Ran

Japan/France 1985

Dir: Akira Kurosawa

160 mins Subtitled

Cast: Tatsuya Nakadai, Mieko Harada, Satoshi Terao

Rating: M

Ran was made at the time Akira Kurosawa was turning seventy-five. It is important to understand the wisdom and artistry that those years brought to the creation of this film, quite possibly one of the greatest ever made … it is certainly in the top ten. The director has called it “a series of human events viewed from Heaven”.

Kurosawa is unsurpassed in his mastery of film technique, and Ran's battle sequences are unequalled to this day. They are like a cinematic ballet, violent and bloody yet filled with tremendous beauty. The story is adapted from Shakespeare's King Lear, combined with an ancient Japanese legend of three arrows. This decision moves the Bard's tragedy into distinctly new territory. Lear's daughters are now sons and the emphasis is on revenge rather than catharsis.

The performances range from brilliant to something resembling utter perfection. The standout without question is Mieko Harada as Lady Kaede, one of Lord Hidetora's (Tatsuya Nakadai) daughters-in-law – watching her slink across the floor of her palace, her silk gowns rustling on the soundtrack, is unforgettable. Nakadai as Lord Hidetora displays a fierce defiance that melts into despair. And Lear's fool is transformed into the jester Kyoami, beautifully played by transvestite Shinnosuke Ikehata (Peter), an accomplished Noh actor – the makeup and much of Ran's story is inspired by Noh drama and tradition.

Toru Takemitsu's minimalist score makes fine use of flute and percussion to accent the epic. A special emphasis is placed on silence during the battle scenes – a tactic far more effective than all the cannon roar of previous attempts at depicting war on screen.

Ran displays the wisdom of a lifetime in a 'mere' two hours and forty minutes, during which time itself is simply suspended. As one character in the film declares, “Man is born crying; when he dies, enough, he dies”. 

1001 movies you must see before you die