“The Hidden Fortress” is a samurai film by Akira Kurosawa (“Seven Samurai”). It is now famous as an inspiration for George Lucas’ “Star Wars”. Specifically, the R2D2 and CP3O characters were based on Tahei and Matashicki.
Two peasant farmers, Tahei (Minoru Chiaki) and Matashicki (Kamatari Fujiwara), bet on the wrong side and now they are attempting to return home through enemy territory. They are captured and put to work burying the dead, but they manage to escape. The two buddies end up hooking up with a mysterious warrior and a teenage girl. It turns out that Makabe Rokurota (Toshiro Mifune) is a general in the losing army and he is escorting Princess Yuki (Misa Uehara) and the gold necessary to revive their clan’s fortunes. Yuki is a feisty tomboy. Tahei and Makashicki are like squabbling ten year olds. The quartet spend some time at a hidden fortress. Tahei and Makashicki agree to tag along with the intention of stealing the gold. The movie becomes a road trip as they have a series of adventures traversing hostile terrain. The hijinks include a lengthy duel involving spears and a fire festival for spectacle. Meanwhile, an entire army is chasing them.
“The Hidden Fortress” is a must-see for cinephiles. It may be a bit long, but it is giddily entertaining. Typical of a Kurosawa film, it is noteworthy for its mesmerizing cinematography which includes lots of long shots of remarkable terrain. The score is equally vibrant and matches the playful mood well. The cast is great beyond the fact that it includes Mifune. The movie came four years after “Seven Samurai”, so he was already a superstar. In fact, he had eight movies released in 1958! Uehara is hypnotizing as the Princess. What a character! She is infuriatingly hot. Then you throw in the Japanese Laurel and Hardy. Chiaki and Fujiwara provide the low brow slapstick and it is surprisingly funny. It’s not all physical humor. They get some good lines. For instance, when they are plotting in front of the Princess (who is pretending to be mute), Tahei tells Makashicki not to worry about her overhearing because mutes cannot talk because they are deaf. Yes, it’s that kind of humor. There is some good action, but surprisingly for a samurai film, there are no sword fights. Go figure.
“The Hidden Fortress” is an outstanding movie, but it will not make my 100 Best War Movies list because it is not really a war movie. It is more of an action film. Or better yet, a buddy film.
GRADE = A
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