Remaking the Kurosawa Film Remade as ‘Star Wars’

Invited to a meeting last year with Toho Co. executives, Shinji Higuchi had no idea of the title they were going to propose that he direct. When they named it, Higuchi says he almost stood up and walked out of the room.

It took a brave man to remake “The Hidden Fortress,” Akira Kurosawa’s classic samurai flick, and there will inevitably be some who say Higuchi was on a hiding to nothing by agreeing to the project. But reviews to date have been positive, and “Hidden Fortress – The Last Princess” is at least a return to action titles, which are an important part of Japan’s
movie heritage but have been eclipsed in recent years by titles heavy on nostalgia or melodrama.

“I knew the challenge was always going to be tougher because it was a Kurosawa film, but I can also say that the results are also more rewarding when the project comes off,” Higuchi told a press conference after the showing of his film at the Club on May 7.

A test screening at the University of Southern California’s Norris Theater in late April went down very well with the 300 people who managed to get a seat. Higuchi was delighted at the response and at being able to show the project at the alma mater of George Lucas, who in 1978 remade Kurosawa’s original as “Star Wars.”

“I first saw Kurosawa’s film when I was in high school, then about three years later
I heard that a film was being made in the U.S. with light sabers, intergalactic travel and huge battles,” he said. “All my classmates said it was a great film and that Japan could never have made a movie like that.

“I wanted to tell them that it was inspired by a Japanese film,” Higuchi said, adding that he never imagined he would have the chance to revive the story and return it to its Japanese roots.

“It’s true that I was a little concerned about remaking a film that had impressed me – and many others – so deeply, but on the other hand I was very encouraged by the fact that 50 years ago this great action movie had been made in Japan,” Higuchi said.

He recommends that film fans watch both the original and his interpretation. Higuchi also admits that whenever he hit a problem in the production, he watched Kurosawa’s version – he believes he has seen it around 50 times – and he found himself encouraged once again.

With a budget of a mere ¥1.5 billion, Higuchi completed filming in the space of just two months over the winter. The shorter days of November and December required him to operate two film crews simultaneously – not a method commonly used in Japan – and Higuchi praised the energy of his crew and actors.

Set in an era of rival feudal-era kingdoms, the tale pits the evil Yamana samurai against the Akizuki and Hayakawa clans. Princess Yuki, of the defeated Akizuki family, is protected by Gen. Rokurota as they try to stay out of the clutches of their pursuers and reach safety with a hoard of gold. On their journey, they meet up with a pair of rogues whose main preoccupation is grabbing the bullion.

The parallels with “Star Wars” are clear – even down to the arch-villain’s black helmet with flared neck guard. Darth Vader fought Obi-Wan Kenobi with a light saber; Rokurota used a samurai sword.

Toshiro Mifune was cast by Kurosawa as the loyal general, a role played this time around by the impressive Hiroshi Abe – who is much in demand at the moment and made no fewer than nine movies and television series last year. Masami Nagasawa plays the princess, while comedian Daisuke Miyagawa plays one of the unwashed ne’er-do-wells.

Jun Matsumoto puts in a seasoned performance as Takezo, the second rogue, who gets romantically involved with the princess. By casting the star attraction of the Johnny’s Jimusho agency, Higuchi guaranteed that the film would be an instant hit when it was released domestically on May 10.

Speaking after the U.S. screening, Matsumoto said he tried to inject “A bit of Spiderman, a bit of Capt. Jack Sparrow, of all sorts of Hollywood heroes into the part.”

The release of “Hidden Fortress – The Last Princess” comes exactly 50 years after the original hit Japan’s cinema screens and three decades after “Star Wars.” It is also being released less than two years before the 100th anniversary of Kurosawa’s birth, a landmark that is certain to lead to renewed interest in the works of a director considered to be without equal in the history of Japanese moviemaking. ❶