How accurate were Kurasawa movies?

[Paco]

How accurate were the early samurai movies of his? Just kind of wondering, 'cause I know theres many of you just itching to declare the un-historically accurate-ness of Mifuen's gear.

And the movies I'm thinking of are like Yojimbo, The Seven Samurai, Throne of Blood, and the like.

[Ming general]

Most of these films are pretty accurate... Kurosawa's most realistic depiction of Samurai warfare is his movie Ran.

[Paco]

Ok.

It's just that I noticed when I watched Throne of Blood the other day, all the samurai only had one sword, and the swords seemed upside down compared to how they're usually depicted (which seems upside down anyways). That's why I asked.

[AngusH]

Yeah, they are accurate as far as armour & weaponry go. One exception that comes to mind is in Seven Samurai during the final battle sequence between the ronin and the bandits you can hear the rifle fire twice within a few seconds (this was after they'd captured the second rifle). It took far longer than a few seconds to prime this weapon after it was fired.

As for the swords, remember that Throne of Blood was based in the 16th century, probably closer to the beginning of the 16th than the end if I recall correctly, and the whole "two swords" image wasn't as hard-coded back then as it was during the Edo period.

[PROMETHEUS ts]

but Kagemusha movie is Trone of blood? or is another movie?

[Ecthelion]

The historically based movies were accurate to most points.

On the specifics like what happened at the battle of Nagashino, the accuracy falters a bit, at lot actually.

The entire course of the battle and the order of battle for both sides were inaccurate.

But I think that this was done to place emphasis on the Oda guns obliterating all kinds of Takeda opposition. And of course for purpose of time, they could not show the Takeda cavalry charging the barricades 7 times.

My only major beef was that the scene was shot on a perfectly sunny day, in a open field with a continuous barricade. It should have been on a drizzly day, at the edge of a forest with a staggered barricade. I'm not sure what prompted Kurasawa to change such details.

[antisocialmunky]

I'm sure that if Kurosawa could control the weather, he would have made it a drizzly day with a slightly southerly wind.

[AngusH]

but Kagemusha movie is Trone of blood? or is another movie?

Two different movies. Kagemusha is Kurosawa's film on the Takeda clan, and Throne of Blood is his take on Macbeth.

[lt1956]

I didnt really care for his movies, I mean from a historical point of view, they were wonderfully filmed and great to watch but one Battle and history they disappoint me. :-(

A very good war film that is based off history is Heaven and Earth, truly a Epic and great movie to watch, almost all war! lol

Lt1956