Ran

Although resolutely obeying the more formalistic (some might say traditional) aspects familiar to viewers of Kagemusha (and arguably repugnant to the younger and more ... more >

Although resolutely obeying the more formalistic (some might say traditional) aspects familiar to viewers of Kagemusha (and arguably repugnant to the younger and more revolutionary 'golden age' Kurosawa responsible for Seven Samurai, Red Beard, Ikiru, Hidden Fortress, Throne of Blood etc), Ran is nevertheless the only late Kurosawa movie that warrants a place alongside the best of his work.

Like Throne of Blood (which adapted Macbeth to unmatched effect), Ran adapts Shakespeare - King Lear to be exact. In place of Lear we have an ageing ruler, Hidetora Ichimonji (played with gusto by Tatsuya Nakadai, familiar perhaps to viewers of Kagemusha and Yojimbo). Abruptly abdicating in the presence of neighbouring warlords Fukimaki and Ayabe and dividing his kingdom up among his sons, Taro, Jiro and Saburo, Hidetora fails to see the truth in Saburo's claim that abdication will only lead to chaos and war. From here on in, we find ourselves in the grip of a tempest - both in terms of the madness that grips Hidetora and the ferocious battlescenes that still today set the benchmark for cinematic war. This is the movie that Peter Jackson drew on when he endeavoured to realise Helm's Deep.

In its use of brutal reds and blacks, in its martial articulation of the battlefield, in the heat and the fire of death, Ran (which Kurosawa regarded as the closest he ever came to forging "true cinema") is arguably the last great Kurosawa movie, and a blinding example of why he is regarded as the cinematic equivalent of Shakespeare himself.
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View all 54 of Peter Wild’s reviews

Visually stunning and an undoubted masterpiece. more >

Visually stunning and an undoubted masterpiece. < less

This movie is about an ageing ruler, Lord Hidetora, who announces his intention to divide his land equally among his three sons. This decision will unleash a power st... more >

This movie is about an ageing ruler, Lord Hidetora, who announces his intention to divide his land equally among his three sons. This decision will unleash a power struggle between the three sons, Taro, Jiro, and Saburo. Hidetora falls prey to the false flattery of his two older sons and banishes the youngest one when he speaks the truth, knowing that his father has been tricked by his two older brothers, he tried to help him, but Hidetora was too ashamed to face his youngest son which he banished him from his family. The ruthless betrayal ultimately drives Hidetora
insane, destroying his entire family and kingdom. And he will, at the same time, lose all three of his sons, not by murder, but by betrayal that leads them into war against each other. < less

This masterpiece of Akira Kurosawa starring Tatsuya Nakadai and Akira Terao is a film of great visual beauty, exuisitly made and edited. It tells the story of a warlor... more >

This masterpiece of Akira Kurosawa starring Tatsuya Nakadai and Akira Terao is a film of great visual beauty, exuisitly made and edited. It tells the story of a warlord Hidetora Ichimonji who having given his kingdom to his two eldest sons and banished the third finds the two elder ones turn on him. The royal house disintegrates in violent and bloody strife. Only the fool and the maimed survive to the end. From the western viewpoint it provides a fascinating insight into an alien culture and period, but the wider theme of this film is the nature of humankind. "When we are born we cry that we are come to this great stage of fools". Man, as the fool has it, is born to weep and die. Violence has its uses, its own culture. Then death. That is mans fate. < less

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DVD Extras

• 2 discs
• Chris Marker's A.K. - The Making of Ran (71 mins)
• French theatrical trailer.

Film Details

Cast

Tatsuya Nakadai, Akira Terao

Technical Details