In the aftermath of World War II, the movies of Akira Kurosawa were amongst the first to present Japanese history and customs to the world. Kurosawa's 1954 movie The Seven Samurai is about a small village under siege by bandits. So they employ a motley crew of travelling warriors to protect them.
This is the movie that launched the Samurai into popular culture. It redefined action movies of the day with it's expansive battle shots, slow motion sequences and powerful symbolic elements. And the plot cast a huge influence on modern western cinema - inspiring a variety of movies, ranging from The Magnificent Seven (1960) to A Bug's Life (1998).
Extras: Surprisingly few on the actual disc but there is an excellent booklet-essay by David Stratton.
