Akira Kurosawa: The John Ford of Japan
Akira Kurosawa was born in Tokyo in 1910 to a fairly well off family who could trace their heritage back to the 11th century. He grew up idolizing his older brother who loved film and that is where he said he developed the love as well. Akira went to school for art training to be a painter which in his career would lead to some beautiful storyboards (see below image). He was a very hands-on director which lead to some rumors of him being difficult to work with and some eccentric requests (including allegedly asking one cast to wear there costumes months before shooting so as to give them the lived-in look).
He started his film career off as an assistant director which he would later say was the best thing to happen to him. As an assistant, he would be exposed to every aspect of film making giving him a unique insight into how to run a film. He was an innovator and a risk-taker which is why so many of today’s most famous directors (Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg just to name a few) give him credit as an inspiration. His popularity was more prominent in the west than in his home country for decades leading to some less than box office smashes and attempted suicide in 1971. His career, despite the many financial failures, spanned almost five decades and inspired many generations of filmmakers.
For me, like so many others his unique vision and way of telling a story have entranced me from the very first film of his I ever say (Throne of Blood, which is still my favorite). I consider him in the top five directors of all time hands down, so if you’d like to learn even more about this legend you can check out several resources including IMDB, a great book Akira Kurosawa: Master of Cinema by Peter Cowie and the PBS documentary on him.
Akira Kurosawa’s Kagemusha (1980)
The word Kagemusha literally translates to double or shadow warrior and is used to describe a political decoy, so the title definitely suits the plotline of this legendary film. Set in the Warring States Period of Japanese history, the movie not only depicts historical events fairly accurate but also utilized actual costumes and armor from museums to round out its authenticity. The film follows the daimyo, Takeda Shingen, from just before his assassination through the ruse of utilizing the political decoy (a thief who was spared crucifixion because of his resemblance to Shingen) to the very brutal battle (Battle of Nagashino in 1575) that finishes the film out. Within this very volatile time, there is still a focus on the human aspects within the core story. The love and intrinsic power struggle within the family dynamic shine through the overarching battle for superiority giving this film it’s heart.
Kurosawa’s patented style, which was influenced by his idol John Ford, is still very present in this, one of his later films. Even with the ever-changing world of the film during his life he still held on to his unique visual voice. The director’s use of wide-sweeping shots to entice the viewer into whichever world he was creating at the time was effective in every film of his I have seen. Although, his strong use of very high contrast in everything from lighting to color of blood is my favorite one of his signature techniques. His use of high contrast served to accentuate the severity of the scenarios and characters within his stories letting the viewer viscerally feel the meaning behind every shot whether they were aware of it or not. His films, filmed like the Hollywood epics of years before, were expansive and required precision and a crazy level of perfectionism that you very rarely find in the Hollywood of today.
Kagemusha was the first Japanese film to have the distribution rights sold to an American production company, 20th Century Fox. Due to the expansive budget (after all the final battle scene had approximately 5000 extras) of the film, it was in danger at one point of not being able to be finished but thanks to American directors, George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola, the remainder of the funding was found and the distribution rights sold to 20th Century Fox. The run time is a little long for the modern filmgoer but I promise it is well worth it if you are a film lover. Not my favorite film of Kurosawa’s, Kagemusha still is a fantastic example of true film making and I highly suggest it for anyone who wants an all-encompassing cinematic journey into the world of a master. As is always this is only my geekin’ opinion…
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