:
Toshiro Mifune,
Toshiro Mifune,
Misa Uehara,
more...
:
Akira Kurosawa,
Akira Kurosawa
see all cast/crew...
: Not Rated
: Criterion
: Foreign, Japan, Adventure, Samurai, Criterion Collection
: 139 min.
: Japanese
: English
see additional details...
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Akira Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress (original Japanese title: Kakushi Toride No San Akunin) stars Minoru Chiaki and Kamatari Fujiwara as a pair of misfit soldiers. Running from the enemy after a disastrous defeat, the two soldiers fall in with general Toshiro Mifune, who is in search of a huge cache of gold. Mifune is also desirous of freeing princess-in-exile Misa Uehara from the clutches of the evil victorious army. Several large and small battles ensue before Mifune can realize his goal. If the plot of Hidden Fortress sounds vaguely familiar to you, try this exercise: substitute two robots for Chiaki and Fujiwara, Mark Hamill for Mifune, and Carrie Fisher for Uehara. George Lucas himself admitted that Hidden Fortress was a principal inspiration for his Star Wars saga; stretching the point farther, both Hidden Fortress and Star Wars had their roots in John Ford's The Searchers. Originally released in a 137-minute form, The Hidden Fortress was sliced to ribbons by its American distributors, and years later received extensive restoration. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Special Features:
- Video Interview with George Lucas about Kurosawa
- Optional Dolby Digital 3.0 Soundtrack, preserving the original Perspect-A-Sound simulated-stereo effects
- Theatrical Trailer
- New and improved English subtitle translation
You might also enjoy:
Seven Samurai
Likely still Kurosawa's most famous film and deservedly so
Ran
Kurosawa's brilliant reworking of Shakespeare's King Lear, with some of the most gloriously bloody battle scenes ever
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| There'll be no escape for the princess this time.
by tfrye99
May 23, 2005 - 8:12 PM PDT
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1 out of 6 members found this review helpful
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Kurosawa's second greatest film (the first being Seven Samurai, otherwise known as The Greatest Movie Ever Made), Hidden Fortress moves around a bit more but still carries a magnificent kick. The scene near the end, where the princess sings the song she learned at the Fire Festival, still hits me like a punch to the gut.
f.y.i.: Take Uncle Todd's advice and stick with the Criterion Collection wherever possible, for transfer and subtitle quality. |
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GreenCine Member Rating
(Average 7.76)
445 Votes
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