an important piece of Japanese cinema

Rating: 8/10 (31 December 2010)

excerpt, more at my location - Kurosawa's epic historical drama details the demise of an aging Japanese daimyo and his crumbling empire. Kagemusha is loosely based on the real life story of Shingen Takeda, and the circumstances surrounding his death.
What Kagemusha represents is an experimental Jidaigecki, portraying the beginning of the demise of feudal Japan, and the encroachment of modernity and upon its dying traditions. There is no outright hero or villain, and it is difficult to argue whether the protagonist is really the thief or Shingen. In one poignant scene, one of the retainers muses: "A double means something only when there is an original. When the original is gone, what will happen to the double?" However, in Kagemusha it is this meaningless double that we identify and sympathise with, demonstrating the postmodern idea of simulacra and signs. The thief is just a signifier for the real Shingen, who exists in the hearts and minds of his subjects as nothing more than a symbolic concept. Ultimately, Shingen's power and influence is something that transcends the real Shingen, and is able to survive independently even after his death.
Kagemusha is an important piece of Japanese cinema that reinvents the Jidaigecki genre to reflect the concerns and effects of modern society. Its sumptuous costumes, epic battle scenes and skillful storytelling once again confirm Kurosawa's place as one of cinema's greatest auteur.