the political economy behind the movie Seven Samurai

Its logic is analogous to the paradox of British military spending. On the one hand, the peasants need their protection from the bandits. They have to spend a lot hiring the samurai(just like the heavy taxation borne by British people). The senior man in the village was like a representative of Parliament, deciding how much they could spend. On the other hand, peasants feel threatened by the power of the samurai. They hide their food and pretty daughters. This is like people wanting to cut the budget for national defense. The two social classes, peasants and samurai, depend on each other, and hate each other in some sense. In times of war, they fight together. But the conflicts still exist there.

Akira was able to reveal all the complicated situations and subtle human psychology in these stories. He is one of the greatest directors.