All language subtitles for Akira Kurosawa - It Is Wonderful to Create - The Making-of Kagemusha_track3_[eng]-eng

AKIRA KUROSAWA

A truly good movie
is really enjoyable, too.

There's nothing complicated about it.

A truly good movie is interesting
and easy to understand.

Ready.

Action!

He loved cinema
and believed in its power.

Akira Kurosawa
lived his life for cinema.

He made 30 films in his life,

which have been
appreciated worldwide.

Kurosawa's films have had
a great impact on the film industry.

Let's take a look aft his passion
FINAL SCENE OF MADADAYO

through the 55 years of moviemaking

that began with Sanshiro Sugata.

Cut!

IT IS WONDERFUL TO CREATE!
— AKIRA KUROSAWA

THE WORLD WAS WAITING
FOR AKIRA KUROSAWA

SHINGEN

When you honestly draw on paper
an image you have in your mind,

that drawing somehow
speaks fo the viewer.

The Takeda army, with banners
bearing the words of Sun Tzu,

Is seen in a speclacular battle scene

from this drama of human hearts
set in the Warring Slates period.

It began as more than
200 pages of storyboards

Kurosawa used pencil, watercolor
and other familiar art supplies

fo make meticulous illustrations

of characters' expressions, lighting,
costumes and set designs.

From a very young age,

Kurosawa loved fo draw
and drew anything he saw.
NARRATED BY
MASAYUKI YUI

“When the screenplay
for Kagemusha was completed,

I was excited fo take it
fo movie studios,

but every studio refected it
because of its setting.

But I wanted them fo at least see
the images I had in my mind,

so I began making the storyboards,”
said Kurosawa.

He was hoping to show the studios
what he wanted fo do.

He wanted to make the film
but wasn't having any luck,

so he wanted to show what he had in mind.
TERUYO NOGAMI — ASSOCIATE
PRODUCER/SCRIPT SUPERVISOR

Also, he couldn't just do nothing,
so he drew the storyboards.

I think he was living
in lIruma back then.

I took the storyboards
and paid visits to many big studios.

Oh, you did?
INTERVIEWED BY
MASAYUKI YUI

It was like I was peddling
the storyboards.

If makes sense. [tf was easier
fo communicate his ideas

through illustrations
rather than a script.

When a confiict over the film's budget
nearly derailed the project,

Francis Ford Coppola,
a self-described disciple of Kurosawa,

and George Lucas offered to help

with the film's worldwide distribution.

Such ardent support from overseas

enabled Kurosawa fo make
this film after a five-year hiatus.

To advance the growth
of Japanese cinema,

and to discover and develop new talents,

Kurosawa ran an unprecedented,
large-scale audition for the cast.

ACTORS WANTED

The audition was open to all actors,
both professional and amateur.

Though the audition
was for male actors,

2,000 actresses applied as well,
an unheard-of occurrence.

The way Mr. Kurosawa saw actors
was completely different

from the way we did.

TAKAO SAITO
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY

He would see a person
and think about that person's potential.

On the other hand,

we would first think of a role,
and then try to fit a suitable actor.

But Mr. Kurosawa saw
what an actor was capable of.

There was such a turnout.

There were thousands of people.
TAKASHI KOIZUMI — DIRECTOR

All kinds of people auditioned,
from students to company presidents.

Just those interviewed numbered —
I wish there was a record of them.

Mr. Kurosawa took time
with each person interviewed.

He was really polite
with each interviewee.

When a studio's film department
selected actors, for instance,

the studio people would cast
according to a standard.

So if they were to cast an actress,

they tended to choose someone
who looked like an established star.

But there's no point in doing that.

And when I finally found
an interesting actor,

the studio people tended
to reject that kind of actor.

The way studios choose actors in Japan

seems misguided to me.

In order to be developed, a talent
needs to have an interesting quality.

DAISUKE RYU as NOBUNAGA ODA

Just being able to meet Mr. Kurosawa
was an amazing opportunity.

No one thought I would be picked.
DAISUKE RYU —- ACTOR

I didn't even think so myself.

MASAYUKI YUI
as IEYASU TOKUGAWA

There were five interviewers.

Five applicants would line up before them.
MASAYUKI YUI —- ACTOR

I happened to line up
in front of Mr. Kurosawa.

It was your decision to audition?
JINPACHI NEZU
as SOHACHIRO TSUCHIYA

That's right.

I wanted Mr. Kurosawa to see my acting.
JINPACHI NEZU — ACTOR

I had a strong desire
to have him see my acting.

By having him see me,

I felt I could acquire

a certain degree of confidence
to continue as an actor.

So I badly wanted to be in the audition.

How old were you back then?

I was 31 years old.

CASTING ANNOUNCEMENT

A press conference
orchestrated by Kurosawa

was held to introduce 70 cast members,
selected from among 15,000 applicants.

Finally, shooting began on the film
that had drawn worldwide attention.

KATSU GETS CUT FROM KAGEMUSHA
(DATED JULY 21, 1979)

Then a completely unexpected
firing of the lead actor occurred.

THE FILM NEEDS ONLY ONE DIRECTOR

Shintaro Katsu, who was fo play
the lead in Kagemusha,

wanted to videotape his scenes
SHINTARO KATSU

in order fo study his acting.

This request led
fo a clash of opinion with Kurosawa.

Mr. Katsu was really enthusiastic
TERUYO NOGAMI —
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER

right from the preproduction stage
and said, “I'm having a great time.”

He said that to me often.

He really wanted to play the role.

So he offered various suggestions
with good intentions,

such as sending
his still photos from Kyoto.

They had symbols on the back
to indicate which ones to use.

Although he was just being eager,
that was going too far.

That led to the line,
“The film needs only one director.”

The project was the first time
that Mr. Kurosawa and Mr. Katsu met?

It was.

They had never worked together before?

No, never.

That was probably
part of the problem.

I think Mr. Kurosawa had seen
Mr. Katsu's work on television

but didn't know him personally.

Mr. Katsu fold you he was going
fo record himself on video, right?
JINPACHI NEZU — ACTOR

Yes. He said, “I'm going
to videotape myself today.”

He took the liberty of telling me that
as if it were a done deal.

- You felt an ominous premonition?
- I did.

I thought there was no way
Mr. Kurosawa would allow that.

I felt it just didn't sound right.

The first fo finish getting his makeup on,
and in full costume,

Katsu entered the soundstage

and made a request fo Kurosawa
about videotaping.

I was sitting in front of the mirror
in the dressing room,

when the glass door opened,
and in came

none other than Mr. Katsu himself.

I wondered why he was back.

He started undressing
in a violent frenzy.

I thought he was burning
to go to the bathroom.

But even so, he was peeling off
his costume ferociously and rapidly.

Then...

he yanked the wig off
and threw it down in front of the mirror.

At that instant, I realized
that something had happened.

Everyone waited and thought

that Mr. Kurosawa
was weighing the situation.

With the assistant director
standing in,

we were rehearsing
with Mr. Katsu's understudy

the movements decided on
in the previous day's rehearsal.

Mr. Kurosawa returned to the set
fairly soon, and we were surprised.

Everyone was told to assemble,

and the first thing Mr. Kurosawa said
was, “Katsu is relieved of his role.”

Everyone was kind of paralyzed
upon hearing that.

“MARTIAL LAW” ON THE SET
NAKADAI TO PLAY SHINGEN

Replacing an actor in a lead role
rarely happens in Japanese cinema.

IN PERFECT RAPPORT
AT KAGEMUSHA PRESS CONFERENCE
Kurosawa's new choice

was Tatsuya Nakadai.

KAGEMUSHA PRESS CONFERENCE

‘It takes extra time to work
with someone you don't know.

Nakadai has been in three of my films,
and we know each other's ways.”

I agreed to be Mr. Katsu's replacement,
and a press conference was held.

I said every actor in the world
wanted to work with Mr. Kurosawa,

so even though I was a replacement,
it was a great opportunity for me,

and I was happy
to play the role.

INTERVIEWED BY
TERUYO NOGAMI

Then all kinds of headlines cropped up,
quoting my words out of context.

I heard Mr. Katsu's people
were enraged when they saw them,

saying that what I had said
was unforgivable as an actor,

and that they were really infuriated.

I then ran into Mr. Katsu's brother,
Tomisaburo Wakayama.

He was still angry with me.

So I said,
“Mr. Wakayama, let's talk.”

We went into a café in Atami.
I remember it vividly.

I told him, “I tried to be courteous

and show my respect and honor
to Mr. Katsu —”

well, “respect and honor”
makes me sound like a yakuza —

but I said that to show
my respect and honor,

I had tried to see Mr. Katsu
for over a week,

but Mr. Katsu had avoided me.

I asked him if he knew about that.

He said, “No, I didn't.”

Then I explained what I had really said
and meant at the press conference.

And he said, “I see.”

SEPTEMBER 1979
THE RUINS OF AZUCHI CASTLE
Everyone worked together fo create

the vision that Kurosawa was after.

Kurosawa didn't just
command his crew,

but willingly worked
alongside his crew members

pulling weeds, removing rocks
and scrubbing floors.

Kurosawa always fold his crew
fo aim a little higher,

fo not be content
fo just do one's job,

but to cooperate with others foo.

He believed that was the way lo achieve
captivating imagery on screen.

“Kagemusha fells a story
of human obsession,”

says Masalo Ide, who wrote
the screenplay with Kurosawa.

It portrays the tragedy of Shingen,
his double, and Takeda's retainers.

The first scene establishes
their relationships symbolically,

and Tatsuya Nakadai deftly portrays
two different characters.

I only stole a few coins.
I'm a petty thief.

A man who's killed hundreds

and robbed whole domains
is hardly the one...

is hardly the one...

to call...

to call me a scoundrel.

On a large-scale shoot,

an accident can sometimes occur even
when everyone's paying close attention.

Nakadai falls off a horse
in one scene.

Everyone at the shoot was looking
the other way but for one guy,

and this guy called out,
“He fell off the horse!”

Nakadai was climbing up a slope
on the horse.

Beyond the slope,
it dropped off over a cliff.

So Nakadai was afraid to go too far.

The slope flattens out before the drop,

but he pulled the reins
while he was still on the slope.

There were about eight men
on horseback coming from behind me.

But I had been taught
never to move if I fell from a horse,

and more horses
were coming from behind.

So I just kept still.

Every time a horseshoe hit
the ornament on my helmet,

I heard these clinks.

I broke a few ribs here

because the sword I had strapped on
pressed into my ribs and broke them.

When I regained consciousness,
I was inside an ambulance,

and Mr. Kurosawa was watching me
with a really concerned look.

His face was right above mine.

With the revitalization
of Japanese cinema in mind,

Kurosawa hired
newly discovered actors for the film.

Sometimes Kurosawa directed
these actors with great flexibility.

He had this fo say:

‘I have never felt
my work is perfect.

I just endeavor to make a film

that is as close as possible to my vision.”
MASAYUKI YUI (left)
as IEYASU TOKUGAWA

From such a work philosophy,
an interesting episode was born.

leyasu is given an unfamiliar drink,

and he drinks this red wine in one scene.
MASAYUKI YUI - ACTOR

And Non-chan — that is,
Ms. Nogami, the script supervisor —

gave us real wine, though, of course,
she didn't give it to us straight.

But she had it chilled
and diluted with water.

Still, we were given real alcohol
starting right from rehearsal.

The scene involved a cavalry regiment
and infantrymen with spears,

and the crew was working
with intense concentration.

Shooting that scene
took a really long time.

Everyone's actions had to be coordinated,
so the rehearsal was long, too.

I wound up drinking quite a bit
of the wine, and I got drunk.

Because leyasu is visiting
the more powerful Nobunaga,

he places his sword behind him

to show that he has no intention
of harming Nobunaga.

The sword is placed behind
where it can't be easily reached.

That was the proper etiquette.

They then both emerge
from the screened-off area.

The scene after that
was to be shot in Hokkaido.

We come out of the screened area,
and then the shoot moves to Hokkaido.

But we realized that leyasu
had left his sword behind.

Someone noticed it
while watching the rushes.

Mr. Kurosawa later said,
“Well, since you forgot the sword,

I had a chance fo improve that scene.”
He said that it improved the story.

I need to go put down
that religious uprising in Ise.

I have much to do.

Raise the curtain!

On your feet!

I arrived too late to help you.

This gold expresses my regrets.

I will leave Takeda to you.

Farewell.

Shingen's grandson Takemaru
had to be cas,

but the search for a child
with the right look wasn't going well.

By chance, Kurosawa happened
fo see Kota Yui.
KOTA YUI — MASAYUKI YUI'S SON
(AGE 5 AT THE TIME)

You look so natural

and adorable in the film.

Mr. Kurosawa's direction didn't elicit that
KOTA YUIl - ACTOR

It was due to his astuteness
in choosing the right child.

I really don't think
I did anything on my part.

If Takemaru were not adorable,
Mr. Nakadai couldn't have done his part.

Don't you marvel at yourself
for your work at such a young age?

What I remember from the shoot

is being told to say to Mr. Nakadai,
“No! He is not my grandfather.”

So without understanding the meaning,

I kept telling myself repeatedly
that he wasn't my grandfather.

In my mind, I uttered the line
as forcefully as I could.

That's how I remember it.

Congratulations
on your victory, my lord.

No! He is not my grandfather.

Kurosawa's shooting technique

fook full advantage of the weather.

On location shoofts, he utilized
the seasons and the lay of the land,

and the weather miraculously
cooperated with him numerous fimes.

He never once treated me like a son.

You're mistaken.

He had this kind of luck with the weather
on Kagemusha as well.

It was the wind
that cooperated this time.

He wished to be buried in Lake Suwa

in his armor.

Do you know why?

Since you live here in Suwa Castle,

he wanted to be near you,
to aid you.

Kaftsuyori's irritation is expressed
by the whitecaps on the lake.

The view of the lake
through the castle windows

Is shot fo great effect in this scene.

At times, when shooting the scene

involving the use
of a large-scale smoke effect,

Kurosawa needed the wind fo be still.

It must have been hard fo achieve
that smoke effect on the lake.

It actually went better than we expected.
KOICHI HAMAMURA —- SET DECORATOR

The shoot went smoothly.

Mr. Kurosawa asked,
“Hama-chan, can we do it today?”

So I said, “Let's wait a little
and see the wind's condition.”

“Oh, there isn't much wind.
Let's do it,”

I said to him a little later.

He said, “Okay, let's do it.”
So we did.

And the shot went well.

We had about six boats
carrying smoke machines,

so I thought I'd get away
on one of them.

But Mr. Kurosawa said,
“No, Hama-chan, stay here.”

You tried fo get away?

To where the action was.

- You must have practiced rowing a lot.
- Yes, I practiced on the Tama river.
JINPACHI NEZU — ACTOR

So you had to control —
What do you call it, the rudder?

No, it was a scull.
The boat didn't have a rudder.

You control the direction of the boat
by adjusting the way you row with the scull.

So there was no rudder.

When you feel
you're drifting this way,

you work the scull like this
to get back on course.

It sounds difficult

It was pretty difficult.

On top of that,
I was surprised to find

three other fully armored samurai
besides myself in the boat.

I wasn't expecting that.

So the boat was heavy.

Also, the boat itself was far larger
than the one I had practiced in.

So you weren't fold beforehand.

It was a hard scene to do.

But miraculously,
the scene went well in one take.

If it hadnt, I can't even imagine
how much it might have cost

if we had had fo do a retake.

When you entered the mist,

the white smoke blanketed everything,
right? You couldn't see anything?

No, I just had to rely
on my sense of direction.

That's kind of sad.

You were rowing even when
the camera couldn't see you.

That's right.

When we were enveloped
by the smoke, I got nervous.

I was worried
about drifting off course.

What are they doing?

What's in that jar?

The task of supporting Kurosawa
and bringing his vision to life

fell on Kurosawa's crew members.

Art director Yoshiro Muraki
was one such crew member.
YOSHIRO MURAKI
ART DIRECTOR

When you make something like this,

you don't get fo make it fo this scale.
Usually just some parts of it.

But it was different
with Mr. Kurosawa. It was great.

He was good with spotlighting
the background set.

In other words, if you made it,

he would show it fully on film.

There was no one
better at that than him.

Starting with Kagemusha, a new
crew member joined the technical team.

Takeshi Sano of the lighting crew.

He was really —

TAKEJI SANO - LIGHTING DIRECTOR

He painted pictures as well,

which I found out later,
so he liked to play with lighting.

He did.

The difference between us lighting men
and painters is — how can I put it?

Painters paint a picture
on a white canvas,

but we try to create a picture
against a black background.

That's the difference.

A white canvas is the starting point
for a painter's work,

whereas for our job we start
with a black background.

Except for that difference in approach,

lighting is just like painting.

That's why Mr. Kurosawa liked lighting.

There's a subdued color called GB,

a pale blue with a greenish tinge,
that I used as a filter in a scene.

- An almost undetectable tinge?
- Right, nearly unnoticeable.

But Mr. Kurosawa said,
“Sano, the color seems a bit off.”

The green tinge was really slight.

Most people who saw it

wouldn't notice that the blue had
a green tint to it unless they were told.

But he noticed it.

It was amazing.

See? The difference
between these two is hardly noticeable.

That incident shows
how sharp he was about color.

After discussing it with Kurosawa,
Sano tried something new,

and that concerned his choice
of a base filter color.

Normally, you use a blue filter
for night scenes.

Isn't that right?

But Mr. Kurosawa's painting
or imagery in his films

didn't restrict you
to using blue for night,

red for a fire,

or a certain color for morning.

As long as a color seemed right,
he was fine with it.

So I told him that I wanted to use
a green filter for a night scene.

He said all right without reservation.

It's not easy to agree like that
to try something different.

Yes, that's true.

But the reason I wanted to use green

wasn't only because
no one else used it.

I had my own reasons
for choosing the color.

I wanted to use green
to suggest a world of death.

Green is a neutral color.

Both red and blue kill other colors.

They overpower other colors.

But to suggest a world of death —
Well, if I were asked,

I would have answered
that I chose green for that purpose.

But I guess he understood my reasons
and said all right, so we used green.

You wouldn't see that done normally.

- What was that?
- What happened?

There's a scene where Katsuyori

is standing on the top of a hill,
and his army's defeat seems imminent.
SHINICHIRO IKEBE — COMPOSER

- Where he's in silhouette?
- Yes, that's the one.

Music for that scene is short,
probably 40 seconds or so.

And I hadn't written
a piece for the scene.

Then Mr. Kurosawa said

that we could use music
from another scene.

He said the middle section
of the piece would fit that scene.

You mean a piece you had already used?

Yes, a piece already used
in another scene.

So he suggested that we reuse
the middle section of the piece.

I replied that even if the piece's mood
fit the scene, the length wouldn't.

Then he said, “The rhythmic flow
is the same in both movies and music.

The length required to show a certain
meaning is the same. Let's try it.”

And the middle section fit
the scene perfectly.

I said, “Wow, it fits perfectly.”

He said,
“Movies and music are alike,

so their rhythmic flow shares
a common length.”

I don't think that applies
to all movies and music,

but I felt Kurosawa's genius
from that comment.

I couldn't believe that the music
and the scene fit together.

The theme music for Kagemusha
Is a theme for Shingen?

Yes, you could say that.

How did you come up with the music?

Mr. Kurosawa asked me to play
the basic melody of a few pieces for him.

He asked me to do that
on Dreams, too.

For Kagemusha, he asked me to play
the melody of the main theme on the piano.

He wanted me to play several pieces
so he could choose from them.

I don't remember the exact number,
but I wrote about 15 or 16 pieces.

I wouldn't be able to talk
about this if he were still alive,

but I had a strategy.

Although I wrote 15 or 16 pieces,

I wasn't happy with some pieces
and didn't want him to pick those.

- Those were just padding?
- That's right.

When you wrote 15 or 16 pieces,
not all were to your satisfaction.

There were some I was happy with
and others not so much.

I wanted Mr. Kurosawa to pick
the one I was happy with,

because that would be the foundation
for the rest of music in the film.

So among the 15 or 16 pieces I played,
the first piece wasn't so good.

I had arranged the order
of the pieces just so.

Sure enough, Mr. Kurosawa said,
“Not so good.”

That was expected,
because I felt the same way.

Even by the fourth piece,
I still hadn't played a good one.

Then Mr. Kurosawa said,
“I can't grasp it.”

He said, “I can't grasp this one.”

Meaning he wanted me to write
something he could grasp.

Something that would grab the audience
and stay with them after one hearing.

But the fourth piece I played
was complicated and hard to grasp.

Sure enough, he said,
“This is too complicated.”

I thought to myself,
“Of course. That was intentional.”

I had arranged to play
the best piece eighth in order.

But before that, I played
my second favorite as the sixth piece.

Amazingly enough,
Mr. Kurosawa liked that one too.

Because we both wanted something
that could be grasped.

So Mr. Kurosawa said,
“This one is good, but still a bit —

It's not the very best one.
Let's consider it as a second choice.”

My second choice was the sixth one too,
while my first choice was the eighth.

So just when Mr. Kurosawa was itching
to hear a really good one,

I played the piece
that I wanted him to pick.

Very crafty!

I played the eighth piece
that has the melody like this.

And Mr. Kurosawa said,
“This is good. Yes, I like this one.

This would be my first choice.”
But he wanted to hear the rest, too.

But the remaining pieces were junk,

so my heart wasn't into playing them.

He kept saying, “No good,”
all the way to the last.

Then he said, “Play the piece
I picked as the first choice.

Yeah, we'll go with this one.”

So I succeeded in outwitting him
with my strategy.

With banners bearing Sun Tzu's words
ralsed high, the Takeda army advances.

Kurosawa's passion is felt even
in shooting the large-scale battle scene.

Mr. Kurosawa said,
“What is it, Hama-chan?”
KOICHI HAMAMURA —- SET DECORATOR

I said, “For the location shoot
in Hokkaido,

we can't possibly take all the helpers
for dressing armor on extras.

Why don't we train
the Group of 30 Cavalrymen

in how to mount Japanese saddles
and how to wear armor

so they could help us in Hokkaido?”

“That's a very good idea,” he said.

- It was your idea?
- Yes.

So when I made the suggestion,
he said, “Let's start tonight.”

That was a very good idea.

It was, and it made my job much easier.

One person was in charge
of dozens of people.

Yes, the group really helped us a lot.

So many non-actors worked
and helped as extras on the film.
TAKASHI KOIZUMI — DIRECTOR

They were students and people
who admired Mr. Kurosawa.

They really contributed a lot,

because they were full of enthusiasm
to take part in Mr. Kurosawa's film.

Even If their faces
didn't show in the film,

they were just happy fo be part of it.

The Group of 30 Cavalrymen
instructed extras

in how to wear sandals
and helmets and such,

and their contribution was great.

A few actors from those who auditioned
were selected as squad leaders,
THE GROUP OF 30 CAVALRYMEN

and each fook care of about 30 extras.

People say that without their help,
the battle scenes couldn't have been shot

The camera rolled thanks to their help.

Horse trainer Minpei Shirai
remembers the shoot.

Mr. Kurosawa wanted to shoot
MINPEI SHIRAI — RANCH OWNER

horses struggling frantically
among the dead soldiers.

There's a scene
of a sea of dead bodies.

So I told him that was impossible,

because having horses move around
among people lying on the ground

was too dangerous.

I suggested he use dolls
as stand-ins for dead soldiers.

He said that he didn't like dolls.

Thus the shoot proceeded
as Kurosawa intended.

There are individual differences
when you use anesthetics.

The same amount of anesthetic
works differently on different horses.

So armor-clad veterinarians dispensed
shots to the horses for the scene.

And the only period
when all the horses were asleep

lasted a mere ten seconds.

Mr. Kurosawa wanted it
to last more than ten seconds.

So when we were doing the last take,

he said softly, “Please don't move.”

Then I couldn't help myself,
and I shouted, “Don't move!

Stay still a bit longer!”
into the microphone.

Then the horses started thrashing.

And the actors playing dead soldiers
began moving away from the horses,

even those who were
in front of the camera.

Shirai was apprehensive about
the dangers involved in the shoot.

Yet he surprised himself
when he shouted into the microphone,

and he still remembers it vividly.

I was able to do it because I saw myself
as an outsider, not a moviemaker.

I couldn't help doing it
when it came down to the wire.

Then I understood
why the crew worked so hard

when Mr. Kurosawa
wanted something done.

They felt the same way I felt
when I shouted, “Don't move!”

People who feel that way
came together as Mr. Kurosawa's crew.

Those who didn't feel that way
would eventually do so.

It was remarkable.

I should say “ordinary crew members,”
rather than “those who didn't feel that way.”

As they work on a few shoots,
or work as his crew on several films,

without being forced or anything,

they begin to feel that they want
to do their best for Mr. Kurosawa.

That spontaneous feeling
brought out their dedication.

In a sense, Mr. Kurosawa
breathed life into different things
DAISUKE RYU —- ACTOR

through his direction.

With dozens of characters in a film,

he put his energy
into each one of the characters.

I think that's
such a tremendous thing to do.

The energy of doing that —

I really think what he was able
fo do was extraordinary.

By making maximum use

of the script and storyboards,

the film Kagemusha was made.

Studios had predicted the film's failure
because of its sefting,

but the film won the Palme d'Or
at the Cannes Film Festival

and went on fo earn a great profit.
MAY 1980 — CANNES

While following the tradition
of Japanese period drama,

the film created a new kind of story
set in the Warring States period.

Kurosawa's vision
as seen in the storyboards

was recreated on the screen.

Yet Kurosawa had this to say:

“Wustrations don't move.
But in a film, pictures must move.

The point is how fo capture
moving pictures on film.”