"; if(is_file("header.php")) include "header.php"; else include "../header.php"; ?>

Magnificent prequel to Ran I orginally saw this movie on video in the late 80's. I have not been able to find it since. Considered a prequel to Ran, Kagemusha is more of a historical piece while Ran is an adaptation of Shakespeare's King Lear. Beautifully shot in color, Kagemusha tells the story of the Takeda clan during the civil war period of Japan's feudal era. The head of the clan, Takeda Shingen, was considered the greatest general of his time. His presence alone kept the other great warlords at bay, namely Oda Nobunaga, the man eventually credited with uniting Japan. Mortally wounded in battle, Shingen commanded that his death be kept a secret, and his clan not move from its' mountain stronghold for three years. His double, or Kagemusha, was a common thief. His character arc, as it moves from common criminal to eventual warlord and tragic fall is magnificent. To simply label Kagemusha as a practice movie for Ran is an injustice (though accurate). If you have any interest in samurai films of feudal Japanese pieces, you wont be disappointed.