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What a Spectacle As I watch more & more Akira Kurosawa's movies, it comes to my realisation that in actuality, his works are rather Noh-influence. His scenes are perfectly framed & yet, the frames are expansive enough for his performers to do what they meant to do. I used to think that the performances are somewhat pushed but as as we have a tendency to be mellowed by age, as I watch the movie second time around, I am pleasantly surprised that the outcomes aren't what I think they used to be. The performers do what they meant to do in their own natural rhythms & together with a glorious settings (where everything seem to be right where they are), with dosages of old Japanese values, whallah, you have a concoction of Kurosawa movies that we are endeared to. Kagemusha is based upon the true story during the Warring Period between three factions. Fighting scenes are at best patchy but it's still an awe-inspiring site as most of what we have these days are all CGI effects. Kurosawa's movies tend to touch upon death, our mortality, the fragile beauty of life. As war rages on, the scene of soldiers coming to a standstill listening to the haunting sound of a solo flute performance is at once poignant and beautiful at the same time. There are moments like that in Kagemusha. It's also a life in parody as the shadow warrior, a non-blood would have done so much better than the original warlord's own son, whose impatience would eventually lead his Takeda Clan to imminent doom. A movie not to be missed especially for a Kurosawa's fan. Mind you, this movie would eventually be superseded by Ran, which I feel is his work in maturity particularly for this form of epic war genre. Highly recommended.