Hidden Fortress on DVD (1958)

Tinderbox from England , 09/08/2004

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.

  14 out of 14 people found this review helpful

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Ian Ogilvie from London , 07/07/2004

Having heard that this was the film that inspired George Lucas to write Star Wars, I was quite excited about seeing it. Although not dissapointed, I did find it took a while to get into it's stride. The action scenes were superbly shot, with the horse chase standing out amongst a few great sequences. However I did find the rest of the film slightly tedious and became increasingly annoyed by the two comedy side characters. All in all a good film worth a watch if only to spot the similarities to the Star Wars films. Seven Samurai though, is a much better example of Kurosawa's work.

  5 out of 5 people found this review helpful

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A customer from uk , 20/01/2005

this is a magical mystical fairytale, set amongst the misery of war. Each character is so well drafted that you forget that this samurai epic is slightly lacking in samurai. Where there is misery, Kurosawa shows us joy, and where there is peace, he shows us greed and loathing. The story is so simple, yet within such simplicity, he brings us great depth. Take nothing for granted, except that when Hidden Fortress is over, you will be pleading for more.

  5 out of 6 people found this review helpful

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Peter from London, UK , 29/07/2004

A beutifully crafted film set in late 19thC Japan. Toshiro Mifune is excellent as the loyal and honour-bound protector of the princess.

Those who are interested in the influences of Japanese cinema and gaining a deeper insight into the film will also be very interested in George Lucas' introduction interview included on this edition.

  3 out of 3 people found this review helpful

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