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LEGO Ninjago to Star Wars to Samurai…

(Written by the enigma that is badger)

Some time ago, I greatly enjoyed Taryn’s blog post on the similarities between the themes and characters of the Star Wars universe and those of LEGO Ninjago (see: May the Force be With You… Ninja Style?), citing numerous lines and scenes in the Ninjago TV-series that seemed to echo that galaxy far, far away. However, as a dedicated cineophile, I thought I’d share another interesting layer to the story: LEGO Ninjago has almost certainly been influenced by Star Wars, but then Star Wars itself was inspired by ninjas! . . . well, samurai, and in particular one famous samurai film; Akira Kurosawa’s The Hidden Fortress (drawing by vonholdt).

Ninjago vs. Star Wars by vonholdt

Here is the trailer for the film featuring commentary by Brian Trenchard-Smith, famed Australian genre director, in which he discusses the connections between the two epic movies.

It was at USC film school where George Lucas was introduced to the work of Akira Kurosawa, one of the greatest directors in the history of cinema. While Kurosawa’s films cover a variety of topics and time periods, Kurosawa is perhaps best known for his historical drama films (commonly referred to as jidaigeki) which feature stunning visuals, gripping stories, and visceral action. Lucas was struck by the power of Kurosawa’s work, and it deeply influenced his development as a director. Below is a clip with George Lucas talking about his introduction to Kurosawa’s films. Lucas has acknowledged heavy influence of The Hidden Fortress on Star Wars, particularly in the technique of telling the story from the perspective of the film’s lowliest characters, C-3PO and R2-D2. Lucas’ original plot outline for Star Wars also had a strong resemblance to the plot of The Hidden Fortress.

I could easily just list all the aspects of The Hidden Fortress Lucas “borrowed” for Star Wars, but I think showing them makes the point even more strongly. Check out the video below, with scenes from the two films.

Of course, Lucas didn’t find inspiration solely in Kurosawa; several other key aspects of Star Wars were directly inspired by other films Lucas admired. The epic Death Star trench battle started off as brave RAF pilots blasting apart German dams in the classic WWII film, The Dam Busters. There is an interesting video where someone put together the audio from the Star Wars scene with clips from The Dam Busters. You can see it here: The Dam Busters a la Star Wars. And who can forget the classic Star Wars title-crawl, right? There is another video where you can see a visual comparison of the famous opening title-crawl of Star Wars and the somewhat less famous (but earlier) opening title-crawl of the 1930’s Flash Gordon serial. See video here: Star Flash Gordon Wars.

Star Wars & The Hidden Fortress

I realize that a black-and-white, subtitled Japanese film that’s over five decades old might be a hard sell to many, but The Hidden Fortress is not only an amazing film for its connection to Star Wars but also as an excellent gateway to the rest of Kurosawa’s filmography which features no small number of masterpieces of cinema, such as The Seven Samurai, Rashomon, Ran, and many others.

I hope this article helped you a bit to see the deeper and quite fascinating connection between LEGO Ninjago and Star Wars, and jidaigeki and Jedi. If you are interested, you can read more in the book The Secret History of Star Wars by Michael Kaminski, and you can also get Kurosawa’s films on Amazon. Thanks for reading, and let me know what you think! Your questions, comments and feedback are welcome! 😉

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BrickWorld Chicago coming this weekend!

Just a quick reminder that BrickWorld Chicago is this weekend, so if you live or visit in the area make sure you attend! BrickWorld Chicago is one of the largest LEGO fan events in the county with LEGO fans coming from around the world. The LEGO displays are amazing, and there are plenty of activities to participate in for all age-groups. Below are the details. 🙂

BrickWorld Website Logo

BrickWorld Chicago takes place at the Renaissance Convention Center in Schaumburg, Illinois. The private AFOL (Adult-Fan-of-LEGO) convention runs from June 11th – 15th, while the public exhibitions are on Saturday 14th (10am – 4pm) and Sunday 15th (10am – 3pm). Tickets can be purchased online or at the door. Kids 3 and under get in free. You can buy tickets here: BUY BRICKWORLD CHICAGO TICKETS

BrickWorld Chicago 2014

There are plenty of activities both on the AFOL days and on the public days; presentations, games, building events, contests, etc. You can see the entire schedule here. Also, if you have never attended a BrickWorld event before, watch the video below to get an idea on what to expect.

Also, Joshua Hanlon and Matthew Kay from Beyond the Brick will be on site to film all the action; including builder interviews and a walkthrough of the entire display. If you’d like to get a copy of the DVD go support their Kickstarter project. $20 is all it takes to secure your copy of the DVD, and larger pledges will also get you some sweet extra rewards.

BrickWorld Chicago Beyond the Brick

LEGO’s own representatives will be at the event, along with practically every famous LEGO builder who’s creations you have likely only seen online. This is a great occasion not just to see some of the best LEGO creations, but also to make friends with other LEGO fans and get inspired! You may even come up with ideas for future co-created displays!

BrickWorld Chicago

So head over to the BrickWorld Chicago website to get your tickets or learn more about the event, and if you do attend let me know! Also, feel free to come back and share your experiences for the benefit of our readers. 😉

And you may also like to check out the following related post:

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