About this episode

The episode discusses Akira Kurosawa's classic film Seven Samurai as a gateway to Asian cinema.

A new season, and old theme. For season 6, the Heroic Purgatory team revisits the topic of gateway films, i.e. popular or accessible works of cinema that serve is a gateway to the wider world of asian cinema. In the first episode of the season, John and Jason discuss Akira Kurosawa's 1954 classic, Seven Samurai. Heralded as one of the best movies ever made, Seven Samurai is not only an action masterpiece, but also an astute work of social and existential commentary. Enjoy the discussion! Website link: https://www.heroic-purgatory.com/2026/03/s6e1-seven-samurai-1954.html Follow the show on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/heroicpurgatory.bsky.social Follow Jason: https://bsky.app/profile/filmnohito.bsky.socia Follow John: https://bsky.app/profile/jmhimara.bsky.social

People in this episode

Hosts: John Atom, Jason Maher

Topics covered

• gateway films
• Asian cinema
• Seven Samurai
• film discussion
• cinema commentary

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Seven Samurai

More episodes of Heroic Purgatory: An Asian Cinema Podcast

• S6E5 - My Sassy Girl (2001) · May 24, 2026 · 1h 31m
• S6E4 - Yi Yi (2000) · May 10, 2026 · 1h 23m
• S6E2 - Joint Security Area (2000) · April 13, 2026 · 1h 30m
• Best Films of 2025 · February 9, 2026 · 2h 22m
• Award Special - No Other Choice (2025) · January 15, 2026 · 1h 60m
• Xmas Special - They Live (1988) · December 21, 2025 · 1h 54m

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