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For his 27th film, the 'sensei' of Japanese cinema, Akira Kurosawa, transposes Shakespeare's KING LEAR to feudal Japan. RAN, which translates as 'chaos' or 'turmoil', is the tragic tale of Lord Hidetora, a warlord who decides to divide his empire among his three sons on the eve of his 70th birthday. However, Hidetora's youngest .. Read more
| Starring | Tatsuya Nakadai, Mieko Harada, Akira Terao, Yoshiko Miyazaki |
|---|---|
| Director | Akira Kurosawa |
| Genres | Action/Adventure, Drama, World Cinema |
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For his 27th film, the 'sensei' of Japanese cinema, Akira Kurosawa, transposes Shakespeare's KING LEAR to feudal Japan. RAN, which translates as 'chaos' or 'turmoil', is the tragic tale of Lord Hidetora, a warlord who decides to divide his empire among his three sons on the eve of his 70th birthday. However, Hidetora's youngest and most compassionate son, Saburo, defiantly objects to this hasty decision and is disowned by the proud, stubborn ruler. Once the two eldest sons take control of the empire, they quickly turn on their father and begin vying for total control over the land. As Hidetora is banished from his own kingdom in a bloody battle, he must confront the consequences of his violent, ruthless past. Ten years in the making, RAN represents the culmination of Kurosawa's career by revisiting his skill at adapting Shakespeare, as evidenced in THRONE OF BLOOD, and displaying the cinematic splendor of his other landmark films such as SEVEN SAMURAI and RASHOMON. With its magnificent costumes, breathtaking settings, and amazingly photographed battle sequences, the film is truly stunning. An epic on the grandest of scales, RAN is not only one of Kurosawa's finest films, it is a glorious masterpiece of Japanese cinema.
| Starring | Tatsuya Nakadai, Mieko Harada, Akira Terao, Yoshiko Miyazaki, Jinpachi Nezu, Daisuke Ryu |
|---|---|
| Director | Akira Kurosawa |
| Studio | ELEVATION SALES |
| Run time | DVD: 2 hrs 35 mins LOVEFiLM Instant: 2 hrs 35 mins Blu-ray: 2 hrs 36 mins HD DVD: 2 hrs 33 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Collections | 100 Swords and Sandals Films |
| Genres | Action/Adventure, Drama, World Cinema |
| Language | DVD: Japanese LOVEFiLM Instant: Japanese Blu-ray: Japanese HD DVD: Japanese |
| Subtitles | LOVEFiLM Instant: English Blu-ray: English |
| Released | Production year: 1985 On LOVEFiLM Instant: LOVEFiLM Instant: 31 Dec 2011 To Rent: DVD: 03 May 2004 |
| LOVEFiLM Instant | Included in all packages with LOVEFiLM Instant. Subscribe. |
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Kurosawa established himself as the best cinematic interpreter of Shakespeare with his recasting of Macbeth as a... read more on Time Out
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Classic Last Shout for Kurosawa
Ran is Akira Kurosawa's 1985 epic adaptation of Shakespeare's King Lear. Like Lear, Ran is about a king's (in
this case ageing Japanese ... read more »
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Beauty and emotional power
I think this is one of the truly great films, a work of astonishing emotional power achieved through awesome mastery of narrative and visual orchestration. The ... read more »
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Kurosawa Masterpiece - Engaging, Unmissible
I am always cautious of the Far East Genre of films, I do get tired of flying heros defying the laws of physics. Kurosawa has never been one to promote that ... read more »
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You've got to like Shakespeare
I didn't enjoy this film as much as I'd hoped. Certain aspects were wonderful, including the soundtrack which was perfectly suited to the film. However ... read more »