The Hidden Fortress

For the 2001 Canadian children's film, see The Hidden Fortress (2001 film).
The Hidden Fortress
Theatrical release poster
Directed byAkira Kurosawa
Screenplay by
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyIchio Yamazaki[1]
Edited byAkira Kurosawa
Music byMasaru Sato[1]
Production
company
Release date
  • 28 December 1958 (1958-12-28) (Japan)
Running time
139 minutes[2]
CountryJapan
LanguageJapanese
Budget¥195 million[3]
Box office¥342.64 million[4]

The Hidden Fortress (Japanese: 隠し砦の三悪人, Hepburn: Kakushi Toride no San Akunin, lit. 'The Three Villains of the Hidden Fortress') is a 1958 Japanese jidaigeki[5] adventure film directed by Akira Kurosawa, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. It tells the story of two peasants who agree to escort a man and a woman across enemy lines in return for gold without knowing that he is a general and the woman is a princess. The film stars Toshiro Mifune as General Makabe Rokurōta and Misa Uehara as Princess Yuki while the peasants, Tahei and Matashichi, are portrayed by Minoru Chiaki and Kamatari Fujiwara respectively.

The Hidden Fortress was the fourth highest-grossing film of the year in Japan, and Kurosawa's most successful film up to that point. It was a significant influence on the 1977 American film Star Wars.[6]

  1. ^ a b c d Galbraith IV 2008, p. 151.
  2. ^ a b Galbraith IV 2008, p. 152.
  3. ^ Shiozawa 2005, p. 92.
  4. ^ Kinema Junpo 2012, p. 148.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference ccWhite2001 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Young, Bryan (2019-07-23). "'Star Wars' Owes A Great Debt To Akira Kurosawa's 'The Hidden Fortress'". SlashFilm.com. Retrieved 2022-09-13.