a lot of sources call Kagemusha a prototype for Ran, and Kurosawa was using the production of the former to scout locations for the latter, but i still maintain that Kagemusha is the better film of the two. also, watch it!!!!!!!!!
Yea I think it's Dodeskaden I read somewhere after it's public failure Kurosawa was so ashamed he slit his wrist and nearly died like a sort of Hara-Kiri. But I'm just about ready for another Kurosawa run although the one I was thinking about starting with was Red Beard i'll do Dodeskaden second. What do you think of The Idiot the other Kurosawa public failure.
I actually haven't seen The Idiot!!! Though I must say It's a shame that Yonin no kai (Kurosawa indepened production with Kinoshita, Kobayashi, Ichikawa) was so short-lived. I'm almost certain that each director's contribution would be entrancing and canonical. Believe it or not I'm tied between High and Low, Dodeskaden as my favorite, then Rashomon and Ikiru.