Film kagemusha de kurosawa

An epic with a capital e as only kurosawa could make it. Cuvantul kagemusha inseamna in limba japoneza o sosie a unui conducator politic sau militar. In japanese, kagemusha is a term used to denote a political decoy. But what is remarkable is kurosawa s ability to execute big films without succumbing. The film won the palme dor at the 1980 cannes film festival, was nominated for two oscars, and won a bafta for direction and one for costume design, among a plethora of other awards from festivals all over the world. Nagashino sequence of kurosawa s kagemusha rendered with kurosawa s storyboard drawing painting. Today, kagemusha holds a place among the best films of all time. With his career in shambles, even after he won an academy award for 1975s dersu uzala, kurosawa worked through crushing. Kurosawa dealt with an uncomfortable truth of universal value and significance, making kagemusha as omnirelevant as a film might get. Kagemusha shadow warrior is a 1980 jidaigeki film directed by akira kurosawa. Oct 06, 2015 kagemusha dakira kurosawa palme dor 1980 ressortie cinema le 28 octobre 2015 version integrale restauree. Though acclaimed as a magnificent return to form, kurosawas first japanese film since dodeskaden is something of a disappointment.

It is set in the sengoku period of japanese history and tells the story of a lowerclass criminal who is taught to impersonate a dying warlord in order to dissuade opposing lords from attacking the newly vulnerable clan. Kurosawa entered the japanese film industry in 1936, following a brief. Best film akahige 1965 1959 winner blue ribbon award. In fact kagemusha feels very much like a practice run for ran, emulating the style and politicking of that film, as well as the shakespearean sweep. Unsure he would be able to film it, the director, an aspiring artist before he entered filmmaking, converted kagemusha into a series of paintings, and it was partly on the basis of these that he won the financial support of longtime admirers francis ford coppola and george lucas. Kagemusha the shadow warrior by akira kurosawa jstor. I found it very beautiful and stylish in a superficial way and i thought the ending was a fantastic piece of storytelling and nearperfect example of a character arc but ultimately i was left feeling underwhelmed, empty and bored throughout much of its running time. Apr 09, 2017 the film won the palme dor at the 1980 cannes film festival, was nominated for two oscars, and won a bafta for direction and one for costume design, among a plethora of other awards from festivals all over the world. Combined with dersu uzala and ran, kagemusha could be seen as the middle of kurosawa s trilogy of colour epics. However the pacing of the film is uneven to a point where it keeps things from being perfect.

Made and distributed with the financial aid and clout of george lucas and francis ford coppola, kagemusha prefigured. A petty thief with an utter resemblance to a samurai warlord is hired as the lords double. Kagemusha coming in the middle of a long stretch of masterpieces like dodeskaden and ran concerns the dying warlord shingen kurosawa regular tatsuya nakadai who wants to hold power even after his death, employing a petty thief who happens to be his doppelganger. Kagemusha was probably my least favourite of all kurosawa s films when i went through his entire canon earlier this year. He is regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema. In fact kagemusha feels very much like a practice run for ran, emulating the style and politicking of that film, as well as the. Criterions kagemusha release is a shinning example of how a companys effort pays off in the long run, as this release contains a solid video and audio presentation while sporting the best extras of any toho film on a region 1 dvd to date. Although he is often considered the greatest living japanese director, he was unable to find financial backing in japan when he first tried to make kagemusha. Probably the main reason akira kurosawas epic samurai masterpiece called kagemusha has its rightful place among the most impressive movies weve seen so far is the simply brilliant idea that serves as the films basis. Although he is often considered the greatest living japanese director, he was unable to find financial backing in japan when he first tried to make. Kagemushas clashing themes typify kurosawa films, especially those of his earlier career illusion vs. It tells the story of a powerful warlord, shingen, in japans feudal conflict. Though acclaimed as a magnificent return to form, kurosawa s first japanese film since dodeskaden is something of a disappointment.

Because this drama was made by and for the modern cinema, in many ways kurosawas masterpiece is better than shakespeare. Best film kagemusha 1980 1966 winner blue ribbon award. It is set in the sengoku period of japanese history and tells the story of a lowerclass criminal who is taught to impersonate a dying daimyo to dissuade opposing lords from attacking the newly vulnerable clan. Kagemusha was an atypical entry in the canon of akira kurosawa, the master of the samurai epic. He made a smaller film, dodeskaden, which was not successful. At the time, kurosawa was gradually losing his eyesight, and his films were developing an increasingly impressive visual splendor. Sumptuously reconstructing the splendor of feudal japan and the pageantry. The play between reality and illusion, a theme most explored in kurosawas filmmaking, lies in the heart of kagemusha. This film was notable for its powerful battle scenes. Kurosawa a scris o scena din kagemusha pentru actorul takashi shimura, cu care colaborase o lunga perioada. Wonderful film but what sets it apart is the paintinglike imagery of the film. His film is basically the story of one such man, a.

Also the version i watched on netflix instant was the 162 min version which sucks. I found it very beautiful and stylish in a superficial way and i thought the ending was a fantastic piece of storytelling and nearperfect example of a character arc but ultimately i was left feeling underwhelmed, empty and bored throughout. The title literally shadow warrior in japanese is a term used for an impersonator. However, the scene in which he plays a servant who accompanies a western doctor to a meeting with shingen was cut from the foreign release of the film. It is essentially a japanese version of dave or more accurately stated, dave is an american version of kagemusha, and it is only kurosawas beautifully framed shots, engaging action choreography. Kagemusha was probably my least favourite of all kurosawas films when i went through his entire canon earlier this year. The film revolves around a kagemusha, which is a political double, or decoy. Kagemusha is a samurai drama by the director who most successfully introduced the genre to the west with such classics as the seven samurai and yojimbo, and who, at the age of seventy, made an epic that dares to wonder what meaning the samurai code or any human code really has in the life of an individual man. Best film kakushitoride no sanakunin 1958 1951 winner. Kurosawa readily admitted that kagemusha was merely a test run before his next film ran. Kagemusha is one of akira kurosawas finest films and one of his final samurai epics. I suspect the answer can be found in a contrast between two kinds of scenes.

March 23, 1910 september 6, 1998 was a japanese film director and screenwriter, who directed 30 films in a career spanning 57 years. It concerns a petty thief who is chosen to impersonate a powerful feudal lord killed in battle. Kurosawas editing finds the precise moment to cut from silence to suffering in sublime showing of film knowledge. Set in the 16th century, when powerful warlords competed for. Though its ideological message may have given way to the historical aspect of the film, kagemusha is still an period film by the director who knew. Kagemusha, shadow warrior is a 1980 jidaigeki film directed by akira kurosawa. In his late color masterpiece kagemusha, akira kurosawa returns to the samurai film and to a primary theme of his careerthe play between illusion and reality. Kagemusha was akira kurosawas return to action and samurai films after spending 15 years in other genres. Kagemusha dakira kurosawa palme dor 1980 ressortie cinema le 28 octobre 2015 version integrale restauree.

All orders are custom made and most ship worldwide within 24 hours. The shadow warrior proves how important leadership is in a conflict. Kagemusha dvd lawrence public library bibliocommons. Kurosawas continuity, a new video piece that reconstructs kagemusha through kurosawas paintings and sketches a series of suntory whiskey commercials made on the set of kagemusha. Kurosawa wrote a part in kagemusha for his longtime regular actor takashi shimura, and kagemusha was the last kurosawa film in which shimura appeared. A sprawling epic and sweeping depiction of the final years of japans warring states period just prior to the unification under the tokugawa shogunate, and a meditation on the nature of power, kagemusha is one of the many masterworks from director akira kurosawa, and his first film in five years. Sumptuously reconstructing the splendor of feudal japan and. Inspired designs on tshirts, posters, stickers, home decor, and more by independent artists and designers from around the world.

Kagemusha 1980 akira kurosawa synopsis, characteristics. This 1980 film by director akira kurosawa, like seven samurai, is set during the later 16th century civil wars which preceded the unification of japan under the tokugawa shogunate at the beginning of the 17th century. Kagemusha coming in the middle of a long stretch of masterpieces like dodeskaden and ran concerns the dying warlord. Kagemusha the shadow warrior, released in 1980, was the directors first samurai film in 14 years. Kurosawa made this film after a decade of personal travail.

I disse film brugte han sin foretrukne skuespiller toshiro mifune. However, in kagemusha, the action sequences are much less thrilling than in kurosawa s other samurai epics. With tatsuya nakadai, tsutomu yamazaki, kenichi hagiwara, jinpachi nezu. The film was similarly a critical and box office success abroad, winning the coveted golden palm at the 1980 cannes film festival in may, and kurosawa spending much of the rest of the year in europe and america promoting kagemusha, collecting awards and accolades, and exhibiting the drawings that he had made in preparation for the film. Kurosawas return to samurai epics is bigger than ever, and it feels even larger than his much beloved followup ran. Late in his career, master director kurosawa turned to vivid color cinematography and a particularly procedural kind of historical epic, making some of the grandest and most expensive films in japanese film history.

Confusion reigns as competing warlords seek advantage to control vast. Kagemusha 1980 akira kurosawas lauded feudal epic presents the tale of a petty thief tatsuya nakadai who is recruited to impersonate shingen also nakadai, an aging warlord, in order to. The plot derives from william shakespeares king lear and includes segments based on legends of the daimyo mori motonari. Sep 18, 2016 a petty thief with an utter resemblance to a samurai warlord is hired as the lords double. Though its ideological message may have given way to the historical aspect of the film, kagemusha is still an period film by the director who knew them best well, except maybe mizoguchi. The film was a moderate financial success in japan, but a larger one abroad and, as he had done with kagemusha, kurosawa embarked on a trip to europe and america, where he attended the film s premieres in september and october.