I saw this at the cinema last night and was wholeheartedly underwhelmed. As a huge fan of Kurosawa I expected grandeur, a deeply involving story and an exquisite aesthetic eye, however I found it to be hugely lacking. classic this is not!
A blend of samurai legend and King Lear, Ran (which means revolt or chaos) is a feast for the eyes, with incredible use of color and a heath more blasted than any in England. It's even more impressive when you know the director's eye sight was failing, and needed assistants to frame the shots according to his fully-painted story boards. There are battles in the background of Lear, but I never really think of them. In Ran, they are among the most memorable tableaux, so are unlikely to leave me any time soon. Instead of daughters, it's sons who inherit castles - two sycophants who fail to give their father the respect he deserves, and a "Cordelia" who is rejected for his honesty. The Edmund of the story is here the wife of the elder brother, a wicked avenging spirit who preys on the men's weakness so she can revenge her family, defeated by "Lear"'s. As it turns out, the evils visited on Lord Hidetora are those he visited on others to get to his exalted position in the first place, so in some ways, she's the hero of the piece (but not quite, as anger and hatred have destroyed her moral character). The blasted heath of the play, here a volcanic plain at the foot of Mount Fuji, is suggested to be the result of Hidedora's war-making. Tragedy, murder, madness, as in Shakespeare's original, but the scope is more epic, and the theme of the abused parent is given extra layers of ambiguity.
This is one of the best films I've seen since Lord of the Rings. Gripping story and amazing costume design. Lord Hidetora was just fascinating to watch the whole time.
Kurosawa has never disappointed me. A true Samurai epic from the 80's and in some ways a tribute to everything that he was as a director and teller of stories. Large in scope, incredible in emotional weight and substance.
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Comments 1 - 15 of 19
george4mon
usually i cant stand these Japanese epics and this was no exceptiongrit
Looks nice, but totally boring :(jacktrewin
I saw this at the cinema last night and was wholeheartedly underwhelmed. As a huge fan of Kurosawa I expected grandeur, a deeply involving story and an exquisite aesthetic eye, however I found it to be hugely lacking. classic this is not!tigh66
Kurosawa's masterpiece. Arguably the best film ever madeSiskoid
A blend of samurai legend and King Lear, Ran (which means revolt or chaos) is a feast for the eyes, with incredible use of color and a heath more blasted than any in England. It's even more impressive when you know the director's eye sight was failing, and needed assistants to frame the shots according to his fully-painted story boards. There are battles in the background of Lear, but I never really think of them. In Ran, they are among the most memorable tableaux, so are unlikely to leave me any time soon. Instead of daughters, it's sons who inherit castles - two sycophants who fail to give their father the respect he deserves, and a "Cordelia" who is rejected for his honesty. The Edmund of the story is here the wife of the elder brother, a wicked avenging spirit who preys on the men's weakness so she can revenge her family, defeated by "Lear"'s. As it turns out, the evils visited on Lord Hidetora are those he visited on others to get to his exalted position in the first place, so in some ways, she's the hero of the piece (but not quite, as anger and hatred have destroyed her moral character). The blasted heath of the play, here a volcanic plain at the foot of Mount Fuji, is suggested to be the result of Hidedora's war-making. Tragedy, murder, madness, as in Shakespeare's original, but the scope is more epic, and the theme of the abused parent is given extra layers of ambiguity.RockHopper92
This is one of the best films I've seen since Lord of the Rings. Gripping story and amazing costume design. Lord Hidetora was just fascinating to watch the whole time.sureup
Emotional, funny, epic and crazy. Fantastic!DisneyStitch
Kurosawa has never disappointed me. A true Samurai epic from the 80's and in some ways a tribute to everything that he was as a director and teller of stories. Large in scope, incredible in emotional weight and substance.Paravail
Kurosawa may well be the greatest film director who has ever lived.Zaothus
My favourite film of all time. There's no aspect of it that isn't extraordinary.KaramAkerfeldt
Very eventful. Love it!Darkness_prevails
A great film in so many ways. It ranks up there with Kurosawa's other masterpieces in my opinion.deadendjob
A beautiful, picturesque Kurosawa epic. Love it! 8/10daisyaday
King Lear in Japanese with sons instead of daughters; It's wonderful.Paper_Okami
This film is absolutely amazing in every way, my favorite Kurosawa movie!Showing items 1 – 15 of 19