Eastern influences are here from the beginning: Darth Vader suit is clearly inspired by Samurai armor. But Star Wars isn’t basically a remake of The Hidden Fortress. These two films have a lot in common, but they are also very different, I think.
This remake thing keeps repeated, and it’s bothering me! I’m wondering if it’s been somewhat blown out of proportion to undermine Lucas achievements? Like he’s not that a good movie director, he just copied Akira Kurosawa.