Everything I Know About Filmmaking I Learned Watching Seven Samurai

Seven Samurai is a classic, one of those few films that’s really as phenomenal as everyone says it is. And, Richard Pepperman explores the film like never before in, Everything I Know About Filmmaking I Learned Watching Seven Samurai, the most slavishly thorough examination of a film I’ve ever seen.

Pepperman breaks the film down virtually frame-by-frame, analyzing the lighting, staging, pacing, and numerous other aspects of the film, and complete with frequent explanations of the language and the art of filmmaking along the way to help the reader appreciate and dissect a cinematic masterpiece. As each plot development takes place, and is studied in rich detail, you understand the characters’ and the director’s motivations. This is first-rate step-by-step lecturing.

It is essentially a six-week film course crammed into less than 200 pages. This book represents everything great about film study, appreciating the film itself, while understanding how every choice contributes to a singular storytelling vision. While I doubt you could really learn everything you need to know about filmmaking from watching a single film, it’s clear Pepperman’s first choice is a brilliant one.