After his great Shakespearean adaptations of Hamlet (Throne of Blood) and Hamlet (The Bad Sleep Well) Akira Kurosawa wanted to make a King Lear, but got distracted making a Prince and the Pauper. Lear would make a more straightforward presence in Ran, which we'll watch in the future, but first comes Kagemusha which still manages to talk about the nature of power and futility in a rather Lear-y fashion. It's also his most historically-based period piece, in a way that suggests Kurosawa was trying to tell his audience to knock it off with idolizing the historical period many of his most popular films took place in.
Listen to this week's Lost in Criterion episode Kagemusha via iTunes or LostInCriterion.com, and while you're at it, like us on Facebook or support us on Patreon.