Stunning masterpiece

Rating: Null/10 (24 June 2000)

This is Kurosawa's best. If you've only even seen his works in black and white, you truly need to watch this film. There are the classic pan focus shots that Kurosawa is famous for, but he also exploits vivid color and sound to his great advantage. Listen for the cicadas which seem to mock Lord Ichimonji as he flees from his castle. The action changes from simple but brilliant dialogue along the lines of a stageplay... all the way to fast-paced, poetic violence. As others have posted... yes, Mieko Harada is excellent as Lady Kaede, a woman hell-bent on vengeance and destruction.