Started to watch Eastwood's "Letters from Iwo Jima" last night and was struck by the correspondence of tone w/ "Seven Samurai" - the rank and file soldiers (who, significantly, we first see digging like farmers) are resigned to their fates, the small group of officers know the odds are completely impossible to overcome but still cling to hope, the way that Eastwood lingers over the personality of each character that could easily get lost in the ensemble. The desaturated color palette also edges toward the black and white of Kurosawa's original, but without the strong contrasts (at least in the first hour) and Ken Watanabe seems to be channeling Takashi Shimura.
I know critics pointed this out when the film was released, but, still, it made an impression watching it for the first time. Although, I will say, "Letters" moves more slowly than "Seven Samurai" - even the glorious 3-hour re-release just flies by.
