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Japanese one sheet poster is for Kagemusha
(literally "Shadow Warrior"), a 1980 Japanese historical epic directed by Akira Kurosawa. Set during Japan's Sengoku period, it tells the story of a lower-class petty thief who is recruited to impersonate the dying warlord Takeda Shingen to keep rival clans at bay.
The film was a significant international collaboration, notably co-presented by George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola, who helped secure funding for Kurosawa after he struggled to find backing in Japan. It won the Palme d'Or at the 1980 Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for two Academy Awards.
Cast and Creative Team
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Starring: Tatsuya Nakadai (in the dual roles of Lord Shingen and the thief)
Key Supporting Cast:
Tsutomu Yamazaki as Takeda Nobukado (Shingen's brother)
Kenichi Hagiwara as Takeda Katsuyori (Shingen's son)
Jinpachi Nezu as Tsuchiya Sohachiro
Music: Shinichiro Ikebe
Story Overview
The plot centers on a thief spared from execution because of his uncanny physical resemblance to the powerful daimyo Takeda Shingen. When Shingen is mortally wounded by a sniper, his inner circle uses the thief as a body double to conceal the leader's death for three years. Over time, the thief begins to internalize the identity of the man he is impersonating, ultimately witnessing the tragic downfall of the Takeda clan at the Battle of Nagashino. |
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