| The titular location isn't much of a "fortress"...more like a couple of shacks tucked away in a canyon...but the adventure that stops there along the way is highly entertaining. This Akira Kurosawa film takes its time getting where it's going but does so at a steady pace and averts any serious boredom on the viewer's part, in typical Kurosawa fashion. It follows the exploits of two greedy farmers named Tahei (Minoru Chiaki) and Matashichi (Kamatari Fujiwara) who flee the territory scarred by war between the Akizuki and Yamana clans. They are recruited by General Rokurota Makabe (early Kurosawa mainstay Toshiro Mifune) to help transport a fortune in gold bars concealed in hollowed-out firewood and Princess Yuki of the defeated Akizaki clan through enemy lines. Like most film princesses, Yuki is rather bitchy much of the time. She just loves to threaten people with that stick of hers, and she says everything in the same irritating, stressed-out, unduly urgent tone of voice. The ceaseless, comedic bickering of Tahei and Matashichi eases the pain somewhat, but I find it rather foolish of them to complain about how cold it is when they aren't wearing pants.
Kurosawa was influenced by early American westerns, and he HAD influence ON many of the later ones. It's not difficult to see. Rokurota's tense, methodical duel with Hyoe Takokoro (Susumu Fujita), which is as psychological as it is physical, will no doubt bring to mind the traditional showdown between gunslingers on a dusty road lined by spectators. (A minor complaint: more information on the history between these two characters would have been nice, as I found their relationship to be one of the most interesting aspects of the film.)
The influence doesn't stop there. I think it's safe to assume that the creators of the awesome Korean swordplay epic Musa ("Warrior") were fans of The Hidden Fortress. The clash of the clans, the smuggling of the princess, and the peasant girl who joins the protagonists along the way...all there. However, Musa is based on actual events and for that reason may not be as much of a "rip off" (I wouldn't use that term anyway; it's thrown around far too casually) as one would immediately think. Accuse me of all the sacrilege you want, but I definitely consider Musa the better movie, and NOT just because it's newer, flashier, and in color as opposed to black and white. It is because Musa has a broader scope, and boasts one of my favorite characters in all of cinema: Yeesol, played by Jung Woo-sung.
"Hey Numskull, weren't you talking about The Hidden Fortress?" Oh yeah, thanks. Toshiro Mifune has commanding screen presence, Minoru Chiaki's facial expressions are outstanding, and Kurosawa never falters in any significant way throughout the film's 139-minute duration. This film will definitely make you want to seek out more of Kurosawa's work if you haven't already done so.
The Criterion DVD has a brief segment where George Lucas talks about his exposure to Kurosawa and the influence that The Hidden Fortress had on Star Wars; primarily, the fact that the story is told from the point of view of the two "lowest" characters (Tahei & Matashichi/C3PO & R2D2). Even though he says "uh" and "um" a lot, he comes across as reasonably knowledgeable and you get the impression that he DOES, in fact, have a clue...which really makes you wonder why The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones suck so hard.
Light-hearted by Kurosawa standards, and fast-paced despite being well over two hours; this is one worth picking up. |
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