May The 4th Be With You!

As many, celebrate “Star Wars” today, Akira Kurosawa’s 1954 epic “Seven Samurai” is a fundamental pillar of the “Star Wars” franchise, influencing everything from George Lucas’s original vision to modern Disney+ series.

While Lucas famously mirrored Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress for the structure of the first film, he has explicitly stated that Seven Samurai made an "extraordinary impact" on his sensitivity toward visual storytelling and heroic archetypes.

Lucas noted that Seven Samurai was the first Kurosawa film he ever saw and it immediately cemented his admiration for the director's "strong and unique visual style".

In addition to "Seven Samurai", other Kurosawa films that influences "Star Wars" include:

"The Hidden Fortress" (1958)  Especially the story POV coming from the two peasants (The Droids in Star Wars), the story involving saving a Princess, and a warrior (similar to Han Solo. 

"Yojimbo" (1961) The action sequences with the Samurai swords (lightsabers) notably were inspired by this Samurai masterpiece! 

"Dersu Uzala" (1975) There's the visible moon & the setting sun at the same time shot. Also, the Yoda character & the Hoth survival sequence were inspired by this amazing Kurosawa masterpiece!

If you want to hear more of my 'Seven Samurai" discussion, then click on the link below.