Kagemusha, shade of the warrior

Kagemusha, the shade of the warrior ( Kagemusha , 影武者) is a Japanese film carried out by Akira Kurosawa, left in 1980.

Synopsis

At the 16th century century, the Japan is in prey with permanent wars between the clans. The Clan Takeda belongs to most powerful. Its charismatic chief, Shingen Takeda, dream to take Kyōto and to thus seize all the country but it is mortally wounded in way, at the time of the seat of the castle of Noda. Failing, it then orders with its clan to dissimulate his nearest death throughout one three year.

The brother of Shingen which on the occasion was used to him as lining, puts the hand on a perfect double. This last does not have however the fabric of the tyrant and each one worries about see it uncovered. He which is not that a robber without scale will have to face the intrigues, to mislead his entourage and to defend the territory of Takeda.

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The film opens on six minutes a static level in which one sees the brother of Shingen, Nobukado, to introduce a robber to him who has just escaped the Crucifixion. Nobukado thinks that the resemblance of the robber to Shingen could prove to be useful. This plan is in fact in assembly in which the same actor plays the parts of Shingen and the robber. It is the only time where they together are seen.

The army of Shingen is besieging a castle pertaining to Tokugawa Ieyasu. When Shingen goes on the spot to listen to a mysterious player of night flute, it is cut down by a embusqué gunner. Mortally wounded, it orders with its generals to keep his secret death during three years. He also firmly advises to them not to attack for this period but to defend their positions. The death of Shingen occurs a little later, in a collar to which one transported it, having very little of witnesses.

Nobukado introduces the robber to the generals and proposes a plan so that the kagemusha holds the place of Shingen full-time. The robber himself is not with the current of died of Shingen, until it breaks a ballot box in which it discovers the body.

Spies with the service of Tokugawa and its ally, Oda Nobunaga, follow the army of Takeda which returns of the seat. They suspect initially that Shingen was replaced, but the play of the kagemusha ends up convincing them of the opposite.

Of return to its castle, the kagemusha succeeds in convincing the concubines of Shingen and her grandson, who seems even to prefer it with the original. By imitating the manners of Shingen, the kagemusha seems to adopt the attitude of a Master Zen, and even manages to impress the bodyguards and the wakashu, which are however in the secrecy. When it is put to the test, at the time of a council with its generals, it gives from there to the currency of the clan which makes of Shingen an irremovable and invincible “mountain”.

One of these tests occurs when Tokugawa and Oda Nobunaga launch an attack against the territory of Takeda. The son of Shingen, Katsuyori Takeda, lance a counter-attack in spite of the opinion of the other generals. The kagemusha must lead reinforcements to the Bataille of Takatenjin, and for its example the victory for its troops obtains.

Too much sure him, the kagemusha tries to assemble the impetuous horse of Shingen. When it is thrown to ground imposture is uncovered. It is driven out palate while Katsuyori, although it was disinherited, takes the control of the clan.

Against the opinion delivered formerly by his/her father, Katsuyori launches out in an inopportune battle against Oda Nobunaga, which is Master of Kyōto. This leads to the Bataille of Nagashino, in which the powerful cavalry and the infantry of Takeda, attacking in successive waves, are mown by the fire of the Mousquet S enemies. The clan of Takeda is tiny room to nothing (in historical reality the clan survived of the years under the control of Katsuyori). The kagemusha , which followed the army of Takeda, is pilot massacre. In an ultimate gesture of honesty it seizes a lance and is thrown against defenses of Oda. The last image of film shows the sifted body of balls of the kagemusha carried by the current.

Data sheet

  • Title: Kagemusha, shade of the warrior
  • original Title: 影武者 ( Kagemusha )
  • Realization: Akira Kurosawa
  • Scenario: Masato Ide and Akira Kurosawa
  • Production: Akira Kurosawa, Audie Glass of bier and Tomoyuki Tanaka
  • Production companies: Toho and Twentieth Century Fox
  • Budget: 6 million dollars
  • Music: Shin' ichirō Ikebe
  • Photography: Kazuo Miyagawa, Asaichi Nakai, Shoji Ueda, Masaharu Ueda and Takao Saitô
  • Assembly: Akira Kurosawa and Yoshihiro Iwatani
  • Decorations: Shinobu Muraki
  • Country of origin: Japan
  • Format: Colors - 1,85:1 - Mono - 35 mm
  • Kind: Drama, war
  • Lasted: 179 minutes
  • Coming out date: 1980 (Japan)

Distribution

  • Tatsuya Nakadai : Shingen Takeda/Kagemusha
  • Tsutomu Yamazaki: Nobukado Takeda
  • Kenichi Hagiwara : Katsuyori Takeda
  • Jinpachi Nezu : Sohachirō Tsuchiya
  • Hideji Otaki : Masakage Yamagata
  • Daisuke Ryū : Nobunaga Oda
  • Masayuki Yui : Ieyasu Tokugawa
  • Kaori Momoi : Otsuyanokata
  • Mitsuko Baisho : Oyunokata
  • Hideo Murota : Nobufusa Baba
  • Takayuki Shiho: Masatoyo Naito
  • Koji Shimizu : Katsusuke Atobe
  • Noburo Shimizu : Masatane Hara
  • SEN Yamamoto: Nobushige Oyamada
  • Shuhei Sugimori : Masanobu Kosaka

Around film

Rewards

  • Cannes festival 1980: Palm of gold.
  • Hochi Film Awards 1980: Price of best film and the male best supporting role for Tsutomu Yamazaki.
  • BAFTA Awards 1981: Price of the best costumes and the best realizer; nominations for the prices of best photography (Takao Saitô and Masaharu Ueda) and of best film.
  • Blue Ribbon Awards 1981 : Price of the best actor (Tatsuya Nakadai), of best film and the best new actor (Daisuke Ryu).
  • César of the best foreign film in 1981.
  • Price David di Donatello 1981: Price of the best foreign realizer.
  • National Italian Syndicate off Film Journalists 1981: Price of the best foreign realizer.
  • Kinema Junpo Awards 1981 : Price of the male best supporting role (Tsutomu Yamazaki).
  • Mainichi Film Contest 1981: Price of the best actor (Tatsuya Nakadai), of the best artistic director (Yoshirô Muraki), of the best realizer, best film and the best music.
  • Golden Globe 1981: Nomination for best foreign film.
  • Oscar 1981: Nominations for the best artistic director and best foreign film.

External bonds

  • Critiques Cinemasie
  • Critiques HK Handled
  • Critique of the Clan Takeda
  • Analyze of film on Dvdclassik

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