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The Hidden Fortress (1958)
A decade before C3PO and R2D2 were getting sand in their sprockets, George Lucas was watching Akira Kurosawa movies in college.
And though the then-USC film student deemed Seven Samurai his favorite, it was The Hidden Fortress that Lucas cites as a touchstone for his 1977 culture-changing space opera.
For that reason, the Portland Critics Association is programming The Hidden Fortress on Star Wars Day, May 4, at the Hollywood Theatre.
Immediately upon firing up Kurosawa’s adventure epic, you can see its influence on Star Wars. Two peasants travel home from war and get swept up in raging battles, indentured servitude, and a hunt for the elusive Princess Yuki (Misa Uehara).
That said, it’s chiefly how the cinematography harmonizes with the narrative framing that Lucas clearly drew inspiration from for the droid-led first act of Star Wars. The shambling robots dwarfed by dunes and spied on from craggy cliffs above sometimes match shot for shot with how Kurosawa moves his camera around the audience-surrogate peasants and the landscape.
If anything, though, the Japanese film titan’s emphasis that these ordinary men have no idea the scope of this story is more pronounced and dreamlike than Lucas’ vision. In the opening moments, Kurosawa pans to the side of Tahei (Minoru Chiaki) and Matashichi (Kamatari Fujiwara) to reveal warriors on horseback, almost as if the lead characters have blinders on.
And when Tahei and Matashici spot the inimitable scowl of Toshiro Mifune—playing a mysterious general who appears from the darkness at their campfire—it’s clear why Lucas fell in love with this kind of visual storytelling. We’re staring a myth right in the face.
Also Playing:
5th Avenue: Murdering the Devil (1970), May 1–3. Academy: Duck Soup (1933), Labyrinth (1986) and Driller Killer (1977), April 29 and 30. Cinemagic: The Cat (1992), April 29. Dark Angel (1990), May 1. A Fistful of Dollars (1964) and For a Few Dollars More (1965) double feature, May 3. A Fistful of Dollars (1964), May 4. For a Few Dollars More (1965), May 5. Cinema 21: Days and Nights in the Forest (1970), May 1. On the Waterfront (1954), May 2. Clinton: Clockwatchers (1997), May 1. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), May 2. Being John Malkovich (1999), May 5. Hollywood: Death Game (1977), April 29. This Is Not a Film (2011), April 30. Serpent’s Path (1998), May 1. Chungking Express (1994), May 2 and 3. I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing (1987), May 4.
