Hidden Fortress

Pros: Toshiro Mifune, Minoru Chiaki, Kamatari Fujiwara, Kurosawa's film-making, and the story
Cons: Pacing for first time viewers

This is another classic Japanese film, made into a DVD by the Criterion Collection. It is widely thought to have been a direct influence on George Lucas for Star Wars. If that were its only claim to fame, I wouldn’t be writing this review. Because...

Pros: Great cinematography, outstanding performance by Mifune, solid storyline, some good action sequences
Cons: Much of the comedy is feeble slapstick

This floating world’s a dream; so burn in mad abandon! . . . . from the song at the fire festival. Everybody loves a story about a princess in distress and the dashing heroes that come to her aid, saving her from the evil-ones. ...

Pros: Tohoscope, even a lesser Kurosawa picture is still a treasure
Cons: Not enough Mifune, some moments drag

According the official rulebook of movie reviewing, section 8.05h (an amendment added May 25, 1977), "all discussions of Akira Kurosawa's 'The Hidden Fortress' must commence with a detailed analysis of said movie's influence on George Lucas' 'Star...

Pros: Main characters, humor, action.
Cons: Not as good as other Kurosawa's I've seen.

Akira Kurosawa made many films dealing with the Japanese history surrounding the samurai. Films like The Seven Samurai, Yojimbo, and Sanjuro are some of the most famous examples of Kurosawa’s work, and The Hidden Fortress is another one.
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Pros: Humour action and intrigue blend into a brilliant whole.
Cons: None. It's black and white, and subtitled, and still great.

The Hidden Fortress (1958) Directed by Kurasawa Akira. The life of a man Burn it with fire The life of an insect Throw it into the fire Ponder and you will see The world is dark and this floating world is a dream. The ...

Pros: Kurosawa's Direction, Script, Editing, Music, Cinematography, & Cast.
Cons: None.

In the 1950s, Akira Kurosawa was clearly becoming Japan's premier auteur with films like Rashomon, Ikiru, Throne of Blood, The Lower Depths, and most of all, The Seven Samurai. Taking the samurai films to new ...

Pros: Acting, cinematography, genuinely funny.
Cons: erm.

Acclaimed director Akira Kurosawa is often credited in the film industry for the the impact his movies have had on the world of cinema, particularly in the western genre. Without his work on the movie Seven Samurai there would have been no The M ...

Pros: Every technical facet of the direction is flawless! Moments of surprising humor.
Cons: The two leaders are really sidekicks and it's tough to build a film around them.

Hidden Fortress is Akira Kurosawa's slightly odd mix of samurai epic and slapstick comedy. It's an excellent film, but compared to many of Kurosawa's other samurai films — Ran, Throne of Blood, Seven Samurai, or Yojimbo...

Pros: Outstanding direction (as usual), beautiful cinematography, splendid acting.
Cons: Editing is a bit unbalanced, with some pacing problems.

For those of you who are a fan of the Star Wars trilogy and all things George Lucas, prepare to digest some points in this coming review that will not go down smoothly. Lucas states that, "This film is the inspiration for the original Star Wars." If this...

Pros: Beautiful. Kurosawa, Mifune, everything.
Cons: Ripped off by George Lucas

This is the seventh installment in my ongoing series of reviews called The Samurai Papers. The previous reviews in this series are: Yojimbo, Seven Samurai,

Pros: Outstanding screenplay, direction and acting. Very fast-paced.
Cons: -

The Hidden Fortress [1958], directed by Akira Kurosawa, is considered to be the primal influence for George Lucas’ Star Wars. The movie is big in every sense of the term, and that probably justifies the five years this movie took to ...

Pros: Mifune. Kind of shows what the original "Star Wars" would have been like.
Cons: Crappy print. Seems long. Princess's voice. Not really that funny. Subtitles. Sometimes confusing.

A long time ago (the early 1960s) in a film school far, far, away (unless you live in southern California) a young Jedi (filmmaker) called George Lucas was studying at the USC film school... Lucas, like many young people was captivated by the ...

Pros: One of the best movies by one of the best directors ever.
Cons: Peasants' knee-jerk bickering may seem a bit hackneyed, but the movie was made in 1958, so you've gotta cut it some slack!

You may or may not have heard that George Lucas drew on Akira Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress as his primary inspiration for Star Wars, but despite a few noteworthy similarities, Star Wars is a substantial departure from this movie....

Pros: Kurosawa is a superb director. Has great plot and fight sequences.
Cons: A few moments are a bit dull

Today's review is on a movie done by the great Kurosawa. I must say, geenius did a marvelous review on this movie. I suggest you go read it. Unfortunately, he included so much information, that there is little new information I can provide. However,...

Pros: The rescued slave girl; Hyoei's honor
Cons: The movie tries to go in too many directions at once

I first remember hearing that "Star Wars" was inspired by a much older movie when I was 9 or 10, but dismissed the suggestion as a test of my gullibility by the person who informed me. It turns out however that I was premature: "Star Wars" does have...