Foreword
Akira Kurosawa 's film spanned half a century in the film world, and its influence on later generations is rare. From the era of black and white films in the 1930s to color films in the late 1970s, from the obsession with the box office to the meticulous creation of scripts, each film can be described as a unique display of the black director's ingenuity and an interpretation of his own mind. Especially in the late 1970s, after experiencing a series of physical and mental devastation events such as creative frustration, suicide, loss of money, and being suppressed by theaters, Akira Kurosawa completely put aside the idea of catering to the secular, and chose a path to go to the dark. The attitude of life is carried through to the end, and the film is used to express his unyielding attitude towards the world.
For example, this war movie "Kagemusi" filmed in 1980, at first glance seems to eulogize , Shingen Takeda and the samurai spirit handed down from him during the Warring States Period in Japan, but Akira Kurosawa He is talking about himself, using another means to present to the world, what is samurai spirit. The film’s influence can be described as far-reaching, even including Denzel Washington’s "Glorious Battle" in 1989, CCTV version of the series "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" in 1993, Zhang Yimou's "Hero" in 2002, Heath in 2002 Film and television works such as "Four Feathers" starring Ledger all drew the essence from it. These works have a common feature, that is, they use war as a coat, but in essence they are talking about people, a kind of belief, a kind of character, a kind of spirit, and a kind of soul.
1. What does "Shadow Warrior" talk about?
The story of "Kagemusha" is very simple,From Takeda Shingen's last words to future generations, that is, three years after his death, the secret is not to be funeral, and the purpose is to continue the Takeda family's turf and continue Takeda's influence. The famous Japanese actor Tatsuya Nakadai plays two roles in one person, who are the stand-ins of Shingen Takeda and Shingen who attempted to cross the sea after their deaths.
Before his death, Shingen Takeda rescued a criminal in a downtown execution ground. To put it bluntly, he was a thief who had murdered. This thief was born to be stubborn and greedy for life and fear of death. Especially after the death of Takeda Shingen, he tried to escape many times. But in the end, grateful for Takeda Shingen's life-saving grace and inspired by the Takeda spirit on the battlefield, he determined to be a "shadow samurai" upright.
However, the shadow warrior is not so good, not only to subdue the commander of the four seas, but also to avoid external assassinations and internal political enemies at all times. Imagine a small person born at the bottom, and his life will be reversed in one step? Just as big people cannot imitate small people, small people imitate big people, and they feel pain.
Even so, in the end, the shadow warrior used all his body and mind to inherit and carry forward the last glory of the Takeda family, which is admirable and admirable. After watching the movie, we couldn't help wondering, should we praise Takeda Shingen himself, or should we praise the impostor Kagemusi? Actually, what we should acclaim most is the heroes with samurai spirit in that era, including Akira Kurosawa himself.
The film has many translations, and the most popular film is "Shadow Warrior" and "Shadow Warrior". However, in the editor's opinion,Scholars are greater than husbands, husbands are greater than the people, and the people are greater than the bandits. However, the "person" is blurred between these terms. It is more appropriate for a civilian thief with a samurai spirit, who transcends the limitations of his own class in that era of severe barriers and achieves a great personality. story.
2. The final classic of multiple worlds
The investment of the film reached 2.5 billion yen, equivalent to nearly 200 million yen in the world at that time The war movie with the highest investment in the film industry. At the same time, the most extravagant actors were used, and nearly 10,000 actors were used in a single battle with Chang Shino, excluding horses, weapons and various props. Many but not chaotic, various scenes can be switched freely, and the scheduling is orderly... Especially for the scheduling and use of the four flags of "wind, forest, mountain, and fire", it is like being in the battlefield, which is dizzying and full of visual wonders. . For this reason, this scene is hailed as the "peak of the Cold Weapon War movie" in the world film industry.
The film lasted nearly 3 hours and almost swept the world film scene after its release, including the most well-known Cannes Film Festival at the time, the Palme d’Or , and the most American Oscar Award Best foreign language film and best art direction, Golden Globe Award for best foreign language film, French Caesar Award for best foreign film, and British Academy of Film and Television Arts Award for best director, costume design, best photography... etc.
Most notably, the filming of this film was borrowed by Akira Kurosawa. There is a director who can borrow 2.5 billion yen. I believe that this kind of thing that has never happened before is only a black guide.It's also a coincidence that in 1970, "Small Market Without Seasons" directed by him suffered a disastrous box office failure. No company was willing to invest in Kurosawa Akira. Since then, Kurosawa Akira's creation has fallen into a low ebb, and he even tried to commit suicide...
At this moment, the American director Coppola (representative of "The Godfather") and George Lucas (representative of "Star Wars") who were visiting Japan happened to be both Kurosawa Akira's "hardcore fans", the two decided to help seniors raise funds for filming. So in 1980, 20th Century Fox invested in Japan's Toho Co., Ltd., and the two of Kelu worked as new film producers, and only then did the third color film belonging to Akira Kurosawa-"Kagemusha".
3. Kurosawa Akira: The era is just an era
Some people say that is super cautious, so the rigorous Heizawa is almost right for the movie. The above is the benchmark of Star Master. As we all know, Stephen Chow is a textbook-level boss on the set, while Akira Kurosawa is the absolute king in filming. He said one, everyone can't say two, otherwise they will be kicked out of the crew, whether it is a big-name male star or A famous director, everyone is a puppet under the brush of Akira Kurosawa. Everyone may be a character in "Kagemusha"...
For Kurosawa Akira , The era is just an era. Just as Kurosawa said, I want to show the image of "Kagemuser" in my mind, so he drew hundreds of Kagemusha images day and night until he stepped onto the big screen——
In the picture,Shingen Takeda looked back at the place where the city broke, and the setting sun was like blood. On the way back home, I passed a long shot through a picturesque mountain, the majestic snow-capped mountains and the sky, Takeda Shingen died on this mountain... The giant fell, but the spirit of the giant survives forever, this is the " The essence of "Shadow Warrior".
"Wind, forest, mountain, fire" in wars are bright in color, and sometimes people often think that this is a film lacking skill and sincerity. In fact, it is this seemingly single but bright and strong color that just left a deep impression on the audience and further caused the visual impact and shock.
What is fresh in my memory is that when Katsuyori Takeda and his retainer visited, the side was a stalemate in the house, and there was a window outside the house. It looks like a rush of scenery, but in reality it is turbulent and hides murderous intent. It can be said that Kurosawa's movie screen is a piece of life-rich text: moving like a rabbit, quiet like a virgin; moving like lifting weights lightly, the world revolves, quietly spitting out the old and accepting the new, embracing the world...
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