The Hidden Fortress
Director - Akira Kurasawa
General Rokurota Makabe - Toshiro Mifune
Tahei - Minoro Chiaki
Matasichi - Kamatari Fugiwara
General Hyoe Tadoukoru - Sasumu Fujita
Princess Yuki - Misa Uehara
Farmer's daughter bought from slave merchant - Toshiko Higuchi
A riot ensues their first night in the accursed camp, and they escape. Knowing the border to be well patrolled, they decide to take a different route through enemy territory. This would not have been successful if the two had been left to their own devices, yet luck was on their side.
They find gold in a piece of firewood that they found, and decide to look around for more. Their search is somewhat short, and they find that much more than they bargained for. A general and a princess, yet... They would never know, foolish as they are. The gold was gathered, the goal was set, and an escape plan was forged.
The princess, in order to go below the figurative radar, played as a mute. The general didn't hide his identity, though those he told were either already informed or in disbelief. And, of course, the two fools followed, mostly for the sake of manual labor and, perhaps, entertainment.
Upon their first night, they stop momentarily to gain their bearings. The princess finds an unfortunate subject of hers in a trying time, and demands that she be bought. She was not alone, as a noble came along to buy one of the party's three horses. They found themselves down a horse, which lead them to abandon the other two, and up a woman. Thus they did not fit the description of what the enemy was searching for, and they avoided attention.
That is.... Until they were more thoroughly checked, and the general was forced into action to prevent any harm from coming to them. His efforts were more or less in vain, as he stumbled upon a small regiment while ridding of enemy scouts. A duel then commenced, and the honorable commander of the regiment allowed him to leave unimpeded.
A few rainy days later, the party found themselves at a standstill. Moving forward would prove difficult with the many people searching for them, and they had no place to go back to. Again, luck shone upon them in the form of a fire ritual, where they would blend in perfectly. The luck wasn't particularly positive, as they were forced to burn the wood which encased the gold.
But what kind of delay is that to your average protagonist? None, really. They scoured the pit, fools making sure to attain every piece of the loot. They made it away.... Almost, only bringing back two soldiers with them. Which turned out to be convenient, as soldiers are good for manual labor.
Mere moments later, they were surrounded. All hope seemed lost. The general decided that he would be a distraction for the greater safety of the princess, yet the girl they had saved decided her life was less important. He wouldn't allow that, and ended up carrying her away while the princess followed. All three proved that they couldn't escape, but they could provide a gap for a fool or two to slip through. Sadly, a foolish duo doesn't do you much good when you're due to be executed.
The negative luck that had momentarily came upon them wore off at this point, however. A good stroke came when the commander the general had previously defeated was charmed by the princess' honor, and decided to aid them in an escape. Due to the fact he was the only man of real power there, the escape went off without a hitch, and the party managed to escape. All was well for them, yet for the fools....
They were found with an enormous sum of gold that they could not explain, and were thusly imprisoned. They decided it would be a good end, dieing together in a land they had set out to get to. But their royal friends decided such a fate would be unfitting, and bailed them out.
And so, the clan who had lost found strength to continue, and two fools were a little richer in terms of riches and knowledge.
Divine_Malevolence: Ze end! Or is it......?
Sam Glass: Well stated, my friend! Very exhaustive!?
Divine_Malevolence: Jus' gettin' started. Hinged a lot on a leader's honor.
Sam Glass: K. I was looking at three things: 1) the fighting, 2) the song, and 3) the Princess.
How do you rate the fighting?
Divine_Malevolence: There wasn't much of it, but for what there was it was decent. As in the spear fighting. More effort could've gone into the horseback katana kills. One cut does not strike an armored man down.
Sam Glass: Yea.. but it looks like to me it is all about that first strike
Divine_Malevolence: If only he had a crossbow.
Divine_Malevolence: First strike?
Sam Glass: Yes, they seem to circle for a long time trying to get the first strike - with the swords...'
Divine_Malevolence: The ones he hit with a sword were riding away, weren't they?
Sam Glass: I'm confused - are we talking about the fight between the generals or the escape?
Divine_Malevolence: ........ Generals?
Sam Glass: Yea, the duel with spears.. where Mukabe ended up stepping on Takudoru's spear...
Divine_Malevolence: Victory be dismarming. Dismarming. Amusing. Disarming.
Sam Glass: Yea.. and honor? I thought it was different... how it was presented.. leaving...
Divine_Malevolence: One on one when you've got a regiment is honorable. And allowing the victor to leave is a sign of good sportsmanship.
Sam Glass: But in the end the Lord beat Tadukoru and scarred his face - he had that horrible gash
Divine_Malevolence: He was unfortunate, but he was willing to let honor outdo punishment.
Sam Glass: But he was angry at first - because Mukabe didn't kill him
Divine_Malevolence: At first. But then he helped 'em escape.
Sam Glass: Yes, after the Princess sold him
Divine_Malevolence: Irritation rather then resentment.
Sam Glass: feminine wiles - willies?
Divine_Malevolence: Tch. He was impressed by all.
Sam Glass: Who could turn her down?
Divine_Malevolence: The loyal commoner, the strong general, and the kind princess.
Sam Glass: The fools were loyal?
Divine_Malevolence: The fools weren't there.
Sam Glass: Greed! So the song:
The life of a man
Burn it with the fire
The life of an insect
Throw it in the fire
Ponder and you'll see
The world is dark
And this floating world is a dream
Burn it with abandon
Divine_Malevolence: It's a meaningful song. Probably written by a pessimist.
Sam Glass: LOL
Divine_Malevolence: Or a pyromaniac. Odds are someone lost something, saw all go to flames and said, burn it! Because profanity doesn't always come along. A song of bad tidings.
Sam Glass: Ummm... I think it is a song about how short life is... and how one has to take advantage of it.. because it could be gone in an instant!! They sang it three times - recall them?
Divine_Malevolence: Once in a festival, once..... Some time, and once when they had been captured and were about to get put to death. Bad tidings.
Sam Glass: The princess sang it when facing death.. and Takadoru sang it just before he freed them - heady stuff!
Divine_Malevolence: Because he had a tough decision to make. And he was copying her.
Sam Glass: And it was about life and death... the ultimate test of character
Divine_Malevolence: And dark times.
Sam Glass: K.. and the Princess... the eyebrows?
Divine_Malevolence: Obnoxious crying scene. Could've used a better wardrobe. I would've switched with the girl that they rescued.
Sam Glass: Her kimono in the end was kinda nice? In the beginning she was just hanging around the spring and living in a cave.. kinda hard to dress up there? What should she have worn?
Divine_Malevolence: Her kimono was nice. But everywhere else.... They had multiple chances to change, man. On that record, the general could've covered his legs at some point. Mayhaps with the silver they got for the horse.
Sam Glass: Ahh.. but they were saving it for rebuilding the clan! I will excuse them for not dressing up.
Divine_Malevolence: Tcccch. They bought clothes in the end.
Sam Glass: What about how the princess looked in the cave waiting for the rain to stop?
Divine_Malevolence: Comfortable.
Sam Glass: DId you catch her hips?
Divine_Malevolence: Nein.
Sam Glass: Must have been twice as wide as her waist.... childbearing.. more about continuing the clan...
Sam Glass: OK. anything else?
Sam Glass: Then next week.. turn in for "The Twilight Samaurai"
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