The Hidden Fortress
| The Hidden Fortress | |
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 Original Japanese poster |
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| Directed by | Akira Kurosawa |
| Produced by | Sanezumi Fujimoto Akira Kurosawa |
| Written by | Shinobu Hashimoto Ryuzo Kikushima Akira Kurosawa Hideo Oguni |
| Starring | Toshirō Mifune Misa Uehara Minoru Chiaki Kamatari Fujiwara |
| Music by | Masaru Satō |
| Cinematography | Kazuo Yamasaki |
| Editing by | Akira Kurosawa |
| Distributed by | Toho Company Ltd. |
| Release date(s) | December 28, 1958 (Japan) October 6, 1960 (US) |
| Running time | 139 minutes |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
The Hidden Fortress (隠し砦の三悪人 Kakushi toride no san akunin) is a 1958 jidai-geki film directed by Akira Kurosawa and starring Toshirō Mifune as General Rokurota Makabe (真壁 六郎太 Makabe Rokurota) and Misa Uehara as Princess Yuki. A literal translation of the Japanese title is The Three Villains of the Hidden Fortress.
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[edit] Plot
The film begins with two bedraggled peasants, Tahei and Matashichi (Minoru Chiaki and Kamatari Fujiwara), escaping the aftermath of a battle en route to the Hayakawa country where they lived, but later captured and forced into slavery.
After an uprising in the slave compound, Tahei and Matashichi escape and settle near a river, where they find gold belonging to the Daimyo for whom they had fought. They thereafter travel with General Rokurota Makabe (Toshirō Mifune), escorting Princess Yuki Akizuki (Misa Uehara) and what remains of her family's gold to a secret territory. In order to keep her identity secret, Yuki poses as a mute.
During the mission, the peasants impede it and sometimes try to seize the gold. They are later joined by a farmer’s daughter (Toshiko Higuchi), whom they acquire from a slave-trader. Eventually, they are captured and held by Rokurota's rival; but the latter unexpectedly sides with the Princess and Rokurota.
The peasants stumble upon the gold, but are later captured; whereupon Rokurota explains Yuki's true identity, and states that all of the gold has been used to restore her family's domain. The peasants are then dispatched, taking a single ryō. In the final scene, Tahei gives this to Matashichi to protect; but Matashichi allows Tahei to keep it.
[edit] Production
This was Kurosawa's first feature filmed in a widescreen format, Tohoscope, which he continued to use for the next decade. Hidden Fortress was originally presented with Perspecta directional sound, which was re-created for the Criterion DVD release.
[edit] Awards
- Won
[edit] Influence
George Lucas has acknowledged influence of The Hidden Fortress on Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope,[2] particularly in the technique of telling the story from the perspective of the film's lowliest characters, C-3PO and R2-D2.[3][4] Kurosawa's use of frame wipes (sometimes cleverly hidden by motion within the frame) as a transition device also influenced Star Wars.
[edit] Remake
A loose remake entitled Kakushi Toride no San-Akunin: The Last Princess was directed by Shinji Higuchi and released on May 10, 2008.
[edit] Poster gallery
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Original Japanese poster for The Hidden Fortress featuring Misa Uehara as princess Yuki.
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Japanese poster for The Hidden Fortress.
[edit] References
- ^ "Berlinale: Prize Winners". berlinale.de. http://www.berlinale.de/en/archiv/jahresarchive/1959/03_preistr_ger_1959/03_Preistraeger_1959.html. Retrieved 2010-01-09.
- ^ "The Secret History of Star Wars". Michael Kamiski, 2007, pg 48. http://www.secrethistoryofstarwars.com/book.html. Retrieved 2011-01-31.
- ^ Star Wars DVD audio commentary
- ^ "The Secret History of Star Wars". Michael Kamiski, 2007, pg 47. http://www.secrethistoryofstarwars.com/book.html. Retrieved 2011-01-31.
[edit] External links
- The Hidden Fortress at the Internet Movie Database
- The Hidden Fortress at AllRovi
- The Hidden Fortress at Rotten Tomatoes
- Criterion Collection essay by Armond White
- The Hidden Fortress (Japanese) at the Japanese Movie Database
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