Here we have another great samurai epic from masterful Akira Kurosawa. This film is one of the many fantastic samurai films Kurosawa created in his hay-day. This one falls in line with the long stretch of these great films, and stands as just another great piece of art from Kurosawa. The one thing that does allow it to stand apart is it's being told from the perspective of two of the lesser characters. The story follows two thieves who, in the midst of a territory war, are searching for hidden gold. They meet up with a samurai general of one of the warring clans. They team up with this samurai (played by the always magnificent Toshiro Mifune) as he attempts to get his princess out of the dangerous territory and escort her to safety. However, the best part of this plot is that it is credited as being one of the major influences for George Lucas' Star Wars (1977). The two peasant thieves the plot follows are the basis for the characters of C-3PO and R2-D2. In fact, these two characters had a major influence on character archetypes and practically set the archetype for the goofy pair of friends we see time after time.
The Hidden Fortress, overall, has a much lighter tone than some of Kurosawa's other films set in the same setting. While most of his films have that element of subtle dark humor, The Hidden Fortress could be considered a true comedy at times, mainly due to the shenanigans of the two oddball protagonists. But at it's core, The Hidden Fortress is a true action adventure film that has plenty of fun doing what it's doing. It has its darker moments, but it stays above the dark water for the majority of the film. It's plenty entertaining and the story never dwindles or drags. The two peasants are incredibly entertaining, and while they are more caricatures than anything else, they add so much to the film and are really what drive this film's lighter heart.
This film might be lighter, but Kurosawa obviously doesn't skimp on the artistry for a second. He heavily employs the use of very long takes for this film, which has a great effect in unexpected places. Kurosawa artistically blends comic relief and more serious action in such a great way that it is easy to get lost in the film when looking at it as a whole. There is no shortage of immaculate action sequences that are as stylistically brilliant as they are awesome and entertaining to watch. There is one particular duel involving spears that stands out in my mind as a near perfect blend of being ridiculously cool, as well as beautiful to witness unfold. It's hard not to be at least mildly entertained by this exciting film.
The Hidden Fortress doesn't quite reach to the same level of epic grandeur that some of Kurosawa's other samurai films do, but it fits right in with his collection of great films. No two Kurosawa films are quite the same so it is hard to say that any of his films don't stand out among the rest but if I had to choose one I'd say it was The Hidden Fortress. The highest point of this film would definitely be it's influence on not only Star Wars but the character archetype the two peasant friends fill. The Hidden Fortress is simply just another great film from an amazing director.
The Hidden Fortress, overall, has a much lighter tone than some of Kurosawa's other films set in the same setting. While most of his films have that element of subtle dark humor, The Hidden Fortress could be considered a true comedy at times, mainly due to the shenanigans of the two oddball protagonists. But at it's core, The Hidden Fortress is a true action adventure film that has plenty of fun doing what it's doing. It has its darker moments, but it stays above the dark water for the majority of the film. It's plenty entertaining and the story never dwindles or drags. The two peasants are incredibly entertaining, and while they are more caricatures than anything else, they add so much to the film and are really what drive this film's lighter heart.
This film might be lighter, but Kurosawa obviously doesn't skimp on the artistry for a second. He heavily employs the use of very long takes for this film, which has a great effect in unexpected places. Kurosawa artistically blends comic relief and more serious action in such a great way that it is easy to get lost in the film when looking at it as a whole. There is no shortage of immaculate action sequences that are as stylistically brilliant as they are awesome and entertaining to watch. There is one particular duel involving spears that stands out in my mind as a near perfect blend of being ridiculously cool, as well as beautiful to witness unfold. It's hard not to be at least mildly entertained by this exciting film.
The Hidden Fortress doesn't quite reach to the same level of epic grandeur that some of Kurosawa's other samurai films do, but it fits right in with his collection of great films. No two Kurosawa films are quite the same so it is hard to say that any of his films don't stand out among the rest but if I had to choose one I'd say it was The Hidden Fortress. The highest point of this film would definitely be it's influence on not only Star Wars but the character archetype the two peasant friends fill. The Hidden Fortress is simply just another great film from an amazing director.