Akira Kurosawa’s The Hidden Fortress Getting 4K Treatment

The BFI continue to  restore Japanese  film auteur Akira Kurosawa‘s filmography to 4K. The latest being The Hidden Fortress became Kurosawa’s biggest box office hit to date, coming to 4K UHD  and Blu-Ray from August.

The Hidden Fortress won several awards, including the Golden Bear at the 1959 Berlin Film Festival. Some 20 years on, the film’s influence would have even greater impact on the world when George Lucas borrowed elements of its plot for the first of his Star Wars series.

The BFI now brings this classic to both UHD and standard Blu-ray formats on 18 August, with special features include a newly recorded commentary by Japanese film expert Tony Rayns.

A story of rival clans, hidden gold and a princess in distress, The Hidden Fortress is a thrilling mix of fairy story and samurai action movie. It was Kurosawa’s first film shot in the widescreen process TohoScope, and he exploited this to the full in the film’s rich variety of landscape locations, including the slopes of Mount Fuji.

Special features

• UHD version: Restored 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)

• Blu-ray version: Newly restored in 4K and presented in High Definition

• Newly recorded audio commentary by Japanese film expert Tony Rayns

• BFI Screen Epiphanies: Steven Berkoff (2015, 18 mins): in a wide-ranging discussion with journalist Ian Hadyn Smith, the actor, writer and theatre director reflects on The Hidden Fortress, the talents of Toshiro Mifune and his first viewing of the film in the late 1950s

• Akira Kurosawa: It is Wonderful to Create – The Hidden Fortress (2002, 41 mins): documentary about the making of The Hidden Fortress with contributions from director Akira Kurosawa, production designer Yoshiro Muraki, actor Toshiro Mifune and script supervisor Teruyo Nogami

• George Lucas on Akira Kurosawa and The Hidden Fortress (2001, 8 mins)

• Original trailer

• Includes original Perspecta Stereophonic Sound audio track

• **FIRST PRESSING ONLY** Illustrated booklet with a new essay on the film by Kenta McGrath, How Star Wars Conquered Cinema with the Help of The Hidden Fortress by Graham Hughes, Kurosawa on The Hidden Fortress (1964) and an original review

4K UHD: Japan / 1958 / black and white / 139 minutes / Japanese language with optional English subtitles // original aspect ratio 2.35:1 UHD66: 2160p, 23.98fps, DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio and DTS-HD MA 2.0 stereo audio

BLU-RAY: Japan / 1958 / black and white / 139 minutes / Japanese language with optional English subtitles // original aspect ratio 2.35:1 BD50: 1080p, 23.98fps, DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio and DTS-HD MA 2.0 stereo audio

The Hidden Fortress will be released on 4K UHD and Blu-Ray from the 18th August.

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The founder of The People's Movies, started the site 20th November 2008.The site has excelled past all expectations with many only giving the site months and it's still going strong. A lover of French Thrillers, Post Apocalyptic films, Asian cinema. 2009 started Cinehouse to start his 'cinema education' learning their is life outside mainstream cinema. Outside of film, love to travel with Sorrento, Guangzhou and Manchester all favourite destinations.Musically loves David Bowie, Fishbone, Radiohead.

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