Thinking back on it, it wasn't the greatest film experience, but there was some beauty to it. And it's flaws can be forgiven because Kurosawa later made Ran.

One of the few Kurosawa films where the lengthy scenes and symbolism tempers rather than sharpens the plot. Not recommended for the introductory Kurosawa fan.

Holy cow. This is long, and it took me several sittings to get through, but it was worth it. Unique story, really intense, had me on the edge of my seat at times just with slow dialogue in a bare room. The movie is visually stunning and incredibly well written. By the end we're shown that yes, the Shogun was right. Somebody had to hold the state together, even if only symbolically.

Grande Kurosawa

Muhtesem bir Kurosawa filmi daha, The Seven Samurai ve Randan sonraki en çok begendigim filmi diyebilirim.

Fascinating Japanese epic centring on stately ritual and court intrigue, with the occasional battle for spectacular action; one of the director's most impressive works.

Kagemusha is criminally underrated, it's slower than it needs to be, and Kurosawa is much more at home with black-and-white than color, but Kagemusha is simply an excellent piece none-the-less. The classic story of a lower class individual assuming the guise of a king is excellently approached within Kagemusha, the story is engaging, the visuals are nearly always beautiful to see, and the ending is absolutely astounding. It can drag, but it deserves more attention than it has gotten.

615

Slow, mostly quiet, and gorgeously photographed, this feels much closer to Greek tragedy or Shakespeare than Kurosawa's early fun samurai films. There is some amazing use of color and the mixing of mild surrealism with the complex historical storytelling makes for a rewarding and often amazing film.

Couldn't make it through the first 5 minutes, and for that I can only blame myself.

Gorgeous and strikingly similar to Kubrick's Barry Lyndon.

This movie is most interesting for the depictions of mass land combat, it's implications in feudal japan, sets & costuming. The acting is quite good (with Japanese subtitles) and the story is somewhat interesting but either started the "Thief body double become king," movement in Hollywood or is a quality clone so you've probably seen many remakes. Still, if you're simply mad about Japanese regalia and warfare movies this is probably a must see.

While not quite the titanic feat that Ran would be, Kagemusha is nevertheless a lush and poignant entry in the fantastic Kurosawa canon.

The costuming and set design are outstanding. I felt like I couldn't blink or I would miss something great. At the same time though, I wasn't really into the story, It all seemed rather pointless, but maybe that was the point?

#506

85.750

"Kagemusha, much like the similarly overblown but handsomely mounted Lawrence of Arabia, is an epic with a cipher in its point position." - Eric Henderson