Many of you will know that the Magnifent Seven was based on a movie by Kurosawa called the Seven Samurai..
Maybe old news for some of you, but maybe of interest to newbies..
Many pundits assert, though Lucas himself has never officially acknowledged this, that the original Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope is, to all intents and purposes, a sci-fi remake of Kurosawa's 1958 samurai epic The Hidden Fortress.
One of the main pieces of evidence is the narrative device of telling the story from the perspective of seemingly minor characters.
In The Hidden Fortress, the story was told from the perspective of two lowly peasants who find themselves in service to a princess and her general. In Star Wars, it could be argued that the droids R2-D2 and C-3PO are utilized in the same way.
The basic story outline of storming a large enemy fortress, or "death star," and coming to the aid of a princess against seemingly impossible odds are another similarity. I wouldn't go so far as to call A New Hope a remake, but there are undoubtedly influences from Kurosawa throughout the saga's original trilogy. The famous speeder bike chase near the end of Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, shares a number of similarities with a similar horseback chase in The Hidden Fortress when General Makabe attempts to outrun his pursuers.
Star Wars also borrows a great deal from Japanese history and traditions. The fabled Jedi knights with their long flowing robes, lightsabers and religious dedication to their craft are part samurai and part Buddhist monk. Also, the design of the iconic villain Darth Vader is more than a passing nod to the fearsome armor worn in battle by Japan's feudal warlords
-So get yourself down to blockbusters or whoever and enjoy
Credit to Liam Carrigan..
Maybe old news for some of you, but maybe of interest to newbies..
Many pundits assert, though Lucas himself has never officially acknowledged this, that the original Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope is, to all intents and purposes, a sci-fi remake of Kurosawa's 1958 samurai epic The Hidden Fortress.
One of the main pieces of evidence is the narrative device of telling the story from the perspective of seemingly minor characters.
In The Hidden Fortress, the story was told from the perspective of two lowly peasants who find themselves in service to a princess and her general. In Star Wars, it could be argued that the droids R2-D2 and C-3PO are utilized in the same way.
The basic story outline of storming a large enemy fortress, or "death star," and coming to the aid of a princess against seemingly impossible odds are another similarity. I wouldn't go so far as to call A New Hope a remake, but there are undoubtedly influences from Kurosawa throughout the saga's original trilogy. The famous speeder bike chase near the end of Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, shares a number of similarities with a similar horseback chase in The Hidden Fortress when General Makabe attempts to outrun his pursuers.
Star Wars also borrows a great deal from Japanese history and traditions. The fabled Jedi knights with their long flowing robes, lightsabers and religious dedication to their craft are part samurai and part Buddhist monk. Also, the design of the iconic villain Darth Vader is more than a passing nod to the fearsome armor worn in battle by Japan's feudal warlords
-So get yourself down to blockbusters or whoever and enjoy
Credit to Liam Carrigan..