Hidden Fortress (The Criterion Collection) [DVD]

love this movie. the two main characters are so fun to watch

the hidden fortress is often relagated to a place behind other more popular works of kurosawa like yojimbo, sanjuro, ran etc. but imo this movie is second only to seven samurai in terms of development of the plot and characters, acting, direction and sheer entertainment. the plot is pretty simple - a defeated kingdom, a princess on the run, a loyal general, two greedy bumbling peasants who unaware of the true identity of the princess are used by the general to aid them in their escape. the movie is in turns comic, adventurous and action packed. kurosawa's greatness lies in bringing to the fore the pettiness of human greed and the greatness of idealism and loyalty. over the course of the movie the two peasants who are initially lured into the enterprise with the promise of gold, over a period of time as the plot develops are so enveloped by greed that they simply become human personification of greed itself! the transformation is done/shown so beautifully. toshiro mifune plays the loyal general who skillfully manges the two peasants and also charts the course of the party's escape over enemy territory. the movie also features a beautifully done spear fight between mifune and an enemy general. brilliant movie this! criterion's print is superb too. enjoy!!!

I can see why George Lucas was so captivated by this movie. Star Wars was based on this movie. A Samurai, rescuing a Princess, accompanied by two comic figures in their adventures. I truly enjoyed watching this movie. Strongly recommended.

This video was shipped quickly and arrived in good condition. This video is an enjoyable addition to my video collection! I am always impressed by the quality of the Criterion Collection versions of these films. My only complaint with this video is that it is hard to enable the English subtitles for this particular video on my system, unlike other Criterion Collection offerings.

A unique movie. A breathtaking journey for a very intelligent viewer. (it is me ;) It is the most intriguing plot ever.

We all agree that 'The Hidden Fortress' is one of our favorite Kurosawa films (if not our first choice) for various reasons you'll find in the Amazon positive reviews. A few years ago we made a trip from Connecticut to Portsmouth New Hampshire to watch it in a theater to enjoy it better on a big screen. But seeing this new Blu-ray is a revelation after owning the previous Criterion DVDs and watching a good print with an audience. This restoration is the best we'll ever see so trade in your previous editions and get this one which includes a DVD version for non Blu-ray owners and looks very good as well. In addition to the older extras there's more of the Toho series about the director's films, 'It is Wonderful to Create,' found on other Criterions and now there's an excellent commentary by Stephen Prince who has contributed other Kurosawa commentaries. Fan of these films should get his book 'The Warrior's Camera.' However I will repeat my disappointment about Criterion's Blu-ray of another Kurosawa classic 'Throne of Blood' I reviewed on Amazon: "My only complaint is that the subtitles on this black & white film are too often difficult to read and worse on the above mentioned extra 'It is Wonderful to Create' due their white letters not having wide enough black edges when shown over white or light grey backgrounds. I've seen worse on other films and this continuous problem makes for a frustrating viewing experience which lessened my understanding and therefore enjoyment of the story. I have complained on Criterion's website about the bad subtitling on their Blu-ray of Fritz Lang's 'M' and other Amazon customers have commented about this problem on other Criterion discs of black & white films. Why they continue to release films this way is a mystery. Don't the folks in charge see what we see at home or more likely what we can't see? This problem could have been corrected very easily or at least have the subtitles printed in easy-to-read yellow as I've seen on B&W films from other companies." What's the point of Criterion issuing a great restoration with new extras and us always willing to pay more for their quality discs if we can't fully enjoy them because of bad subtitling? Even a mediocre English dub would be preferable but you won't find one here. If the subtitles were easier to read, I would rate this Criterion five stars. Anyway it's a five star classic movie in any book and a must own set for fans. Postscript 2/9/15: So far my review earned some unhelpful votes. I don't understand why anyone would think that being warned about illegible subtitling would be unhelpful unless the voter had something to do with this disc and didn't like my comments. Other than that, I praised this edition. Go figure...

While I'm kind of bummed the only way you can find a Blu-ray of this movie is through Criterion, I'm honestly not even mad about it. This is a wonderful movie that more people should be aware of; especially fans of a certain galaxy far, far away.

Somehow Kurosawa always manages to imbue his films with an artistry that surpasses the often straightforward (but not simplistic) plots. The Hidden Fortress is no exception. Apparently an inspiration for George Lucas in his Star Wars film (though the similarities are slight), this sees Toshiro Mifune in another heroic role as he attempts to smuggle a princess across the border with the aid of two squabbling peasants (memorably played by Kamatari Fujiawara and Minoru Chiaki). It's an entertaining, engrossing adventure, with Toshiro Mifune's stoic general butting heads against the peasants (and the princess) at every turn. Fujiawara and Chiaki pretty much steal every scene they're in, with their bickering and squabbling and amazing amount of greediness shining through at every opportunity. The black and white cinematography is gorgeous, there's ample doses of humour, a standout fight scene - what else could you ask for? Sure, it doesn't have the majesty of Seven Samurai, the depth of Throne Of Blood or the black humour of Yojimbo, but The Hidden Fortress is nonetheless another example of why Kurosawa remains one of the greatest directors in history.