I confess I struggled with this film, despite adoring Kurosawa and its anti-war message. Men are fools to wage war, it tells us in a nutshell, leaders are false, decisions arbitrary, and countless people suffer as a result. How ironic is it that the impersonator's decision to stand his ground like a mountain, based on the real lord's precepts but somewhat blindly followed, ends up being better than those made by his successor. There are grand battle scenes with lots of extras and some occasional beautiful shots, but if I'm honest, I felt the film could have been half as long. The storytelling is too mechanical in its depiction of strategy amongst the various factions, feeling like a very masculine, old-school war film for much of its 180 minute run time, one where the presence of women is minimal. I just didn't feel the weight of the political intrigue or the emotions of the characters, perhaps with the exception of the feudal lord's son.
It was interesting to find out about the real-life Battle of Nagashino (though it seems the impersonator is fictional), and maybe if I had known the history or context better, it would have resonated more. One thing to beware of while watching it is to not confuse Nobukado (the brother) with Nobunaga (one of the enemies). I'd also say that Kurosawa did a much better job in all aspects of filmmaking just five years later with his devastating masterpiece 'Ran,' also an anti-war film, and would certainly recommend it over Kagemusha.
It was interesting to find out about the real-life Battle of Nagashino (though it seems the impersonator is fictional), and maybe if I had known the history or context better, it would have resonated more. One thing to beware of while watching it is to not confuse Nobukado (the brother) with Nobunaga (one of the enemies). I'd also say that Kurosawa did a much better job in all aspects of filmmaking just five years later with his devastating masterpiece 'Ran,' also an anti-war film, and would certainly recommend it over Kagemusha.