Star Wars Reshot As A Japanese Gangster Movie Looks Unbelievable

Turning «Star Wars» into a Japanese gangster film may seem like a whimsical crossover, but fans of «Star Wars» lore might be aware that the franchise is indebted to Japanese cinema. When he first conceived of «Star Wars,» George Lucas borrowed from a number of films, including those of Akira Kurosawa, for inspiration. Kurosawa is best known for his films «Rashomon» and «Seven Samurai,» but Lucas was especially compelled by his comparatively little-known 1958 film, «The Hidden Fortress.»

«‘Hidden Fortress’… did influence me in doing ‘Star Wars’ because I was beginning to write the screenplay and put it together,» the director said in an interview with Criterion Collection. «The one thing that really struck me about ‘Hidden Fortress’… was the fact that the story was told from the [perspective of the] two lowest characters.» Lucas adopted this storytelling format, positioning R2-D2 and C-3PO as the points of entry. «In ‘Star Wars” case, it is the two droids and that was the strongest influence actually.» Like «Star Wars,» «The Hidden Fortress» features an outspoken princess who is contending with an enemy force during wartime.

Other Japanese influences crop up elsewhere. The term Jedi comes from the Japanese word «jidaigeki,» the period drama genre of which Kurosawa was a master. Moreover, Lucas outfitted Darth Vader and the stormtroopers based on samurai attire, with Vader, in particular, strongly resembling a feudal Japanese warlord in his Kabuto-like helmet. Demonflyingfox’s TikTok is an overt celebration of Darth Vader’s samurai roots.