MovieChat Forums > Kagemusha (1980) Discussion > Way overblown...

Way overblown...

posted 15 years ago by kdryan
7 replies | jump to latest

Don't get me wrong, I am a big Kurosawa fan, but let's face facts here. There is a reason Kurosawa couldn't get his projects financed later in life. They were WAY too long, disorganized messes that require a program guide to follow.

Kagemusha is a beautifully shot film. The scene of the soldiers waiting against the sunset put me in awe, thought the red line across the sky was a little cheesy. The acting is great, the character interaction is wonderful, especially when the impostor is dealing with the grandson. I loved the plot dealing with the enemies wondering about Shingen's death.

I really loved the idea of instead of showing the Japanese version of 'The Charge of the Light Brigade' we only heard it and focused on the reactions of those watching and of the Kagemusha. But after that, did we really need 15 minutes of watching people and horses die?

Kurosawa made movies back in the 50's that were three hours long as well, but in those classics (Rashomon, Seven Samurai, etc.) that three hours was packed to the brim with dialogue, action, and exposition. You didn't have to wait for a scene to be over so you could get on to the next one. How long did the camera sit still in Seven Samurai?

No thanks, I'll stick with the older stuff...

Kevin

[–] brady-18 15 years ago

I must be getting you wrong, because I'm sure you are not a big Kurosawa fan or you'd understand why everything you said after that is completely wrong.

"Require a program guide to follow" -- I, too, was confused about everything going on in this movie the first time I saw it, but that was because I knew nothing of Japanese history. Of course, I consider that my own shortcoming and don't blame the movie for my own ignorance.

[–] billy_bob_stapel 15 years ago

i don t know what is so confusing about the movie, being a double has nothing to do with culture or upbrining, every leader once in history had at least one double. the latests i can think of was saddam hussein but anyway...

many people didnt understand the meaning of this movie. the beggar who got greedy and succumbed to something that was way bigger then him, who got dellusioned, insane and finally seem to find clarity and purpoe in his life.
he became the man he was forced to play and at the end see how it all yet again seemed worthless and stupid just like at the beginning. i loved that movie, it shows how fragile sanity is and what is worth fighting for and then again how pointless it is. that it is a paradox and beautifully shown in this picture, a very visual movie that yet again proves how intelligent, creative and human mr kurosawa was.

i really dont get how people can say that movie is overblown or worse then kurosawas prior works.

[–] richardmacdon 14 years ago

Feigning humility to insult the op's intelligence, very smooth.

[–] j_money77 14 years ago

Kurosawa did indeed make 3 hour movies in the 50's and 60's but Rashomon wasn't one of them.
Last time I watched it Rashomon was what, under 1.5 hours?

That kind of calls into question the validity of everything else you put forth, if you couldn't even remember that Rashomon was less than 3 hours.

Onto the 'camera sitting still'---it's a common fault of many movies these days to think that their audience has no attention span and thus needs the camera to be moving or showing something new every instant.

[–] Tyler_Durden_pt 14 years ago

"Last time I watched it Rashomon was what, under 1.5 hours? "

I was about to ask which magnificent cut that 3 hour version was... mine is 90 minutes.

[–] christomacin (4528) 6 years ago

He must be thinking of the Sergio Leone remake, "Once Upon A Time In A Grove" which clocks in at 3.5 hours, although I'm told the 5-hour European cut actually plays better.

[–] 14 years ago

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