Remaking Seven Samurai

[Dylflon]

So I was rooting around on IMDB and came across some pretty tragic news. They're fucking remaking Seven Samurai.

Seven Samurai is a legendary film and Kurosawa is a legendary filmmaker.

This a travesty.

[Dyne]

Damn, that is pretty bad news.

Let's hope they keep the animu to a minimum.

[Professor S]

Technically they already remade it (Magnificent Seven) as a Western, but this i something that I actually support. Why? The Seven Samurai is a masterpiece, but is only known to true film buffs. A remake might not be a great film, but it will at least increase public interest in the truly groundbreaking original.

[Dylflon]

Technically they already remade it (Magnificent Seven) as a Western, but this i something that I actually support. Why? The Seven Samurai is a masterpiece, but is only known to true film buffs. A remake might not be a great film, but it will at least increase public interest in the truly groundbreaking original.


Well you see, there are pretty good ADAPTATIONS of it like Magnificent Seven or the recently released anime Samurai 7 that takes place in the future. Aside from that, the story has been adapted in many other cultures, most notably India and Chine somewhat. There are probably about eight adaptations kicking around out there.

Adaptations I'm alright with because you're right, it gets people interested in the original story. But at least it's far away enough from the original story that it's not a slap in Kurosawa's corpse-face.

But to straight up REMAKE the original film as if it were lacking something and then having the nerve to put American and European actors in it...

See, I'm just concerned because it feels like nothing is sacred anymore.

[Professor S]

But to straight up REMAKE the original film as if it were lacking something and then having the nerve to put American and European actors in it...

See, I'm just concerned because it feels like nothing is sacred anymore.

I see it a little more positively. I look at it as more of an homage and an attempt to bring attention and give respect to the original, kind of like the Psycho remake that was nearly shot for shot the same as the original. Even if its bad, it still will only show how far superior the priginal is, and every reviewer will comment about that difference, giving even more attention to the original.

Then again they could put cast Martin Lawrence and have "Kung-Fu Fighting" playing in the background the whole time, so who knows, but I prefer to be optimistic :)

I can see where you're coming from, though, as it is in my top 5 films of all time (the restored Criterion version is AWESOME).

[Teuthida]

It seems you have nothing to worry about:

http://akirakurosawa.info/2008/03/18/john-fusco-on-the-seven-samurai-remake/

It now seems that the story will be set in the present, with the samurai world changed to “the milieu of an international private paramilitary company” such as Blackwater. Therefore, rather than being a direct remake, it now seems that what Fusco is writing is more of a liberal adaptation of the source material.