![]() ![]() ![]() Likewise, the peasant farmers’ antics may be amusing, but the desperation of their situation is nevertheless made real. The General’s defense of the Princess comes at the cost of the life of his own sister. But such enjoyment doesn’t rule out criticism of the feudal honor code’s loyalty unto-death ideals. Kurosawa clearly revels in the high adventure of the story he’s telling, and the excitement of the era it reflects. Part Shakespearean clowns, part Laurel and Hardy, the pair’s antics provide both a “worm’s eye view” of history, and form a backdrop for Kurosawa’s particular take on certain aspects of Japanese tradition-which is at once both celebratory and critical. Blinded by greed, they plot to steal the gold along the escape route. Matashichi and Tahei, for their part, have no idea who the Princess and the General are, and are only too glad to help. With troops on the lookout for them, the peasants will provide something of a disguise. They need help in carrying the gold across the border. ![]() When they discover the clan gold, they leap on it like starving animals-each claiming sole ownership rights.įor the Princess and the General, this greed proves useful. Constantly bickering between themselves, they’re as corrupt as their exploiters. Still these pieces of peasant flotsam and jetsam aren’t noble sufferers. Threatened with death at one moment, forced into slavery at another, their lives are one long process of victimization. They’re entirely at the mercy of whatever miliary faction is currently holding sway. Matashichi (Kamatari Fujiwara) and Tahei (Minoru Chiaki) live on the lowest possible level of the feudal totem pole. For rather than deal with his heroes directly, Kurosawa elects to tell their story through the eyes of two minor characters-a pair of peasant farmers that the Princess Yuki and the General use to aid their escape. Straightforward as this seems on paper, this same scenario unfolds in a somewhat oblique manner on screen. Once on their way, it’s one chase, swordfight, and hairs-breadth escape after another. With their clan’s precious gold horde hidden in sticks of firewood, they plan to make their escape across a nearby border by disguising themselves as peasants. Having escaped the clutches of an enemy clan, Princess Yuki (Misa Uehara), her loyal retainers, and her faithful military commandant, General Rokurota Makabe (Toshiro Mifune), are hiding out in a secret mountain fortress. Fast-paced, witty and visually stunning, The Hidden Fortress has delighted audiences not only on its home turf, but throughout the world-something few “Chambara” films ever managed to do.Īt heart the story is a simple one. In the hands of the man who made such films as Rashomon, Ikiru, Yojimbo, and Ran, however, genre particulars appear as anything but routine. And like the majority of westerns, most “Chambara” films are “programmers”-routine action “quickies” ground out like so many sausages and tossed out on the movie marketplace. Produced in 1958, this thrilling Cinemascope epic-starring Kurosawa’s favorite actor Toshiro Mifune-is set squarely within the traditions of the Japanese film genre known as the “Chambara.”Ĭostume and swordplay epics set in the 16th-century feudal period, “Chambara” films mix history and folklore with the conventions of theatrical melodrama much as American westerns do. One of the greatest action-adventure films ever made, The Hidden Fortress stands alongside the finest achievements of its creator-Japanese film master Akira Kurosawa. ![]()
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