Five films that inspired the creators of Star Wars

No director's work has had a greater influence on the creators of Star Wars than Akira Kurosawa. Whether you're heading to Tokyo or keeping up with Star WarsCelebration Japan from home, watching some of the Kurosawa films that inspired George Lucas and countless other creators will give you a better appreciation for a galaxy far, far away.

Lucas first became aware of Kurosawa's work while attending film school at the University of Southern California. In an interview with the Criterion Collection, he spoke about the director's influence. "It's hard to truly appreciate Kurosawa's true genius until you've seen several of his films and then been able to watch other films at the same time and understand his visual style," Lucas said. “I think he belongs to a generation of directors who were still influenced by silent films. Visual graphics and framing, just the quality of the images, go a long way in telling a story and creating a mood. You won't find many directors who handle this medium as easily as Kurosawa."

Here are five Kurosawa films that inspired Lucas and the current generation of Star Wars creators.

The Hidden Fortress (1958)

In The Hidden Fortress, two peasants seeking fortune agree to escort two people unknown to them, a princess and a general, across enemy lines. There are obvious parallels between the two peasants and C-3PO and R2-D2 (both love to bicker with each other), and the princess and the general with Leia Organa and Obi-Wan Kenobi. But the inspiration runs deeper, as is evident from the way Kurosawa and Lucas frame the action in similar ways in different shots throughout these stories.You'll also see nearly identical wipe transitionswhere one frame moves from one side of the frame to the other to replace the next.

Seven Samurai (1954)

Seven Samurai is an action-packed story about a village that hires a group of samurai to defend against invading bandits. Fans of "Star Wars" may find similar echoes in the episode "Bounty Hunters" of the second season of "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" where Anakin Skywalker Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ahsoka Tano team up with bounty hunters to protect a village on Felucia from pirates, and in the episode "The Sanctuary" of the first season of the series "The Mandalorian" where Din Djarin and Cara Dune fight off raiders threatening krill farmers on Sorgan.

Yojimbo(1961)

Yojimbo also centers on a small village in trouble, but this time the hero of the story is a ronin (masterless samurai). Toshiro Mifune plays a ronin who uses his wits against two criminal warlords fighting for control of a village. It's a simple plot that is a fantastically entertaining film, all thanks to Kurosawa's talent.

Director Deborah Chow spoke about the influence of Kurosawa's work when she was filming the Obi-Wan Kenobi series. “To me, there is such a strong connection between the Jedi and the ronin - especially during this period when all the Jedi are being hunted. I really looked at what you do if you are the last samurai. You are more than a warrior.There is also a code of ethics that goes along with it, in a world that has changed a lot."

In a behind-the-scenes featurette of "Filmmaker Focus - The Duel," the creators of the short film The Duel fromStar Wars: Visionstalk about how their story pays homage to several Japanese films, including Yojimbo, Seven Samurai and Lone Wolf and Cub . Junpei Mizasaki, founder of Kamikaza Douga Studios, which produced “The Duel,” noted that “we really wanted a high-contrast black-and-white cinematic style, like Kurosawa’s monochrome era.”

Rashomon (1950)

Rashomon tells the story of the attack and murder from multiple perspectives. Flashbacks to events have many differences, changing how the character's actions are perceived by the audience throughout the film. Rian Johnson's "Star Wars: The Last Jedi also showed audiences different perspectives on the fateful night shortly before Luke's Jedi Academy was destroyed. This is the first time Rey hears about this night and the fateful confrontation between Master and apprentice from Luke's point of view. When Rey hears Kylo Ren's version of events, the flashback changes to show Ben waking up to see an enraged Luke about to strike him, brandishing a lightsaber that, notably, was not shown in the first telling of the story. From this perspective, Ben's actions appear to be self-defense. When Rey confronts Luke about the controversy, he tells a third version of events, where he activated his lightsaber above Ben's bed, then hesitated, but not before Ben woke up, saw his uncle, and took action to stop him.Viewers must make their own decision about what the true events of that night actually implied.

In the episodes "Destiny" and "Night" from The Acolyteused a similar storytelling method, showing the deadly encounter between a group of Jedi and a coven of witches on Brandoc from several different perspectives. This change in perspective, in turn, changes the viewer's view of the series' characters, such as Master Sol, and their motivations. As "The Acolyte" showrunner Leslye Headland explained, "It's a serialized story, so each episode gives you more of the story. We were obviously influenced by samurai films like Rashomon, where you see one story and then you see it differently.”

Kagemusha: Warrior of the Shadow (1980)

In one of Kurosawa's later works, Kagemusha, a thief is hired as bait for an aging warlord. Decoys, of course, played a big role in the storyline of of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace and the Season 4 episode "Shadow Warriors" of Star Wars: The Clone Wars" - where Jar Jar Binks doubles as a Gungan boss in a reference to Kagemusha. Dave Filoni also pointed to the dream sequences of Kagemusha as an inspiration during the filming of the reunion of Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano in the World Between Worlds in Star Wars: Ahsoka.