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Kagemusha - Criterion Collection Actors: Tatsuya Nakadai, Tsutomu Yamazaki Director: Akira Kurosawa Number of Items: 2 Format: Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested) Running Time: 180 minutes Studio: Criterion Collection Product Group: DVD Release Date: 2005-03-29 Buy from Amazon |
 "Kurosawa, the last emperor"Produced in 1980 with the finacial suport of George Lucas and Francis Ford Copolla, Akira Kurosawa's Kagemusha is in all aspects an epic. It was a prelude to Kurosawa's 1985 masterpiece Ran with his political and military struggles and existencial conflicts. The historical background is the feudal Japan during the "Sengoku Jidai" or "Age of war" that lasted to the begining of the XVII century. An insignificant thief is spared from death by Shingen, the warlord of the powerful Takeda clan. Because of the amazing resemblence with him, Shingen turns the thief into his "kagemusha" or "shadow warrior" training him to take his place in case of death for no less than three years. When Shingen is finally killed, the thief, under the vigilance of Nobukado, Shingen's brother and the higher retainers of the clan is forced to fool not only the enemies of the Takeda but also the whole rest of the clan. As the story progresses we see the double grow and mature, gaining corage to accomplish his role as best he can. There's also the relation between the double and Nobukado not just puppet and puppeteer but something more deep. The mask finally breaks and the death of Shingen is discovered by his enemies that soon take arms against the Takeda. From there on the fate of the clan will be decided in bloody final battle. The soundtrack spetacularly give the movie an epic,and heroic feel this being seen on the final scene. Kurosawa showed in this film, despite the slow ritm and the lack of great battles, all his talent as a master of his art.  "One of Art's Great Movies!"William Goldman, and American screenwriter, admonished aspiring screenwriters to begin scenes as close to end as possible. This is the sort of pacing that audiences--American audiences, at least--are accustomed to. Akira Kurosawa's "Kagemusha" is quite a different sort of movie than would ever be produced by the American or even the European mainstream movie industry.. Its scenes are long and talky, with periods of silence, and still cameras. The scenery, make-up, and mannerisms of the actors are exaggerated and often melodramatic, like you would find in formal Japanese cinema. Anyone seeing this movie expecting a medieval action flick along the lines of, say, "Exalibur," is very likely to be disappointed. Which would be a shame. This is a magnificent movie. The photography and set design alone are breathtaking. This is more a historical piece than a character study--the characters remain, for the most part, two-dimensional. The focus remains tightly on the strategies and deceptions involved in keeping together the Shingen Takeda clan when their leader has died. Scenes are often long and patiently filmed. In one quietly dramatic scene, we see two lines of cavalry come galloping over an incline from a great distance. The thunder of the racing horses builds, and the lines converge before us. In this single shot, not much else happens, but the composition and sound create a powerful effect. This movie is filled with subtle, magnificent moments like this. The battle scenes--well, no one can beat Kurosawa here. The final scene depicts devestation and defeat with surprisingly little gore, yet is no less powerful (and, arguably, more) than, say, the graphically violent scenes in "Saving Private Ryan." This is a must-see for any movie buff. "a MUST own masterpiece for a collector"We want this masterpiece in DVD format. "Great Movie"This film is not only one of the best that Akira Kurosawa directed, but it is based on events that happened during the Age of War in Japan. "Slow paced, but worth a look"Kagemusha is a drama, not an action movie. There are no great duels, and the battle scenes, while effective window dressing for the story, are not themselves the focus. This is a human story about the lowest assuming the guise of the highest, and the conflicts this creates both in his co-conspirators and in himself. Remember the movie "Dave", where Kevin Klein takes the place of a deceased president so that the president's underlings can carry on with their plans? That's basically the plot of Kagemusha, only it is not comedy. In fact, there is a great sadness about this movie, as a thief who assumes the role of a samurai lord learns what it is to hold absolute power and yet to be an imposter. No matter how faithfully he plays his role, in the end he knows he will be discarded or even killed for his efforts. There is an especially touching twist involving his affection for the deceased lord's grandson, who at first is mistrustful but comes to adore the disguised thief. Thus the kagemusha gets his first taste of what fatherly love must feel like, in a splendid castle in which everyone -- even the heir -- must treat him as though he is the real McCoy, all the while knowing that his new life is as transient as a cherry blossom. Technically, the film is sound, the cinematography is dramatic and colorful, but there are plenty of draaaaaaaawn out scenes, so typical of Kurosawa, that may have the less patient viewer reaching for the remote's fast-forward button. In particular the ending, where all the carnage of a climactic, devastating battle takes place off-screen while we watch the thief's face react is almost comical, like watching a mime at the circus, which is FAR from its intent. Still, this movie is accessible, a little moving and definitely worth a look. |
