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Kagemusha
is a 1980 jidaigeki film directed by Akira Kurosawa. It is set in the Sengoku period of Japanese history and tells the story of a lower-class criminal who is taught to impersonate the dying ''daimyō'' Takeda Shingen to dissuade opposing lords from attacking the newly vulnerable clan. ''Kagemusha'' is the Japanese term for a political decoy, literally meaning "shadow warrior". The film ends with the climactic 1575 Battle of Nagashino. The film won the Palme d'Or at the 1980 Cannes Film Festival (tied with '' All That Jazz''). It was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and received other honours. In 2009 the film was voted at No. 59 on the list of ''The Greatest Japanese Films of All Time'' by Japanese film magazine Kinema Junpo. Plot During the Sengoku period, Takeda Shingen, ''daimyō'' of the Takeda clan, meets a thief his brother Nobukado spared from crucifixion due to the thief's uncanny resemblance to Shingen; the brothers agree that he would ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Akira Kurosawa
was a Japanese filmmaker and painter who directed thirty films in a career spanning over five decades. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema. Kurosawa displayed a bold, dynamic style, strongly influenced by Western cinema yet distinct from it; he was involved with all aspects of film production. Kurosawa entered the Japanese film industry in 1936, following a brief stint as a painter. After years of working on numerous films as an assistant director and scriptwriter, he made his debut as a director during World War II with the popular action film '' Sanshiro Sugata''. After the war, the critically acclaimed ''Drunken Angel'' (1948), in which Kurosawa cast the then little-known actor Toshiro Mifune in a starring role, cemented the director's reputation as one of the most important young filmmakers in Japan. The two men would go on to collaborate on another fifteen films. ''Rashomon'' (1950), which premiered ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1980 Cannes Film Festival
The 33rd Cannes Film Festival was held between 9 and 23 May 1980. The Palme d'Or went to the '' All That Jazz'' by Bob Fosse and ''Kagemusha'' by Akira Kurosawa. The festival opened with '' Fantastica'', directed by Gilles Carle and closed with '' Sono fotogenico'', directed by Dino Risi. The showing of Andrei Tarkovsky's film '' Stalker'' was interrupted by an electricians strike. Jury The following people were appointed as the Jury of the 1980 feature film competition: Feature films * Kirk Douglas (USA) Jury President *Ken Adam (UK) *Robert Benayoun (France) *Veljko Bulajić (Yugoslavia) *Leslie Caron (France) *Charles Champlin (USA) *André Delvaux (Belgium) *Gian Luigi Rondi (Italy) *Michael Spencer (Canada) *Albina du Boisrouvray (France) Official selection In competition - Feature film The following feature films competed for the Palme d'Or: *'' All That Jazz'' by Bob Fosse *''Being There'' by Hal Ashby *''The Big Red One'' by Samuel Fuller *''Breaker Morant'' by Bruce ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tatsuya Nakadai
is a Japanese film actor. He was featured in 11 films directed by Masaki Kobayashi, including ''The Human Condition'' trilogy, wherein he starred as the lead character Kaji, plus ''Harakiri'', ''Samurai Rebellion'' and ''Kwaidan''. Nakadai worked with some of Japan's best-known filmmakers—starring or co-starring in five films directed by Akira Kurosawa, as well as being cast in significant films directed by Hiroshi Teshigahara (''The Face of Another''), Mikio Naruse (''When a Woman Ascends the Stairs''), Kihachi Okamoto (''Kill!'' and ''The Sword of Doom''), Hideo Gosha (''Goyokin''), Shirō Toyoda (''Portrait of Hell'') and Kon Ichikawa (''Enjō'' and ''Odd Obsession''). Biography Nakadai grew up in a very poor family and was unable to afford a university education, prompting him to take up acting. He picked up a liking of Broadway musicals, and travels once a year to New York City to watch them. Nakadai was working as a shop clerk in Tokyo before a chance encounter with ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Palme D'Or
The Palme d'Or (; en, Golden Palm) is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festival's highest prize was the Grand Prix du Festival International du Film. In 1964, The Palme d'Or was replaced again by the Grand Prix, before being reintroduced in 1975. The Palme d'Or is widely considered one of the film industry's most prestigious awards. History In 1954, the festival decided to present an award annually, titled the Grand Prix of the International Film Festival, with a new design each year from a contemporary artist. The festival's board of directors invited several jewellers to submit designs for a palm, in tribute to the coat of arms of the city of Cannes, evoking the famous legend of Saint Honorat and the palm trees lining the famous Promenade de la Croisette. The original design by Parisian jeweller Lucienne Lazon, inspired by a sketch by director Jean ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shin'ichirō Ikebe
Shin'ichirō Ikebe ( ja , 池辺 晋一郎 ''Ikebe Shin'ichirō''; born September 15, 1943 in Mito, Ibaraki) is a Japanese composer of contemporary classical music. Overviews He has written the scores for many films by Akira Kurosawa and other Japanese film directors, including ''Kagemusha'' (1980), ''MacArthur's Children'' (1984), '' Kurosawa's Dreams'' (1990), '' Rhapsody in August'' (1991), ''Madadayo'' (1993), and ''Warm Water Under a Red Bridge'' (2001). Biography He studied composition with Tomojirō Ikenouchi, Akio Yashiro, and Akira Miyoshi at the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, obtaining a master's degree in 1971. He serves as a professor at the Tokyo College of Music. He had several awards up to 2004, such as Excellence at the Salzburg TV Opera, The Italian Broadcasting Corporation, that is, RAI, The International Emmy Award, the Otaka Award, Broadcasting Culture Award, Yoshio Sagawa incentive Award, Medal with Purple Ribbon. Selected works ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Political Decoy
A political decoy is a person employed to impersonate a politician, to draw attention away from the real person or to take risks on that person's behalf. This can also apply to military figures, or civilians impersonated for political or espionage purposes. The political decoy is an individual who has been selected because of strong physical resemblance to the person being impersonated. This resemblance can be strengthened by plastic surgery. Often, such decoys are trained to speak and behave like the "target". Political decoys in history Since deception is the whole purpose of employing a political decoy, many instances of alleged decoying remain uncertain. Joe R. Reeder, an undersecretary for the U.S. Army from 1993 to 1997, has gone on record with claims that a number of figures around the world have or have had decoys, including Manuel Noriega, Raoul Cédras, Enver Hoxha, Fidel Castro, George W. Bush and Osama bin Laden. Of Noriega's alleged four decoys, Reeder said, "They ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lake Suwa
is a lake in the Kiso Mountains, in the central region of Nagano Prefecture, Japan. Geography The lake is the source of the Tenryū River. It ranks 24th in lake water surface area in Japan. The cities of Suwa and Okaya and the town of Shimosuwa are located on the shores of Lake Suwa. Omiwatari Lake Suwa is the site of a natural phenomenon known as the , large cracks that form in the winter across the surface of the frozen lake. A vertical temperature gradient results in ice pressure ridges forming in the surface ice, reaching heights of or more. Local Shinto tradition holds that the ridges are formed by the gods crossing the lake when traveling between the various buildings of the Suwa Grand Shrine. Folklore says it is the guardian god of Suwa, Takeminakata-no-kami, leaving his sanctuary to meet with his wife, the goddess , joining the opposite bank by walking on frozen water. The record of this crossing is the oldest-known human-observed climate record. This record has ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Toho
is a Japanese film, theatre production and distribution company. It has its headquarters in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. Outside of Japan, it is best known as the producer and distributor of many '' kaiju'' and ''tokusatsu'' films, the Chouseishin ''tokusatsu'' superhero television franchise, the films of Akira Kurosawa, and the anime films of Studio Ghibli, CoMix Wave Films, TMS Entertainment and OLM, Inc. All nine of the highest-grossing Japanese films are released by Toho. Other famous directors, including Yasujirō Ozu, Kenji Mizoguchi, Masaki Kobayashi, and Mikio Naruse, also directed films for Toho. Toho's most famous creation is Godzilla, who is featured in 32 of the company's films. Godzilla, Rodan, Mothra, King Ghidorah and Mechagodzilla are described as Toho's Big Five because of the monsters' numerous appearances throughout the franchise, as well as spin-offs. Toho has also been involved in the pro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Uesugi Kenshin
, later known as was a Japanese ''daimyō''. He was born in Nagao clan, and after adoption into the Uesugi clan, ruled Echigo Province in the Sengoku period of Japan. He was one of the most powerful ''daimyō'' of the Sengoku period. Known as the "Dragon of Echigo", while chiefly remembered for his prowess on the battlefield as a military genius, Kenshin is also regarded as an extremely skillful administrator who fostered the growth of local industries and trade and his rule saw a marked rise in the standard of living of Echigo. Kenshin is famed for his honourable conduct, his military expertise, a long-standing rivalry with Takeda Shingen, his numerous defensive campaigns to restore order in the Kantō region as the '' Kanto Kanrei'', and his belief in the Buddhist god of war— Bishamonten. Many of his followers and others believed him to be the Avatar of Bishamonten, and called Kenshin the "God of War". Name His original name was Nagao Kagetora (長尾景虎). He changed ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oda Nobunaga
was a Japanese ''daimyō'' and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period. He is regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan. Nobunaga was head of the very powerful Oda clan, and launched a war against other ''daimyō'' to unify Japan in the 1560s. Nobunaga emerged as the most powerful ''daimyō'', overthrowing the nominally ruling shogun Ashikaga Yoshiaki and dissolving the Ashikaga Shogunate in 1573. He conquered most of Honshu island by 1580, and defeated the ''Ikkō-ikki'' rebels in the 1580s. Nobunaga's rule was noted for innovative military tactics, fostering of free trade, reforms of Japan's civil government, and the start of the Momoyama historical art period, but also for the brutal suppression of those who refused to cooperate or yield to his demands. Nobunaga was killed in the Honnō-ji Incident in 1582, when his retainer Akechi Mitsuhide ambushed him in Kyoto and forced him to commit . Nobunaga was succeeded by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who along with Toku ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tomoyuki Tanaka
was a Japanese film producer. He is best known for co-creating the ''Godzilla'' franchise and its associated spin-offs. Early life Tanaka was born on April 26, 1910, in Kashiwara, Osaka. As a child, he would often walk miles to the nearest theater to watch silent adventure and ninja films in the afternoons. At the age of 14, Tanaka saw the silent Western film ''The Covered Wagon'' and was so enamored by its cinematography that it remained his all-time favorite film. In his youth, Tanaka was once disowned by his parents because he focused more on his interests, films and acting, than on his studies. Career Soon after graduating from Kansai University in 1940, Tanaka joined Taisho Studios which merged with Toho Studios in 1941. After four years with the company, he began producing his own films, and his first effort, '' Three Women of the North'', was released in 1945. In his 60-year career with Toho, Tanaka produced more than 200 films. He is best known as the creator, wit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Takeda Clan
The was a Japanese samurai clan active from the late Heian period until the late 16th century. The clan was historically based in Kai Province in present-day Yamanashi Prefecture. The clan reached its greatest influence under the rule of Takeda Shingen, one of the most famous rulers of the period. History Origin The Takeda are descendants of the Emperor Seiwa (858–876), the 56th Emperor of Japan, and are a branch of the Minamoto clan (Seiwa Genji), by Minamoto no Yoshimitsu (1056–1127), son of the '' Chinjufu-shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoriyoshi (988-1075), and brother to the famous Minamoto no Yoshiie (1039–1106). Minamoto no Yoshikiyo (1075–1149), son of Yoshimitsu, was the first to take the name of Takeda, which he took when his father granted him Takeda domain in Hitachi Province; thereafter, he was known as Takeda Yoshikiyo. Kamakura to early Azuchi–Momoyama periods In the 12th century, at the end of the Heian period, the Takeda family-controlled Kai Province. Alon ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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