Kurosawa's Tale of Two Peasants, a Princess, & a General

In the 1950s, Akira Kurosawa was clearly becoming Japan's premier auteur with films like Rashomon, Ikiru, Throne of Blood, The Lower Depths, and most of all, The Seven Samurai. Taking the samurai films to new heights as well as creating epic stories and reinterpreting the famed works of William Shakespeare and several works in noir-like mysteries. In 1958, Kurosawa released another film that would prove to be highly influential. Especially to a young filmmaker named George Lucas who would use the basis for the film as well as characters for his Star Wars films in Kurosawa's 1958 film The Hidden Fortress.

Directed by Akira Kurosawa with a script he co-wrote with Shinobu Hashimoto, Ryuzo Kikushima, and Hideo Oguni. The Hidden Fortress tells the story of a battle's aftermath where two escaped peasant workers run into a general as they reluctantly help him transport a large amount of gold with help from a farmer's daughter in hopes to revive a princess' throne. Starring Kurosawa regulars Toshiro Mifune, Minoru Chiaki, Takashi Shimura, Kamatari Fujiwara, and Kichijiro Ueda along with Misa Uehara, Susumu Fujita, and Toshiko Higuchi. The Hidden Fortress is an adventurous, humorous, and powerful masterpiece from Akira Kurosawa and company.

Two peasants named Tahei (Minoru Chiaki) and Matakishi (Kamatari Fujiwara) had just escaped from a fortress from the Yamana clan. After being captured and escaping again, the two men steal rice as they hide in the mountains hoping to go to the land where the Akizuki land still remains as it's guarded. They suddenly find two pieces of gold through wood while encountering a man (Toshiro Mifune) who later takes them to a secret place. He is revealed to be General Rokurota Makabe of the Akizuki clan as the whole town under the Yamana clan is trying to find Princess Yuki (Misa Uehara) for 10 pieces of ryo.

Working under Makabe, they wonder what he's planning as they believe that he is just trying to get in their way of finding 200 pieces of gold that the Akizuki tribe is hiding. Yet after encounter a young woman in the watering hole, they're wondering who she is as Makabe reveals that he had already turned in the princess for the 10 pieces of ryo. What Tahei and Matakishi don't know was that the girl they encountered is the princess.

With Makabe already sacrificing his own sister for the princess' safety, his old general (Takashi Shimiura) makes a visit to the hidden fortress as Makabe, the old general, and the princess' lady-in-waiting (Eiko Miyoshi) conferring on what to do next. Makabe along with Tahei, Matakishi decide to go the border with the princess pretending to be a mute as they secretly transport 200 pieces of gold inside wood branches. The princess agrees as does the greedy peasants as on their way to the border, the peasants' greed nearly gets them caught when they catch a glimpse of the border.

Realizing that they're trapped and the fortress is now found through smoke, Makabe finally concocts a plan to get through the border by using a piece of gold on their way through. During a stop at an inn, the princess notices a farmer's daughter (Toshiko Higuchi) being abused as she talks to Makabe about buying her from a slave trader (Kichijiro Ueda). Though they no longer have horses that was lost through the sale, Makabe reluctantly takes the girl along with a cart.

When they encounter some of Yamana's soldiers, things seem fine until they meet them again where Makabe fights a couple and runs after two more where he enters a base run by General Hyoe Tadokoro (Susumu Fujita) who recognizes Makabe. The two have a duel that Makabe wins but keeps Tadokoro alive out of respect hoping that they fight again. Yet, the farmer's daughter hears rumors about the people Yamana is trying to find realizing that she's with the princess and Makabe. When Makabe realizes that the wood is something they need in the rain, he goes out to find something only to have the peasants' desire for warmth to nearly get them in trouble during a fire festival.

With all five trying to find the piece of gold that are left under the ashes fo the wood, they retrieve all that they can find as they flee before Yamana's men try and find them. Yet, the greed of the peasants get them in trouble with Makabe, the farmer's daughter, and the princess captured. With victory in the hands of Yamana, the princess' grace and dignity gains an ally in the most unlikely person.

While the film's plot about a general using two greedy peasants to transport gold and accompany a princess into treacherous land from their hidden fortress is a simple story. Yet, what makes this film interesting on storytelling level is its emphasis to get the perspective of various characters and their situation. There's four central characters in the film that really are the focal point of the story. A determined general who is trying to protect the princess and gold in hopes to reclaim the princess' status to help win the war against feuding factions. A princess who has lived her life in a castle for most of her life pondering about the big role that she has to play now where she finally gets a closer look at the people she's supposed to rule over.

Then, we have the greedy peasants who are simply motivated by greed as they serve as a comical device while often getting Makabe and the princess into trouble at times. The film later introduces a farmer's daughter whose freedom is given because of the princess and a rival general who has a deep amount of respect for Makabe despite the fact that they're in different war factions.

The script is wonderfully told in its mix of adventure, humor, and drama while Kurosawa's direction is truly engrossing. The first Kurosawa film presented in a widescreen format, Kurosawa is given more to do in his vision and create scenes with a wide depth of field. One notable sequence where Kurosawa uses the new cinematic format to great heights is a duel between Makabe and Tadokoro. In its presentation, Kurosawa reveals the idea of respect and honor in a duel as it's about the duel and all of Tadokoro's soldiers watching. The movement and how Kurosawa captures that sequence is truly amazing where he also takes his time in letting the drama of the duel unfold. What happens in the end is about honor and respect where despite the fact that Makabe and Tadokoro are in different sides, there's a level of respect between those two.

Kurosawa's approach to humor is done wonderfully as it's all about how Tahei and Matakishi and their greed. Yet, the way Kurosawa sets up situations is to reveal their impatience in their characters and at times, the two often quarrel with each other over greed or how dumb they are. The visual approach that Kurosawa creates is more epic with images of Mt. Surabachi and its locations as a real inspiration while some of the shots in the forest has this dream-like quality. Kurosawa's editing with the use of frame-wipe transitions and rhythmic cutting for some of film's action sequences are very stylized yet has a great presentation and pacing that doesn't move too slow but rather leisurely. Overall, Kurosawa's vision of a big, epic story is heightened thanks to the use of the widescreen format that gives him more room as he creates a truly memorable and complex film.

Cinematographer Kazuo Yamasaki does great work with the film's black-and-white photography, notably in the use of sunlight shining against the forest that creates one of the film's most gorgeous sequences. Yamasaki's exterior work whether its day or night is wonderfully lit where in the night scenes, there's a suspenseful tone while in the day. It's more comical and adventurous with a gray look for other scenes as Yamasaki's camera work is truly phenomenal. Production designer Yoshiro Muraki does excellent work in the look of the houses inside of the fortress along with the cave and other homes that have a traditional look. Costume designer Masahiro Kato does great work in the downtrodden looks of the peasants along with Makabe while the princess wears shorts and a shirt to make herself look like common folk. Sound recordist Fumio Yanoguchi does excellent work in capturing the intensity of the duel along with the sounds of gunshots and breaking wood.

Composer Masaru Sato, a longtime collaborator of Kurosawa, does great work in proving an amazing, suspenseful film score with numerous themes to accompany each character. Sato provides a comical, swift, and melodic score for the theme of Tahei and Matakishi while a more serene, flute-driven score for the princess. The rest filled with traditional Japanese percussions and drums along with orchestral arrangements is truly phenomenal for the film's sense of adventure and suspense.

The cast is phenomenal with small appearances from Eiko Miyoshi as an old lady-in-waiting who helps Makabe in planning the transport the princess to safety along with Kurosawa regular Takashi Shimura as an old general who Makabe turns to for advice. Kichijiro Ueda is funny as a slave trader while Toshiko Higuchi is very good as a farmer's daughter who is aware of who the people are she's traveling with while playing an unlikely protector to the princess. Susumu Fujita is brilliant as General Tadokoro, a rivaling general who has great respect for Makabe as the aftermath of battle has him dealing with his own confusion about honor as Fujita is truly phenomenal. Kurosawa regulars Minoru Chiaki and Kamatari Fujiwara in their respective roles of Tahei and Matakishi are wonderful to watch. The two men bring a great chemistry to their performances with Tahei as the smarter of the two and Matakishi as the more risk-taker. Yet, they both bring a great sense of humor and complexity to their greedy characters as they add a nice balance to the film.

Misa Uehara is brilliant as Princess Yuki, a stubborn yet graceful princess who feels overwhelmed and trapped in her new royal position as she has to act mute and observe all that's going on. What happens is a transformation of her character who becomes aware of what role she has to play while providing wonderful insight into her journey. Uehara's performance is phenomenal and a rare moment where a female character takes charge in a positive light in a film by Kurosawa. Finally, there's Toshiro Mifune in an amazing performance as General Rokurota Makabe. Mifune's tough yet intelligence performance reveals a man who has a great mind for strategy while knowing he can't take too many risks. Even with people around him that he has to take care of. While he's a man of honor, he is also dealing with loss that he knew has to deal with while it's only because he's doing it for the princess. Mifune's performance is definitely brilliant in its complexity as he carries the film with such power and also a bit of humor.

Released in late 1958 in Japan, the film would get a U.S. release two years later. Though some considered a minor-classic film by Kurosawa, the film was influential to several young filmmakers. Most notably, George Lucas who used its premise for his 1977 film Star Wars while taking inspiration of the characters of Tahei and Matakishi for C-3PO and R2-D2. While the film is still regarded as Kurosawa's finest films, there's often debate whether it's one of his classics or lesser films but fans won't deny that it's still one of his best.

While the film doesn't rank with Kurosawa's previous masterpieces like Rashomon, Throne of Blood, or The Seven Samurai, The Hidden Fortress is still a brilliant and adventurous masterpiece from Akira Kurosawa and company. With great performances from Toshiro Mifune, Misa Uehara, Minoru Chiaki, and Kamatari Fujiwara and amazing sequences, notably the duel scene. It's definitely a film that fans of Kurosawa will no doubt enjoy. Fans of Star Wars should check this film out to see where George Lucas got all of the ideas for the film and see where Lucas made references towards this film. In the end, The Hidden Fortress is a fascinating yet entertaining masterpiece from Akira Kurosawa.

Akira Kurosawa Films:

Rashomon (1950):

http://www.epinions.com/content_407108882052

Ikiru (1952):

http://www.epinions.com/content_407750217348

The Seven Samurai (1954):

http://www.epinions.com/content_408014655108

Throne of Blood (1957):

http://www.epinions.com/content_408499228292

The Bad Sleep Well (1960):

http://www.epinions.com/content_452052291204

Yojimbo (1961):

http://www.epinions.com/content_409156357764

Sanjuro (1962):

http://www.epinions.com/content_410131467908

High & Low (1963):

http://www.epinions.com/content_447766892164

Kagemusha (1980):

http://www.epinions.com/content_410895486596

Ran (1985):

http://www.epinions.com/content_412004683396