The film that made George Lucas steal—er, *homage*—for Star Wars.
Documentary made by Toho for the Masterworks reissue of all of its Kurosawa films. This one focuses on "The Hidden Fortress" (1958).
Direction
Kurosawa explaining his own shots with the energy of a caffeinated professor.
Production
The mountain fortress set that nearly bankrupted Toho. Worth it.
Director
Yoshinari Okamoto
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This documentary accidentally documents the moment Japanese cinema transitioned from golden age to reverent museum piece.
The horizontal wipe technique shown here became so synonymous with Star Wars that younger audiences think Kurosawa copied Lucas. The injustice!
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