MovieChat Forums > Kagemusha (1980) Discussion > Battle Scenes

Battle Scenes

posted 14 years ago by jdkraus
2 replies | jump to latest

I don't know about anyone else, but I felt the battle scenes were weak compared to other Kurosawa works. I mean-the two big battles aren't shown-particularly the ending. And the siege about half way into the movie, when at night, it looked like the actors were on a sound stage, not a battlefield. Kurosawa, where's the action? Can anyone explain to me why this film was shot like this? I love Kurosawa's work, but Kagemusha seemed weak compared to his other works such as: 7 Samurai, Ran, Rashomon, Sanjuro, Yojimbo, etc.

[–] orlox99-1 13 years ago

This film is about the power of illusion, and such. Which is why its like that. This movie is NOT an action film its an historical piece which is not really entertainment.

[–] distant-skies 13 years ago

I don't think Seven Samurai could be beaten as a period piece. It's just far more interesting as a film, never mind historical value. To be honest, the action in Kagemusha is what I preferred to the rest of it, which I found mostly boring. I don't need endless minutes being spoon fed the notion of a man pretending to be another, and everything that entails. And this is from someone who preferred Ikiru over Seven Samurai, Yojimbo, or any of the other Kurosawa action movies.

As far as what was up with the action that was there, I suppose it was a matter of budget. At least the armies looked realistic in motion.

Why can't you be a non-conformist like everyone else?