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Kagemusha (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]

Shuji Otake (Actor), Tatsuya Nakadai (Actor), Akira Kurosawa (Director, Producer) Rated: NR (Not Rated) Format: Blu-ray
4.7 out of 5 stars 446 ratings
#1 Best Seller in World Cinema
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Additional Blu-ray options Edition Discs
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Aug. 18 2009 		—
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$37.91 $82.79

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Genre Action & Adventure
Format Color, NTSC, Collector's Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen
Contributor Takashi Shimura, Masato Ide, Koji Shimizu, Akira Kurosawa, Kamatari Fujiwara, Daisuke Ryu, Hideo Murota, Jinpachi Nezu, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Duncan Smith, Shuji Otake, Hideji Otaki, Kaori Momoi, Tatsuya Nakadai, Kenichi Hagiwara, Mitsuko Baisho, Kota Yui, Norio Matsui, Masayuki Yui See more
Language Japanese
Runtime 3 hours
Studio The Criterion Collection
Colour Color
Number of discs 1
Manufacturer Video Service Corp.
UPC 715515048415

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Product description

Just as many American studio-era directors found acclaim abroad that was denied them in their home country, by 1980 Akira Kurosawa's reputation outside Japan exceeded his esteem at home. As uncompromising as ever, he found considerable difficulty securing backing for his ambitious projects. Unsure he would be able to film it, the director, an aspiring artist before he entered filmmaking, converted Kagemusha into a series of paintings, and it was partly on the basis of these that he won the financial support of longtime admirers Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas. Set in the 16th century, when powerful warlords competed for control of Japan, it offers an examination of the nature of political power and the slipperiness of identity. For some time, Shingen Takeda Tatsuya Nakadai has been able to stay removed from the heat of battle by using his brother Nobukado Tsutomu Yamazaki as a double. As the film opens, Nobukado offers another option, having discovered a condemned thief (also pla

Product details

  • Aspect Ratio ‏ : ‎ 1.85:1
  • Is discontinued by manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
  • Language ‏ : ‎ Japanese
  • Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 1.78 x 19.05 x 13.72 cm; 167.83 g
  • Item model number ‏ : ‎ CTIN1827
  • Director ‏ : ‎ Akira Kurosawa
  • Media Format ‏ : ‎ Color, NTSC, Collector's Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen
  • Run time ‏ : ‎ 3 hours
  • Release date ‏ : ‎ Aug. 18 2009
  • Actors ‏ : ‎ Shuji Otake, Tatsuya Nakadai, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Kenichi Hagiwara, Kota Yui
  • Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ English
  • Language ‏ : ‎ Japanese (Dolby Digital 2.0)
  • Studio ‏ : ‎ Video Service Corp.
  • Producers ‏ : ‎ Akira Kurosawa, Duncan Smith, Masato Ide
  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B002AFX52S
  • Country of origin ‏ : ‎ Canada
  • Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 out of 5 stars 446 ratings

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4.7 out of 5 stars
446 global ratings

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Top reviews from Canada

  • robert craig
    5.0 out of 5 stars One of Akira Kurosawa's best.
    Reviewed in Canada on January 28, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    This film is an epic masterpiece about illusion and honour. An intriguing story combined with an eye to detail and excellent cinematography makes this a visual feast. I give it my highest recommendation.
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  • Matt.H
    5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Film.
    Reviewed in Canada on September 20, 2021
    Amazing artwork inside booklet. Beautiful film. Actually was a blind buy as I have most of Kurasawa's films. Loved the artistry and story telling. Well done again Criterion.
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  • Dr. Kai Wang
    3.0 out of 5 stars imagine a battle....
    Reviewed in Canada on April 21, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Even though visually stunning and has a very interesting plot, somehow I can't bring myself to "imagine" a massive final battle scene where the opposing armies are shown to charge and to defend the line "separately".
    There is no combat shown whatsoever, just the aftermath of the "epic" struggle.
    I think if I have to imagine a battle, I might as well read a book. Films are supposed to show something and not leave everything to the viewer's imagination, that is not to say one should glorify battle scenes and show flying limbs and heads indiscriminately as in so many current movies.
    One person found this helpful
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  • jerry tomasek
    5.0 out of 5 stars Akira Kurosawa was only one.....
    Reviewed in Canada on August 13, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    This movie is one of greatest I ever watched.Recomend it.
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  • Arijit C.
    2.0 out of 5 stars This is not a Criterion Blur ray disc, as ...
    Reviewed in India on October 15, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    This is not a Criterion Blur ray disc , as shown here . I bought it after the image showed it and the detail below.
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  • Robert
    1.0 out of 5 stars Region locked
    Reviewed in Australia on April 10, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    Item is not the correct region and does not work on Australian bluray player, yet no region is specified in description.
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  • Öñǧ´ú
    5.0 out of 5 stars Ã÷¤ë¤¹¤®
    Reviewed in Japan on November 12, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    ¥¯¥é¥¤¥Æ¥ê¥ª¥ó°æ¡¢Ã÷¤ë¤¹¤®¤Ê¤¤£¿
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  • MikeF
    5.0 out of 5 stars Superb - the definitive version - but be sure you can play it!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 8, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    As someone who travelled for hours to see the cinema release of this film in an art-house cinema back in 1980, it's safe to say that this is one of my favourite films. And this is without any doubt THE best version of the Kurosawa masterpiece now available. Criterion's version is superb. It looks wonderful and contains scenes that I had never seen before - 20 minutes or so of new or enhanced scenes which add to the story - including a very subtle cameo by Takashi Shimura (Kambei in 'Seven Samurai'). The extras are also great - a documentary on the making of the film with contributions from some of the main actors and film crew; also Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas who were instrumental in securing the funding to get the film made. In addition there are features on Kurosawa's fantastic storyboarding for the film - quite amazing artwork. There is even a Suntory whisky commercial! I cannot recommend this version of 'Kagemusha' highly enough.

    BUT - I live in the UK and have a DVD player adjusted to play both UK and US format DVDs. It will not play US Blu-rays but DVDs are fine. If you have a standard UK format DVD player, this Criterion version of the film WILL NOT PLAY. If your DVD player has dual capability as mine does - and you will know because you will have had the alteration done - then enjoy a truly great movie. If not, don't spend money on this version.
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  • David M. Goldberg
    5.0 out of 5 stars One or both?
    Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2011
    Verified Purchase
    As ostensibly the 109th reviewer of this astonishing film in Â鶹Çø's irrelevant list, there is no need to recapitulate its history, plot, or merits.
    What are at issue are the following: A. Why did n't ALL reviewers award this 5 stars? B. How justifiable are the technical criticisms such as the quality of the transfer, and whether indeed one can actually play this DVD at all?
    To deal with the first question, several highly intelligent reviewers withheld at least one star because they did not consider it to be Kurosawa's finest film, and others because they thought it less good than RAN. Both arguments are difficult to justify. This was Kurosawa's great leap forward into the world of colour. What a leap! And what colour! He started life as a painter, and judging by the many magnificent examples featured in the Extras, a very talented painter too. For 5 years he churned out paintings of scenes he had in mind for Kagemusha, although its gestation period was closer to a full decade. He painted the film first on paper, and then went on to paint it on the camera. In doing so, he created perhaps the greatest true Art Film up to that time. No film that I know contains a greater profusion of beautiful shots and images, both in their composition and their colour, although the same can be said of RAN. Plot and characters are almost dispensable. You can switch to the commentary, sit back, and allow your eyes to be ravished by the images that emerge from the screen. It is like touring a Gallery displaying the retrospective exhibition of a great artist. The characters don't speak; you don't quite follow all the action in each painting; but these frozen moments in time capture the viewer more so than the work of any other film-maker. Kagemusha's great leap compares with Beethoven's Eroica and Picasso's Les Demoiselles D'Avignon, the ascent to the highest level from which point further advances were simply along a plateau. Seen in this light and knowing that it was, however fine, derivative of its great predecessor, I cannot understand the logic of awarding RAN a higher rating. It does have the advantage of a simpler story-line and one more familiar to Western audiences through King Lear. The one significant fault in Kagemusha is the tortuous plot and the fact that all the characters seem to look alike. It is inevitable that the Thief and the Brother should do so, as they both served as doubles for Shingen; but it is also hard to distinguish the various other warlords and generals. I am sure that Oriental audiences would not have this problem, but it is well known that an untrained Western eye finds it difficult to recognize the facial individuality of Japanese, Chinese, or even African Blacks. Kurosawa's rapid transitions and the similarity of dress compound the problem. I found it impossible to separate the soldiers of one warlord from those of another during the battle scenes, and this was my 3rd viewing of the film. The marvellous voice-over commentary by Stephen Prince is a great help, and I would strongly counsel any first-time viewer to play the movie in this mode before moving to the full version with subtitles. Contrary to some comments, Prince skilfully draws attention to technical and stylistic elements in the way the film is composed, as well as providing a fascinating historical background and highlighting the subtle interplay between the characters that would escape the unobservant eye. Better still, play the documentary IMAGE: KUROSAWA'S CONTINUITY even before the commentary. This shows all of the 200 paintings that Kurosawa produced and fits them into their correct place in the narrative, providing a quick summary of the plot. Some have complained about the acting being cold and less demonstrative than in Kurosawa's earlier Samurai movies, but for me the reserve and self-control, the silences and the long takes, all added to the subtlety and psychological power of this film, and I was very happy to do without the hysterics that for me mar some sections of Seven Samurai.

    Now to the 2nd question. It is unforgivable that Â鶹Çø should combine reviews on VHS tapes with those on orthodox DVDs and add them to genuine reviews of this Blu Ray version. Forget statements about this NOT being the full 180-minute copy. Ignore those who complain about a poor transfer. Pity those who tried to play the Blu Ray disc through a standard DVD player. This is a technically superb product in every way. The clarity is sharp, except where, as in the burial and dream sequences, Kurosawa deliberately softens the images. The subtitles are detailed and precise. Only the sound track is a disappointment. Most of the time there are no sounds beyond those of the humans and the elements, but there are supposed to be Noh drum rolls from time to time that carry important artistic significance. These and others were inaudible to me, and even the fateful flute melody preceding the shooting of Shingen could hardly be heard. The musical score, mercifully limited, is terrible -- completely wrong, as if it drifted in from Hollywood during an airing of Star Wars.

    My final word? Kagemusha or Ran? I prefer the former, but the two fully merit 5 stars and there is no commandment that states: THOU SHALLT NOT BUY BOTH.
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