Kakushi-toride no san-akunin (1958)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

Akira Kurosawa

Writers:

Shinobu Hashimoto (writer)
Ryûzô Kikushima (writer)

Release Date:

6 October 1960 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Comedy

Plot:

Lured by gold, two greedy peasants escort a man and woman across enemy lines. However, they do not realize that their companions are actually a princess and her general.

Plot Keywords:

Gold | Princess | Katana Sword | Jidai Geki | Samurai Warrior

Awards:

4 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Toshirô Mifune	...	General Rokurota Makabe
Misa Uehara	...	Princess Yuki
Minoru Chiaki	...	Tahei
Kamatari Fujiwara	...	Matakishi
Takashi Shimura	...	The Old General, Izumi Nagakura
Susumu Fujita	...	General Hyoe Tadokoro
Eiko Miyoshi	...	Old Lady-in-Waiting
Toshiko Higuchi	...	Farmer's Daughter bought from slave trader
Koji Mitsui	...	Guard
Shiten Ohashi	...	Samurai
Kichijiro Ueda	...	Slave Trader
Ikio Sawamura	...	Gambler
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Takuzo Kumagaya	...	Yamana foot soldier (as Jirô Kumagai)
Tadao Nakamaru	...	Young Man
Rinsaku Ogata	...	Second Young Man

Also Known As:

The Hidden Fortress (USA)
The Three Villains of the Hidden Fortress (informal English title)
Three Bad Men in a Hidden Fortress (International: English title) (literal title)
Three Rascals in the Hidden Fortress (International: English title)
Den skjulte fæstning (Denmark) [da]
Den vilda flykten (Sweden) [sv]
Die verborgene Festung (West Germany) [de]
Kätketty linnake (Finland) [fi]
La fortaleza escondida (Spain) [es]
La forteresse cachée (France) [fr]
La fortezza nascosta (Italy) [it]
Trois salauds dans une forteresse cachée (France) [fr]
Ukryta forteca (Poland) [pl]

Runtime:

139 min | USA:126 min | Finland:114 min (1959)

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Perspecta Stereo (optical prints) | Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Australia:PG | Finland:K-11 (re-rating) | Finland:K-16 (original rating) | Spain:13 | UK:PG (video rating) (1994) | UK:A (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Mount Fuji, Shizuoka, Japan

Company:

Toho Company

Trivia:

In an interview for the Criterion collection DVD, George Lucas stated that while this film is a story about a princess and her protectors that this was not the primary element that he employed in Star Wars. He stated that he was more concerned with the way that Hidden Fortress is told through the eyes of two lesser characters. In Hidden Fortress it is the two thieves; in Star Wars it is C3PO and R2D2. In both films the comical interplay between the two characters is a major theme.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Tahei: Get away from me! You stink of dead bodies!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Seven Samurai: Origins and Influences (2006) (V)

A different kind of Kurosawa film

Those who think that Kurosawa could only direct dramatic films need to see The Hidden Fortress. It is an exiting, funny, and extremely entertaining adventure film. George Lucas cites The Hidden Fortress as the prime inspiration for the Star Wars films.

Two cowardly soldiers Tahei (Minoru Chiaki) and Matashichi (Kamatari Fujiwara) flee from a battle. The two then set up camp for the night, but soon they discover a bar of gold next to their camp. The two begin fighting over it, but before they can decide who gets it, a mysterious man called Rokurota (Toshiro Mifune) appears. He asks the two to help him transport a wagon full of gold and the Lady Yukihime (Misa Uehara) across enemy lines so that they can establish their kingdom again.

This film is a blast and is filled with plenty of action and humor. A departure from Kurosawa's usual dramatic films, but excellent cinema nonetheless.