Akira Kurosawa’s 1980 film, Kagemusha, is a stunning piece of cinema to say the least. Kurosawa’s epic film, which was nominated for an Oscar, was distributed by 20th Century Fox. This occurred because of the intervention of George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola, both of whom are credited as executive producers on the film. Lucas and Coppola convinced 20th Century Fox to make up for the shortfall in budgeting on the film, as the original producers of the film (Toho Studios) could not meet the budgetary demands and the film could not be completed. With the help of a nice chunk of change from 20th Century Fox, Kagemusha could be completed properly.
Kagemusha is set in the Warring States era of Japanese history. This era was a time of political upheaval, social issues, and constant military conflict in Japan that lasted from the 15th century to the 17th century. Kurosawa’s story takes place in the middle of this complexity and tells the story of a lower-class criminal who is caught and forced to impersonate a dying warlord because of an uncanny physical resemblance. This impersonation is done to convince opposing armies that all is well within the camp of the dying warlord, leaving the clan safe from attack for the time being.
Tatsuya Nakadai plays Takeda Shingen and his impersonator or kagemusha, which is a term utilized to mean “impersonator.” Shingen’s brother, Nobukado (Tsutomu Yamazaki), is convinced that the criminal they have captured will pass off as the real Shingen so, in the film’s opening static shot, Nobukado convinces Shingen to use this kagemusha as an impersonator. This shot is unique as a special effect because it is the only time in the film that Nakadai plays both Shingen and the kagemusha at the same time on screen. Events unfold throughout the film’s course and Shingen is eventually killed, leading to the kagemusha to assume a more forward role in the clan as lord. This leads to complications involving Shingen’s family and the tasks that he must accomplish as lord. An especially notable problem is Shingen’s horse.
Kagemusha is a film that is rich with texture and beautiful depth. The plot is simple enough, yet it is interwoven with such classic elements of literature and grand storytelling that it truly becomes an epic tale on its own. Kagemusha is as much about human relationships as it is about war and tactics. While there are some truly intelligent discussions about battle tactics from Shingen’s generals and the opposition, the film’s true heart lies within its quiet and sombre moments, as the characters move through their daily ceremonial lives with one another with an “impostor” in their midst. Especially of note is the poignant yet oddly cruel relationship that develops between the kagemusha and Shingen’s grandson, as the grandson appears to prefer this more vibrant version of his grandfather to Shingen’s true self. This complication is one of many within a magical story.
Kurosawa’s film takes its power from the subtleties of some of the film’s more potent scenes. The battle sequences, while impressive, are clearly not at the heart of the matter here. Instead, at the heart of Kagemusha is an exploration of culture and human emotion. The film represents many moments of longing, impatience, and desire without fully pulling the sheet off of what it is concealing. Through Kurosawa’s direction, one can get more out of a simple character looking out of a window at the falling snow than one can get out of an entire monologue in other films. This longing, shown through the situations in which these rich characters find themselves, is at the core of Kagemusha. This is not about fooling one’s enemy insomuch as it is about fooling one’s self. As the dust clears and the kagemusha is sent back out into the world, the clan is then left with the remains of deception and the love that the kagemusha developed for the relationships he gained while impersonating Shingen. These are truly eloquent and special moments, adding up to the true beauty of this Kurosawa epic. It is this that gives the story its substance.
The battle sequences are broad and impressive, but they serve to merely pull the audience back to the real human story of the kagemusha. Nakadai’s tenderness and mindful exuberance are both hard at work here within the framework of this story, as he remains very much himself while striving to create a new person out of the kagemusha. The performance here is flawless, as moments of shock, love, compassion, and fear all roll together in a smooth performance from Nakadai. He represents a man thrust into a new world, seizing opportunity and rejecting it at the same time. Nakadai’s kagemusha is honest to a fault, despite being a “scoundrel” and he achieves true heights of human emotion and compassion during this opportunity that it becomes impossible for him to let go of it. Eventually, Nakadai’s kagemusha simply thrusts himself down at the mercy of others. This emptying of a soul, on the battlefield or elsewhere, is the true meaning of compassion and love and is represented with profound exactitude in Kurosawa’s Kagemusha.
Kurosawa’s film is not the grandest of his epics, from what I know, but it does tell a complex and beautiful human story that is constructed from the ground up with a historical backdrop and stunning visuals. The colours and the vibrancy of the scenes unfold like magical dreams, creating stunning effects and wondrous shots across a beautiful tapestry of film. Kurosawa’s Kagemusha recounts historical events, including the death of Shingen and the two year secret behind it, but it does so in ways that many other historical epics do not do. Kagemusha tells the human story behind the history and engages us in the process, involving us in the evolution of the men behind this tale, and compelling us always. It is a beautiful, touching, and moving narrative from Kurosawa and it is highly recommended.
10/10
Trailer (This trailer is for the Criterion Collection version of Kagemusha, which I have decided is the only way to watch movies):
