The Seven Samurai Director: Akira Kurosawa Japan, 1954, 160 min., 35mm Japanese with subtitles Screenings: Sunday, March 21, 12:00 pm The first cut is always the deepest in this classic Akira Kurosawa film about seven masterless samurai who agree to help a group of peasants defend their village from a marauding group of bandits. Times of toil and trouble in 16th Century Japan are painted with both epic magnificence and lyrical simplicity in this human story about honor, courage, friendship, love, loss and standing up for what is right. The final showdown between the samurai and the 40 bandits is a battlefield ballet of bravado and bravery. A timeless tale starring Toshiro Mifune, Takashi Shimura and Yoshio Inaba. This film was chosen for SDLFF 2004 by Guest Director, Arturo Ripstein.