The film revolves around a kagemusha, which is a political double, or decoy. Kagemusha, shadow warrior is a 1980 jidaigeki film directed by akira kurosawa. Lucas and mentor francis ford coppola convinced 20th century fox to supply funding that enabled kurosawa to finish his film, it having sat for years on the shelf awaiting completion. The screenplay, by robert alan aurthur and fosse, is a semiautobiographical fantasy based on aspects of fosses life and career as a dancer, choreographer and director. Akira kurosawa 19101998 was one of the true masters of the cinema. Laverne, a godzilla fan in her own right, is quickly on her feet in pursuit, as they mention rodan, mothra, skidorah likely an accidental misunderstanding of the name ghidorah, and even minilla although not by name. Kagemusha is a beautiful film all around, but it always felt. Turner classic movies presents the greatest motion pictures of all time from one of the largest film libraries in the world. The film was also a critical and box office success abroad, winning the coveted palme dor at the 1980 cannes film festival in may, though some critics, then and now, have faulted the film for its alleged coldness. Set in the 16th century, when powerful warlords competed for. It concerns a petty thief who is chosen to impersonate a powerful feudal lord killed in battle. The dream sequence of kagemusha had a clear influence on the cloud city scene in empire, and asian cinema would have direct visual.
This is an english language guide to the akira kurosawa digital archive see also news post here, which is currently only available in japanese. 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. Famous birthdays on this day include sarah michelle gellar 1977, veronica zemanova 1975 and adrien brody 1973. Something like an autobiography by akira kurosawa, audie. Now, a thief named kagemusha nakadai in a double role must fight for an empire in this stunning film from legendary japanese filmmaker akira kurosawa. Akira kurosawa, film director, is dead at 88 the new york times. You must be confusing this with the fact that the final film was released in australia, several european countries, argentina, and brazil in december 1980 before coming to the us and other countries in.
Gallery of 22 movie poster and cover images for kagemusha 1980. Kurosawa akira, march 23, 1910 september 6, 1998 was a japanese filmmaker. Produced and distributed by toho studios, it is the 16th film in the godzilla franchise, and is the first film in the franchises heisei period, despite having been produced during the showa period. Kagemusha is a dazzling pageant of color and light anchored by a magnificent dual performance by tatsuya nakadai. Haycox based his novel upon the experiences of a civil engineer, charles h. Clements concentrate on the theme of individuality vs. At the end of the film, we see this same montage, and the same song is heard, and this is where we learn that the gravestone marks washizus burial site. Sumptuously reconstructing the splendor of feudal japan and the pageantry. It almost feels like its a prototype for ran to me now whenever i watch it. Kagemusha is the story of a samurai warlord in medieval japan named shingen takeda, who discovers a thief. The title literally shadow warrior in japanese is a term used for an impersonator. Overview in his late, color masterpiece kagemusha, akira kurosawa returned to the samurai film and to a primary. The film stars mifune as a man who acquires a plum position in a corrupt postwar japanese company with the intent of punishing the men in.
The film features the fictional monster character godzilla. 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. It received two oscar nominations including best foreign language film, but did not win. To keep momentum on, kurosawa then quickly moved on. Kagemusha the shadow warrior is a 1980 japanese film directed by akira kurosawa.
Regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema, kurosawa directed 30 films note 1 in a career spanning 57 years kurosawa entered the japanese film industry in 1936, following a brief stint as a. 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. The anaheim university akira kurosawa school of film was established in honor of one of the greatest film makers of all time. Kagemusha 1980 by akira kurosawa 19101998 marked the dramatic return of a worldclass director who had suffered a decadelong string of defeats that had threatened both his career and health. All that jazz film wikimili, the free encyclopedia. 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. I am a fan of kurosawa and have seen many of his films many times. A petty thief with an utter resemblance to a samurai warlord is hired as the lords double. The film traces the growth and friendship of two very different highschool pingpong players. Ignoring the burden this would have placed on them. 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. The film was completed only a few weeks behind schedule and opened in tokyo in april 1980.
He is regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema. Kurosawa entered the japanese film industry in 1936, following a brief stint as a painter. Kurosawa only made two films during the 1970s, and one of those was made in the soviet union. The film is dedicated to the german actress giehse 18981975, who died shortly after its completion. What is the akira kurosawa digital archive the archive, put together by kurosawas estate and ryukoku university digital archives research center, is an amazing digital collection of over twenty thousand pages of kurosawas screenplays, photos.
Demille and starring barbara stanwyck and joel mccrea. Red beard, akahige is a 1965 japanese film directed by akira kurosawa about the relationship between a town doctor and his new trainee. Home video trailer for the criterion collection release of this film about a thief recruited to impersonate a warlord. He was finding it extremely difficult to raise finance in japan, and it was only with the support of two american admirers george lucas and francis ford coppola that he managed to make kagemusha, which was at the time the most expensive japanese film ever produced. There is a 1980 film by the famed japanese director akira kurosawa, titled kagemusha. Kagemusha the shadow warrior, released in 1980, was the directors first samurai film in 14 years. But even the international success of kagemusha it won a grand prize at the 1980 cannes film festival and its relative profitability did not summon forth backers for ran. Kagemusha 1980 akira kurosawa synopsis, characteristics. 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. All that jazz is a 1979 american musical drama film directed by bob fosse. Though i appreciate its sprawling shots and attention to detail having literally hundreds of men dressed in armor, the careful and deliberate shots of shingen and those bowing to him, etc. 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 avoid attacks by. Kagemusha was the number one japanese film on the domestic market in 1980, earning.
Best of art house movies on netflix streaming, art house movies movies and tv shows on netflix, watch art house movies on netflix, highest rated art house movies. The film won the palme dor at the 1980 cannes film. Having filmed many films in beautiful black and white, he blessed movie lovers with several stunning color films at the end of his career. The film was inspired by fosses manic effort to edit his film lenny while simultaneously staging the 1975 broadway musical chicago. Film editing by akira kurosawa production design by yoshiro. Kurosawa directs a cinematic lear the new york times.
The film was inspired by fosses manic effort to edit h. The return of godzilla, gojira is a 1984 japanese kaiju film directed by koji hashimoto, with special effects by teruyoshi nakano. Also the version i watched on netflix instant was the 162 min version which sucks. A poem about human nature 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 film s basis. Second off after watching this frankly mortifying film adaptation of andrew lloyd webbers cats, im not altogether sure i am a movie person anymore either. When released in 1980, kagemusha shared the palme dor at the cannes film festival with all that jazz. Kurosawas duo of final films proved to be a truly stunning conclusion to his accomplished career. Peco hoshino is a brash, arrogant player, determined to turn pro. Kagemusha was released theatrically in japan on april 26, 1980, where it was distributed by toho. An epic drama of feudal conflict in 16th century japan, kagemusha was nominated for two 1980 academy awards art direction set decoration, foreign language film and was c0winner of the grand.
However the pacing of the film is uneven to a point where it keeps things from being perfect. It borrows its title from the kander and ebb tune all that jazz in that production. This list was put together strictly for my amusement, and to help me keep track of what editions i personally own. Jan 06, 2016 an epic drama of feudal conflict in 16th century japan, kagemusha was nominated for two 1980 academy awards art direction set decoration, foreign language film and was c0winner of the. We are all just instruments in the hands of god inquirer. Kagemusha 1980 was a critical darling, showered with.
Sep 18, 2016 a petty thief with an utter resemblance to a samurai warlord is hired as the lords double. Find video, photos, forums, blogs and shop for some of. The movie, with the lester reshoots completion occurring in 1979. Famously, the film was executive produced by george lucas and francis ford coppola, who convinced 20th century fox to make up the shortfall when the film s original produces, toho studios, proved unable to afford the film s completion. Kagemusha 1980, ran 1985, and dreams 1990 all stand as testaments to the great kurosawas ability to adapt to the times and technology in order to do what he always did make truly great films. 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. The film was based on shugoro yamamotos short story collection, akahige shinryotan. This is a great epic of war and a film of great emotion. While kagemusha the shadow warrior does stand on its own as an excellent japanese film, i cant help but think this was just a stepping stone for what he would achieved just 5 years later with my personal favorite kurosawa film ran. Kagemusha 1980 explores the crucial role played by the selection and interpretation of signs in shaping the course of history and in creating a work of art 187.
Kftt sandanuchi, which appears in the last scene of the film kagemusha body double, is a famous tactics. Check back with this website for updates on the online master of fine arts mfa degree program in digital filmmaking, scheduled to launch in 2008. Aug 31, 2010 trailer for the 1980 classic kagemusha in his late color masterpiece kagemusha, director akira kurosawa returned to the samurai film and to a primary theme of his celebrated careerthe play between illusion and reality. I did not press the matters, though, as it was becoming apparent that the new site was nowhere near completion. 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. Kurosawa used different camera techniques to communicate parts of the story or to emphasize it in various ways much more than he did in other films, like ran, kagemusha, and high and low. Kurosawa brings me back to the 20th century with a classic thriller packed with corporate intrigue, offscreen murders, and revenge. In this film, filmmaker akira kurosawa spins the tale of a mighty samurai warrior whose services are so much in demand that hes forced to dispatch doubles of himself. In fact, by 1980 kurosawa was such a persona non grata in japan that he had not made a film in five years. Scored with music that to these poor ears sounds cheap and poorly recorded, kagemusha ends up being a disappointment. Ironically, the idea for the film that would return him to international prominence was hatched around the same time that he was about to enter a bleak stretch of his life marred by the bad.
The cinematographer for the project was swedens sven nykvist, who collaborated with the great ingmar bergman on numerous films and won oscars for his camerawork in cries and whispers 1973 and fanny and alexander 1983. In japanese, kagemusha is a term used to denote a political decoy. It was released in the united states theatrically in october 6, 1980, where it was distributed by twentieth century fox. After sanshiro sugata part ii, kurosawa planned to film his screenplay the lifted spear dokkoi kono yari, based on the same historical events that he would finally four decades later revisit in the 1980 film kagemusha, but the project was cancelled in preproduction due to a lack of funds. With tatsuya nakadai, tsutomu yamazaki, kenichi hagiwara, jinpachi nezu. Okay, so i am taking over the directors polls from andrew at his request. The most inexplicably bizarre film of the year, its jawdropping for all the wrong reasons. Rent kagemusha 1980 starring tatsuya nakadai and tsutomu yamazaki on dvd and bluray. This film was notable for its powerful battle scenes. Best art house movies on netflix new art house movies on. An epic with a capital e as only kurosawa could make it.
Akira kurosawas lauded feudal epic presents the tale of a petty thief who is recruited to impersonate shingen, an aging warlord, in order to avoid attacks by competing clans. Kagemusha is one of the best films akira kurosawa ever shot and is considered. The empire strikes back, raging bull, the shining, berlin alexanderplatz, kagemusha. Based on the novel trouble shooter by western fiction author ernest haycox, the film is about the building of the titular railroad of the same name across the american west. Kagemusha is a 1980 film about a lowerclass criminal who is taught to impersonate a dying warlord in order to dissuade opposing lords from attacking the newly vulnerable clan. It was he and people like him that proved to the audience that film making is not merely a gallimaufry of the various forms of entertainment, but art. Regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema, kurosawa directed 30 films note 2 in a career spanning 57 years kurosawa entered the japanese film industry in 1936, following a brief stint as a painter. 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. Kagemusha is a 1980 jidaigeki film directed by akira kurosawa.
With 70 cast members selected from among 15,000 applicants and an incredible battle scene that dangerously mixed real actors with a field of horses each kicking off their anesthetics at different times, kagemusha fuses visual poetics with an incredible spectacle that won the film the palme dor at the cannes film festival in 1980. The jury, headed by kirk douglas and including jeanne moreau and former cfdc chief michael spencer, awarded its grand prize, the palme dor, to joint winners. The film won the palme dor at the 1980 cannes film festival, was. Several movies were released around april 14 over the years, such as all quiet on the western front in 1930 directed by lewis milestone and kagemusha in 1980 directed by akira kurosawa. The film was initially rejected due to its feudal setting, a theme the occupying forces opposed. Japans akira kurosawa film kagemusha, a war story set in feudal japan, and bob fosses musical, all that. As of now they are in no particular order, but most likely will be alphabetical upon completion or maybe arranged by the numbers listed along the spine might be a better fit. And kurosawas dark and brilliant 1980 film kagemusha qualifies without fault. If kagemusha is kurosawas ultimate screen epic, ran represents a nearcosmic level of tragedy stripping away at bonds of family, loyalty. March 23, 1910 september 6, 1998 was a japanese film director and screenwriter, who directed 30 films in a career spanning 57 years. And since im doing it now, im starting with my favorite. Its still a solid film, but parts of its plot, characters and pacing lack substance in my opinion.
If you come here often, you should tell us and the whole world, really about yourself in the bio section of your profile. An epic drama of feudal conflict in 16th century japan, kagemusha was nominated for two 1980 academy awards art direction set decoration, foreign language film and was c0winner of the grand prize at the 1980 cannes film festival. The film won the palme dor at the 1980 cannes film festival. Unfortunately, nakadai is miscast mifune wouldve done wonders with it, and in spite of a few fine moments, the film just plain falls flat. When filming 1980s kagemusha, kurosawa returned to the feudal japan setting to render the plight of a condemned thief who tries to escape his. The first film ever produced in japan was a short documentary about geishas. First scene in akira kurosaws 1980 film, kagemusha. Kagemusha would not have been made without the financial assistance of george lucas and francis ford coppola. Union pacific is a 1939 american dramatic western film directed by cecil b. Tatsuya nakadai was quickly hired and took up the role of the shadow warrior.