Reviews of Ran

In The Running As Akira's Best

Posted : 3 months, 1 week ago on 11 September 2009 01:25 (A review of Ran)


Before movies like Crouching Tiger/ Hidden Dragon & Hero came along & added the artistically flair fantasy elements to these types of epic movies, there was Ran. Some of the most beautiful & grand visuals ever in an Akira Kurosawa film. The fact that his name was associated with this project guaranteed this film's sweeping quality. And, the added high budget seemed to compromise his vision not in the slightest. Instead, it seemed to open up the potentiality that Mr. Kurosawa had holding in his already abundant visionary dreams.
Definitely my favorite of his works.




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Akira Kurosawa's crowning achievement...

Posted : 1 year, 2 months ago on 30 September 2008 05:12 (A review of Ran)

"Man is born crying. When he has cried enough, he dies."

To movie aficionados and cinema enthusiasts, Akira Kurosawa's name is synonymous with the title of 'cinematic god'. It's irrefutable that throughout Kurosawa's career (spanning over several decades) the director has created wonderful narratives and absolutely magnificent visual delights. To some people Kurosawa is the greatest thing to hit film since light. In this cynical and incredulous modern film-going society, neophyte students of film occasionally harbour doubts regarding the existence of this so-called cinematic god. Ran is an epic film capable of making believers out of anyone. The film is a remarkable visual spectacle composed of beautiful cinematography and gorgeous, oversaturated colours. Kurosawa is a filmic guru who situates his sombre narrative in a world full of opulent nature panoramas, all shimmering fields of vernal green grass and cerulean skies of deepest summer. Even after watching Ran, one can close their eyes and still see the kaleidoscope of colours...swirling and pulsing in a beautiful maelstrom. This is a testament to the masterful moviemaking of Akira Kurosawa.

The narrative conveyed in Ran is fundamentally an adaptation of William Shakespeare's King Lear. This brilliantly conceived re-telling of the classic tale magically mixes Japanese history with Shakespeare's timeless plot. The film is saturated with profound themes of faith, love, trust, deception, loyalty and humanity in an epic tour de force. Interestingly, the film is generally tagged as an adaptation of King Lear, but it didn't start out that way. There is a famous story of a 16th century warlord whose sons were revered for their loyalty. Kurosawa wanted to turn the story on its head, showing that ambitious sons cannot be trusted. He started writing the script in 1976, with the first draft completed in 1978. At some point in early development either Kurosawa or his collaborators realised the unmistakable parallels to Lear. The final version therefore drew more inspiration from Shakespeare's play, although Ran differs significantly from King Lear in terms of characters and some plot points.

Akira Kurosawa's Ran is set in the Sengoku period. Said period was an era of civil wars in Japan that preceded the Shogunate. The time was characterised by much turmoil and lack of stability, hence the title of the film which means "chaos". This grand tragedy centres on the aging warlord Hidetora Ichimonji (Nakadai). With his golden years behind him, Hidetora decides to abdicate and split his land evenly between his three sons. Each son is to be allocated a piece of land and a castle. Hidetora wishes to live his remaining years visiting each of his sons and staying in their castles. His two eldest sons are pleased with his decision and happily accept the portion of the empire allotted to them. However, Hidetora's third son Saburo (the film's Cordelia, so to speak) criticises his father's decision and calls him foolish (much to the delight of the two eldest sons). Saburo argues that three sons won't be willing to protect their father due to their individual ambitions. Despite Saburo's words being correct, Hidetora is furious and banishes Saburo from his empire. It soon becomes apparent that Hidetora is no longer welcome in the empire he fought so furiously to obtain. His two eldest sons begin to overthrow him and refuse to offer their father any protection. Hidetora slowly grows insane, eventually wandering the wilderness with only his loyalest companions by his side.

Ran is regarded as Akira Kurosawa's most personal film, even occasionally regarded as his absolute best. The film languished in development hell for years. The first version of the script was penned by 1978, yet didn't go before the cameras until over half a decade later. Kurosawa's latest movies hadn't made much of a profit, making studios less inclined to fund this expensive production. While waiting for his epic to receive funding, Kurosawa painted detailed storyboards and designed ornate costumes. By the time French producer Serge Silberman raised the required money, Kurosawa had virtually already pre-shot and pre-edited the entire movie. His vision was clear, and he worked passionately to achieve it.

By all accounts the production was fairly smooth, but Kurosawa suffered three consecutive tragedies in the first 6 weeks of 1985. His long-time swordplay choreographer Ryu Kuze and sound man Fumio Yanoguchi (who had worked with him since the 1940s) died within a few days of each other. Both had started on the production of Ran but were compelled to leave due to ill-health. Following this, Kurosawa's wife was diagnosed with a terminal illness, eventually dying in early February. Kurosawa responded by immersing himself further in the production of the film, and his passion is obvious.

At 2 hours and 40 minutes, Ran is gruellingly long and occasionally difficult to sit through. Yet the film is a triumph in global cinema, with competent direction, a vibrant Japanese score, strong emotionally-charged performances and incredible battles. It's an action epic containing no more than 2 spectacular battles. The rest of the running time is dedicated to dialogue and establishing deep characterisations. The battles haven't dated one iota. Instead of employing CGI to create a swarm of soldiers, hundreds of actual extras have been employed. The colour scheme is particularly amazing. Even better are the jaw-dropping costumes which received an Oscar. These costumes were created by hand, taking a total of two years to complete them. The costumes look thoroughly authentic, and present an amazingly convincing vision of the 16th century.

I won't lie...Ran may be found quite boring by some. For someone who adores the works of Michael Bay and who is searching for never-ending action will be vastly disappointed. But if you decide to watch Kurosawa's masterpiece seeking oodles of action, then you're watching it for all the wrong reasons.
In spite of my incessant appraisal of the outstanding visuals being displayed, there are several shortcomings. For starters, the film is undeniably difficult to follow. Stilted dialogue and poor distinguishing of plot points proves lethal. The acting is top notch, but much of the character behaviour appears random and incoherent. This is a problem I've found with all of Kurosawa's movies: there's a wonderful narrative that's blemished by a clunky and jumbled screenplay. For most of the running time, the visuals appear to be the product of Kurosawa's self-indulgence as the film moves from one random (albeit beautiful) visual image to the next. At least it's gripping and thoroughly involving, with a sufficient amount of interesting characters to keep one entertained.

Quite unsurprisingly, the film is extremely violent and filled with bloodshed. The evil bitch known as Kaede receives her comeuppance is a very violent fashion. It's interesting to note than while the film was stamped with a suitable R rating by the MPAA, in Australia the film has been slapped with a PG rating. Weird...

Ran is an expressive and deep reflection of the condition of human affairs. It's a transfixing tale of the perpetual balance between action and repercussion which transpires in the midst of those who kill and those who are killed. It is a narrative concerning two brothers and their machiavellian approach to their acquisition of supremacy. It's also about a rogue brother guided by truth and rejected for speaking that of which would eventually and paradoxically occur. The film is also about one woman and her desire for vengeance against all those who devastated her childhood. The film additionally concerns a lone father too blind to realise the truth, and who pays for the sins of his past with the blood of his sons (both the loyal and the treacherous). Finally, the film is a story about all those ensnared in the twisted web of "Ran"...which aptly translates as "chaos".
Despite the film being hard to follow at times, Ran is an absolute triumph in the career of Akira Kurosawa. It's an unforgettable and gripping tale of disloyalty and trust. The visuals are mind-blowing, the direction is beautiful, and the acting is simply superb. This is an astounding epic film, with exhilarating action and yet much subtlety that becomes apparent on repeated viewings.

8.1/10

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Always running but never turning back...

Posted : 1 year, 3 months ago on 14 September 2008 10:40 (A review of Ran)

''Men prefer sorrow over joy... suffering over peace!''

An elderly lord abdicates to his three sons, and the two corrupt ones turn against him.

Tatsuya Nakadai: Lord Hidetora Ichimonji

Born in 1910 Japan, Akira Kurosawa first studied painting before moving into film in the late 1930s. A well-known director in Japan throughout the 1940s, his 1950 production of Rashomon launched him to international acclaim; and throughout the remainder of his long career he was widely acknowledged as among the world's greatest film directors. The creator of such films as The Seven Samurai, Throne Of Blood, and Yojimbo. Released in 1985, RAN would be among his final films and is generally felt to be among his finest.

Kurosawa often borrowed plot lines from Western literature, and with RAN; the Japanese word translates loosely as chaos.
He integrated the basic story guidelines from William Shakespeare's King Lear. In Kurosawa's retelling, the Lord Hidetora Ichimonji (Tatsuya Nakadai) divides his kingdom between three sons: Taro (Akira Terao), Jiro (Jinpachi Nezu) and Saburo (Daisuke Ryu). When youngest son Saburo upbraids his father for foolishness, Hidetora banishes him; only to find Taro and Jiro turning against him just as Saburo predicted. Kurosawa shapes the Shakespearean story to 16th Century Japan, so it would be easy to belabor comparison with the original; at the same time, however, it is worth pointing out that he actually captures the story more effectively than any western filmmaker has to date.

As in many Kurosawa films, Ran alternates moments of great stillness with rapacious action, enclosed spaces with wide vistas. In stillness, the film focuses upon its actors and their intrigues; perhaps most notably the perfidious Lady Kaede, a truly dark character frighteningly realized.
I was personally interested with the character of Lady Kaede played to perfection by Mieko Harada. All through history women can be so much more manipulative than any man can dream of being. Some of the world's most notorious and great figures in History have sometimes been driven to make choices not of their own making due to a manipulative wife. Little suggestions or murmurs from their partner; influencing ideas within their minds that otherwise wouldn't have been thought of immediately. You can trace this recurring theme right back through the ages tracing back to present day.
Indeed, all the cast is remarkably fine. But the great centerpiece, and the great performance, of the film is Tatsuya Nakadai's Lord Hidetora, whose mixture of good intention and folly leads first to humiliation and then to madness.
Hidetora Ichimonji played by Tatsuya Nakadai is instantly recognizable as being an Award winning performance in our eyes. The transition that goes on during the film's running time is mind blowing incredible. We see a man lose everything, we see his own past and his rise to power; the many people he has effected by his bloodthirsty actions, by his untamed goal for ultimate domination and power. Women who have lost their families and homes, been claimed as the victors wives, a boy has his sight taken and home destroyed along with the suffering of his sister.
The victims only peace is to pray to Buddha...but as RAN tells us, Buddha left this place a long time ago, to the world of men who ravage the lands with war and blood.
Perhaps the single most stunning moment of the film occurs when Hidetora, betrayed by his sons, walks down the tower steps of the third castle following a vicious battle. It is difficult to imagine many actors who could perform such a scene; it is equally difficult to envision many directors who could achieve this greatness from their acting cast.

Few directors are able to convey the sense of chaos, destruction, and fear with which Kurosawa endows battle scenes, and RAN is no exception. There are several worthy circumstances, and the battle of the third castle (in which Hidetora is attacked by sons Taro and Jiro) is easily among the finest battle sequences of Kurosawa's career. Presented without any sound except a simple, eloquent music score, flash-cutting between different groups in the struggle, the result is a unique mixture of beauty and horror; in my opinion unequaled by any other film I've seen.
The cinematography for 1985 is unrivaled, having that timeless and radiant glow of legendary significance. Costumes and battle gear really are flawless; the calvary and infantry simply are jaw-droppingly inspiring to watch. Combine the visuals with a very Japanese primal score of music, strong emotionally charged performances and you have a winner. The cast doesn't just say their lines, they bark them with a daunting, charged tone that screams believability and finesse.

It should be noted that RAN, unlike Rashomon, Throne Of Blood, Yojimbo and many other Kurosawa films, RAN is in colour. I have long been used to the remarkable shading of Kurosawa's black and white projects, and I missed it; but only for a moment. Kurosawa proves no less adept in colour than in black and white format, and RAN's use of colour is beautiful. For this reason I particularly recommend the Criterion Collection edition of the film over any other; it is impeccably fine. But regardless of the particular version, this is a film which must be seen by anyone who appreciates Asian or world cinema; truly a masterwork by a great master, Akiro Kurosawa.

''Are there no gods... no Buddha? If you exist, hear me. You are mischievous and cruel! Are you so bored up there you must crush us like ants? Is it such fun to see men weep?''

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Ran (also known as 'Chaos')

Posted : 1 year, 11 months ago on 19 January 2008 04:09 (A review of Ran)

When I asked for an option of a good Japanese movie, I was introduced to Kurosawa's movies. Worried about being bored with a b&w, I chose Ran which was shot in 1985 in color. I am glad with my choice to being introduced to his work through 'Ran'. The version I saw was on DVD and the movie had gone through better color treatment and there was additional suppliments to the DVD which includes

The movie is about a fearful man, Hidetora who self-declared himself as a lord through ruthless killings and wars. It is the same man who is also a father of 3 son. After a series of events, the father began to realise which of the sons is loyal.

The astonishing scene of the movie would be the burning of the castle and also the numbers (in hundreds) of extras and horses used in making this movie. The capibility of the director and his crew to organise the whole props and people on the set and successfully making this movie a beautiful piece in the midst of chaos is simply breathtaking.

I suggest watching this movie with appreciation for its cinematic creativity and the acting of the character Hidetora by Tatsuya Nakadai who has acted regularly in most of Kurosawa's film replacing Toshiro Mifune.

This movie does have some influnces of Shakespeare's 'King Lear' because Kurosawa himself is an avid fan of Shakespeare which we could see in most of his films. Anyways, I would recommend this movie to start of Kurosawa's movie marathon.

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Kurosawa's adaptation of King Lear

Posted : 3 years, 5 months ago on 17 July 2006 04:58 (A review of Ran)

I was more than pleased with the Masterworks Edition, although I've heard (but not seen) that the Criterion DVD is the best. See exerpt of review below, reverberates the sentiments I've read:
"However, this gem's transition [Ran] to DVD has been cringe-worthy on Region 1. The Fox Lorber edition is noted as being one of the worst transfers in existence, and while many were satisfied with the Masterworks edition, most who were familiar with the film (and many who weren't) recognized that there was an obscene amount of digital manipulation. The result is the film's colors looked utterly artificial and the film has nowhere near the serene look it normally does."

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