Akira Kurosawa’s influential masterpiece in which seven warriors come to the aid of a village and its inhabitants who are being mercilessly attacked by bandits.

One of the greatest films of all time, Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai has influenced the work of directors from George Lucas to Steven Spielberg, and spawned remakes, most notably John Sturges’ acclaimed The Magnificent Seven. 

When 16th-century farmers whose village is repeatedly attacked by merciless bandits ask an elderly, masterless samurai (Takashi Shimura) for help, offering nothing but food in return, he hesitantly agrees and assembles a band of warriors to defend and train the villagers. Boasting terrific performances (with Shimura and Toshiro Mifune – as a peasant masquerading as a samurai – particularly memorable), superb camerawork, and expertly mounted battle sequences, Seven Samurai is undoubtedly one of the greatest action movies ever made.

Newly restored in 4K by Toho, the BFI is delighted to be able to rerelease this all-time classic on Blu-ray in a limited edition 2-disc set with a book, a set of four postcards and a double-sided poster.