Seven Samurai

            Seven Samurai is Kurosawa's and Japan's classic as well as being regarded as an all-time great beyond its nation's cinema. Part of appreciating Seven Samurai however as a film is not only admiring the quality performances, writing and directing but the hidden underlying message which it conveys and holds. Once analysed you then begin to realise that Seven Samurai is actually a well-thought and executed work of art truly and totally deserving its huge reputation.
             Kurosawa's classic conveys the hidden story of 1954 Japan, showing the battle within society between a failing and falling military which had lost power, and a rising set of civilians and peasants who were gaining power. Seven Samurai proposes the idea of traditional beliefs being replaced by modern beliefs something contemporary to 1954 Japan as a much needed change was required and put in place after a war against America which resulted in destruction, mass death and defeat produced a huge paradigm shift which saw Japan become a much more westernised country.  The farming village within Seven Samurai is used to act as a microcosm to Japan, making the important battle being about the interaction between the new arriving Samurai and the farmers; consequently this therefore makes the bandits nothing more than a plot device within the film. Throughout Seven Samurai we also see how accepting modern views and beliefs over traditional will lead to survival and better life, encouraging us to change and accept change rejecting the traditional Japanese proverb "the nail that stands up, must be hammered down".
             The most frequent message conveyed through Seven Samurai is the role of military and more so how there is no longer a place or use for a military in contemporary 1954 Japan. There are two main scenes to show this as well as two main characters. Firstly Kyuzo, the most skilled and trained samurai out of the seven, and for that reason alone he is chosen to represent the military.