";s:4:"text";s:10389:" Keeping in mind that the movie is 43 years The combination of director Akira Kurosawa and actor Toshiro Mifune were responsible for some of the greatest films Japan ever produced. Akira Kurosawa's classic samurai fairy tale movie told through the eyes of 2 bickering peasants beautifully restored here is a thrilling adventure film with an excellent Japanese cast.
Mifune is classically heroic, the princess's devoted servant, but in several scenes everything that's uniquely great about Mifune gets to shine, the highlight being the actor, not doubled by a stunt man, charging after some samurai on a horse, both arms raised with a sword in his hands, ready to strike. the darker sequences are still readily visible. In the case of The Hidden Fortess, Kurosawa challenged his co-writers to come up with inescapable situations for the film's heroes.
Not a great deal of content, but it's worth
Directed by Akira Kurosawa • 1958 • Japan Will this band of travelers be able to survive the warring factions along their path and more to the point, can these four people manage to survive each other?
Get this urban fantasy now. In a now-familiar fashion, Rokurota and Princess Yuki fight their way to allied territory, accompanied by a scheming, greedy comic duo who get surprised by their own good fortune. Sold by Sui_Generis and ships from Amazon Fulfillment.
This classic film is not your typical blood a guts human sushi film.
Kato tells an especially amusing anecdote about filming his brief but unforgettable appearance. The newly translated English subtitles, which stay within the frame area, are excellent, and the disc is Region "A" encoded. Hidden Fortress is also interesting as one of the key inspirations for Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. All of this contributes to Kurosawa’s trailblazing widescreen exaltation of nature, a key part of his cinematic spectacle that has influenced numerous filmmakers.
A relatively early Toho DVD release, The Hidden Fortress is a great reminder of how wonderful these earlier movies can look and sound on the format when the proper care is given to the title. We use cookies to give you the best experience possible. Reality is fracturing. This image has been restored & remastered and it shows, as this is a stunning visual presentation. 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. Appropriately, that film's director, George Lucas, appears on Criterion's Blu-ray disc, providing an introduction and appreciation. Toho's own video division has released mostly lackluster Blu-rays within Japan, but Criterion's disc, a 2K transfer from an original fine-grain master positive, looks superb, while the Perspecta tracks are included as well.
(I had the good fortune to interview Mr. Kato for my book, The Emperor and the Wolf, and he has wonderful stories about everything.
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.
The first is a 1.0 mono After the international success of Rashomon (1952) and Seven Samurai (1955), Kurosawa abandoned his early interest in “gendai-mono” (modern-set pictures) and concentrated on “jidai-geki” (period-set pictures). Armond White’s film criticism has been published internationally. When you discuss the cinema’s greatest directors, the talks wouldn’t be complete without mentioning Akira Kurosawa. "), but I didn't think it overstepped The image is crystal clear, and pretty sharp, the sound excellent, and the super subtitles show against a good background. Afterwards, they'd compare and discuss what each had written, pooling their best ideas and discarding weaker material. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 5, 2018, How can one not want to watch the inspiration for the two memorable Star Wars robots . "I have been feeling that the standard screen is a little too narrow from the viewpont of composition to my way of thinking," Kurosawa said at the time. Amazon.com: The Hidden Fortress (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray + DVD]: Toshirô Mifune, Minoru Chiaki, Kamatari Fujiwara, Susumu Fujita, Akira Kurosawa: Movies & TV They include The Magnificent Seven (from the 1955 Seven Samurai), The Outrage (from the 1953 Rashomon), A Fistful of Dollars (from the 1963 Yojimbo), and Ransom (from the 1963 High and Low). restoring both to a level of quality that was Hidden Fortress, Akira company, and one that gives an idea of their dedication Made during Kurosawa's unbroken run of cinematic masterpieces released during 1948-65, all but one starring or co-starring Mifune, it marked Kurosawa's first film in anamorphic wide screen, Toho Studio's CinemaScope-compatible Toho Scope process, with the added plus of Perspecta Stereophonic Sound, which Kurosawa uses sparingly but effectively. Sold by westcoastmedia and ships from Amazon Fulfillment. I disagree. Prime members enjoy FREE Delivery and exclusive access to music, movies, TV shows, original audio series, and Kindle books. Taken prisoner by the Yamanas, the two are forced to dig for gold possibly hidden in the ruins of the Akizuki castle (a spectacular set).
This rip-roaring ride is among the director’s most beloved films and was a primary influence on George Lucas’s STAR WARS.
There are some small problems to note though, Bottom line, this may not be Criterion's best
CLEVER, SATISFYING, ENTERTAINING & JUST HUGE FUN!
The Hidden Fortress is one of my favorite films of all time, with such great characters, adventures, and of course, unbelievable visuals. Kurosawa’s plot, which falls into the adventure film lineage between John Huston’s The Treasure of the Sierra Madre and Sam Peckinpah’s The Wild Bunch, further shows his Hollywood/West leaning.Yet The Hidden Fortress proves most distinctive when not merely reduced to genre type but rather appreciated for Kurosawa’s unique, excited exhibition of nature and different human characters.
likely only topped by the movie in its original This film was the inspiration for George Lucas' epic "Star Wars," and indeed Mifune was the first actor offered the role of Obiwan Kinobe, a role his agent, sadly, told him to turn down. Monsters, ghosts, fantastic beings, and supernatural phenomena. The clarity and vibrance of Ichio Yamazaki’s cinematography makes The Hidden Fortress a special pleasure; nighttime sequences are deep and velvety with images highlighted in gray sheen or shimmering whiteness.
director (Seven
Samurai [1954], Yojimbo
and how Hidden Fortress inspired Star Starring Toshiro Mifune, Misa Uehara, Minoru Chiaki. All rights
In a now-familiar fashion, Rokurota and Princess Yuki fight their way to allied territory, accompanied by a scheming, greedy comic duo who get surprised by their own good fortune.
The subtitling job is a little contemporary at Claire can fix it... if she survives.
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So he then tricks the two peasants into joining his party, which means a little more assistance, but also some conflicting personalities to endure. taking the mono track and distributing it to the See all reviews. He is, in fact, General Makabe Rokurota (Mifune), who is attempting to escort surviving Princess Yuki (Misa Uehara) to safety. effort, but it's a great early release from the
He is trying to escort a young princess named Yuki (Misa Uehara) to her homeland and once there, she can stake her claim to the throne. Criterion's 2001 DVD predates it and thus was not included.
Some of their insult-slinging is even funnier to Japanese-speakers as the humor doesn't fully translate into English, but their broad reactions are priceless throughout. Rival clans clash over a fortress with hidden gold.
shimmering near the top of the screen. Great transfer, watched this upscaled to 4k with oppo + OLED, impressive. This website is for noncommercial use only and is not affiliated with, or authorized or endorsed by Toho
For contemporary filmgoers, the term “jidai” should ring a bell suggesting knight-like chivalry, exotic adventure and historical myths from many ages. Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations, Select the department you want to search in.