Ran - Criterion Collection
starring: Tatsuya Nakadai, Akira Terao, Jinpachi Nezu, Daisuke Ryu, Mieko Harada
directed by: Akira Kurosawa
directed by: Akira Kurosawa
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Movie DVD
Amazon.com essential video:
As critic Roger Ebert observed in his original review of Ran, this epic tragedy might have been attempted by a younger director, but only the Japanese master Akira Kurosawa, who made the film at age 75, could bring the requisite experience and maturity to this stunning interpretation of Shakespeare's King Lear. It's a film for the ages--one of the few genuine screen masterpieces--and arguably serves as an artistic summation of the great director's career. In this version of the Shakespeare tragedy, the king is a 16th-century warlord (Tatsuya Nakadai as Lord Hidetora) who decides to retire and divide his kingdom evenly among his three sons. When one son defiantly objects out of loyalty to his father and warns of inevitable sibling rivalry, he is banished and the kingdom is awarded to his compliant siblings. The loyal son's fears are valid: a duplicitous power struggle ensues and the aging warlord witnesses a maelstrom of horrifying death and destruction. Although the film is slow to establish its story, it's clear that Kurosawa, who planned and painstakingly designed the production for 10 years before filming began, was charting a meticulous and tightly formalized dramatic strategy. As familial tensions rise and betrayal sends Lord Hidetora into the throes of escalating madness, Ran (the title is the Japanese character for "chaos" or "rebellion") reaches a fever pitch through epic battles and a fortress assault that is simply one of the most amazing sequences on film. --Jeff Shannon
Movie DVD
Amazon.com essential video:
As critic Roger Ebert observed in his original review of Ran, this epic tragedy might have been attempted by a younger director, but only the Japanese master Akira Kurosawa, who made the film at age 75, could bring the requisite experience and maturity to this stunning interpretation of Shakespeare's King Lear. It's a film for the ages--one of the few genuine screen masterpieces--and arguably serves as an artistic summation of the great director's career. In this version of the Shakespeare tragedy, the king is a 16th-century warlord (Tatsuya Nakadai as Lord Hidetora) who decides to retire and divide his kingdom evenly among his three sons. When one son defiantly objects out of loyalty to his father and warns of inevitable sibling rivalry, he is banished and the kingdom is awarded to his compliant siblings. The loyal son's fears are valid: a duplicitous power struggle ensues and the aging warlord witnesses a maelstrom of horrifying death and destruction. Although the film is slow to establish its story, it's clear that Kurosawa, who planned and painstakingly designed the production for 10 years before filming began, was charting a meticulous and tightly formalized dramatic strategy. As familial tensions rise and betrayal sends Lord Hidetora into the throes of escalating madness, Ran (the title is the Japanese character for "chaos" or "rebellion") reaches a fever pitch through epic battles and a fortress assault that is simply one of the most amazing sequences on film. --Jeff Shannon
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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: 
- Great film now out of print
Great film. Unfortunately, Criterion just announced this title as 'out of print' due to rights issues. Grab one while you can!
Rating: 
- Great film-but some reservations
I believe Kurosawa's Ran is a great film-maybe even a masterpiece; but I also think it makes a lot of demands on those of us who aren't intimately familiar with Japanese culture. Personally, when I started watching Japanese films, it took me a long time to adjust to the manner of speaking. The actors would seem to be shouting or almost screaming at one another at times when the subtitles would seem to be conveying a totally different tone altogether. Ran is no exception, and this is just one of the ... Read More
Rating: - Ran
I enjoyed watching ran. it was quite different than most American films in a lot of ways. it had an unique combination of humor and drama. I particularly liked the large battle scenes. i think a lot of the epic battle scenes in movies that i like now were heavily influenced by this film. this film has an interesting mix of both American and foreign film styles. The influence of Japanese Noh theater is clearly strong. While some American audiences might be put off by some aspects of the film, i still ... Read More
Rating: - dvd
my shopping experience was a pleasant one.The company who shipped my order is spot on! (Shanghaikellyjr)I highly recommend everyone use them for those hard to find items that amazon has to send out for..Very professional and that added special touch to the package is wonderful!!Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!
Rating: - A brilliant, moving epic
Kurosawa may be the first world-class Japanese director that most Americans think of, but many Japanese consider him the most Western of their country's great artists.Old prints of his early works list his name in the traditional order:Kurosawa Akira.We, of course, know him as Akira Kurosawa.
RAN is a good example of that cultural balance.Not only is it an adaptation of KING LEAR -- in fact, it may be the best version of LEAR ever put on film -- but it casts the story in the historical ... Read More
- Great film now out of printGreat film. Unfortunately, Criterion just announced this title as 'out of print' due to rights issues. Grab one while you can!
- Great film-but some reservationsI believe Kurosawa's Ran is a great film-maybe even a masterpiece; but I also think it makes a lot of demands on those of us who aren't intimately familiar with Japanese culture. Personally, when I started watching Japanese films, it took me a long time to adjust to the manner of speaking. The actors would seem to be shouting or almost screaming at one another at times when the subtitles would seem to be conveying a totally different tone altogether. Ran is no exception, and this is just one of the ... Read More
- RanI enjoyed watching ran. it was quite different than most American films in a lot of ways. it had an unique combination of humor and drama. I particularly liked the large battle scenes. i think a lot of the epic battle scenes in movies that i like now were heavily influenced by this film. this film has an interesting mix of both American and foreign film styles. The influence of Japanese Noh theater is clearly strong. While some American audiences might be put off by some aspects of the film, i still ... Read More
- dvdmy shopping experience was a pleasant one.The company who shipped my order is spot on! (Shanghaikellyjr)I highly recommend everyone use them for those hard to find items that amazon has to send out for..Very professional and that added special touch to the package is wonderful!!Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!
- A brilliant, moving epicKurosawa may be the first world-class Japanese director that most Americans think of, but many Japanese consider him the most Western of their country's great artists.Old prints of his early works list his name in the traditional order:Kurosawa Akira.We, of course, know him as Akira Kurosawa.
RAN is a good example of that cultural balance.Not only is it an adaptation of KING LEAR -- in fact, it may be the best version of LEAR ever put on film -- but it casts the story in the historical ... Read More
