Kagemusha

(Japan, 1980, 180 mins)

35mm

writer: Masato Ide, Akira Kurosawa
executive producer: Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas, Tomoyuki Tanaka
assistant producer: Audie Bock
cast: Tatsuya Nakadai, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Kenichi Hagiwara, Jinpachi Nezu, Hideji Otaki

• IMDB Film Info
• Trailer

An epic like no other, Akira Kurosawa’s Kagemusha is as much a story of identity and longing as it is a tale of war. But there is plenty of battle. Set during Japan’s Warring States era, Shingen the warlord is dying. A two-bit criminal who bears a strong resemblance to the leader is forced to impersonate Shingen to convince both his own troops and his enemies that all is well. This is far more complicated than anyone imagined, as destinies begin to change once the illusion takes hold. Shingen’s double (kagemusha) has respect and power as long as he stays masked; on his own he’s useless. He must continue to pretend to keep the clan together, even if it means never being himself. “There are great images in this film: of a breathless courier clattering down countless steps, of men passing in front of a blood-red sunset, of a dying horse on a battlefield. But Kurosawa's last image — of the dying kagemusha floating in the sea, swept by tidal currents past the fallen standard of the Takeda clan — summarizes everything: ideas and men are carried along heedlessly by the currents of time, and historical meaning seems to emerge when both happen to be swept in the same way at the same time.” — Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times. Shared the Palm d’Or at the 1980 Cannes Film Festival with All That Jazz, also playing at this festival. Nominated for two Oscars and winner of the BAFTA, César, David, Hochi film awards.

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