Kakushi-toride no san-akunin (1958)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

Akira Kurosawa

Writers:

Shinobu Hashimoto (writer)
Ryuzo Kikushima (writer)
(more)

Release Date:

6 October 1960 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Comedy

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.

Plot Keywords:

Gold | Princess | Katana Sword | Jidai Geki | Samurai Warrior

Awards:

4 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Toshirô Mifune	...	General Rokurota Makabe
Misa Uehara	...	Princess Yuki
Minoru Chiaki	...	Tahei
Kamatari Fujiwara	...	Matakishi
Takashi Shimura	...	The Old General, Izumi Nagakura
Susumu Fujita	...	General Hyoe Tadokoro
Eiko Miyoshi	...	Old Lady-in-Waiting
Toshiko Higuchi	...	Farmer's Daughter bought from slave trader
Koji Mitsui	...	Guard
Shiten Ohashi	...	Samurai
Kichijiro Ueda	...	Slave Trader
Ikio Sawamura	...	Gambler
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Takuzo Kumagaya	...	Yamana foot soldier (as Jirô Kumagai)
Tadao Nakamaru	...	Young Man
Rinsaku Ogata	...	Second Young Man
Ichirô Chiba	...	Yamana foot soldier (uncredited)
Yu Fujiki	...	Barrier guard (uncredited)
Shoichi Hirose	...	Yamana soldier (uncredited)
Minoru Ito	...	Samurai on horseback (uncredited)
Shigemasa Kanazawa	...	Samurai on horseback (uncredited)
Takeshi Katô	...	Fleeing, bloody samurai (uncredited)
Kokuten Kodo	...	Old man in front of sign (uncredited)
Yoshio Kosugi	...	Akisuki soldier (uncredited)
Ryu Kuze	...	Akitsuki soldier (uncredited)
Masayoshi Nagashima	...	Yamana samurai (uncredited)
Haruo Nakajima	...	Akisuki soldier (uncredited)
Etsuro Nishijo	...	Yamana samurai (uncredited)
Takeo Obugawa	...	Guard at pass barrier (uncredited)
Toranosuke Ogawa	...	Magistrate of the bridge barrier (uncredited)
Senkichi Omura	...	Soldier (uncredited)
Shin Otomo	...	Samurai on horseback (uncredited)
Yutaka Sada	...	Guard at bridge barrier (uncredited)
Sachio Sakai	...	Captured foot soldier (uncredited)
Haruya Sakamoto	...	Samurai on horseback (uncredited)
Makoto Satô	...	Yamada foot soldier (uncredited)
Haruo Suzuki	...	Samurai on horseback (uncredited)
Yoshifumi Tajima	...	Potential slave buyer (uncredited)
Akira Tani	...	Captured foot soldier (uncredited)
Nakajiro Tomita	...	Potential slave buyer (uncredited)
Yoshio Tsuchiya	...	Samurai on horse (uncredited)
Hiroyoshi Yamaguchi	...	Samurai on horseback (uncredited)

Directed by
Akira Kurosawa

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Shinobu Hashimoto		writer
Ryuzo Kikushima		writer
Akira Kurosawa		writer
Hideo Oguni		writer

Produced by
Sanezumi Fujimoto	....	producer (as Masumi Fujimoto)
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
Junjiro Yamada	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Hiroshi Nezu	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Yoshimitsu Banno	....	assistant director (as Yoshimitsu Sakano)
Yoichi 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
Koichi 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
Koichi Noguchi	....	accountant
Yoshio Sugino	....	swordplay instructor
Yuichi Yoshitake	....	acting office

Production Companies

• Toho Company

Distributors

• Toho Company (1958) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Albex (1960) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Bright Angel Distribution (2004) (Netherlands) (theatrical) (reissue)
• Cowboy Pictures (2002) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Meridian-Films (1961) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Criterion Collection, The (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Media Home Entertainment (1986) (USA) (VHS)
• Nihon Eiga Satellite Broadcasting (2007) (Japan) (TV)
• Sandrew Metronome International (2003) (Finland) (DVD)
• Total Film Home Entertainment (2004) (Netherlands) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Toho Special Effects Group

Other Companies

• Kyoto Costumes  costumes
• Toho Studios  sound stages

Also Known As:

The Hidden Fortress (USA)
The Three Villains of the Hidden Fortress (informal English title)
Three Bad Men in a Hidden Fortress (International: English title) (literal title)
Three Rascals in the Hidden Fortress (International: English title)

Runtime:

139 min | USA:126 min | Finland:114 min (1959)

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Perspecta Stereo (optical prints) | Mono (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)

Filming Locations:

Mount Fuji, Shizuoka, Japan

Company:

Toho Company

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.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Tahei: Get away from me! You stink of dead bodies!

Movie Connections:

References Johnny Guitar (1954)

Another Masterpiece of Master Akira Kurosawa

In the Sixteenth Century, in Japan, Tahei (Minoru Chiaki) and Matakishi (Kamatari Fujiwara), two rascals and greedy peasants, are trying to return to the city of Akizuki through Hayakawa, after an unsuccessful attempt of making money with the war between the clans of Yamana and Akizuki. While warming themselves in a fire, they find gold with the symbol MT. Suribachi of the Akizuki hidden in the firewood, and they decide to search for other branches. Tahei and Matakishi meet General Rokurota Makabe (Toshirô Mifune), who is secretly protecting Princess Yukihime (Misa Uehara), and without knowing their identities, they accept to escort and help them in the transportation of the gold through the enemy lines to Akizuki.

"Kakushi toride no san akunin" is a delightful movie, indeed another masterpiece of master Akira Kurosawa. The screenplay is amazingly wonderful, having action, comedy and code of honor. Toshirô Mifune is perfect in the role of the samurai that is assigned to protect his princess no matter the cost of the life of his young sister; Minoru Chiaki and Kamatari Fujiwara are hilarious in the role of two greedy rascals, ready to betrayal, cheat and risk their miserable lives for gold, and responsible for the funniest moments along the story; the very gorgeous Misa Uehara is stunning in the role of a princess, showing personality and a very noble behavior. Summarizing, it is a perfect movie, with fantastic locations and costumes and magnificent choreography of fights. I intended to use the saying "Hide stones among stones, men among men" said by Makabe to the peasants as the title of my review, but I noted that another IMDb user had the same idea. I read on the cover of the DVD that George Lucas inspired his franchising "Star Wars" in this movie. This was the first time that I watched "Kakushi toride no san akunin", which was unknown for me, and I really recommend it to any audience. My vote is ten.

Title (Brazil): "A Fortaleza Escondida" ("The Hidden Fortress")