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Kagemusha
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Kagemusha (1980)

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User Rating: 7.9/10 (7,931 votes)
Photos (see all 17 | slideshow)

Overview

Director:
Akira Kurosawa
Writers:
Masato Ide (writer)
Akira Kurosawa (writer)
Release Date:
6 October 1980 (USA) more
Genre:
Drama | History | War more
Plot:
When a powerful warlord in medieval Japan dies, a poor thief recruited to impersonate him finds difficulty... more | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Impostor | Samurai | Substitution | Japan | 1570s more
Awards:
Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 19 wins & 3 nominations more
User Comments:
A beautiful film about human relationships more

Cast

 (Cast overview, first billed only)
Tatsuya Nakadai ... Shingen Takeda / Kagemusha
Tsutomu Yamazaki ... Nobukado Takeda
Kenichi Hagiwara ... Katsuyori Takeda
Jinpachi Nezu ... Sohachiro Tsuchiya
Hideji Otaki ... Masakage Yamagata
Daisuke Ryu ... Nobunaga Oda
Masayuki Yui ... Ieyasu Tokugawa
Kaori Momoi ... Otsuyanokata
Mitsuko Baisho ... Oyunokata
Hideo Murota ... Nobufusa Baba
Takayuki Shiho ... Masatoyo Naito
Koji Shimizu ... Katsusuke Atobe
Noboru Shimizu ... Masatane Hara
Sen Yamamoto ... Nobushige Oyamada
Shuhei Sugimori ... Masanobu Kosaka
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Kagemusha (The Shadow Warrior)
Kagemusha the Shadow Warrior
Shadow Warrior
The Double
more
Runtime:
179 min | Argentina:162 min | USA:162 min
Country:
Japan
Language:
Japanese
Color:
Color (Eastmancolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby
Filming Locations:
Gotemba, Shizuoka, Japan more
MOVIEmeter: ?
^ 5% since last week why?

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Much of the film recounts actual historical events, including Shingen's death and the two-year secret, and the climactic Battle of Nagashino in 1575. Those scenes are also modeled closely on detailed accounts of the battle. more
Quotes:
Masakage Yamagata: How old are you, sire? Fifty-three, as I remember.
Shingen Takeda: Why?
Masakage Yamagata: And you still behave like a five-year-old child. People gather, scatter, they go left and right following their interests. That is not surprising. But then I find you like this. With such a narrow mind, you must not dream of rulership. Go back to your own domain. You are a mountain monkey. You should be gathering nuts in the mountains of Kai.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Brazil (1985) more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
13 out of 18 people found the following comment useful:-
A beautiful film about human relationships, 25 May 2000
9/10
Author: anfisa1 from Cambridge, UK

There's a lot that can be said about Kurosawa's work in general and this film in particular, but the thing that impressed me the most in this movie is the relationship between Kagemusha and the little boy Takemaru (the son of the warlord that Kagemusha is copying). The developing friendship between these two people of contrasting social status, upbringing and age is in my opinion one of the most deeply explored relationships in the world cinematography.

The interesting thing about it, is that nothing happens as such. The Western viewer is used to all 'deep' emotions on screen being displayed through useless running around, talking pretentious rubbish and occasionally saving your loved one from a falling meteorite, car, etc. But in "Kagemusha" all the feelings are displayed as they are in real life and yet with amazing intensity which what makes it so special. The psychological and war drama is put against a breath-taking scenery and beautiful buildings of medieval Japan which emphasize the human relationships shown in the film.

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Message Boards

Discuss this title with other users on IMDb message board for Kagemusha (1980)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
is this better or worsier than RAN majaco
Not in 250? giggle001
Is the opening shot a special effects shot? ebright99
Takashi Shimura? mikelogics
'Incident' between Kurosawa and Shintaro? rrowe-1
kurosawa's book to fund the film whitedogandharriet
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