The Hidden Fortress - The Criterion Collection (Blu‑ray)

A grand-scale adventure as only Akira Kurosawa could make one, The Hidden Fortress stars the inimitable Toshiro Mifune as a general charged with guarding his defeated clan’s princess (a fierce Misa Uehara) as the two smuggle royal treasure across hostile territory. Accompanying them are a pair of bumbling, conniving peasants who may or may not be their friends. This rip-roaring ride is among the director’s most beloved films and was a primary influence on George Lucas’s Star Wars. The Hidden Fortress delivers Kurosawa’s trademark deft blend of wry humor, breathtaking action, and compassionate humanity.

• Japan
• 139 minutes
• Black & White
• 2.35:1
• Japanese
• Spine #116
• 1958

BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES

- New 2K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
- Alternate 3.0 surround soundtrack preserving the original Perspecta simulated stereo effects, presented in DTS-HD Master Audio
- New audio commentary by film historian Stephen Prince, author of The Warrior’s Camera: The Cinema of Akira Kurosawa
- Documentary from 2003 on the making of the film, created as part of the Toho Masterworks series Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create
- Interview from 2001 with filmmaker George Lucas about Kurosawa
- Trailer
- New English subtitle translation
- PLUS: An essay by film scholar Catherine Russell

* New cover illustration by Vania Zouravliov, type by F. Ron Miller