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Hidden Fortress Details

1958 Certificate PG
  • Rated:
  • 70
  • from 4318 members

During a civil war in 16th-century feudal Japan, two cowardly farmers (Minoru Chiaki and Kamatari Fujiwara) stumble upon Makabe (Toshiro Mifune), a fierce army general. Escaping from hostile territory, General Makabe embarks on a mission to rescue both Yukihime (Misa Uehara), the willfull princess of his ruling house, and the .. Read more

Starring Toshiro Mifune, Misa Uehara, Minoru Chiaki, Takashi Shimura
Director Akira Kurosawa
Genres Drama, World Cinema

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Hidden Fortress

During a civil war in 16th-century feudal Japan, two cowardly farmers (Minoru Chiaki and Kamatari Fujiwara) stumble upon Makabe (Toshiro Mifune), a fierce army general. Escaping from hostile territory, General Makabe embarks on a mission to rescue both Yukihime (Misa Uehara), the willfull princess of his ruling house, and the royal fortune. In the selfish hopes of finding the gold, the two misfits accompany the hardened soldier through dangerous mountain passes.
In addition to its status as one of Akira Kurosawa's finest films, THE HIDDEN FORTRESS is especially notable for its influence on director George Lucas's STAR WARS. Lucas admittedly borrowed much from Kurosawa's lighthearted epic; the two bickering misfits were likely the inspiration for R2-D2 and C-3PO, while Princess Leia was largely patterned after the feisty Lady Yukihime. Both Luke Skywalker and Han Solo contain elements of General Makabe, but neither character matches Mifune's disciplined ferocity.

Starring Toshiro Mifune, Misa Uehara, Minoru Chiaki, Takashi Shimura, Eiko Miyoshi, Susumu Fujita
Director Akira Kurosawa
Studio BFI VIDEO
Run time DVD: 2 hrs 18 mins
Certificate Certificate PG
Genres Drama, World Cinema
Language DVD: Japanese
Subtitles DVD: English
Released DVD: 25 Mar 2002
Production year: 1958
Format DVD

  • Critics' reviews (3) of Hidden Fortress

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  • 5 stars out of 5

    Akira Kurosawa was the master of the chambara, a swordplay film invariably set during Japan's civil wars, in which a wandering samurai unswervingly adheres to the Bushido code. His regular collaborator Toshiro Mifune takes on the role of the itinerant warrior in this expert blend of comedy and adventure that marked the director's first use of widescreen technology. Kurosawa always regarded this film (about a samurai who helps a dismissive princess and a pair of prattling peasants smuggle gold through enemy territory) as his favourite project. It also clearly made an impact on George Lucas, who cited it as a source of inspiration for Star Wars.

    • Radio Times
    • Posted 29 Jan 2006

  • The movie that confirmed Kurosawa's greatest strength, his innovative handling of genre. It's set amid the civil wars... read more on Time Out

    • Time Out
    • Posted 04 Nov 2008

  • Most helpful member's review of Hidden Fortress

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  • 23 out of 23 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 4 stars

    A Hidden Gem

    Probably most famous for inspiring chunks of "Star Wars", Kurosawa's action-adventure about two greedy peasants and their quest to accompany an endangered princess' retinue across enemy lines is one of his most accessible films. Full of the panorama and exuberant characters of John Ford's Westerns, "The Hidden Fortress" nonetheless keeps the strong Japanese issue of social hierarchy at the centre.

    This is mainly due to the character of the Princess, a beautiful, feisty woman who is forced to abandon her royal nature (and, symbolically, her voice) in order to - somewhat paradoxically - preserve her dynasty. Her presence on-screen almost rivals Toshiro Mifune's for dynamism and vitality, perfectly jarring with the grubby misfits who are as eager to get their hands on her gold as they are to see her to safety.

    Kurosawa's master-stroke is to give priority to the two farmers' points of view. We identify most with these characters, who learn the hard way to conquer the opportunism that poverty and necessity sometimes require, and because of this "The Hidden Fortress" is a film that can be appreciated by virtually any audience. Great fun.

      • Tinderbox from England
      • Posted 09 Aug 2004 02:05

  • Most recent members' review of Hidden Fortress

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  • 4 out of 4 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 4 stars

    Ignore the Star Wars link crap.

    I love Star Wars, but don't watch this film with the idea that it influenced George Lucas in a big way. Directors get asked to comment on other films all the time, so this is why he did the Intro. The only evident influence is the bickering between R2D2 and C3PO, which is what the two farmers did. The rest is no doubt director skills etc. So watch this film because it's a Akira Kurosawa film. The guy know's how to do film. Someone has already mentioned it. But the horse chasing scene is brilliant! As usual with Akira Kurosawa films, they are slow paced. And could do with some editing. But so long as you're prepared for it, sit back and watch a great original film.

      • Rob Pickles from Manchester
      • Posted 15 Mar 2005 11:43

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      • During a civil war in 16th-century feudal Japan, two cowardly farmers (Minoru Chiaki and Kamatari Fujiwara) stumble upon Makabe (Toshiro Mifune), a fierce army general. Escaping from hostile ...