THE MOVIE

Shingen, a powerful warlord, has become as legendary as the motto emblazoned on his war banners – “Swift as the wind, silent as the forest, fierce as the fire, immovable as the mountain”. As he lies dying from his battle wounds, Shingen orders his clan to find a double to replace him – to keep his death a secret so that his enemies will not attack. The man chosen for this role is called Kagemusha (The Shadow Warrior).

However this double turns out to be a petty criminal who must somehow transform himself into a great leader and command the allegiance of 25,000 samurai warriors.

An epic drama of feudal conflict in the 16th century Japan, Kagemusha was nominated for 2 1980 Academy Awards (Art Direction – Set Decoration, Foreign language Film) and was co-winner of the grand prize at the 1980 Cannes Film Festival.

THE TRANSFER

Video:

To tell you the truth I didn’t really expect much from this transfer and unfortunately that is what I got. While not a huge problem it would be great to have seen this film in a perfect video presentation.

Still, the image is surprisingly clear and nice to look at, with plenty of detail on offer. It has certainly stood the test of time remarkably well. Blacks are okay although shadow detail is a bit murky, especially at night. Grain, is the transfer’s biggest problem and it is very consistent, which is disappointing.

Colors are great, which surprised me. The image leaps off the screen in this respect and it is great to see the film look this way. Each hue and tone is well recreated and helps to bring this world to life.

Audio:

The audio is Japanese (yay!) 5.1 Dialogue is loud and clear and comes across very well, being firmly based in the center channel. Sound effects are also well recreated and come from all speakers. Although the directionality isn’t great all of the speakers get used. The rears however are really only used for ambient sounds.

THE EXTRAS

No extras I’m afraid.

SUMMARY

This is an extremely entertaining film that is well worth checking out. Don’t let the film’s running time dissuade you Kagemusha is one of the most enjoyable film’s I have seen in recent times and is not only a perfect example of world cinema but a classic example of a master director at work.