Rhapsodies

Today’s film draw from the hat was one of my favorite Akira Kurosawa films Seven Samurai.

Based on the you’re only allowed to use your memory rule I was almost tempted to try to merge my vision of this with my vision of Magnificent Seven but that would have defeated the purpose of the exercise.

Anyway, the thing with Seven Samurai is like Citizen Kane in it is so wonderfully complete it’s difficult to find any scene that really says Seven Samurai (without copying the original poster) until I finally thought the best scene would be when the samurai arrive in the village to discover while they are desperately needed they are so, so, so not wanted. And it takes the clownish Kikuchiyo to spell this out to them.

Anyway I’m mostly pleased with this though in hindsight I would have done this as a vertical composition so that I would have had room to show the village and the terrified villagers. Also because faces were done from memory I don’t think I drew Katsushir? bishi enough. Finally before anyone points this out, I know there are only six samurai in this picture… Just pretend Gor?bei is standing in the back of the group.