Kurosawa Wept

[Maitre]

Harvey and Rob Weinstein, big time Hollywood producers, acquired the rights to Akira Kurosawa's "The Seven Samurai" (in 2002) and are hiring a Chinese actress (huh?) to star in it, or so the story goes. The rumor that Quentin Tarantino will be involved fills me with trepidation, even though I usually enjoy his films. While The Magnificent Seven was a creditable retelling of the Seven Samurai story in Western "oater" format, it was not as rich as the original. Will they recast Seven Samurai in contemporary times, or to re-do the Ronin/Samurai/Shogun-era Japan of Kurosawa's masterpiece? I hope it is the latter, and that Kill Bill styles are left where they belong: in some other film.

"Like Kurosawa I make mad films/ 'kay I don't make films/ but if I did they'd have a samurai."
- Barenaked Ladies, "One Week"

"The Magnificent Seven" was not a simple remake, it was more of an adaptation, oh, and it can't hurt when you put Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Eli Wallach and James Coburn on the same roster. The best remakes are pieces that stand on their own as a contribution to film. Unlike "The Grudge," or "The Fog," both of which (I think) were remade by western casts based on eastern originals, "The Magnificent Seven" added a dimension to the film that was particularly relevant to the western audience (a western setting). I wouldn't mind seeing a new adaptation, but for goodness sakes give it something to stand out. When Spielberg tried to do Pinochio in 25XX, it failed (at least for me) because I wasn't interested in the angle he added: I've seen to many poorly expressed views of "the future" to swallow one more. Oh, and the only thing less appropriate than the ending of that movie was King telling the reader what the inside of..., oh, well, better not give that one away, in case anyone is still reading.