The Hidden Fortress (1958)
Kurosawa’s 1958 medieval adventure. Mifune as general, two bumbling peasants. Lucas cited as Star Wars influence.
Shinobu Hashimoto
This archive gathers the films written by Shinobu Hashimoto reviewed at Master of Worlds: “Rashomon (1950)”, “Seven Samurai (1954)”, “The Hidden Fortress (1958)”, and “Throne of Blood (1957)” — 4 titles in all. Seen together they show a consistent sensibility across different films. The reviews focus on the screenplay as craft — what it contributes, how it serves each story, and what separates the work from the ordinary version of the same material. Rather than rank the films, the collection treats them as a body of work worth examining. The list expands as additional titles are added.
Throne of Blood (1957)
Kurosawa’s 1957 Macbeth set in feudal Japan. Mifune as Washizu. The arrow finale is among the most committed practical-effects sequences ever filmed.
Seven Samurai (1954)
Kurosawa’s 1954 samurai epic. Three hours twenty-seven minutes. The film every assembled-team movie since 1960 has copied.
Rashomon (1950)
Kurosawa’s 1950 film that gave English the word for unreliable narrative. Four versions of one crime, each true, each false.