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About This Quiz
This film by Akira Kurosawa electrified audiences and inspires filmmakers to this day. And, of course, it was the basis for "The Magnificent Seven." Test your knowledge of this classic with our quiz!
What year was "Seven Samurai" released?
1951
1953
1954
The film had been several years in the making.
1955
In what century do the events of "Seven Samurai" occur?
the 15th
the 16th
The year is 1586, as indicated by the family register Kikuchiyo carries around.
the 17th
the 18th
How many samurai survive the whole film?
zero
one
three
We thought we'd get this question out of the way before specific questions about causes of death provide spoilers!
all of them
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What three crops are mentioned in the film?
rice, barley and corn
rice, barley and millet
Rice is the most valued, followed by barley and then millet.
rice, barley and wheat
rice, wheat and corn
Why do the raiders spare the village in the film's opening?
the barley isn't ripe yet
A farmer overhears their plans to raid and takes the news back to the village.
they are down several members because of injuries
their horses are already loaded with food from another raid
they fear a counterattack by the farmers
What kind of samurai does the village elder suggest they find?
aging samurai
hungry samurai
"Even bears come down from the mountains when they're hungry," he says.
fugutive samurai
young inexperienced samurai
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When the farmers first see Kambei, what is he doing?
eating supper
getting his head shaved
Kambei is preparing to pass for a monk.
drinking sake
practicing swordplay
Which character(s) follow Kambei after he saves the little boy?
Kikuchiyo
Katsushiro
both Kikuchiyo and Katsushiro
Kikuchiyo, Katsushiro and the farmers
We don't known Kikychiyo by name yet -- or ever, technically.
What does Kikuchiyo want with Kambei when he follows him?
to be his apprentice
to duel with him
a loan of money
we have no idea
It's Katsushiro who wants to be the apprentice, and of course the farmers want to hire Kambei.
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What does Kambei want Katsushiro to do when a new samurai enters the hut?
greet him very respectfully
serve him tea
hit him with a stick
It seems rude, but no true samurai would allow the stick to make contact.
nothing
Why is Shichiroji chosen?
he defeats Kambei in a fight
he's an old friend of Kambei's, and they fought together
Shichiroji helps Kambei judge the potential of other samurai.
he's willing to fight for food
he is Katsushiro's older brother
Who is the group's archer?
Kambei
Shichiroji
Gorobei
Kambei uses a bow and arrow later, but it's Gorobei who's the Katniss Everdeen of the group.
Heihachi
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Who finds and recruits Heihachi?
Gorobei
Having only just signed on, Gorobei wastes no time in finding another samurai.
Kambei
Katsushiro
Shichiroji
What is Heihachi doing when Gorobei finds him?
also having his hair cut
chopping wood
The cheerful Heihachi calls himself a samurai "of the Wood-Chop School."
dueling
practicing his swordsmanship
Why does Gyuzo kill another samurai in town?
the man stole from him
the man insulted him
the man insisted on dueling
The two first fought with wooden sticks, but the man refused to accept the result of that bout and escalated things.
it was a training accident
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Since Heihachi is a lesser-skilled samurai, why does Gorobei think he'd be an asset?
he has a cheerful nature
The actor who played him, Minoru Chiaki, had a very amiable face.
he might serve as "cannon fodder"
he has a horse, which will come in useful
they can't afford to be choosy at this stage
Why does Manzo want his daughter Shino to cut off her hair?
so she'll be less attractive to the raiders
so she'll be less attractive to the samurai
Manzo chases her around the village when she's resistant to his suggestion.
so she can pose as a boy and fight the raiders
so she'll stop messing with it when she's working in the fields
Who saves the day when the farmers' rice is stolen?
Kambei, who calms everyone down about it
Katsushiro, who gives the farmers money to replace it
Katsushiro is from a samurai family who apparently have attained position and money.
Kikuchiyo, by clowning around so everyone forgets about it
Manzo, who rushes back to the village for more
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Why do the others laugh at the rogue samurai's claim to be "Kikuchiyo"?
they know this particular "Kikuchiyo" personally
Kikuchiyo is only 13 years old
"Kikuchiyo" is a girl's name
both #2 and #3
Japanese audiences would have known that "Kikuchiyo" is a two-part girl's name, like "Mary Jane." The "13 years old" point is made explicit in the dialogue.
Why does Kikuchiyo ring the town's alarm bell?
to get the villagers out of their huts
He demands and gets respect from the villagers, and for this reason, Kambei accepts him as the seventh.
he thinks he sees raiders
he's just clowning around
he wants his dinner
Why is Katsushiro outraged when he thinks Shino is a boy?
Shino is wearing feminine clothing
Shino is carrying a sword only allowed samurai
Shino is picking flowers in a time of war
Katsushiro soon learns different when he gets into a wrestling match with the "boy."
Shino is holding hands with a boy
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Who comes out of a hut, holding an axe high, to kill the captured scout?
the village elder
the old granny
Kambei doesn't want the raiders' scout killed, but he doesn't get his way on this one.
Rikichi
Yohei
What does Kikuchiyo's anti-samurai rant reveal about him?
that he is more educated than they've supposed
that his father committed suicide
that he is a traitor to the group
that he was born a farmer
Class mobility was virtually nil in this time, so if you were born to farmers, you were a farmer, period.
Who makes a banner for the village to fight under?
Katsushiro
Shino
Heihachi
Kikuchiyo is represented by a triangle, whereas the "real" samurai are all circles.
Kikuchiyo
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What terrible secret is Rikichi hiding?
he killed an unarmed samurai
he sold the rice that was supposedly "stolen" in town
his wife was carried off by the bandits
We learn the truth in the raid on the fort, where his wife lives as a sex slave.
he is illiterate
Which of the samurai do not go on the raid on the fort?
Kikuchiyo
Heihachi
Katsushiro
Rikishi makes four -- which causes the ill-fated reunion with his wife.
Kyuzo
Who dies in the attack on the fort?
Gyuzo
Heihachi
The actor who played him was actually the last of the seven to die in real life.
Kikuchiyo
both #2 and #3
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What does Gyuzo do that wins Katsushiro's breathless admiration?
risks his life to save a baby
steals a musket (aka a rifle) from the bandits
Yes, they had primitive guns in the 16th century -- but Katsushiro might have invented the man crush.
wins a one-on-one fight with the bandit leader
writes the perfect haiku
What (indirectly) causes does Gorobei's death?
the villagers are poorly-trained with weapons
Manzo doesn't trust the samurai
Kikuchiyo goes off on his own glory-seeking mission
Kikuchiyo has mettle, but his lack of discipline costs Gorobei his life.
he'd been feuding with Shichiroji
How does Gyuzo die?
a one-on-one swordfight with a bandit
trampled by a horse in the mud
friendly fire from one of Kambei's arrows
shot from cover by the raiders' leader
Katsushiro is understandably broken up about this.
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How does Kikuchiyo die?
the same way as Gyuzo
He succeeds in killing the raiders' leader first, though.
he drowns in a water tank flooded with rain
he commits suicide in shame over Gorobei's death
he doesn't -- he survives
What does Kambei say to Shichiroji at the battle's end?
"War is hell."
"We underestimated Kikuchiyo."
"Once again, we survive."
Later, Kambei will say the true victory belongs to the farmers, not to them.
"Was it worth it?"
What are the villagers doing in the final scene?
partying
planting rice
Shino and Katsushiro could not easily marry, as they are from different social classes.
burying the dead
attending Shino and Katsushiro's wedding
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How long is "Seven Samurai's" uncut runtime?
135 minutes
152 minutes
207 minutes
Toho Studios cut it down for the American theatre run, believing that American audiences wouldn't sit through 207 minutes.
a little more than four hours
You Got:
/35
The Movie DB