot-wise, because, even though Magnificent Seven was shot in colour, there are specific spots where you can see that the director or cameraman wasn’t being as intimate with the movie and scene as Kurosawa always was. Some shots are also unfocused or unclear.


     If you pay close enough attention to the music playing, you will hear that there is one particular section of a song that is very similar, if not the same exact selection, that is played in each of the movies. It is not played at the same time; however, you will recognize it when you hear it. It is more of a traditional sounding song, but it is used to show that something big is about to happen. That a huge scene is coming up right next. In both of the films, horses are used. Which is pretty interesting because in Magnificent Seven, it is basically a ‘cowboy’ or old western movie so they have the saddles and all of the proper equipment that is used to ride a horse, whereas in Seven Samurai, they don’t really have much material or equipment to use to ride a horse. Even though both of the villages, the Japanese and the Mexican villages, are farming villages, they do not have much to eat.


     The camera shots that are in both of the films are on the completely opposite scale. The Magnificent Seven has a bunch of out of focus shots that really has not much to do with helping to move the film along. The Seven Samurai has a bunch of intimate, intense shots to put the shots and scenes to the front of the film and make sure that you remember them. To pull you into the film so that you are a part of it, and so that you can understand and realize the significance of the film. However, it is understandable in some senses, as Magnificent Seven is an offshoot of Seven Samurai.


     So, until next time--