THE HIDDEN FORTRESS
(1958, Blu-ray released March 18, 2014 – MSRP $39.95)
THE FILM:
- “A grand-scale adventure as only Akira Kurosawa could make one, The Hidden Fortress stars the inimitable Toshiro Mifune as a general charged with guarding his defeated clan’s princess (a fierce Misa Uehara) as the two smuggle royal treasure across hostile territory. Accompanying them are a pair of bumbling, conniving peasants who may or may not be their friends. This rip-roaring ride is among the director’s most beloved films and was a primary influence on George Lucas’s Star Wars. The Hidden Fortress delivers Kurosawa’s trademark deft blend of wry humor, breathtaking action, and compassionate humanity.“
REVIEW:
Yes, you can see Star Wars all over Akira Kurosawa’s The Hidden Fortress. The two bumbling, greedy peasants, Tahei and Matakishi, are very clearly the inspiration for the droids in Lucas’ film. But the real star here is the photography. (Yes, yes, I know Toshiro Mifune is in this and he kicks ass, as usual but trust me, the imagery is king!) The Hidden Fortress represents Kurosawa’s first feature shot in widescreen but, man, did he ever nail it on the first try. He pretty much teaches a master class in composition in every single frame. Astounding.
As you’d expect, Criterion’s HD upgrade of The Hidden Fortress looks incredible not only because of the nature of the source material but also their faultless handling of the transfer and encode. This is the truly gorgeous film-like experience you pray for from Blu-ray. Audio is presented in both lossless mono and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 which preserves the original “Perspecta” simulated stereo effects. Both tracks are in the original Japanese and provide surprisingly clean, stable and dynamic sound.
Bonus features include a brand new and quite information-packed commentary track by film historian Stephen Prince, a 40-minute long doc from 2003 on the director (presented in HD), and the George Lucas interview originally presented on the 2001 Criterion DVD.
SCREENSHOTS:
Click to enlarge
(Note: All screenshots are created in the lossy jpg format which may cause additional compression artifacts and noise in the image.)
SPECIAL FEATURES:
- New 2K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
- Alternate 5.1 surround soundtrack preserving the original Perspecta simulated stereo effects, presented in DTS-HD Master Audio on the Blu-ray
- New audio commentary by film historian Stephen Prince, author of The Warrior’s Camera: The Cinema of Akira Kurosawa
- Documentary from 2003 on the making of the film, created as part of the Toho Masterworks series Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create
- Interview from 2001 with filmmaker George Lucas about Kurosawa
- Trailer
- New English subtitle translation
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PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by film scholar Catherine Russell
New cover illustration by Vania Zouravliov, type by F. Ron Miller
