HIDDEN FORTRESS, THE (1958)
Special Features: Introduction by Michael Jeck on Aug. 12 and 13
[KAKUSHI TORIDE NO SAN AKUNIN] [隠し砦の三悪人]
Akira Kurosawa's fastest and funniest of his many samurai pictures combines terrific action with broad comedy captured in breathtaking wide-screen cinematography — the director's first foray into the format that would become his signature visual style. Two luckless peasants are bullied into serving a gruff, mysterious stranger (Toshirô Mifune) who promises payment in gold. As the adventures and perils mount, the two discover that they are actually on a secret mission to transport a young warrior princess through enemy territory and restore her to her throne. George Lucas based STAR WARS' C-3PO and R2-D2 on the two bickering, reluctant heroes. DIR/SCR/PROD Akira Kurosawa; SCR Ryûzô Kikushima, Hideo Oguni, Shinobu Hashimoto; PROD Sanezumi Fujimoto. Japan, 1958, b&w, 139 min. In Japanese with English subtitles. NOT RATED
AFI Member passes accepted.
About Michael Jeck
Michael Jeck was the film programmer of the AFI Theater at the Kennedy Center for a decade, and for the first years of the AFI Silver Theatre. His company R5/S8 Presents premiered the uncut version of Akira Kurosawa's THE HIDDEN FORTRESS and relaunched Kihachi Okamoto's ZATOICHI MEETS YOJIMBO. He has done audio commentaries for The Criterion Collection editions of SEVEN SAMURAI and THRONE OF BLOOD, taught a class on Japanese Cinema for 12 years at George Mason University and for 30 years has written the calendar notes for the repertory programs at New York City's famed Film Forum.
Run Time: 139 Minutes
Opening Date: Friday, August 12, 2022
Genre: Action adventure drama