Kagemusha (1980) - interviews executive producers Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas

[@huntrrams]

Thanks for this

[@Maltera-fj5ko]

I think Kurosawa did manage to make great movies in his late career, Ran being a 100% evidence of that. But not only Ran, but I think Kagemusha too, although sadly it is underrated both by critics and audiences, because the film is too Japanese. I definitely score Kagemusha as high as his classic masterpieces like Rashomon and Seven Samurai and it is even better than some of them, Yojimbo for instance, which I think is a little bit overrated.

[@zxbc1]

Kagemusha is very much a more Japanese film than Ran, which is instead a direct adaptation of a Shakespearean story. Kagemusha has more human characters, more intricate human interactions, and characters are far more fleshed out, even minor ones. We were treated with people who were all around more sympathetic, and there's far more human interest in the actual story. The very limited action also was elevated into dream-like stylish rendering rather than pure realism, which I think fitted the movie far better. Ran was more of an exercise in Hollywood level production and excess, and it was cold and brutal and nihilistic. It might fit a more modern generation of viewers, but for me Kagemusha will always be the superior film and like you said ranks among the best from Kurosawa.

[@Maltera-fj5ko]

@@zxbc1thanks for your opinion, I think it's on point why do I like Kagemusha too. I wonder what do you think about his other less popular and underrated films, for instance Dersu Uzala, which is also among my favorites. It was one of the warmest of his pictures, and yet having pretty tragic and heartbreaking ending. Also it's probably most nature-heavy of his works, and for any nature-lover a must-see. Say, maybe you have any other films of Kurosawa to recommend, because, although I consider myself his fan, I didn't actually see every movie he ever made, only the most decorated ones really.

[@wstr9963]

@@zxbc1 I agree. For me, Kagemusha, Ikiru and Dersu Uzala are his best films.

[@v-trigger6137]

It's ironic how his 40s and 50s era films were considered too "western" by the japanese critics and audience of that time. And when he finally made an fully japanese cultural film (Kagemusha, Ran) people at japan didn't cared for it.. I really feel like Kurosawa's late era career is underrated coz he came to fully realized on his direction and did so much experiment with the dream like imagery, but it's a shame by that time his career started to decline in japan and the audience didn't care for the type of movies he was making

[@vittoriovaglio2031]

Why are you Tesla US now

[@ChickenDelivering]

cuz im hacked

[@vittoriovaglio2031]

@@ChickenDelivering bro is it contagious?