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The Hidden Fortress
[Blu-ray 4K]
Blu-ray ALL - United Kingdom - British Film Institute Review written by and copyright: James-Masaki Ryan (31st August 2025). |
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The Film
 "The Hidden Fortress" 「隠し砦の三悪人」 (1958) Tahei (played by Chiaki Minoru) and Matashichi (played by Fujiwara Kamatari) are lowly peasants that escape from slavery in a war torn land and are searching for their way home. They happen to find hidden gold in a mountainous region, each bearing the symbol of the Akizuki clan, one of clans in the area at war. Unbeknownst to them, a few surviving royal members and servants of the clan are hiding in the mountains in a hidden fortress. But as enemy forces are encroaching, their general Makabe Rokurota (played by Mifune Toshiro) enlists the two peasants to help them move the family gold and also accompany princess Yuki (played by Uehara Misa) through enemy territory towards freedom. But not every step goes according to plan... Director Kurosawa Akira had a series of critical successes in the 1950 as well as international recognition with films such as "Rashomon" (1950), "Ikiru" (1952), and "Seven Samurai" (1954). But his subsequent three films, "I Live in Fear" (1955), "Throne of Blood" (1957) and "The Lower Depths" (1957) were not particularly major hits with audiences due to their darker and more serious themes, though they were still critical favorites. Kurosawa's contract with his long time studio Toho was to expire with one more feature, and to appease them for future partnerships, he made the decision to go for a full blown action epic that would be a fun crowd pleaser. For the script, he worked together again with writers Kikushima Ryuzo, Oguni Hideo, and Hashimoto Shinobu, focusing on humor and action as elements that made "Seven Samurai" popular, but more on the side of adventure and spectacle, with a few twists and turns along the way. It is notable that the film starts the story with the two lowly peasant characters bickering and insulting each other, followed by their recapturing and imprisonment, showcasing who they are and not who the enemies are. To them, every clan is the enemy, as their initial plan to join an army just led them to being cogs in pointless battles along the way. When they are captured, little is known about who they are captured by or what the war is about. Needless to say, those points are irrelevant. This is also the case with the Akizuki clan members in hiding, as there is no clear backstory to the war itself. The only importance is that there is a member of royalty and there is family gold that need to be transported without being detected by their enemies. In this aspect, it is easy to get into the story. There is no convoluted backstory of who is fighting and for what political reasons. Since the opening is told through the peasants who are not wanting to be part of the conflict and are not directly involved, it is easy for the audience to follow along. he script keeps the ideas extremely lean, yet with subtle nods to WWII with innocent civilians getting caught up in an unwanted war and criticism of class structure. Chiaki and Fujiwara are great in the roles, with each actor having a unique looking frame and character, as Chiaki is taller and plumper, while Fujiwara is shorter and smaller, almost like a manzai comedy duo stuck in a never-ending routine of throwing insults at each other while reacting to their crazy surroundings. With the character of General Makabe, Mifune uses his muscles the most in this role, showing off his grace in fight scenes with swords and spears, horseback riding, as well as his fists in dealing with others. Not only brawn but also with brains, as Makabe is a quick thinker and strategic in his skills, tricking the peasants to help them out as well as his ways with dealing with the enemies along the way. It is a far cry from the bear like appearances he made in "Rashomon" and "Seven Samurai", the maddened warlord in "Throne of Blood" or the frail elderly man in "I Live in Fear" and one that would shape his career as a powerful action star in the years to come. The character is very stoic and forceful with the peasants in an almost comedic tone like a straight man versus a slapstick duo, while he is always keeping a straight face. The character of Princess Yuki is also a unique one in this world and time setting. When seeing the roles of a princess in distress, it is common in both Japanese and western cultures that she would be a helpless and demanding person of royalty. But in "The Hidden Fortress" she is given an almost boyish look, being capable of defending herself, and not following precise orders. Unlike the cliches of the royal who has no interest in the lives of commoners, she is set as being a curious young woman who is not afraid to take risks as her personality also suggests. Throughout the course of the film, it is interesting to see her eyes open to the world that is uglier than she expects, but also more beautiful and vibrant as well. The scene in which she sees the world of prostitution and the control men have over poor women leads to a rescue of one of their people and her disdain for cruel treatment of her own gender. In contrast, during the fire festival scene which is brilliantly shot and choreographed, she experiences dancing with a crowd like a modern music festival with everyone chanting and dancing in rhythm to the taiko drums, showing her smiling face for the first time during the long and dangerous voyage. It's certainly a very strong and positive female role model that is a sharp opposite to some of the female characters depicted in Kurosawa's previous features. Uehara Misa, whose given name was Uehara Misako was born on March 26th, 1937 in Fukuoka City, in west Japan. She was a student at the Bunka Gakuen University Junior College in Tokyo when a talent agent for Toho Studios scouted her at a movie theater in Nagoya, and in 1958, debuted Uehara, Mizuno Kumi and Mitsui Mina as the "Three Beauties" of Toho Studios, each making their film debuts that year. Uehara debuted in "The Hidden Fortress", Mizuno debuted in "The Bridge Just for the Two of Us" and Mitsui debuted in "Little Peach". The other two actresses had a head start, with their dramatic features premiering in March and May respectively, Uehara's role as Princess Yuki would take a little longer with a December release date. She would appear again as a princess in "The Three Treasures" (1959), the WWII dramas "The Desperate Outpost" (1959) and "Storm Over the Pacific" (1960), and a few more titles for Toho. She ended her film career with "The College Bandits" in 1960, just a year and a half after making her first film appearance. At the age of 23, she decided to leave the entertainment industry. Although she had popularity, she felt she didn't have the talent to become a great actress. Uehara led a private life after that and little is known about her following her departure from the business. So it was quite a surprise that on April 4th, 1981, she appeared on television after a screening of "The Hidden Fortress" on Fuji TV. It was a roundtable discussion with Kurosawa, Chiaki, Fujiwara, and Uehara about the making of the film, and it was the first time Uehara appeared in front of a camera for over twenty years and within that time, she became a housewife and a mother of two children. There is information online that states that she passed away in 2003. There is no concrete information on this being particularly accurate as there seem to be no news reports or places to confirm. In the 2002 produced documentary for the making of "The Hidden Fortress", she appeared in the extras through a telephone interview, and this seems to be the last known interview conducted with her. She only appeared in seven feature films during her short career, but her role as Princess Yuki is still considered to be one of the biggest standouts in Kurosawa's leading females, with a feisty attitude and one to go against conformity. The film's production began on May 27th, 1958, with shooting in Hyogo prefecture, Gotemba near Mount Fuji, and at Toho Studios. A ten day planned shoot in Gotemba stretched to nearly 100 days, as three typhoons hit Japan that summer season which led to multiple delays with the outdoor locations. The initial schedule was for an 83 day shoot, which was quite long already but extended to 147 days in total, with the budget expanding from 90 million yen to more than double at 195 million yen with the set constructions, the wardrobes, and the delays. Due to the delays, the actor who was originally cast to play General Hyoe was recast with Fujita Susumu. This was a notable as Fujita was Kurosawa's first leading actor in "Sanshiro Sugata", but it was the first time in over ten years that the two would work together. The duel between his character Hyoei and Mifune's character of Makabe is one of friendly fire and can also be seen as a mirror for their respect for their director. The film was also notable that Kurosawa would work in a widescreen aspect ratio for the first time. Working with cinematographer Yamazaki Kazuo, the TohoScope widescreen image of 2.35:1 was nearly double the size of what Kurosawa was used to, but he composed the film for the wide aspect ratio with incredible results. The mountain ranges, the vast plains, the slave revolt, each scene has great detail in the frames, and in addition to that, they used a process in which there was almost no anamorphic distortion which can affect the edges of frames to look unnaturally squeezed. Sound was another major change, as this was the first time that Kurosawa was able to use stereo sound. The film was mixed in mono, but mixed specifically for Perspecta Stereo, a process which electronically separates a mono soundtrack to three audio channels. For his next five features, Kurosawa would continue to use the TohoScope widescreen format and stereo surround sound, with Perspecta Stereo for "The Bad Sleep Well" (1960), "Yojimbo" (1961), and "Sanjuro" (1962), and with discreet surround sound with "High and Low" (1963) and "Red Beard" (1965). Composer Sato Masaru only had two weeks to compose and conduct the score for the film, but his contribution is priceless, as some of the cues are still some of the best action cues of the era that resonate today. After delays, the film premiered theatrically on December 28th, 1958 in Japan, grossing 342 million yen, becoming a major hit for Toho and the biggest hit of Kurosawa's career up to that point. The film hit with audiences with its action packed sequences, slapstick comedy, and relative simplicity with the storytelling in a brisk fashion. It was also critically a hit, with the film winning Best Film from the Blue Ribbon Awards, and Kinema Junpo awarding the Screenplay award to Hashimoto, shared with the three films he co-wrote that year. On Kinema Junpo magazine's yearly round-up, it was listed as #2 of their top 10 Japanese films of the year, edged by "The Ballad of Narayama" taking the top spot and the Best Film award that year. Kurosawa's contract with Toho came to an end, but their partnership would continue onward. With the help of Toho, he established Kurosawa Productions which he would independently produce his own films under his own conditions, and Toho would be a financial and distribution partner. As for "The Hidden Fortress", it has gone on to become one of the most influential action films of all time. "Seven Samurai" may have set a blueprint on action films, but "The Hidden Fortress" set an updated tone for its lean and easy to grasp storytelling with fun and adventure. Not only for the samurai genre, but western set films took notice, as well as buddy comedies and outer space adventures. The most notable example that took direct influence is the original "Star Wars" (1977), which borrowed multiple elements from the film. Starting the adventure through minor characters - one tall and one short, the escorting of a princess through enemy territory, and multiple sequences having similarities. "Star Wars" does stand on its own as it has many unique elements to it, but it is easy to see the influence it had. In 2008, the film had an official remake with "The Hidden Fortress: The Last Princess". Made on a large scale with action director Higuchi Shinji and an impressive cast with idol and actor Matsumoto Jun and comedian Miyagawa Daisuke as the peasants, the always reliable and commanding Abe Hiroshi as General Makabe, and the popular actress Nagasawa Masami in the leads, it's unfortunate that the changes made led to the film being not a clone of the original, but one filled with more action film cliches than one would like. The CGI explosions and slow motion shots, the cut and paste villains and the not so convincing love story angle, it felt that the elements they added to the script only made things weaker in return. While it is commended that they added some new elements such as giving the enemies some backstory and having the peasant and princess have a romantic angle, the lack of these aspects in the original made things more unique, with a faceless enemy to fear, and the separation between classes more of a reality. In 2023 there was a stage adaptation directed by Yoichi Kensuke that ran for two months to popular reviews. The film has continued to be one of Kurosawa's most popular works and one of the easiest to watch, and is immensely rewatchable through every angle. From how the action sequences are staged, how the comedic banter is, the use of music and effects, as well as the composing for the widescreen aspect ratio. It has been imitated again and again, but the original is truly an action classic. Note this is a region ALL 4K UltraHD Blu-ray
Video
The BFI presents the film in the 2.35:1 aspect ratio in 2160p HEVC with HDR10/Dolby Vision grading. The original negative is considered lost, and the closest available element, a 35mm master positive was scanned at 4K resolution by rightsholder Toho. As it is one generation away from the original negative, there is a bit more grain prominent when comparing with a few of the other Kurosawa 4K restorations from the original negatives, though the grain feels natural throughout, and should be so as previous digital transfers also came from the same master positive. The restoration looks wonderful, with a great amount of depth and detail to be found, a very good level with the greyscale, and damage marks being removed for a sharp looking image. The HDR10 and Dolby Vision grading, which is exclusive to this BFI release gives better depth with the greyscale with sharp and crisp dark tones as well as highlighted bright whites of the sunlight scenes. The film has always looked quite good on previous home video formats and the restoration uses the same source material as it had before, so it may not be a night and day revelation but is still a fantastic looking restoration and a great job with the transfer by the BFI. The film's runtime is 138:36.
Audio
Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1* Japanese LPCM 2.0 stereo The film has two options with a lossless 5.1* track and an uncompressed 2.0 stereo track. The 5.1 has an asterisk as it is not a true 5.1 track, but a 3.0 track as only the left, front, and center speakers are used while the surrounds and subwoofer are silent. The film was originally released theatrically with "Perspecta Stereophonic Sound" for accommodating theaters. This was a process developed in 1954 which would electronically spread a single audio track into a three separate channels using a Perspecta integrator. For theaters that did not have the capability, it would run the single channel as standard mono audio. Hollywood studios used Perspecta for only a handful of features from 1954 to 1958 as it was not widely adopted by cinemas, which for the most part were still only equipped for mono audio. Toho was the lone Japanese studio to use Perspecta starting with 1957's "The Mysterians" and it was mostly used with their kaiju and science fiction features, as well as for Kurosawa who first used the process for "The Hidden Fortress". To properly create a Perspecta track, Toho discovered the only known functioning Perspecta integrator in Japan in their vaults. With the previous DVD and Blu-ray releases that featured the 3.0 track, the original mono was digitally converted to Perspecta through software. But for the 4K restoration they took the analog step by running the restored original mono track through the vintage integrator to faithfully recreate the original theatrical experience. The Perspecta mixes for the films are well utilized for music cues which have some breathing room. The Perspecta track sounds excellent throughout, with the music cues, the action scenes, and crowd scenes taking advantage of the stereo separation. For the most part with dialogue the sound is centered with some bleeding to the left and right channels. There are no issues with hiss, pops, or dropout for a great experience throughout. The stereo track is an odd inclusion. It seems to be a mix similar to the Perspecta sound mix, but slightly louder in certain portions. Again dialogue is centered while the left and right channels have separations for music and effects. It is strange that Toho did not supply the BFI with the original mono audio track, as that has been the norm for all home video releases up to this point, including Toho's 4K UHD release from earlier this year. There are optional English subtitles for the main feature in a white font. They are well timed and easy to read with no errors to spot.
Extras
Audio commentary by film historian, critic and writer Tony Rayns (2025) This new and exclusive commentary has the reliable historian and critic Tony Rays discussing the film and Kurosawa. Talked about are John Ford's inspiration on Kurosawa and the film, the time placement during the Sengoku period, the working relationship between Kurosawa and Mifune at the time, the slight critical dismissal of the film in comparison to his other works, information on some of the actors, Kurosawa's first use of the scope aspect ratio, and more. While he is able to pack a lot of information into the discussion, there is unfortunately a lot of time in which he narrates what is going on on screen and the thoughts of the characters, rather than more discussion on the making of the film and other topics. It is still a good listen and a lot of great information is found here. in English Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles "Akira Kurosawa - It Is Wonderful to Create: The Making of The Hidden Fortress" 2003 documentary (40:52) This documentary series was produced by Toho when they reissued all of Kurosawa's features in 2002 and 2003 on DVD, with each film receiving a retrospective documentary having interviews with surviving cast and crew and detailed information from Kurosawa and Toho's vaults. This is another excellent one, with Kurosawa discussing that he wanted to make an entertaining spectacle with "The Hidden Fortress", actor Kato Takeshi discussing about the opening sequence in which he was almost killed by a horse's hoof, the construction of the sets, casting the inexperienced Uehara as the princess, shooting in widescreen for the first time and much more. There is one issue with the subtitles spelling "Princess Yuki" as "Princess Yuk", though the rest of the subtitles are accurate. Note this was originally released on the 2003 Japanese Toho DVD. in 2160i60 HEVC, in 1.33:1, in Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0 with optional English subtitles "George Lucas on Akira Kurosawa and The Hidden Fortress" 2001 Interview (8:06) This interview with filmmaker George Lucas has him discussing how he discovered the works of Kurosawa through film school and the influence it had on him. He acknowledges the influence "The Hidden Fortress" had on "Star Wars" and he talks about the filmmaking techniques used by Kurosawa. Note this interview was originally released on the 2001 US Criterion DVD. A clip has been embedded below, courtesy of The Criterion Collection. in 2160i60 HEVC, in 1.33:1, in English Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles "BFI Screen Epiphanies: Steven Berkoff Introduces The Hidden Fortress" 2015 introduction (18:11) This on stage interview with director/writer/actor Steven Berkoff moderated by Ian Hadyn Smith is a discussion about why Berkoff chose the film for a retrospective screening in this 2015 introduction. He talks about what attracted him to Kurosawa's works, the working relationship between Kurosawa and Mifune, and more without too many spoilers for the film itself. The introduction has also been embedded below, courtesy of the BFI. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 1.78:1, in English Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles Trailer (4:02) This Japanese theatrical trailer, which features some behind the scenes footage of Kurosawa on set is here, which focuses on the action, the drama, the comedy, and all that is included without too many spoilers. Note this is actually a reissue trailer from 1963, which has a closing tag that it is being reissued alongside Yojimbo and Sanjuro. Besides the added tag at the end, it is identical in content to the original 1958 Japanese trailer. The original trailer has been embedded below: in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 2.35:1, in Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0 mono with optional English subtitles Booklet The first pressing includes a 24 page booklet. First is the essay "Three Baddish Men: The Hidden Fortress" by writer and filmmaker Kenta McGrath on the film's plot, production, and influence. Next is an excerpt from "Kurosawa on Kurosawa" in which the director reflects on this film in particular. There is also "How Star Wars Conquered Cinema with the Help of The Hidden Fortress" by filmmaker, presenter and political commentator Graham Hughes on the film's influence on Lucas' film with various details. There are also full film credits, a vintage review of the film from Monthly Film Bulletin, special features information, transfer information, acknowledgements, and stills. The film was first released by the BFI on DVD in 2002. This release featured the Lucas interview which was first on the 2001 US Criterion DVD. The BFI DVD, like some of their other Kurosawa DVDs unfortunately had burned-in English subtitles. The Criterion on the other hand had optional subtitles. The BFI included some text notes while the US release also included the trailer. It was then released on DVD by Toho in Japan, which included the "It Is Wonderful to Create" documentary. When Toho released the film on Blu-ray in 2009 along with Kurosawa's other works, for some reason they decided to drop the making-of documentary. Fortunately when Criterion and the BFI released the film on Blu-ray in 2014, they both included the Toho documentary and the Lucas interview as well as a trailer (Criterion having the original, the BFI having the 1962 reissue tag version). The Criterion added a commentary for their Blu-ray, by the late Stephen Prince. This is an excellent commentary track with a wealth of information on the making of the film and much more, though as I've stated multiple times, Prince disregarded pronouncing Japanese names and places correctly which is irksome considering the knowledge that he had. The film had its 4K UltraHD debut in Japan earlier this year from Toho. While it still lacks the making-of documentary produced for their DVD, the 4K (and the separately released Blu-ray reissue) includes two versions of the film - the original Japanese version and the shortened 122 minute export version, along with two trailers. It seems this is the home video debut of the rarely seen export version. Currently we do not have accurate specs for the Japanese 4K and remastered Blu-ray releases. The BFI's 4K (and separately released standard Blu-ray) has a good selection of newly created and vintage extras, though note there are still some exclusives out there on other releases. Other notable clips: Commentary by Brian Trenchard-Smith for the trailer from "Trailers from Hell!" A 1981 roundtable retrospective discussion with Kurosawa, Chiaki, Fujiwara, and Uehara following the film's TV broadcast. Locations of the mountain areas used in the film Filmmaker Julie Taymor introduces the 4K restoration of the film at the 2022 Tokyo International Film Festival The UK trailer for the 2008 remake A promo trailer for the 2023 stage adaptation
Overall
"The Hidden Fortress" continues to be a masterwork of action filmmaking and another milestone for Kurosawa, not just for its influence on the genre but also with his experimentation technically. The BFI's 4K UltraHD Blu-ray release is an excellent one, with a fantastic transfer in 4K resolution plus a great selection of extras. Highly recommended. Amazon UK link - 4K UltraHD release Amazon UK link - standard Blu-ray release
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