Interesting. I actually think The Hidden Fortress is lesser Kurosawa, but Star Wars is far more than just a remake. As you say, it borrows from so much - Joseph Campbell, The Lord of the Rings, Arthurian legend, The Wizard of Oz, The Searchers, The Dambusters (and other war films), Flash Gordon, etc, etc, as well as samurai films. It then remixes them with groundbreaking visual effects, astonishing sound, and a music score that feels as though it were given to John Williams on Mount Sinai, to result in a film that literally divides cinema into two distinct epochs, BC/AD style. Before and after Star Wars.