The Hidden Fortress/隠し砦の三悪人 (Kakushi toride no san akunin) (1958) - Kurosawa's spectacular jidaigeki adventure

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Toshiro Mifune looks fierce on a horseback in a dramatic mountain landscape on this text-filled painted poster for Akira Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress

A pair of fools crossing a mountain ridge find a bit of gold and are joined by a general who, without their knowing it, use them to help him get his princess to safety.

 

The Hidden Fortress is written by Shinobu Hashimoto (The Murderer Must Die (1959)), Hideo Oguni (Edokko matsuri (1958)), Ryûzô Kikushima (Shag/Inubue (1978)) and Japanese master filmmaker, co-writer/co-producer/director/editor Akira Kurosawa (Sanshiro Sugata/Sugata Sanshirô (1943)). It was his 19th feature. The original title translates to, 'the three villains of the hidden fortress'.

It is a curious mix of suspense, drama and fun, personified in the two very lively and foolish characters who lead the story. Toshirô Mifune (Winter Kills (1979)) seems natural as the strong and pompous general. Visually resplendent, The Hidden Fortress is a true adventure pictorially speaking, (Kurosawa's first use of widescreen Tohoscope with cinematography by Kazuo Yamazaki (Botchan (1953))) packed with mountains, landscapes, gardens, showdowns, big scenes with many extras and so on. 

Fans of Japanese cinema will especially cherish this wonderful film, which nevertheless does become a bit long towards the end.

 

Watch a modern-made trailer for the film here

 

Cost: Unknown

Box office: Unknown

= Uncertain

[The Hidden Fortress was released 28 December (Japan) and runs 139 minutes. Shooting took place from May - December 1958 in Japan, including in Tokyo. Toho were so frustrated with Kurosawa's slow shooting pace that he subsequently formed his own production company, (but continued distributing his films through Toho.) The film was Toho's biggest hit of the year and the 4th highest-grossing in Japan over-all for the year. It was also Kurosawa's highest-grossing film until Yojimbo (1961). In North America, the film was unsuccessful, reportedly grossing 46k $. It was also released in many other markets, but gross numbers are regrettably not reported online, and without cost and gross numbers the film's theatrical success status cannot be determined. George Lucas has openly admitted that the plot of The Hidden Fortress inspired Star Wars (1977). Kurosawa returned with The Bad Sleep Well/Warui yatsu hodo yoku nemuru (1960). Mifune returned in Ankokugai no kaoyaku (1959); Misa Uehara (Storm Over the Pacific/Hawai Middowei daikaikûsen: Taiheiyô no arashi (1960)) in Daigaku no nijuhachin (1959). The Hidden Fortress is fresh at 97 % with an 8.50/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of The Hidden Fortress?

Gate of Hell/地獄門 (Jigokumon) (1953) - Kinugasa's break-out jidaigeki, a visual feast

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A very dramatic embrace in heightened reality colors makes up this sharp poster for Teinosuke Kinugasa's Gate of Hell

Following a dramatic coup attempt, a loyal samurai, whose brother died as one of the rebels, has his deepest wish fulfilled. - But his wish, - a woman who is already married, - was too high. - Still he is determined to have it.

 

Gate of Hell is written by Masaichi Nagata (Poppy/Gubijinsô (1935, producer)) and co-writer/director Teinosuke Kinugasa (Aa, Konishi Junsa (1922)), based on the play Kesa's Husband by Kan Kikuchi (Seishun zue (1931, novel)).

When the rebellion action scenes are over and done with, the real story is finally laid bare, and it is a strangely attractive and very strange one at that. The audience who is interested in Japanese culture and history cannot but be sucked into Gate of Hell. For a long while it leaves one not exactly knowing what to make of it, but in time the samurai courter reveals his true face. SPOILER The story is concluded completely unlike its beginning; incredibly slowly and quiet as a mouse.

The probably highest quality about Gate of Hell is its visual side; it is a cornucopia of irresistible picturesque splendor, frenzied, vibrant Eastman Color and fabulous costumes. The feeling of realism consequently escapes the experience, as one finds oneself entrenched in an incredible image.

 

 

Here's a video from Erik, the Asian Movie Enthusiast of 10 Japanese movies from the 1950s that we should watch

 

Cost: Unknown

Box office: Unknown

= Uncertain

[Gate of Hell premiered 31 October (Japan) and runs 86 minutes. Shooting took place from July - September 1953 in Tokyo, Japan. The film is an example of the Japanese jidaigeki genre, period costume dramas. It was Daiei's first color film and the first Japanese color film, which was released internationally. Its theatrical performance numbers are regrettably not readily available online. The film was nominated for 2 Oscars, both of which it won: Best Foreign Film and Best Costume Design, Color. It also won the Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, was nominated for a BAFTA, won a National Board of Review award amid other honors. Kinugasa returned with Yuki no yo no ketto (1954). Kazuo Hasegawa (Scars of Honor/Kizu senryô (1960)) returned in Omatsuri hanjirô (1953); Machiko Kyô (Buddha/Shaka (1961)) in Aru onna (1954). Gate of Hell is fresh at 100 % with an 8.30/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Gate of Hell?

Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999) - Whitaker serves ancient samurai justice in Jarmusch's cool treat

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+ Best New Jersey Movie of the Year + Best Samurai Movie of the Year

The cool poster for Jim Jarmusch's Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai

Ghost Dog is the 7th feature from American master writer-director Jim Jarmusch (Dead Man (1995)). It is an urban samurai movie.

Ghost Dog is a lone samurai, who's a retainer for a mob guy. When a hit he carries out gets witnessed by the boss's daughter, the boss sets out to kill the strange man. But that is easier said than done.

The film opens slowly and starts by driving us into the meditative pace of its title character, as he cruises around New Jersey in a stolen car. The hang-low mood is nicely in line with the chilled beats that are produced by RZA (of The Wu Tang Clan, who also has a cameo towards the end), who makes a deft composer debut here. He has since composed scores for Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003) and other things.
Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland (2006)) is Ghost Dog, and Jarmusch also makes good use of his younger brother Damon Whitaker (Bird (1988)) in two flash-back scenes. Ghost Dog has a wonderful row of faces in secondary parts: John Tormey (The Curse of the Jade Scorpion (2001)) as the hero's complexed employer Louie; Henry Silva (Thirst (1979)) as the reptile-like boss; Cliff Gorman (The Boys in the Band (1970)) as his son, and Victor Argo (Bad Lieutenant (1992)) as a strong-arm. - There are many more, and the gangster ensemble is pretty hilarious; most of them play them straight-faced, as heaving, idiotic fatsoes.
The film also features Isaach De Bankolé (The Limits of Control (2009)) as our hero's French-speaking best friend and Camille Winbush (Eraser (1996)) as the nice literate girl from the park.

The details:


Ghost Dog is infused with several quotations from a samurai book (Yamamoto Tsunetomo's Hagakure (1709-16)), many of which are thought-provoking, (a few nonsensical.) The film sends a warm reference to samurai movie master Akira Kurosawa (through the use of the book Rashômon, which is also the title of his great 1950 film.) It also references Jean-Pierre Melville's Le Samouraï (1967).
Depending on your analytical powers, at some point you will realize that Ghost Dog has a symbolic meaning beneath its cool, violent, wry surface: Ghost Dog symbolizes the profound, ancient traditions and values, while the gangsters symbolize the depravity and indifference and stupidity of today. Ghost Dog carries out his justified vengeance as a kind of blast from the past, especially poignant in the scenes with the racist poachers.
It isn't necessary to buy into the samurai philosophy or way of life to treasure Ghost Dog. For most who love samurai movies and Jarmusch pictures, Ghost Dog is simply a wonderful gift that came as perhaps the last great samurai movie before the arrival of the new millennium.


Related posts:

Jim Jarmusch: Broken Flowers (2005) - Hip search for son and self with Jarmusch and Murray
Coffee and Cigarettes (2003) - Pleasant, precious vignette sit-down with some wonderful people  

1999 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess 

 

Watch the trailer here

Cost: 2 mil. $
Box office: 9.3 mil. $
= Big hit
[Ghost Dog made 3.3 mil. $ or 35 % of its gross in the States. It was popular in many countries, especially France, where it also was nominated for the Palm d'Or in Cannes, (but didn't win.)]


What do you think of Jarmusch's samurai movie?
What's your favorite samurai movie?