Seven Samurai

Ah, it kills me to say anything nice about the Japanese, especially their ethics. No really, my ancestors would literally want to strike me dead for thinking it. But I can't help loving Seven Samurai! I have an old weakness for honor, true heroism, ideals worth dying for. If I were in Plato's Republic I would have been in the auxiliary class instead of the philosopher class, because even though my forte is more in book-learning, and definitely NOT in sports, my soul would be better fed with the latter.

The anguish and helplessness of the villagers is so vivid and thick, within the first few words of the movie (land-tax! forced labor! war! drought! and now the bandits!), that you could cut it with a knife. The scene where Yohei tries to pick up the grains of rice off the floor one by one, because that's the only thing they have to pay the samurai is...simply eloquent.

"We are preparing for a war. There is no reward and no honor to be gained. Interested?"
"Yes."

"Again we are defeated. The farmers won, not us."

"What do you think of farmers? You think they're saints? Hah! They're foxy beasts! They say, "We've got no rice, we've no wheat. We've got nothing!" But they have! They have everything! Dig under the floors! Or search the barns! You'll find plenty! Beans, salt, rice, sake! Look in the valleys, they've got hidden warehouses! They pose as saints but are full of lies! If they smell a battle, they hunt the defeated! They're nothing but stingy, greedy, blubbering, foxy, and mean! God damn it all! But then who made them such beasts? You did! You samurai did it! You burn their villages! Destroy their farms! Steal their food! Force them to labour! Take their women! And kill them if they resist! So what should farmers do?"

What wonderful depth and complexity. In all aspects, the best and worst of human nature. Seven Samurai may not be as post-modern and cool as Rashomon, but there's no doubt I prefer it.

One last note about feudalism: apparently it's a synonym for anarchy