Kakushi-Toride No San-Akunin (1958)

Two minor peasants on the edges of a war discover a hidden treasure of gold at a hidden fortress. Along with it they meet an aging knight and the woman he is protecting, a young headstrong princess, who is being hunted by the other side. The two peasants accompany the Princess, who pretends to be mute, and her knight on a daring journy behind enemy lines to get to the safety of a neighboring kingdom.

Trivia: Akira Kurosawa made this commercial and accessible film as a way to repay Toho Studios for allowing him to make riskier, more artistic fair such as Rashomon (1950).

Hmmm...does this sound familiar, a story, told from the prespective of two minor characters, the loweliest characters in stature in the whole movie, accompanying a headstrong princess and her aging knight? If you said "Yeah, that sounds like Star Wars" you would be right, but probably not how you think. On the 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. This was actually a very well made movie, there is no fluff. The aging samuri is very dignified and the princess is very regal in her attitude and demeaner, even though she doesn't speak for 75 percent of the movie. Well, another Kurosawa movie down, that makes 7, and all within the last year. It is kind of amazing to consider how much influence he has had with a lot of American directors, I mean, Star Wars can beconsidered the essential American blockbuster movie of all time, and it owes it's story telling roots to Hidden Fortress.