The Blog
This blog will be all about film reviews. I'm going to be watching a lot of movies, writing reviews, and hopefully not spoiling any movies you plan to watch.
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Verdict: Thumbs Up The 1958 classic The Hidden Fortress is a movie that is basically the template for Star Wars and is a great Kurosawa film. The plot is beautifully developed and the characters are well played. Two peasants are seen running across a plain before a group of armed men appear, chasing a samurai. The samurai is cut down and the peasants are left alone. Having just left a local conflict, the two split after an argument, only to be captured separately and sent to work in labor camps. However, during a prisoner uprising, the two reunite and escape. However, the two have heard of a hidden fortune of gold from the defeated clan. As the two are looking for firewood, they discover gold hidden in a stick. They also meet a mysterious man who reveals himself to be a legendary samurai general of the defeated clan. He enrolls them as manual labor as he needs people to help transport all the gold from the defeated clan, along with the princess who survived. The samurai informs the princess that she will have to remain silent or she could give herself away. This upsets the princess, who is very stubborn and headstrong. However, she agrees and the four travel off to the safety of a nearby realm. On the way, they are discovered and are chased through the opposing territory. The samurai, while chasing enemy soldiers, comes into an enemy camp where he fights a great enemy general and wins. However, contrary to practice, he spares the general's life and rides away. After many days on the run, the princess and samurai are captured while the peasants run away. Before the princess is about to be executed, the defeated general arrives and rescues the two. They ride off to safety and begin rebuilding the clan. Back to the peasants, they find the gold that they lost trying to escape, only to be immediately captured. However, they are captured by the princesses troops, who releases them with a piece of gold. The plot is the strongest part of the film, with it being carefully throttled and guided. The plot was not especially quick, but more meandering. There were no sudden turn of events during the first part of the film, just a very subtle steer towards the main points of the plot. The existence of the princess was teased before fully revealed, as was the identity of the samurai and the existence of the gold. However, as the film progressed, the tempo gradually increased with the mounting tension of the fugitives being hunted down by the other clan. The pace was kept up for much of the remainder of the film, with only slight slumps when appropriate. It is not until the very end of the film when the tempo finally dropped in order for the audience to fully reflect on what had just happened through the film. The characters of The Hidden Fortress were what pulled together the film. The two peasants, Tahei and Matashichi, were the highlight of the cast. The chemistry between the two and the comedic relief that they provided was able to keep the film in a very good balance. They were a constant through the film and were the only characters who you could predict. Without them, the film would have been a bit far on the serious side. While Tahei and Matashichi are a perfect balance for the film as a whole, the samurai, Rokurôta, and the princess, Yuki are a perfect balance for each other. Rokurôta is a very calm, cool, and collected individual who is very much a father figure. Yuki is a headstrong and stubborn woman who was mistreated by her father. While she is implosive and ready to go, Rokurôta is more level headed and keeps her in line. This chemistry is very warming to the audience as it strengthens the emotional connections the viewer makes with characters. While not a very challenging movie or a cinematic masterpiece, The Hidden Fortress is a highly entertaining movie that captivates the audience and is thoroughly enjoyable.
1 Comment
|
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
June 2018
Categories |