Another New US Trailer for ‘Seven Samurai’ 4K Restoration Re-Release
by Alex Billington
June 6, 2024
Source: YouTube
“By protecting others you save yourself.” Janus Films in the US has revealed their own trailer for the 4K re-release of Seven Samurai honoring the 70th Anniversary of this iconic B&W action classic from Japan. Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai first opened in Japan in 1954 and also played at the 1954 Venice Film Festival. To celebrate this year’s 70th anniversary, the 2024 Cannes Film Festival just hosted a screening of this fresh 4K restoration (here’s the French trailer from last week). Seven Samurai is “one of the most renowned films in the history of Japanese cinema. We decided to restore this film in 4K using the latest technology at TOHO Archives Co., Ltd. [for the] 70th anniversary of its initial theatrical release in Japan.” The tranquility of a small Japanese village is disturbed by repeated attacks by a band of looters. Seven masterless samurai agree to defend the helpless peasants in this seminal classic. With Toshirô Mifune, Takashi Shimura, and Keiko Tsushima. The film is already available on Criterion Blu-ray and will also be getting a proper theatrical re-release in US cinemas – starting in July in NY and LA. Don’t miss this classic on the big screen.
Here’s the official US trailer (+ poster) for the 4K re-release of Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai, on YouTube:
You can rewatch the other French trailer for Seven Samurai’s 4K re-release right here for yet another look.
Criterion intro: “One of the most thrilling movie epics of all time, Seven Samurai (Shichinin no samurai) tells the story of a sixteenth-century village whose desperate inhabitants hire the eponymous warriors to protect them from invading bandits. This three-hour ride from Akira Kurosawa—featuring legendary actors Toshiro Mifune and Takashi Shimura—seamlessly weaves philosophy and entertainment, delicate human emotions and relentless action, into a rich, evocative, and unforgettable tale of courage and hope.” Seven Samurai, originally known as 七人の侍 in Japanese, is directed by the legendary Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa – his 15th film at the time, just after Ikiru (1952) and before making I Live in Fear (1955). The screenplay is written by Akira Kurosawa, Shinobu Hashimoto, Hideo Oguni. The film originally premiered in 1954 in Japan, playing at the 1954 Venice Film Festival that same year. It didn’t open in the US until 1956 with 50 minutes of the film cut. Janus Films will re-release Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai in 4K in limited US theaters (more info here) starting July 5th, 2024 this summer movie season. Will you see this in theaters?
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