8.1 | / 10 |
Users | 3.9 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
When a warlord dies, a peasant thief is called upon to impersonate him, and then finds himself haunted by the warlord's spirit as well as his own ambitions.
Starring: Tatsuya Nakadai, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Ken'ichi Hagiwara, Jinpachi Nezu, Daisuke RyûDrama | 100% |
Foreign | 96% |
Period | 25% |
War | 19% |
History | 15% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Japanese: DTS-HD Master Audio 4.0
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Winner of the Palme d'Or award at the Cannes Film Festival and nominated for two Oscar awards (Best Foreign Language Film and Best Art Direction-Set Decoration), Akira Kurosawa's historical epic "Kagemusha" (1980) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The disc contains a restored high-definition digital transfer of the film, created on a Spirit Datacine from a 35 mm low-contrast print made from the original negative. Amongst the special features on the disc are the documentaries "Akira Kurosawa: It is Wonderful to Create", "Image: Kurosawa's Continuity" and "Lucas, Coppola, and Kurosawa". The lavish booklet that accompanies the Blu-ray release contains a lengthy interview with the Japanese filmmaker by esteemed critic Tony Rayns. Region-A "locked".
The Shadow Warrior
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Akira Kurosawa's Kagemusha arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.
This high-definition digital transfer has been created on a Spirit Datacine from a 35 mm low-contrast print made from the original negative. Plenty of debris, scratches, fleck and stains have been removed. Stability has also been improved, and when blown through a digital projector, Kagemusha looks as good as I hoped it would. I did a few random comparisons between the old SDVD release and this new Blu-ray release and can comfortably state that detail is improved dramatically. Contrast, especially during the daylight scenes, is also stronger. The most notable upgrade, however, is in the area of color reproduction. Reds, yellows, greens, browns, blues, blacks and whites are far more impressive on the Blu-ray transfer. This being said, a few of the nighttime scenes seem a bit soft, at times even pale. I believe this is a side effect related to the manner in which the film was shot (the low lighting has certainly contributed to it). The print reveals plenty of natural film grain. As expected, DNR has not been applied. Finally, neither edge-enhancement nor macroblocking plague the Blu-ray release of Kagemusha. To sum it all up, I have absolutely no doubts that this is the best Akira Kurosawa's award-winning film could look at the moment. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).
There is only one audio track on this Blu-ray disc: Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 4.0. For the record, Criterion have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature.
Kagemusha's soundtrack has been remastered at 24-bit from the original 4-channel stems. A number of pops, hissings, clicks, and hum have been manually removed with Pro Tools HD. Crackle has been attenuated using AudioCube's integrated audio workstation. The audio restoration was supervised by Ryan Hullings.
I don't have any reservations. The Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 4.0 track is as stable and potent as it could be. The bass is pleasing, the high frequencies not overdone and the dialog crisp and very easy to follow. Shinichiro Ikebe's haunting score also sounds terrific. I personally did not detect any balance issues to report in this review either. All in all, the Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 4.0 is solid!
Lucas, Coppola, and Kurosawa - George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola, longtime fans of Kurosawa's, signed on as executive producers of Kagemusha, helping to secure needed financing for the film. This supplemental feature contains interviews that were recorded in Norther California in 2004. The two directors talk about the impact Kurosawa's films had on them, how Kagemusha came to exist, as well as their own careers as film directors. (20 min, 1080i/60).
Akira Kurosawa: It is Wonderful to Create - a documentary about the making of Kagemusha, part of the Toho Masterworks series "Akira Kurosawa: It is Wonderful to Create", features interviews with the actors portraying Shingen, leyasu, and Nobunaga. With optional English subtitles. (42 min, 1080i/60).
Image: Kurosawa's Continuity - a special feature, created in Tokyo by Masayuki Yui (leyasu in Kademusha), using Akira Kurosawa's original storyboards for Kagemusha to reconstruct the director's vision for the film. Kurosawa saw and approved the Yui's re-creation. (44 min, 1080i/60).
A Vision Realized - Akira Kurosawa's original storyboards are featured here alongside their corresponding scenes. Each pairing reveals the precision with which the directors re-created his original vision. The feature can be navigate with the arrow button on your remote control. (1080p).
Suntory Whiskey commercials - a total of five commercials. The years preceding Kagemusha were difficult personally and financially for Akira Kurosawa. But help arrived in the mid-1970s when Teruyo Nogami, Kurosawa's longtime script supervisor and associate producer of Kagemusha, facilitated a relationship between the director and the Suntory ad company, where she was working at the time. Kurosawa appeared in and directed numerous ads for Suntory, including the five commercials in this supplemental feature. These commercials were shot on the set of Kagemusha. (1080i/60).
Trailers - a Japanese teaser and trailer, and a U.S trailer (1080i/60).
Audio commentary - Stephen Prince, author of The Warrior's Camera: The Cinema of Akira Kurosawa discusses the Japanese filmmaker's legacy and Kagemusha in particular in a commentary recorded in New York City in 2004.
Booklet - Criterion have supplied a lavish booklet with their release of Akira Kurosawa's Kagemusha. The booklet contains: "Kagemusha: from painting to film pageantry" by Peter Grilli, and "Talking with the director", a lengthy interview with the Japanese filmmaker by esteemed critic Tony Rayns reprinted with permission of Sight & Sound. The booklet also contains reproductions of sketches Akira Kurosawa did before Kagemusha was filmed.
Akira Kurosawa's Kagemusha is a visual feast. Fortunately for us, it is Criterion that brings it to Blu-ray. As far as I am concerned, this is the best this beautiful film has ever looked. Yes, you have every right to be excited about its high-definition premiere. We Highly Recommended it.
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