Sarah Jilani

He edited all his films.

In the studio, there was a scene in A Seven Samurai where Mifune was speaking.

He's talking there about Toshiro Mifune, one of Japan's leading actors, who stars as one of the samurai.

And I remember his lines being re-recorded.

I imagine the sound recorded during the shoot hadn't been good enough, so they called Mifune in to re-recorded his lines.

The film is due to take three months to shoot.

Kurosawa is known for his authenticity and attention to detail.

He doesn't want to film on sound stages, instead choosing outdoor locations, some of them near the Toho studios in a suburb of Tokyo.

There was still some woodland right next to Toho at that time, and filming was done there.

His work ethic is later summed up by a film critic in a 1972 BBC TV documentary.

This all means the shoot takes longer than expected, and in movies, time means money and going over budget, as shown in a different BBC TV documentary from 2002.

Seven Samurai was the most expensive film ever to be made at Toho Studios, largely because it went four times over schedule.

Kurosawa and his crew managed to complete the film, but the production brought Toho to the brink of bankruptcy.

The film becomes the most expensive Japanese film ever made at the time.

The longer production schedule means the climax of the film is shot in winter, which presents its own problems.

Later reports say the cast and crew work in freezing temperatures.

Kurosawa uses weather for dramatic effect rather than just a backdrop.

The assistant director arranges three water pump trucks to create the driving rain for the final battle scene, but Kurosawa tells him to double it.

The set becomes so muddy, the crew find it hard to lift their legs, even in waders.

And yes, it rained, but it wasn't always rain.