This is the first episode of a new series called Make/Remake where we look at two films, an original and a remake and compare and contrast the films. It isn’t about anointing, which one is the superior film or deriding remakes as unoriginal. This series is about looking at two films that tell the same story and how the utilize the art of telling a story in both similar and different ways. This week Dakota Arsenault is joined by Stephanie Prior to talk about Seven Samurai and The Magnificent Seven.
Seven Samurai was released in 1954 and was directed by Akira Kurasawa (Rashomon, Akira Ran). The film was nominated for two Oscars (Best Art Direction/Set Decoration B&W and Best Costume Design B&W) and remains one of Japans most famous and influential films.
Only six years later did The Magnificent Seven come out, it was directed by John Sturges (The Great Escape, Gunfight at the O.K. Coral). The film only received one Oscar nomination for its iconic score even though it starred a who’s who of Hollywood including Steve McQueen, Yul Brenner, Charles Bronson, Robert Vaughn, Eli Wallach and more.
