267 Kagemusha

[colinr0380]

I see that Kamatari Fujiwara is in this film, but I can't seem to find him. Where is he?

He is the doctor traveling with Shingen after he has been shot (around 30 minutes in) and is in the scene where Shingen dies. They disappear from the film after that as Yamagata has killed the doctor and the assistant so there wouldn't be any witnesses to Shingen's death.

[teddyleevin]

The part where Shingen was in that carrying box (they mentioned what it was called but I don't remember)? I remember, I'll have to rewatch it , I guess I just didn't recognize Kamatari. Thanks!

[MilkManX]

Finally got this and was able to watch it uncut. Still as powerful as I remember. The color is amazing. It is strange to see Kurosawa in color and not in 1:33:1 or 2:35:1 but 1:85:1?!

I forgot his later films he used the standard widescreen instead of the more dramatic 2:35:1

SpoilerShow

Overall though I still love this movie and the sad part is that the Kagemusha himself gets so caught up in it at the end he decides to go with the clan into the afterlife.

[Madadayo]

Anyone else wonder what this film would have been had Zatoichi starred in it, as originally planned?

Great great superlatively superb job Criterion has done with the Kurosawa releases.

Here's hoping for a Dodes'ka-den dvd someday (my VHS copy am looking rather fuzzy.)

[tryavna]

Anyone else wonder what this film would have been had Zatoichi starred in it, as originally planned?

Yes, and Stephen Prince actually talks for quite a bit about that in his commentary. It's a shame that Katsu and Kurosawa had a falling out/misunderstanding. As much as I love Nakadai as an actor, I buy Prince's argument that Katsu would have done a better job with the role during the film's first half.

[J]

On blu-ray, August 18th.

[denti alligator]

Is this Kurosawa really more popular than High & Low? (Or Seven Samurai, for that matter?)

[The Fanciful Norwegian]

Maybe not, but this Kurosawa is one of the handful not controlled by a Japanese studio. Criterion's BDs to date suggest Japanese companies aren't the easiest to deal with when it comes to Blu-ray (their one other Japanese release was licensed from a French company). I seriously doubt Criterion are withholding a Seven Samurai BD out of choice.

[Telstar]

The only Criterion DVDs I've sold in anticipation of blu-ray replacements are Contempt and Ran.
Does this mean that if I sell my Kagemusha DVD I'm going to jinx it for the rest of you?

[dad1153]

Saw "Kagemusha" on TCM for the first time over the weekend along with "Red Beard" (before) and "Ran" (after). Maybe it helps not to have seen "Ran" beforehand but I found this fictional-within-historical-parallels story of the lowly thief impersonating killed-in-secrecy Lord Shingen Takeda during the 1572-1575 period of Japan's feudal lords utterly fascinating and never less than compelling. If the presence of Shintarô Katsu would have meant a more light and comedic tone to the proceedings then the movie benefits from Tatsuya Nakadai playing both roles straight, IMHO. This visible uncertainty of how to play phony Shingen helps usher the relationship between the thief and his grandson (and the brief flashes of Shingen's personality exhibited by the thief later in the film), which eventually gives way to their separation and the secret being exposed. What Nakadai's performance lacks in bravado or on-screen appeal (he's basically badly impersonating a brute tyrant for most of "Kagemusha's" running time) it compensates for with A.K.'s intent of having the movie's excellent battle scenes feel hollow and empty with a cypher lead character as an impostor impersonating the lead role. Tsutomu Yamazaki delivers the movie's best performance as Nobukado. As he's coaching the thief about his mission and becomes the common-sense conscience of the Takeda tribe we get to see Nobukado (in brief, powerful small moments that are borderline throwaway scenes) lament the death/absence of his brother. These intimate scenes (which Kurosawa keeps at arm's length by shooting from a distance) stand out from the greedy, selfish anger shown by Katsuyori (Kenichi Hagiwara) and the other Takeda clan members plotting all kinds of harm to the thief once they get rid of him. Even as Nobukado says that a shadow cannot exist without its master his tone isn't mean or nasty to the thief, just a resigned articulation of an expected fact.

I don't get the hate I've read here for Shinishiro Itebe's Western-sounding music since (a) the soundtrack only reflects whatever A.K. wanted it to convey (i.e. Itebe didn't pull the songs out of thin air, Kurosawa had to ask for this type of music for the composer to have gone out and composed it) and (b) it's so hauntingly beautiful in conveying the senselessness of war violence. The aftermath of the battle where the Takeda clan forces (and their horses) were slaughtered wouldn't have registered with me so strongly without Itebe's music. Visually this and "Ran" are unlike any Kurosawa film I've ever seen before. The man that made 4:3 and scope B&W seem so alive with perfectly-aligned shots transfers all that knowledge to 1:85:1 AR in color without losing any of his ability to tell visually what needed to be seen and not explained. Despite a few clunky moments (too many scenes of Katsuyori mopping, endless minutiae about the Shingen deception, etc.) and lack of focus on more interesting characters (Daisuke Ryu almost steals the movie in his brief scenes as bad-ass Nobunaga Oda) "Katsegura" is an entertaining and solidly-crafted epic period piece from a director still at the peak of his game. Dress rehearsal for "Ran" my ass, this thing can stand on its own two feet and be enjoyed by open-minded fans willing to give A.K.'s vision a chance. I dug it.

[cdnchris]

Kagemusha Blu-ray review

[eerik]

Blu-ray.com review - with screenshots

[godardslave]

I have always regarded Kagemusha as a masterpiece. It is a companion piece to Ran, i see no reason to regard it as a-priori inferior or a "warm-up" to Ran.
Kagemusha is the equal of Ran in many respects and certainly both films are among the greatest achievements of modern cinema.

[tubal]

DVD Beaver on the blu-ray vs DVD

[dad1153]

^^^ As much as those shots make me anticipate "Kagemusha's" BD debut they make me mourn Criterion's loss of the rights to "Ran" (and the BD that was in the pipeline) even more!

[dad1153]

DVD Talk BD Review

[Florinaldo]

This Blu-Ray is truly stunning.

I had refrained from buying the SD edition, because of my very mixed opinions about this film. Of course, I had seen only the international version, not this complete edit which brings some needed completeness to some scenes, as well as a nostalgic cameo by old stalwarth Shimura.

I still have many reservations about the movie: the scenario feels unbalanced, with Kurosawas choice of ellipsis and allusion not entirely successful. The acting is also rather uneven, although I would certainly not be as ferocious as others towards Nakadai's performance, except for some of the more overtly comic moments. While Ryu's turn as Nobugana is certainly impressive for example, others do not fare so well especially in the various death scenes, like the page's.

The music is also a major letdown, a choice for which Kurosawa must bear full responsibility; even the beautiful lingering last shot over the end credits is marred by what sounds like a deliberate parody of a bad Morricone score!

Ultimately, the film is an assemblage of gorgeous set pieces, executed as visual spectacle but not necessarily as cogent drama. Kurosawa would achieve much better balance with Ran.

Where this BD really succeeds is in bringing this visual splendor into our homes. The more faithful rendition of colors has been mentioned as well as the sharpness of the image. But what struck me most was the various textures; the subtly shimmering kimonos, for example during Shingei's discussion with his general early in the movie or during Shimura's audience with the impostor, the gorgeous wood grain of the hut from which the spies are observing the water-burial, the various terrains of the battles, etc.

So although this issue does not fully reconcile me with the movie itself, it does serve to demonstrate that when the BR format is paired with a worthy product, the results can only inspire awe. If only it was used often for candidates as worthy as this one, instead of being wasted on the usual slop of standardized and unimaginative movies routinely issued on BR (from Hollywood and others countries).

[Clodius]

Just rewatched this after some of Kurosawa's early work on Hulu, and it reminded me of how beautifully Kurosawa adapted to color. What has always stood out beautifully to me are the blue backlights he uses in some of the scenes with the Kagemusha becoming Shingen (or other scenes related to Shingen). The blue lighting seems to define the ghostly Shingen's presence in the scene alongside his impersonator. I also find the score to be rousing (especially the main theme). I own both this and Ran on Blu, and this has always felt to me the superior movie. I found Ran to be stodgy and...somehow inhuman compared to this. (And not simply because Ran is an adaptation of King Lear, as Throne of Blood had more vitality to me and that was related to MacBeth in the same way) Out of the 10 or so Kurosawas I've seen, Kagemusha has remained my favorite (even without Mifune!)

[Lowry_Sam]

Popping up in the news story over the Panama Papers leak:

According to Open Corporates - "the largest open database of companies in the world" according to its website - Mauricio Macri appears as founding director and vice president of Kagemusha SA, an offshore company established on May 11, 1981, in Panama. Kagemusha, like Fleg Trading (the Bahamas-based Macri family shell company uncovered in the Panama Papers leak), was established with his father Francisco Macri; but unlike Fleg Trading, which was closed in 2009, Kagemusha remains active.

The term Kagemusha is reminiscent of a 1980 film directed by Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa, which tells the story of a petty criminal who assumes the identity of a dying landlord in order to avoid prosecution and ultimately usurps the man's property. In Japan, Kagemusha is used to denote a "political decoy."

[swo17]

Watching this Blu-ray the dialogue seemed a little quiet to me throughout, but then there are sections (like the dialogue starting at 2:09:15) where it's completely inaudible (like I'm not hearing the center channel or something?) Does anyone else have this issue? Do I possibly just need to change a setting on my player?