Kakushi toride no san akunin - The last princess (2008)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Shinji Higuchi

Writers:

Akira Kurosawa (original screenplay) &
Ryûzô Kikushima (based on an original screenplay by) ...

Release Date:

10 May 2008 (Japan)

Genre:

Drama

Plot Keywords:

Title In Title

Cast

Jun Matsumoto	...	Takezo
Daisuke Miyagawa	...	Shinpachi
Kippei Shiina	...	Gyobu
Masami Nagasawa	...	Yukihime
Hiroshi Abe	...	Rokurota
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Arata Furuta
Takaya Kamikawa
Masahiro Komoto
Kreva
Jun Kunimura
Manami Kurose
Katsuhisa Namase
Masahiro Takashima
Pierre Taki

Also Known As:

The Last Princess (International: English title)

Runtime:

Japan:118 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital EX

Company:

Chukyo TV Broadcasting Company (CTV)

Movie Connections:

References Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Woe to those who tread on a classic!

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

If you have seen Kurosawa's brilliant Kakushi-toride no san-akunin, known as The Hidden Fortress in the West, you may find this super-charged remake a lifeless bore, as it replaces humor with gory violence and brilliant characterizations with shallow "types." In updating the story, director Higuchi abandoned the ensemble feel of the original and created an enhanced role for boy idol Matsumoto as the peasant Takezo. Takezo is uncommonly brilliant, resourceful and socially aware for a 16th century Japanese farm boy, so the film quickly lurches into self-righteousness and holds this improbable line until the last frame. The wacky duo of peasants who brought such warmth and comic wit to the original, and inspired George Lucas in the creation of R2-D2 and C-3PO, are gone to facilitate a highly unlikely romance, and the remarkable general created by Toshiro Mifune is transformed into an ordinary samurai who can barely keep up with his little princess in physical prowess.

One aspect of the original film's genius is it's lack of class consciousness. By keeping the true identity of the general and the princess concealed for most of the film, Kurosawa could emphasize the interpersonal relationships of the characters, as well as their individual quirks. In this remake, the identities are revealed early on, making way for a pretentious and preachy class consciousness that robs the film of many laughs.

I won't bore you with more examples of other charms missing from this film. If, like me, you are a rabid fan of Akira Kurosawa, The Last Princess will be a disappointment, but, also like me, you'll probably suffer through this remake with the same curiosity that causes you to stare at train wrecks. If, however, you are a fan of CGI and seeing bodies slashed in two, you'll love this movie, which likely plays much better to people unfamiliar with the original.