The Hidden Fortress - Criterion Collection

Starring:ToshirÃ´ Mifune, Misa Uehara, Minoru Chiaki, Kamatari Fujiwara, Takashi Shimura, Susumu Fujita, Eiko Miyoshi, Toshiko Higuchi, Koji Mitsui, Shiten Ohashi, Kichijiro Ueda, Ikio Sawamura, Tadao Nakamaru, Rinsaku Ogata, Shin Otomo, Yoshifumi Tajima, Yutaka Sada, IchirÃ´ Chiba, Yoshio Kosugi, Ryu Kuze
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Studio: Criterion
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com essential video

In one of the many classic collaborations between director Akira Kurosawa and his leading man Toshirô Mifune, this 1958 film tells the story of a warrior and a princess trying against all odds to return to their homeland with their fortune. Along the way, they are simultaneously assisted and thwarted by two itinerant and not too bright farmers with their own designs on the treasure, giving the story a subtle comic bent. The Hidden Fortress combines an epic tale of struggle and honor with modern comic sensibilities, creating a masterful addition to world cinema. --Robert Lane

Description

A general and a princess must dodge enemy clans while smuggling the royal treasure out of hostile territory with two bumbling, conniving peasants at their sides; it's a spirited adventure that only Akira Kurosawa could create. Acknowledged as a primary influence on George Lucas' Star Wars, The Hidden Fortress delivers Kurosawa's inimitably deft blend of wry humor, breathtaking action and humanist compassion on an epic scale. The Criterion Collection is proud to present this landmark motion picture in a stunning, newly-restored Tohoscope edition.

Customer Reviews:

The Hidden Fortress.......2007-06-26

In this bristling adventure with a leavening dose of humor, Kurosawa created one of his most indelible, influential early films, inspiring George Lucas to conceive "Star Wars." (Think of the peasants as distant ancestors of R2D2 and C3PO). Kazuo Yamazaki's evocative black-and-white photography is enhanced by the widescreen format, which Kurosawa used here for the first time, lending the action a dazzling visual sweep. Meanwhile, Mifune plays at the top of his game as Makabe, while Uehara makes a feisty, bewitching princess well worth saving. Whatever you do, don't keep this "Fortress" hidden.

Lucasfilms started here!!.......2007-05-07

This is a masterpiece... take away that George Lucas completely ravaged this film to "create" Star Wars... & you have an adventure unlike any other... editing techniques that were scarcely employed at the time... which are now novelty efx... This criterion collection even has a foreword by George Lucas where he both admits to, and lies profusely about, using this film as a basis of his Star Wars.

The genius of Kurosawa... further explained

It's all about the journey, not the destination.......2007-04-11

George Lucas loosely based Star Wars on this movie. Don't take my word for it; he said that and more himself in an interview on this DVD.

The plot is simple: a princess needs to reach home to claim power and she carries the clan's gold bars, which without she won't be able to rule. She's accompanied by a loyal General to protect her while they're in disguise. Yet, that's not the interesting part; it's what happens throughout the journey.

The princess learns from people and about people. She experiences new things that other rulers don't usually get to experience. You get to see how people react to issues like greed, loyalty, duty and other qualities that are tested in many situations in the film.

Of course, it's another Japanese brilliant born-to-be-classic-film by akira kurosawa. And Toshirô Mifune's graceful acting style grows on me every time I see more of his work. (See the Seven Samurai for a completely different role he plays and see Shogun for his acting at an older age).

Not all B&W classic films are well restored, but I trust Criterion Collection's efforts and standards. You won't be disappointed.

I gave it 4 stars because I felt the ending few scenes were too short compared to the rhythm of the entire film (and it's long, I warn you). But again, it's about the journey, not the destination.

A Gentle Masterpiece.......2007-03-20

The Hidden Fortress is another of Akira Kurosawa's cinematic masterpieces. This movie is a wonderful example of deep character development coupled with great direction and camera work. As viewers, we are taken for a ride into old feudalist Japan with its' various class distinctions. There are the peasant farmers, Tahei and Matakishi, who sold everything to go to war and end up penniless trying to survive. There's the disguised general, Rokuruta Makabe (Toshiro Mifune), a samurai general protecting his charge the princess. He must find a way of getting her and the gold across the enemies border to rebuild the empire. Finally, there is the princess Yuki. All the hopes of clan rest with her and the gold's successful escape to friendlier territories. Along the way life's lessons are learned. The princess moves from spoiled child to become a true princess ready to lead her clan. The farmers come away far less greedy and much better friends. Lastly, the word of the samurai is honored between two old antagonists.

Whether it is the camera shots...just watch the escape sequence as hundreds of extras come fighting down a staircase...or the story, this movie satisfies on many levels. All good or smart directors borrow from each other. The influence of John Ford can be seen in many areas and Lucas certainly borrowed from Kurosawa. Try to avoid the Star Wars comparisons and sit back and enjoy a truly great film. Well worth adding to the film library.

Early Kurosawa, epic adventure.......2007-02-21

There are about 100 things that this film did right and later directors have often taken advantage of this textbook on how to tell a great story in film. I wouldn't call it Kurosawa's best because to me, the best films are all deep character studies and that really isn't the true strength of The Hidden Fortress. To be honest, all the characters in this film are more caricatures and archetypes than deeply developed characters. That's not to say it isn't well acted because it is. But the fact is, all we know about bickering Tahei and Matakishi is that they're friends fleeing a war. We get a good handle on their relationship, but not all that much about them individually. General Rokurota is a veritable picture of nobility and imperious command, but we see little emotion from him. The most engaging character, ironically, is Princess Yuki who is forbidden to speak for fear that her accent and tone would betray her rank. Of course, even when silenced, her behavior is every bit the proud, haughty noblewoman. The beauty of the film is how much of the story is advanced not by dialogue, but by small actions and movements and facial features. In the end, I found myself deeply moved by the Princess' gradual understanding of the life of the humble peasants in her country and her determination to restore her family's kingdom. Kurosawa does an amazing job of driving home these themes with a great deal of subtlety and not an excessive amount of dialogue. I consider Yojimbo, The Seven Samurai, and Rashomon to be better flicks, all in all, but I think The Hidden Fortress is superb example of the filmmaker as storyteller.

Akira Kurosawa - 4 Samurai Classics (Seven Samurai / The Hidden Fortress / Yojimbo / Sanjuro) - Criterion Collection

Average customer rating:

4 Classics in a box set? Priceless!
To the Criterion Collector.....
Awesome movies, but way too expensive.
Kurosawa Movies
Don't pass it up

Akira Kurosawa - 4 Samurai Classics (Seven Samurai / The Hidden Fortress / Yojimbo / Sanjuro) - Criterion Collection
Starring: Takashi Shimura , Toshirô Mifune , Yoshio Inaba , Seiji Miyaguchi , and Minoru Chiaki
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Manufacturer: Criterion
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00006IUI5
Release Date: 2002-10-08

Amazon.com

Leading off the set of four Akira Kurosawa classics is Seven Samurai (1954), unanimously hailed as one of the greatest masterpieces in the history of the motion picture. It was the inspiration for countless films modeled after its basic premise, but has never been surpassed in terms of sheer power of emotion, kinetic energy, and dynamic character development. The story is set in the 1600s, when the residents of a small Japanese village seek protection against repeated attacks by a band of marauding thieves and hire seven unemployed "ronin" (masterless samurai), including a boastful swordsman (Toshiro Mifune), who is actually a farmer's son desperately seeking glory and acceptance. The climactic battle remains one of the most breathtaking sequences ever filmed and one of Kurosawa's crowning cinematic achievements.

In another of the many Kurosawa-Mifune collaborations, The Hidden Fortress (1958) tells the story of a warrior and a princess trying against all odds to return to their homeland with their fortune. Along the way, they are simultaneously assisted and thwarted by two itinerant and not-too-bright farmers with their own designs on the treasure. Frequently cited for its thematic influences on Star Wars, The Hidden Fortress combines an epic tale of struggle and honor with modern comic sensibilities.

The partly comic Yojimbo (1961) was inspired by the American Western genre. Mifune plays a drifting samurai for hire who plays both ends against the middle with two warring factions, surviving on his wits and his ability to outrun his own bad luck. Yojimbo is striking for its unorthodox treatment of violence and morality, reserving judgment on the actions of its main character and instead presenting an entertaining tale with humor and much visual excitement. One of the inspirations for the spaghetti Westerns of director Sergio Leone and the 1996 Bruce Willis vehicle Last Man Standing, this film offers insight into a director who influenced American films even as he was influenced by them. The 1963 sequel, Sanjuro, is more lighthearted and less cynical, a rousing adventure with Mifune becoming an unlikely big brother to a troupe of nine naive samurai. It isn't the subtlest of Kurosawa's films, but it's one of his most entertaining.

Customer Reviews:

4 Classics in a box set? Priceless!.......2006-11-06

I was thinking about purchasing all four of these movies, but to have them together in a box set is a beautiful thing.
I will not bore you with the reviews of these movies, those who love Akira Kurosawa movies sees the stories closely matching those of Shakespeare, a Clint Eastwood Western, and Star Wars.
For the price and what you get, it's a steal.

To the Criterion Collector............2006-09-14

Buy now as this set is going out of print.... Don't say I didn't tell you so.

Awesome movies, but way too expensive........2006-03-13

Awesome movies, but way too expensive for the product itself.

First, I bought it at a reduced priced, since it was left sitting on a shelve collecting dust for a few years in the store. They dropped the price from a initial $200 Can (around $150 U.S.), to $149 Can (around $110 U.S.), and that was the cheapest price I could find it in my city and by far. A few of the stores told me that their cost was around $149 Can, so it was able to buy it at around cost. Considering that, it was a bargain, so I got lucky to start with.

Now the movies, they are awesome, and after watching them all in two days, I felt sad, sad at Hollywood and the current level of movie making, after tasting a piece of history, with movies that are deep, funny, either deals with issues (Seven Samurai and Hidden Fortress) or don't (Yojimbo and Sanjuro), they are all movie gems. But we can also be realistic here, seven Samurai in my opinion is the real champion in this set, it has everything, it's epic, yet personal, it's deep, yet sometime funny, but always powerful and superb.

Now to the quality of the disk, that where it's hard to tell, these are old movies. But something struck me as odd, Seven Samurai (7S), was done around 10 yrs before Yojimbo and Sanjuro but looks and sound better, obviously, they cleaned it out a little before putting it to DVD, but then, if Yojimbo and Sanjuro where made 10 yrs later, someone should expect at least a equal quality, if not better then the 7S, but it's not the case, especially Yojimbo is painful to watch, the sound track has a loud background hiss for at least half of the movie, scratches as big as a straw that last a full min multiple times, the contrast and brightness is out of wack in half the scenes, it's a painful experience, you tell yourself how great the movie is, but is it ever ugly to watch.

So far I would give it 4 stars, why then I give it 2?

It's down to price vs quality and extras. No extras what so ever beside the theater trailer of each movie, and a commentary track for 7S, then nothing. So Criterion in my mind had two choice, drop the price to 1/3 to 1/2 of what it is now, or pick a better original copy to bring on DVD, clean it, and add extras, selling it to the same price it is now, but they did neither. They used for Yojimbo, a terribly copy, add nothing, and charge full Criterion price, BAD !!! So in the end, one fell like being robbed by Ronins. In my case, I wanted to see those movies, and own 7S and this box set was the only way to go about doing this, and in the end, I praise the movie, the acting, the story, the camera work, everything, except Criterion DVD who brought those movies it North America, they dropped the ball on this one.

So 0 stars for Criterion and there DVD product (in this case) and 4 stars for the movie themselves so my end review is 2 stars.

Kurosawa Movies.......2006-01-31

Every one who likes Cenema, should see/have this collection by the great One Akira Kurosawa.

Don't pass it up.......2006-01-26

Kurosawa is not just considered a great japanese director - he's considered one of the best the world has known.
Samurai are a passion for me anyway - however, kurosawa brings them to life like no other.
I sometimes wish he were working today with the technology available, but it's not a degradation of what he did at all.

Details he pays attention to are easily missed the first time around and frequent watchings of these films with bring more to your eyes.

Yojimbo's first encounter with the blackgards and braggarts - the wanted men in the town, is ingenius and thrilling. Mifune plays the part so comfortably you can be lead to imagine he lived in his kimono.
His demeanor is so casual and calm that you could fear him just through his confidence.
It's something to take to heart. No real warrior needs to brag, nor does he threaten.
Right out of the Tao te ching.

Awright enough of that!

With the hidden fortress you can really see Luca's inspiration for Star Wars. And also, the female lead for every anime ever created afterward.

but my favorite is the seven samurai later to be remade as the magnificient seven in the west (what is it with the west and their inability to accept foreign films?).

the old samurai who in the opening sequence plays a monk to rescue a trapped woman gives you the personality of a man who puts all at risk for the right. And teaches a motley band of characters to do the same.

Every good fortress needs a weakness. :p

ENJOY

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