Star Wars is one of the most well-known film franchises in pop culture and has likely inspired many modern filmmakers. But George Lucas also admired a legendary filmmaker. One of his films is also strongly reminiscent of Star Wars.
What is it about? Star Wars is one of the most relevant film franchises in all of pop culture. Everyone knows lightsabers, Darth Vader, or Yoda. Many young filmmakers have likely been inspired by George Lucas and his franchise.
But George Lucas also had filmmakers whom he respected and praised, including Akira Kurosawa. The legendary director has been a pioneer of film art. Looking at his film The Hidden Fortress from 1958 compared to Star Wars, one can see suspiciously many similarities.
Star Wars and The Hidden Fortress
What are the similarities? Akira Kurosawa is one of the visionaries of cinema, and many of his films have been important sources of inspiration for other cult directors. Star Wars is very similar to the 1958 film The Hidden Fortress. The similarities run through several Star Wars films, as Nicholas Barber explains in an article for BBC.
The first similarity lies in the characters Tahei and Mataschichi. The two differ greatly in size, wander through a desert, and can’t even keep their mouths shut. The two help a former general to escort a princess in the film. This is reminiscent of C-3PO and R2-D2, who are supposed to help Obi-Wan Kenobi bring Leia to the base.
The princess from The Hidden Fortress even disguises herself as a simple peasant woman to hide. Just like Princess Amidala in the prequels of Star Wars. At the end of The Hidden Fortress, the heroes are rescued by a scarred enemy who switches sides towards the end. Similar to Darth Vader.
There are also some visual similarities. Darth Vader’s design was partially inspired by a samurai armor, and sword fights are a central combat method in samurai films. The iconic black fades of the Star Wars films were also frequently used by Kurosawa.
More of a coincidence
What does George Lucas say about this? In an old interview (via YouTube), George Lucas also spoke about Kurosawa and the influence he had. He says he only got to know his films during film studies. The first film he saw by Kurosawa was The Seven Samurai. After that, he was hooked.
Especially Kurosawa’s visual skills and camera techniques impressed George Lucas. The Hidden Fortress is not his favorite film by Kurosawa, but he admits that he was inspired by some aspects.
He appreciated how Kurosawa tells the story from the perspective of the two lowest
characters (Tahei and Mataschichi). That’s where he got the idea with C-3PO and R2-D2.
The aspect with the princess acting within enemy lines, however, was for him more of a coincidence
. Initially, he planned a story about an old Jedi who must flee with Leia, but it developed into the story of Luke Skywalker and his development.
Nevertheless, the story of the princess and the old general is quite close to Star Wars.
He further states that he believes that all stories have existed for thousands of years, and one eventually realizes that stories are repeated over and over again.
Is Star Wars a blatant copy of The Hidden Fortress? Of course not. Like all artists, filmmakers are also inspired by all sorts of things and films. Sometimes this happens consciously and sometimes unconsciously. In the case of Akira Kurosawa, it is even more special because he was a true visionary.
His camera techniques, perspectives, and ideas have continued to greatly influence many directors to this day. A Fistful of Dollars, The Magnificent Seven, The Usual Suspects are just a few examples of films that have been inspired by Kurosawa’s works. Compared to the concept phase of Star Wars, a lot has changed. Just like Master Yoda: Star Wars: Master Yoda almost didn’t exist – Another Jedi was supposed to take his role
