THE HIDDEN FORTRESS
Japan, 1958, 138 minutes, Black and white.
Toshiro Mifune, Misa Uehara.
Directed by Akira Kurosawa.
The Hidden Fortress is one of Akira Kurosawa's many Samurai action films. It dates from the '50s, after Rashomon and The Seventh Samurai; at the time of such classics as Throne of Blood. However, The Hidden Fortress is presented with the light, humorous touch. It is an adventure comedy - all the conventions of the Samurai heroism as well as a spoof of the traditions and a focus on two low character, a Japanese-type Laurel and Hardy who want to exploit situations. Once again, the photography and the Samurai settings are spectacular, Toshiro Mifune is once again the hero.
Of particular interest, George Lucas attributed the plot of Star Wars to Kurosawa's Hidden Fortress - which makes looking at the film in retrospect even more entertaining.
1. An interesting and entertaining Samurai adventure? With the comic touch? Kurosawa's serious Samurai epics? His reliance on the American western? American westerns of the '50s and '60s transferring Kurosawa to the United States and Mexico? (The Star Wars connection?)
2. Panavision photography, the quality of the black and white photography? Scope, spectacle, pageantry, action? Musical score?
3. The title and its focus on the fortress? The Samurai wars? Clashes? Money, betrayal, princesses in flight, secret strategies?
4. The focus on the warrior, his place in Samurai society, his style, the guardianship of the princess, her entourage? His encounter with the two workers? Using them? His fierce demeanour, his skills and strategy, leading the party, riding the horse and daring the authorities? The imprisonment? Final confrontation? Vindication?
5. The princess and her situation, enmity, her being a bargaining factor? The protection of the warrior? Her entourage? Secrecy, escape, disguise, capture and torture, the possibility of execution? Rescue and the happy ending?
6. The presentation of the Samurai lords - the information about the various kingdoms, power, infiltration, armies, gold and the chase for the gold, the guards, the frontiers, the battles, the imprisonment? A mediaeval Samurai life-style?
7. The focus on the two scoundrels? Work, escape, exploiting situations? Their wanting to make money, betray others? Their escaping the warriors, their being pursued? on the frontiers? The search for the gold? The warrior and his use of them, their trying to betray him and escape? Their being involved with the princess and her entourage? Their adventures at the frontier, in the battles? The transportation of the gold? The finale, their seeming to be caught, the irony of their escaping, and getting some of the gold? Japanese humour, comic types, their ordinariness, foibles of human nature, interaction with each other?
8. This film in the corpus of the works of Kurosawa? His more serious pictures of Japanese history and society? His exploration of human nature? The comic style here compared with so much of his work offering human tragedy?
