IMDb > The Hidden Fortress (1958)
Kakushi-toride no san-akunin
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The Hidden Fortress (1958) More at IMDbPro »Kakushi-toride no san-akunin (original title)

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Overview

User Rating:
8.0/10   16,989 votes »
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Down 4% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Ryûzô Kikushima (written by) &
Hideo Oguni (written by) ...
(more)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Hidden Fortress on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
6 October 1960 (USA) See more »
Genre:
Plot:
Lured by gold, two greedy peasants escort a man and woman across enemy lines. However, they do not realize that their companions are actually a princess and her general. Full summary » | Add synopsis »
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
4 wins & 1 nomination See more »
User Reviews:
Yes, yes, I've seen Star Wars. Now see the original. See more (81 total) »

Cast

  (in credits order) (complete, awaiting verification)

Toshirô Mifune ... General Rokurota Makabe
Minoru Chiaki ... Tahei
Kamatari Fujiwara ... Matashichi
Susumu Fujita ... General Hyoe Tadokoro

Takashi Shimura ... The Old General, Izumi Nagakura
Misa Uehara ... Princess Yuki
Eiko Miyoshi ... Old Lady-in-Waiting
Toshiko Higuchi ... Farmer's Daughter bought from slave trader
Yû Fujiki ... Barrier guard
Yoshio Tsuchiya ... Samurai on horse
Kokuten Kôdô ... Old man in front of sign
Takeshi Katô ... Fleeing, bloody samurai
Kôji Mitsui ... Guard
Toranosuke Ogawa ... Magistrate of the bridge barrier
Kichijirô Ueda ... Slave Trader
Nakajirô Tomita ... Potential slave buyer
Yoshifumi Tajima ... Potential slave buyer
Ikio Sawamura ... Gambler
Senkichi Ômura ... Soldier
Sachio Sakai ... Captured foot soldier
Makoto Satô ... Yamada foot soldier
Yoshio Kosugi ... Akisuki soldier
Akira Tani ... Captured foot soldier
Yutaka Sada ... Guard at bridge barrier
Takeo Oikawa ... Guard at pass barrier
Tadao Nakamaru ... Young Man
Takuzô Kumagai ... Yamana foot soldier (as Jirô Kumagai)
Shôichi Hirose ... Yamana soldier
Etsurô Saijô ... Yamana samurai
Masayoshi Nagashima ... Yamana samurai
Fuminori Ôhashi ... Samurai
Shin Ôtomo ... Samurai on horseback
Minoru Itô ... Samurai on horseback
Haruo Suzuki ... Samurai on horseback
Shigekatsu Kanazawa ... Samurai on horseback
Kazuo Higata
Haruo Nakajima ... Akisuki soldier
Ryû Kuze ... Akitsuki soldier
Ichirô Chiba ... Yamana foot soldier
Shigemi Sunagawa
Rinsaku Ogata ... Second Young Man
Hiroyoshi Yamaguchi ... Samurai on horseback
Haruya Sakamoto ... Samurai on horseback
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Directed by
Akira Kurosawa 
 
Writing credits
Ryûzô Kikushima (written by) &
Hideo Oguni (written by) &
Shinobu Hashimoto (written by) &
Akira Kurosawa (written by)

Produced by
Sanezumi Fujimoto .... producer
Akira Kurosawa .... producer
 
Original Music by
Masaru Satô 
 
Cinematography by
Kazuo Yamasaki  (as Ichio Yamazeki)
 
Film Editing by
Akira Kurosawa 
 
Production Design by
Yoshirô Muraki 
 
Costume Design by
Masahiro Katô 
 
Makeup Department
Yoshiko Matsumoto .... hair stylist
Junjirô Yamada .... hair stylist
 
Production Management
Hiroshi Nezu .... production supervisor
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Yoshimitsu Banno .... assistant director (as Yoshimitsu Sakano)
Yôichi Matsue .... assistant director
Samaji Nonagase .... chief assistant director
Ken Sano .... assistant director
Yasuyoshi Tajitsu .... assistant director
Masahiro Takase .... assistant director
 
Art Department
Kôhei Ezaki .... art supervisor
Kôichi Hamamura .... property master
Shinko Kato .... assistant art director
 
Sound Department
Ichirô Minawa .... sound effects editor
Yoshiro Miyamoto .... sound assistant
Hisashi Shimonaga .... sound mixer
Fumio Yanoguchi .... sound
 
Camera and Electrical Department
Sei Arai .... assistant lighting technician
Masao Fukuda .... still photographer
Ichirô Inohara .... lighting technician
Takao Saitô .... assistant camera
Daisaku Kimura .... assistant camera (uncredited)
 
Editorial Department
Chozo Kobata .... negative cutter
 
Other crew
Shigeru Endo .... horseback riding instructor
Takuyuki Inoue .... production assistant
Ienori Kaneko .... horseback riding instructor
Yoji Ken .... choreographer
Teruyo Nogami .... script supervisor
Kôichi Noguchi .... accountant
Yoshio Sugino .... swordplay instructor
Yûichi Yoshitake .... acting office
 
Crew believed to be complete


Production CompaniesDistributorsSpecial EffectsOther Companies
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
"Kakushi-toride no san-akunin" - Japan (original title)
"Three Bad Men in a Hidden Fortress" - International (English title) (literal title)
"Three Rascals in the Hidden Fortress" - International (English title)
See more »
Runtime:
139 min | USA:126 min | Finland:114 min (1959) | Sweden:110 min (cut version)
Country:
Language:
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 See more »
Sound Mix:
Perspecta Stereo (Westrex Recording System)
Certification:
Australia:PG | Finland:K-11 (re-rating) | Finland:K-16 (original rating) | Spain:13 | UK:PG (video rating) (1994) | UK:A (original rating) | Sweden:15 | USA:Not Rated | Germany:12
Filming Locations:

Did You Know?

Trivia:
In an interview for the Criterion collection DVD, George Lucas stated that while this film is a story about a princess and her protectors that this was not the primary element that he employed in Star Wars. He stated that he was more concerned with the way that Hidden Fortress is told through the eyes of two lesser characters. In Hidden Fortress it is the two thieves; in Star Wars it is C3PO and R2D2. In both films the comical interplay between the two characters is a major theme.See more »
Goofs:
Factual errors: In the opening sequence the two villagers see a soldier killed by cavalry. Within moments the soldier is stiffened with a hand in the air, despite the fact that it takes hours for rigor mortis to set in.See more »
Quotes:
[first lines]
Tahei:Get away from me! You stink of dead bodies!
See more »
Movie Connections:
Featured in The Characters of 'Star Wars' (2004) (V)See more »

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
31 out of 50 people found the following review useful.
Yes, yes, I've seen Star Wars. Now see the original., 9 April 1999
Author: roadrash (opied@box100.com) from vancouver, WA USA

Such a fine film maker can hardly help but make a fine movie like this one. It seemed odd to me only in the fact that the plot seemed so UN-Japan like. The most interesting thinks to look for are the similarities to Sergio Leone films: A man who obviously was greatly influenced by Kurosawa. What Leone may not have known, is that those long shots of unmoving fighting men waiting to make a thrust or cut with a sword is very true to the actual way that Samurai fought. Cowboys on the other hand generally shot from behind trees and rocks. For an interesting comparison, watch "Hidden Fortress" followed by "The Good, The Bad, And the Ugly". It will be be an enlightening experience.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Hidden Fortress (1958)
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The Hidden Fortress vs Star Wars RebelFiend
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Was Princess Yuki Yelling all the time? vhylok
Cast of millions????? imdb-8004
beckett influence onex-ge
Kurosawa´s pencil is always so great, no matter the meaning fj_pr
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