06-07-2006, 05:06 PM
(This post was last modified: 06-07-2006, 05:09 PM by LemmingofGlory.)
Quote: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.
Zhang Ziyi, with her magnetic screen presence, beauty, and grace looks to be involved in a non-animated telling of Hua Mulan. For my money, Ang Lee (of CTHD) should direct and it should be shot in China, as CTHD was.
There are many movies that I think could be made absurdly awesome were Tarantino to re-make and direct, but "The Seven Samurai" is not one of them. Neither have I been particularly impressed when his name has been attached as a producer ("Hero"). He did excellent work with a strong antiheroine ("The Bride"), but since the power of "The Seven Samurai" is in its grounding as a period piece, casting a Chinese actress to star makes me fear they're going for something very different here. The first possibility that comes to mind is "updating the film for modern audiences" by casting female samurai (historical accuracy be damned?), which is appropriate for (as you suggest) "Mulan". A second possibility is that the Chinese actress might be cast as the farmer's daughter (Katsushiro's flame), which would mean that minor subplot could turn into a grand romance in high-falootin' Hollywood style (gag).
I think I like Ang Lee as a suggestion for directing a "The Seven Samurai" remake, because I think he could do it. I'm not familiar with him shooting period pieces, but he is exceedingly accomplished at directing movies drenched in emotion and sucking all hope and joy from them ("The Ice Storm", "Brokeback Mountain"). In a period epic like "The Seven Samurai," individual characters' emotions aren't so much the driving force of the film, so he can suck all he wants. On the other hand, he's extremely skilled at getting beautiful panoramic shots, and upon seeing the movie people would start snapping up land wherever he shot it.
Even so, I'm not so sure I want a remake. I think Kurosawa's film stands up today as a great film, and I'm always amazed at how a fillm shot in 1954 convinces me I'm looking at a 16th century Japanese village. I've shown it to friends and family, and I haven't yet shown it to someone who hasn't liked it. What would a remake do for the film? I'd rather see the original film re-released in theaters, thereby introducing it to the American public at large.
-Lemmy