Seven Samurai Analysis

The scene in “Seven Samurai” in which Rikichi, Heihachi, Kyuzo and Kikuchiyo raid the bandits’ fort is significant for a number of reasons. For instance, this is the first time the audience sees the bandits attack, so this scene establishes their capabilities. The audience sees what moral decisions they’re capable of making in discovering that they kidnapped Rikichi’s wife, and also what their capable of in battle, since we first see them using guns. This is also the first large-scale fight scene, so it begins to increase the energy of the film for later battle scenes. The use of drums sounds in the beginning, along with the characters’ whispering also emphasizes the tension as they first approach the bandits. This scene also helps to give the audience a better understanding of the peasants’ relationship with the bandits’ and the cruelty they have had to endure.

Shot 1: We are shown a medium shot of Rikichi, Heihachi, Kyuzo, and Kikuchiyo looking into the fort through a crack in the wall. Their bodies take up a majority of the frame. The only sounds are the river behind them, and non-diegetic drums that one might hear at the beginning of a battle. The camera pans to the left with Kikuchiyo as he walks several feet away to investigate their surroundings for a moment, and then follows him back as he returns to the others. From behind Kikuchiyo, who has his back to the camera, we see the river behind them and another building on the other side of the river. When the camera pans back, the other characters reenter the frame at the same time. Kikuchiyo and Rikichi face each other, and we see them from the side, while Heihachi stands on the other side of them facing the camera, and Kyuzo stands behind Rikichi facing the left side of the screen. Whispering, they agree to set the fort on fire, and Kikuchiyo jumps with excitement while laughing quietly. Rikichi turns towards the camera and runs out the right side of the frame.

Shot 2: Extremely brief close-up of Kikuchiyo looking through a crack in the wall again. His expression is alert and enthusiastic.

Shot 3: Medium shot of people sleeping inside the fort. The left side of the frame is taken up by legs hanging off of a bed, and the right side includes a rope hanging in the foreground, and two people lying in the background behind it.

Shot 4: Same as shot two. Kikuchiyo steps away from the wall and the camera follows him. He struggles and uses his teeth to remove the cloth tied around his wrist, and ties it around his head.

Shot 5: A different medium shot of people lying inside the fort. A jug sits on the left side of the screen, and two people are lying on the ground behind it, though only their bare legs are distinguishable.

Shot 6: Same as shots 2 and 4. Kikuchiyo finishes tying his cloth and then looks up.

Shot 7: Another medium shot of people lying near the edge of an elevated loft. It is angled upwards as if to mimic Kikuchiyo’s perspective. We can see the faces of two people and the legs of a third.

Shot 8: Same as shots 2, 4 and 6. Kikuchiyo kneels down looking up, and once the camera follows him down, Heihachi’s face is in the forground, still looking through the wall.

Shot 9: Similar to shot 7 but with a different loft, and we can see various limbs of five or six people.

Shot 10: back to shot 8. Kikuchiyo smiles, laughs, and taps Heihachi’s shoulder, who then sushes him, and the both return to looking through the wall.

Shot 11: Through a thin, transparent curtain, a woman slowly sits up on the right side of the frame, facing the left. On the left side of the frame, a fire is burning in a small dish that is sitting on a few sticks. She emotionless stares and does not move for several seconds. As she sits up, the non-diegetic sound of a piercing flute is heard, which adds to the warlike quality of the drums.

Shot 12: shot 10 again, only slightly further back so Kyuzo’s face can be seen as well. The three of them are positioned diagonally, so all three of their face can be seen looking through the wall.

Shot 13: Close-up of the same woman still staring to the left with her head tilted downward. After several seconds, her eyes begin to move to the side, and then she turns to her left, towards the camera. She is still looking to the left side of the frame, then suddenly jerks backwards looking very startled. Because she is facing to the left, and the other characters are looking to the right, it feels as if they are looking directly at each other.

Shot 14: Shot 10 again. All three characters quickly turn away from the camera.

Shot 15: A medium shot of a pile of various armor pieces and weapons. Smoke is rising from behind them, and then they catch fire.

Shot 16: Shot 14 again. All three characters turn back to the crack in the wall.

Shot 17: Shot 15 again. The woman looks afraid, and quickly turns away from the camera. She then stops, turns back to face the left side of the frame, then tilts her face downward again with a menacing expression. She then turns back to the right and looks up.

Shot 18: Shot 16 again. Kyuzo has his hand on his sword which is on his back. He lowers it, and the three characters all exchange glances.

Shot 19: A long shot of Rikichi running from the left side of the frame towards the right as the camera pans with him. The entire roof of the fort is now on fire. He runs from the cave next to the fort to the other characters. All four of them quickly back away from the wall and draw their swords. They form a circle around the door to the fort. The crackling of the fire can be heard. Three franticly screaming women run out of the fort, and the samurai gesture for them to run past them. As their screams grow louder, the drums grow quieter, and eventually faded out completely. The women slide down an incline and continue running towards the camera. Two men run out of the fort and all four primary characters swing at them at the same time.

Shot 20: Extremely brief medium shot of the characters swinging their swords at the bandits as the run from right to left. A number of people can now be heard screaming.

Shot 21: Essentially the same as shot 20, only now the camera is further away. Another person runs out of the fort.

Shot 22: A very long shot from the other side of the river. We can again see that the entire roof of the fort is on fire, and it is producing a great deal of smoke. People are running into the river.

Shot 23: Another brief medium shot of the same thing, only the frame is partly obscured by a horse in the foreground. We hear it neigh.

Shot 24: A brief long-distance shot of mostly smoke, and a single tree on the right side of the frame.

Shot 25: The same as the end of shot 19. The characters swing at several more men running out of the fort, then begin to chase them as they run away.

Shot 26: The same as shot 21. The characters chase the bandits as they run away from the fort off-screen to the left. Kyuzo briefly hesitates, still watching the door of the fort, then also runs to the left.

Shot 27: Long distance shot of the river angled down from about. Kikuchiyo and Heihachi follow two bandits into the water, which is only about a foot deep. They run to the left, out of the river and towards the camera, and turn away from the camera to crouch behind a low boulder. All four characters gather here and duck behind the boulder while watching people running in the water. Kikuchiyo laughs loudly and swings his sword in the air. He gleefully shouts “serves you right” to the bandits. In the background on the other side of the river, two more buildings can be seen completely on fire.

Shot 28: Medium shot from behind Kikuchiyo and Heihachi. Kikuchiyo can still be heard laughing.

Shot 29: Medium shot of Rikichi from behind standing between Heihachi on his right, and Kyuzo on his left. He turns towards the fort, then suddenly stands with a startled expression.

Shot 30: Full-body shot of the same woman who first noticed the fire slowly exiting the fort. As she appears, the same flute from before can be heard. She stops several feet in front of the door.

Shot 31: Full-body shot from behind of Rikichi running off screen to the left while the other characters watch him, still crouching behind the boulder.

Shot 31: Long-distance shot of Rikichi running to the woman and stopping several feet away. He looks at her while she looks off to the left

Shot 32: Same as shot 31. Kikuchiyo is shouting unintelligibly.

Shot 33: Shot 31 again. Rikichi and the woman stand several feet apart and stare at each other for a moment. The fort can be seen burning behind her.

Shot 34: Medium shot of the woman. She looks very upset, then quickly turns around and runs back towards the fort.