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Licensor Information
20th Century Fox
Directed by: Akira Kurosawa
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. In his late, color masterpiece Kagemusha, Akira Kurosawa returns to the samurai film and to a primary theme of his career—the play between illusion and reality. Sumptuously reconstructing the splendor of feudal Japan and the pageantry of war, Kurosawa creates a historical epic that is also a meditation on the nature of power.
Streaming Options
Release Information:
Technical Specifications
Format:
Blu-ray
Disc:
BD-50 (1 Disc)
Total: 1 Disc
Regions:
A (Blu-ray)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85:1
Audio Options:
Japanese DTS-HD MA Surround 4.0
Resolution:
1080p/24
Subtitles:
English
Supplements
Types of Supplements Included: Audio Commentary, Documentary, Video Essay, Advertising, Gallery, Theatrical Trailer, Booklet
- Audio commentary by Kurosawa scholar Stephen Prince
- Lucas, Coppola, and Kurosawa, a 19-minute interview piece in which directors George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola discuss Kurosawa and Kagemusha
- A 41-minute documentary on the making of the film
- Image: Kurosawa’s Continuity, a 44-minute video piece reconstructing Kagemusha through Kurosawa’s paintings and sketches
- Suntory Whiskey commercials made on the set of Kagemusha
- Gallery of storyboards painted by Kurosawa and images of their realization on-screen
- Theatrical trailers and teasers
- A booklet featuring a new essay by scholar Peter Grilli, and an interview with Akira Kurosawa by renowned critic Tony Rayns
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Film
Picture
Audio
Supplements
Artwork
Release Credits
Artwork: Akira Kurosawa
Producer: Kim Hendrickson
Artwork: Sarah Habibi
Release Notes on Restoration
Kagemusha
Kagemusha is presented in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1. Black bars at the top and bottom of the screen are normal for this format. This high-definition digital transfer was created on a Spirit DataCine from a 35mm low-contrast print made from the original negative. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, warps, jitter, and flicker were removed using MTI’s DRS System and Pixel Farm’s PFClean System, while Digital Vision’s DVNR system was used for small dirt, grain, and noise reduction.
The soundtrack was remastered at 24-bit from the original 4-track stems. Clicks, thumps, hiss, and hum were manually removed using Pro Tools HD. Crackle was attenuated using AudioCube’s integrated workstation.
The soundtrack was remastered at 24-bit from the original 4-track stems. Clicks, thumps, hiss, and hum were manually removed using Pro Tools HD. Crackle was attenuated using AudioCube’s integrated workstation.