Rating: 
Summary: Classic
Review: An early Kurosawa film, dating from 1958. It is in parts a comedy which translates reasonably well across the cultural barrier. The plot of the film concerns a princess, whose kingdom has been defeated in battle. She must secretly take her gold into a neighboring kingdom so that she can hire an army to defeat her enemies. The film is told through the eyes of two vagabonds who find some of the gold and spend most of the film trying to steal it. Toshiro Mifune is at his charasmatic best playing the princesses bodyguard and general. The structure of the film is basically a road film as the two vagabonds, the princess and the general make their way past hazard after hazard to escape into the neighbouring kingdom. They form a sort of loose alliance, with the vagabonds ever hopeful of stealing the gold. Mifune on the other hand is steadfast and able to overcome all obstacles. Like all of his period films, Kurosawa is able to realistically create the feel of medival Japan. The opening scene is one of the more impressive of Japanese films. The later films by this director such as Ran and Kagamusha seemed a little sterile. This is very much a film made at the peak of his career and has been noted by others was one of the inspiratins for Star Wars.
Rating:
Summary: What a story!
Review: What a pleasant surprise it was for me to see this Kurosawa gem after having already seen The Seven Samurai, RAN, and Yojimbo. It's easy to see why George Lucas couldn't resist its influence when creating Star Wars. The 2 peasant characters are irresitably hilarious with their bumbling antics -- positively at each other's throats with impatient greed one moment, and reaffirming their everlasting friendship the next. This movie overflows with Kurosawa's grand vision of feudal Japan in both it's natural splendor, and human conflict. Fabulous film.
Rating:
Summary: Hidden Fortress
Review: A delight for all fans of Kirosawa
Rating:
Summary: One of my favirotes
Review: A great movie on a great DVD. This is one of my favirote films of all time. It is finally good to see a widely available version on a clean cut DVD. A good jumping on point for new Kurosawa fans. Check it out!
Rating: 
Summary: Kurosawa: always a good bet.
Review: If you're a major Star Wars fan, you've undoubtedly attached this title to the Star Wars mythos, reasonably so. George Lucas claims that this is the movie that inspired Star Wars, most noteably the characters of RD-D2 and C3PO, and a certain feisty princess. In a short interview that accompanies this DVD, Lucas explains the origins and connections and his own experiences as a Kurosawa fan. Lucas is quick to note however that this is not his favorite Kurosawa flick. Of all the Kurosawa flicks I own, this is probably my least favorite. Now, my least favorite Kurosawa flick equates to one of the best movies I've seen this year, but it's definitely not his best when compared to movies like "The Seven Samurai", "Yojimbo", "Rashomon" and "Ran" (I'm particular to the samurai flicks as you can tell). Toshiro Mifune does a masterful job as always, and the movie is well deserved of it's status as a classic, but it lacks a lot of the power of the aforementioned movies. What it does have in common with those films is the strong visual element that Kurosawa is known for. Kurosawa was well ahead of his time, able to look at a film as a moving tapestry or painting as well as a story. He took great strides to ensure that every element of a film worked to improve the whole whether it be photography, music or plot. It's that incredible attention to detail, a true artists eye, that elevates this film above the story being told (it's not a bad story, just not "great"). If you're just getting started on your collection, do yourself a favor and start with the other movies I've mentioned first. This is a great flcik, but this is not Kurosawa's best. If you're only interest in this movie is it's connection to Star Wars, don't stop there, give Kurosawa and yourself a chance and check out his other movies (especially Seven Samurai). Kurosawa is, to me, one of the two greatest directors who ever lived and well deserving of your time.
Rating:
Summary: A good Kurosawa Movie
Review: Now when I say "A good Kurosawa Movie" that does not mean that this movie is okay or so-so. It is definitely not as great as Seven Samuari, Ran, Yojimbo, or High and Low (the list goes on). But this falls under my rating of Good Kurosawa which still means it is better than most movies on my list. This movie has a very good story line, great acting by Mifune, and of course great directing. It is nice to see where George Lucas got some of his inspiration for Star Wars (though you can not pin point it all on this movie). Overall, a great movie, a good Kurosawa movie, and the DVD quality is as always good.
Rating:
Summary: Kurasawa at his finest.
Review: This Film shows off all of the points that makes a Kurasawa movie great. Although it was his last effort for Toho he left them with a film to be remembered. Although the story is quite simple the complexity of charectors, and the emotional states of those traped in the time and place -1600's Japan- is realy what drives it. Also the diffrence between class in Japanese society of the era is also shown. Kurasawa is best known for his Samurai era films and this is one of his best due to the fact that the three elements of the "Kurasawa film" are evident His historical sence his realistic charectors and his humor.
Goerge Lucus him self must love this movie for star wars was partially based on it this fact is most evident in the story line and of course the opening seen as the two farmers wander aimlessly in a wasland.
Rating:
Summary: Great Story, Great Movie
Review: As many others have said, this isn't my favourite Kurosawa movie but good heavens! Even when not at his peak, he's head and shoulders above what others do on their best day. The story is great though the two idiot peasants get to be a bit annoying. They do, however, allow Kurosawa to tell the story in an interesting way (from their point of view). The story, I find, starts slowly as it focuses on the peasants, establishing their characters. It takes a while before getting to the heart of the movie. But once Mifune as Rokurota appears, the film really gets going. This is also the first DVD I've bought from the Criterion Collection and I was very impressed by the quality. While their discs are a bit pricey, it is well worth it for the clean transfer. Overall, I give Hidden Fortress a 4 but with Kurosawa movies you have to use a different scale. For any other director, it would be a 5.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Kurosawa's Best
Review: In spite of the famed influence on George Lucas and an excellent spear duel showcasing Mifune Toshiro's abilities, this is not the first movie I would recommend for Kurosawa neophytes, or newbies to Japanese samurai films in general. It's pacing is a bit slow, the comic relief -- such as it is -- of the two stooges is too heavyhanded, repetitive and slapstick, and the storyline just isn't as compelling or immediately accessible as a YOJIMBO, SEVEN SAMURAI or even a KAGEMUSHA. Hidden Fortress is worth a look once you have become a fan of the genre, but those other three have the advantage of being either more modern (KAGEMUSHA was made in 1980) or more Western. That may seem an unfair comparison, since YOJIMBO is Western by design and both it and SEVEN SAMURAI have been remade into Western movies, but I'm not trying to be a purist here. I'm just saying that from an entertainment standpoint, Hidden Fortress is an acquired taste that may take too long to get started for many viewers. It is probably my least favorite Kurosawa -- or Mifune -- film.
Rating:
Summary: Kurosawa at his best!
Review: Wow. This is a great movie, and a fine example of Kurosawa's work. The composition of his scenes are what stand out the most; every scene looks perfect. Another great (and fun) thing about this movie is to see how many scenes feel like Star Wars. Geroge Lucas obviously was influenced by a master. If you aren't too familer with Kurosawa's work, I can't think of a better movie to experience for the first time than this.
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