Japanese peasants Matashichi and Tahei try and fail to make a profit from a tribal war. They find a man and woman whom they believe are simple tribe members hiding in a fortress. Although the peasants don't know that Rokurota is a general and Yuki is a princess, the peasants agree to accompany the pair to safety in return for gold. Along the way, the general must prove his expertise in battle while also hiding his identity.
A grand-scale adventure as only Akira Kurosawa could make one, The Hidden Fortress stars the inimitable Toshiro Mifune as a general charged with guarding his defeated clan’s princess (a fierce Misa Uehara) as the two smuggle royal treasure across hostile territory. Accompanying them are a pair of bumbling, conniving peasants who may or may not be their friends. This rip-roaring ride is among the director’s most beloved films and was a primary influence on George Lucas’s Star Wars. The Hidden Fortress delivers Kurosawa’s trademark deft blend of wry humor, breathtaking action, and compassionate humanity.
Toshirô Mifune | General Rokurota Makabe | |
Minoru Chiaki | Tahei | |
Kamatari Fujiwara | Matashichi | |
Susumu Fujita | General Hyoe Tadokoro | |
Takashi Shimura | The Old General / Izumi Nagakura | |
Misa Uehara | Princess Yuki | |
Eiko Miyoshi | Old Lady-in-Waiting | |
Toshiko Higuchi | Farmer's Daughter bought from slave trader | |
Yu Fujiki | Barrier guard | |
Yoshio Tsuchiya | Samurai on horse | |
Kokuten Kodo | Old man in front of sign | |
Takeshi Kato | Fleeing / bloody samurai | |
Koji Mitsui | Guard | |
Toranosuke Ogawa | Magistrate of the bridge barrier | |
Kichijiro Ueda | Slave Trader | |
Nakajiro Tomita | Potential slave buyer | |
Yoshifumi Tajima | Potential slave buyer | |
Ikio Sawamura | Gambler | |
Senkichi Omura | Soldier | |
Sachio Sakai | Captured foot soldier | |
Makoto Sato | Yamada foot soldier | |
Yoshio Kosugi | Akisuki soldier | |
Akira Tani | Captured foot soldier | |
Yutaka Sada | Guard at bridge barrier | |
Takeo Oikawa | Guard at pass barrier |
Director | Akira Kurosawa | |
Writer | Ryuzo Kikushima, Hideo Oguni, Shinobu Hashimoto, Akira Kurosawa | |
Producer | Sanezumi Fujimoto, Akira Kurosawa | |
Musician | Masaru Satô | |
Photography | Kazuo Yamazaki |
Quantity | 1 |
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Seen | |
Added Date | Sep 14, 2020 01:27:20 |
Modified Date | Jun 12, 2022 00:35:07 |
Screen Ratios | Theatrical Widescreen (2.35:1) |
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Audio Tracks | SUB [English] |
Distributor | Criterion Collection |
Edition Release Date | Mar 29, 2016 |
SPECIAL FEATURES
New 2K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray
Alternate 3.0 surround soundtrack preserving the original Perspecta simulated stereo effects, presented in DTS-HD Master Audio on the Blu-ray
New audio commentary by film historian Stephen Prince, author of The Warrior’s Camera: The Cinema of Akira Kurosawa
Documentary from 2003 on the making of the film, created as part of the Toho Masterworks series Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create
Interview from 2001 with filmmaker George Lucas about Kurosawa
Trailer
New English subtitle translation
PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by film scholar Catherine Russell
New cover illustration by Vania Zouravliov, type by F. Ron Miller
IMDB |
TheMovieDb.org |