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Ran (1985)  
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Directed by:
Akira Kurosawa |
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INTERNATIONAL TITLE
Ran |
NORWEGIAN
TITLE
Ran |
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COUNTRY
Japan/France |
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Genre
War/Drama |
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RUNNING
TIME
162 minutes |
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Produced by:
Katsumi Furukawa
Masato Hara
Serge Silberman |
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Written by (based on "King Lear" by William Shakespeare):
Akira Kurosawa
Hideo Oguni
Masato Ide |
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Cast includes:
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| CHARACTER |
ACTOR/ACTRESS |
RATING |
| Hidetora |
Tatsuya
Nakadai |
- |
| Taro |
Akira Terao |
- |
| Jiro |
Jinpachi Nezu |
- |
| Saburo |
Daisuka Ryu |
- |
| Lady Kaede |
Mieko Harada |
- |
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Lady Sue |
Yoshiko
Miyazaki |
- |
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Tsurumaru |
Mansai Nomura |
- |
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Kurogane |
Hisashi Igawa |
- |
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Kyoami |
Peter |
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Review
Akira Kurosawa's combined
retelling of King Lear and final delve into the Sengoku period of
Japanese history is grandiose, stylized and mannered. An elaborate tale
of the ugliness of human nature set against the beauty of Mother Nature,
beautifully composed and shot in the mountains and plains of Mount Aso.
Kurosawa's greatest achievement here is that his film creates an
idiosyncratic world of its own, separate from time, if not space. But
after an intriguing opening sequence, Ran gradually loses focus
and dramatic power, not least because of its weirdly shifting acting
styles and an ineffective characterization of Hidetora, the warlord who
stands in for Shakespeare's King Lear character. And although Kurosawa shoots the
final epic battle with virtuosity, it lacks the urgency and relevance to
give the gloomy ending the power it should have had.
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