Ran [1985 film]
by Akira Kurosawa (Director/Screenwriter), Masato Ide (Screenwriter), Hideo Oguni (Screenwriter)
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Description
In 16th century Japan, an aging ruler attempts to divide his kingdom among his three sons. They turn against each other and betray their father, triggering events that ultimately shatter the kingdom, destroy the family, and drive their father insane. Based on Shakespeare's King Lear.Tags
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Member Reviews
King Lear set in feudal Japan.
The story is great, of course, although it moves far too slowly. It's a very pretty movie; the cinematography isn't so great however where it comes to telling the story (beyond setting the tone). For most of the movie he insists on staying on a wide shot, which makes it (1) feel more like watching a play than a movie (arguably a good thing) and (2) difficult in places to tell which character is saying which line.
The story is great, of course, although it moves far too slowly. It's a very pretty movie; the cinematography isn't so great however where it comes to telling the story (beyond setting the tone). For most of the movie he insists on staying on a wide shot, which makes it (1) feel more like watching a play than a movie (arguably a good thing) and (2) difficult in places to tell which character is saying which line.
Akira Kurosawa's adaptation of King Lear, Ran tells the tale of an aging lord passing on his legacy to his 3 sons but like any Shakespearean tragedy, bloody betrayal ensues. With a haunting score, stunning visuals and great cinematography it's an tale worth viewing
Aug 21, 2024Portuguese (Brazil)
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Author Information
Kurosawa generally is recognized as the best of the modern Japanese filmmakers. He was the first Japanese director to gain international recognition, partly because his storytelling technique is not culture-bound. Rashomon (1950), a story of rape and terror that is told from several different viewpoints, received first prize at the Venice Film show more Festival in 1951; the film's title has become synonymous with the concept of subjective truth expressed in widely varying versions of the same story. The Seven Samurai (1954), a humanistic tale of samurai risking their lives to defend a poor village, is another Kurosawa classic. Kurosawa has always been attracted to Western literature, and two of his most notable films are based on Shakespeare's plays: Throne of Blood (1957), a retelling of Macbeth, and Ran (1985), a masterly reinterpretation of King Lear. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Belongs to Publisher Series
The Criterion Collection (316)
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Ran [1985 film]
- Original title
- 乱
- Alternate titles
- Chaos; Tumult
- Original publication date
- 1985-05-31
- People/Characters
- Ichimonji Hidetora
- Important places
- Feudal Japan; Japan
- Important events
- Muromachi period; Sengoku period; 16th century
- Related movies
- Ran (1985 | IMDb)
- Original language
- Japanese
- Canonical DDC/MDS
- 791.4372
- Canonical LCC
- PN1997
- Disambiguation notice
- Based on "King Lear" by William Shakespeare.
Classifications
- DDC/MDS
- 791.4372 — Arts & recreation Recreation, sports, and performing arts Public performances Motion pictures, radio, television, podcasting Motion pictures Films; screenplays Single films
- LCC
- PN1997 — Language and Literature Literature (General) Literature (General) Drama Motion pictures Plays, scenarios, etc.
Statistics
- Members
- 242
- Popularity
- 133,649
- Reviews
- 3
- Rating
- (4.38)
- Languages
- English, Finnish, Japanese, Swedish
- ISBNs
- 8
- UPCs
- 7
- ASINs
- 29
