a wealth of historical color

Rating: 10/10 (7 January 2011)

The tremendous Kagemusha is growing old. Kurosawa's genius, however, never dies, and this phenomenal three hours of Japanese color is as young as any film in the archives. The 180 minutes fly by watching such splendor. There are many memorable minutes that flare out brightly in this unbelievable film. Too many to bring back in one review.
--Spoilers:
I'm especially thrilled to think of Shingen's royal crest, with this motto. The great Shogun: "Swift as the Wind, Silent as the Forest, Merciless as Fire, and Immoveable as the Mountain." Yet, his banner at the final frames of this gorgeous movie; with those words on it, lies beneath the waters of a seashore; finally beaten down. Kagemusha, his shadow warrior is seen above it, lamenting.
Leading up to the climax, a particularly exquisite scene has the victorious foe Oda Nobunaga singing defiant words of a mighty Samurai. For the life of me, I wish I understood them. This wonderful actor, Daisuke Ryu; is absolutely mesmerizing as he dances, holding a fan in his hand! Only Kurosawa could have directed it.
The thief who is made Kagemusha had the best lines in this script; Tatsuya Makadai, on his knees but laughing. He responds to the Lord; who denounces him: "ME, the THIEF? I only steal coins, You steal whole domains!"
What an unforgettable film!