People are voting emotionally.

Best movie ever!

n my opinion it was a great movie with some interesting elements, even though having some plot holes and the ending probably was just too messy and crammed together, but still fun to watch and not your casual movie that is similar to all other ones.

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

Set during the Sengoku period (1460s-1600s), Akira Kurosawa's "The Hidden Fortress" stars Minoru Chiaki and Kamatari Fujiwara as Tahei and Matashichi, a pair of squabbling peasants. The duo roam the Japanese countryside, doing their best to avoid bands of marauding soldiers."Hidden's" first act watches as Tahei and Matashichi are manipulated by Rokurota Makabe (Toshiro Mifune), a cunning samurai general. Promising the greedy peasants mountains of gold, he uses them as camouflage in his attempts to transport a princess (Misa Uehara) across enemy lines."What you make of another's kindness is up to you," Kurosawa has character's say. Kindness is something the film's princess learns, as she witnesses first-hand the sacrifices of her bodyguard, General Makabe, and the suffering of the peasants who live outside her castle walls. Kindness is also something General Rokurota must grapple with. He's a rival warrior with whom General Makabe fights an extended battle. During this battle, Makabe's objective is not to kill, but to frustrate, to deflect, to guide his belligerent opponent away from a fixation upon military solutions."The Hidden Fortress" is one of Kurosawa's more playful films. Part comedy, part adventure, part action epic, the film boasts glorious widescreen photography, a jaunty plot, some fine compositional work and the shortest short shorts ever worn by a princess. Aesthetically, the film's the bridge between Eisenstein, Ford and later imitators like Lucas and Leone. Indeed, George Lucas would lift chunks of "Hidden Fortress" for the plot of his "Star Wars", especially Kurosawa's notion of a tough, imperious princess.Though a bit long-winded, a number of Kurosawa's action sequences still pack a punch. One sequence in particular recalls Eisenstein's Odessa Steps sequence in "Battleship Potemkin". Elsewhere Kurosawa stages a sequence in which General Makabe – cool, tough and resourceful - pursues enemy scouts all the way back to their base, a scene which would influence the speeder bike chase in George Lucas' "Return of the Jedi". Lucas would help a financially-strapped Kurosawa get his 1980 film, "The Shadow Warrior", produced. Indeed, Lucas would be indirectly responsible for two of Kurosawa's greatest epics ("The Shadow Warrior" and "Ran"). Every good apprentice lends their master a helping hand.8/10 – See "Throne of Blood" and "Twilight Samurai".

What a wonderful movie! In my top 5 Kurasawa movies for sure alongside Seven Samurai, Ran, Throne of Blood and Yojimbo. As always it is superbly directed, and looks amazing especially in the once again epic scenery and use of CinemaScope. The music score is suitably lively(though my favourite score of any of Kurasawa's movies is still Ran), the script is literate and amusing and the story compels. The action sequences are beautifully choreographed and exciting and the comedy puts a smile on my face. The acting is just as accomplished as ever, with Toshiro Mifune giving yet another charismatic lead performance, and Minoru Chiaki and Kamatari Fujiwara match him just as effectively. Through his camera and directorial techniques you can see Kurasawa paying debt to John Ford's western, and you can also see with the galaxy far far away idea especially the major influence it had on Star Wars. The Hidden Fortress was said as well to be Kurasawa's own personal favourite of his work, and while not quite mine(Seven Samurai) I can definitely see why, and it is perhaps his most accessible(I have often seen Throne of Blood criticised for its dramatic structure and one-dimensional characters and I know people were deterred by the length of Seven Samurai). In conclusion though, a truly great film. 10/10 Bethany Cox

A princess in disguise. Hidden gold. A noble warrior. A daring trek across enemy lines, in which fealty and fortitude are tested. Throw two bungling peasants into this mix and you have what makes "The Hidden Fortress" such an entertaining, exciting adventure.Kurosawa's film follows the two peasants as they blunder across a war-torn landscape. Through a series of mishaps and absurd circumstances, they find themselves unwittingly aiding Rokurota Makabe, a general of the defeated Akizuki clan, whose task is to protect the young Princess Yuki from her foes and guide her to safety.All of the actors are excellent – Mifune is top-notch here, as usual – but it was Misa Uehara as the princess that made the deepest impression on me. She conveyed the haughtiness of a girl raised in privilege, but was able to skillfully bring out the strength and humanity of her character. There is a scene where this young woman, who up until this point has seemed the epitome of fierceness and pride, stands alone and begins to weep while gazing out at the horizon. The banner of her clan is superimposed over her anguished face as she lets tears fall for her murdered family, well aware of the weight of her sorrow and new responsibility in a harsh world. Over the course of the film, she will see greed, deceit, honesty and decency firsthand. She will bear witness to human compassion and human suffering. Her experiences will shape her into a better ruler.Such elements add profoundness to "The Hidden Fortress", making it more than simply a standard action/adventure movie. Still, it keeps up suspense, excitement, and humor – sometimes all at once. For example, at one point the little group must get past a roadblock set up by the enemy. The scene that ensues artfully combines a sense of quiet apprehension and unease with comedy. Viewers remain on the edges of their seats, yet are able to laugh as well.Kurosawa accomplished the rarest of feats with this motion picture. He managed to make an exhilarating film brimming with action and intrigue that at the same time treated its subject matter intelligently. All things considered, this is an engaging, enjoyable, and amusing piece of work from a master director.

When it comes to Kurosawa, most that come to mind are "Seven Samurai", "Rashomon", and "Yojimbo" but "The Hidden Fortress" is a worthy addition just on the impact alone. Tahei and Matashichi are two selfish greedy peasants just trying to get home. After discovering gold in the mountains, the two decide to team up with a general and a princess hiding out there in order to escape with some extra money in their pockets. "The Hidden Fortress" is an adventure story that draws influence from both Eastern and Western cultures. Instead of being seen from the high-class samurai's eyes, the majority of the film is done through the two peasant's perspectives which generally balances between seriousness and humor relatively well. It does get slightly over-the-top at points but with a witty cast and a fantastic director like Akira Kurosawa, it's not hard to see why George Lucas would eventually draw inspiration from it for "Star Wars."