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Plot Summary
Akira Kurosawa's brilliantly conceived re-telling of Shakespeare's King Lear magically mixes Japanese history, Shakespeare's plot and Kurosawa's own feelings about loyalty in the epic masterpiece, Ran. Set in 16th century Japan, an aging ruler, Lord Hidetora (Tatsuya Nakadai), announces his intention to divide his land equally among his three sons. Hidetora’s decision to step down unleashes a power struggle between the three heirs when he falls prey to the false flattery bestowed upon him by the two older sons and banishes the youngest for speaking the truth. That ruthless betrayal ultimately drives Hidetora insane, destroying his entire family and kingdom. Deep human emotion and outstanding acting combine to create one of the most acclaimed foreign films of all time.
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Rotten Tomatoes Movie Reviews
TOMATOMETER
95%- Reviews Counted: 65
- Fresh: 62
- Rotten: 3
- Average Rating: 8.8/10
Top Critics' Reviews
Fresh: A film of the sort of grandeur that brings to mind Griffith's Birth of a Nation, Napoleon Vu par Abel Gance and Eisenstein's Ivan the Terrible.
Fresh: It is a film that already belongs to the ages.
Fresh: At age 75, the director has made his most costly epic to date, and it's a dazzlingly successful addition to his distinguished career.
Fresh: What's remarkable about Ran is that the drama enhances the spectacle the same way the spectacle bolsters the drama. Few other directors had Kurosawa's ability to convey the intimate as well as the epic, to handle stillness as well as violence.
Customer Reviews
Kurosawa's Masterpiece
One of Kurosawa's best films along with Rashomon, Ikiru, and Seven Samurai. This film is proof enough that Kurosawa will hold a place of honor as one of the greatest directors who ever lived. Even though it may start off at a slow pace, it is a perfect pace to the build up of the chaos that follows from the attack on the third castle to the heart-breaking conclusion. There are several excellent shots in the film such as the boar hunt that opens the film to Hidetora walking down the steps of the burning third castle in a complete daze to the blind man standing at the edge of the drop at the ruins that were once his castle. The film itself explores the consequences of war and betrayal, the relationship between the parent and child, the destructive powers of vengeance, and the power of forgiveness and love.
Kurosawa is a genius!
Akira Kurosawa, what can I say about him? I think he is to Japan as Orson Welles is to America. He is just a brilliant writer that pleases the crowd no matter what. This film is among Kurosawa's classics. This one retold Shakespeare's King Lear play in a Samurai style, you know like Kurosawa did to MacBeth (Throne of Blood). I like it.
Apple, I am a fan of Kurosawa and I would like to ask something. Can you please upload these two Kurosawa classics?
1) Yojimbo
2) Sanjuro
Thanks.
Words Elude Me
I am humbled by this movie each time I see it. Besides the pageantry and costumes and the wonderful rendering of a psychologically fabulous story, Kurosawa is able to sustain the tension of quiet, as powerfully as the tension of threat and violence. He is the master.
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- $14.99
- Genre: Action & Adventure
- Released: 1985
- © 1985 StudioCanal/Herald Ace Inc./Nippon Herald Films Inc. (Tokyo). All Rights Reserved.