Kagemusha [DVD] [Import] (1980)

The 1970s were difficult years for the great Japanese director Akira Kurosawa. Following the box-office failure of his 1970 film Dodes'ka-den and an unsuccessful suicide attempt, Kurosawa was unable to find financial backing in Japan, and he made his acclaimed 1975 film Dersu Uzala in Siberia with Russian financing. With only partial Japanese backing for his epic project Kagemusha, the 70-year-old master then found American support from George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola, who served as coexecutive producers (through 20th Century Fox) for this magnificent 1980 production--to that date the most expensive film in Japanese history. Set in the late 16th century, Kagemusha centers on the Takeda clan, one of three warlord clans battling for control of Japan at the end of the feudal period. When Lord Shingen (Tatsuya Nakadai), head of the Takeda clan, is mortally wounded in battle and near death, he orders that his death be kept secret and that his "kagemusha"--or "shadow warrior"--take his place for a period of three years to prevent clan disruption and enemy takeover. The identical double is a petty thief (also played by Nakadai) spared from execution due to his uncanny resemblance to Lord Shingen--but his true identity cannot prevent the tides of fate from rising over the Takeda clan in a climactic scene of battlefield devastation. Through stunning visuals and meticulous attention to every physical and stylistic detail, Kurosawa made a film that restored his status as Japan's greatest filmmaker, and the success of Kagemusha enabled the director to make his 1985 masterpiece, Ran. --Jeff Shannon

Criterion has put together another impressive and well-deserved package for Kurosawa's late samurai classic Kagemusha. Kagemusha is a visual treat. The only way to view this colorful, epic masterpiece is in widescreen. This newly restored, high-definition 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer is stellar and the next best thing to seeing the film in the theater. The audio commentary by Kurosawa scholar, biographer, and fan Stephen Prince is nothing short of excellent. Kagemusha can run a little deep. Unless you are a hardcore Japanese film, history, and symbolism buff, Prince's informative, guiding hand will be much appreciated. The main features on the second disc are the documentaries. In the 19-minute Lucas, Coppola and Kurosawa (2005), George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola discuss how important Kurosawa's films were to their development as directors. When the opportunity arose for them to help Kurosawa produce Kagemusha in the late 1970s, they jumped at the chance to work with him. Both discuss what it was like on the set of Kagemusha, from the perspective of students, producers, and fans watching the master create one of his most powerful films. Also included is an informative 41-minute Japanese "making of" documentary, which is the Kagemusha portion of the Toho Masterworks series Akira Kurosawa: It's Wonderful to Create. If you are new to Kurosawa's late period, this Criterion set is an excellent introduction to the last, dreamlike phase of his career. Longtime fans will find loads of new material to explore as well. --Rob Bracco

In his late color masterpiece Kagemusha (The Shadow Warrior) director Akira Kurosawa returned to the samurai film and to a primary theme of his celebrated career葉he play between illusion and reality. Sumptuously reconstructing the splendor of feudal Japan and pageantry of war, Kurosawa creates a soaring historical epic that is also a somber meditation on the nature of power. The Criterion Collection is proud to present Kagemusha for the first time in its full-length version.