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Features: DVD, Aspect Ratio 1.85:1, Dolby Digital (5.1), Hi-fi Stereo
Akira Kurosawa's brilliantly conceived retelling of King Lear combines Japanese history and Shakespeare's plot with the director's own feelings about loyalty and betrayal. In 16th century Japan, the aging Lord Hidetora (Tatsuya Nakadai) passes the decree that his land be divided among his three children. Blinded by the false flattery of his two older sons, he banishes his younger son for speaking the truth. The remaining heirs, driven by power and greed, wage war upon each other. A broken man, Hidetora descends into madness while death and destruction threaten the survival of the kingdom.
"...as close to perfect as filmmaking gets. " Bob Graham, San Francisco Chronicle
"...a great, glorious achievement." Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
"...visually stunning..." Jennifer Albert, American Dreamer
Editor's Note
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.
Plot Summary
With RAN, master director Akira Kurosawa transforms Shakespeare's KING LEAR into an epic tragedy set in feudal Japan. On the eve of his 70th birthday, Lord Hidetora prepares to divide his empire among his three sons. In the process, he ends up disowning his youngest son, the only one who truly cares about him. The empire is engulfed in bitter warfare as the two older brothers, after fighting among themselves over the inheritance, turn on their father. Homeless and abandoned by all but his most loyal followers, Hidetora must face both his tragic present state and the actions of his brutal past.
| Features | Audio: Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1; Japanese Dolby Digital Mono | | English Subtitles | | Filmography | | Production Notes | | Weblinks | | Restoration Demo | | European Trailer | | Home Video Trailer | | Commentary Track With Peter Grilli | | Commentary Track With Stephen Prince | | Subtitle Control |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Wellspring |
| Release Date: 6/19/2007 |
| Running Time: 160 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1985 | | Catalog ID: 5367 | | UPC: 00720917536729 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: Japanese | | Available Audio Tracks: Japanese | | Available Subtitles: English | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | 1.85:1 |
| Cast & Crew
| Awards |
Oscar (1986) |  | Emi Wada, Winner, Best Costume Design | |
British Academy Awards (1987) | | Akira Kurosawa, Winner, Best Foreign language Film | | Tameyuki Aimi, Winner, Best Make Up Artist |
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| | Professional Reviews | Premiere
"...Sweeping..." -- Recommended 04/01/1994 p.146Sight and Sound
"...Kurosawa directs RAN with the easy grace that comes of a lifetime's experience..." 03/01/1985 p.133-4 Los Angeles Times
"...Brisk and vital, elegiac and contemplative, intimate and epic, tragic yet shot through with humor. It combines the energy of youth with the perspective of maturity..." 12/28/1985 p.C2 Chicago Sun-Times
"...The film is visually magnificent. Kurosawa refined everything he learned about battle scenes in KAGEMUSHA and the earlier samurai epics..." 10/01/2000 p.5 USA Today
"...A deft switch on Shakespeare's King Lear....[A] stirring epic about familial deceit..." 01/28/1995 p.8D Uncut
"The film] still packs a punch 19 years after its original release." 08/01/2004 p.131 Entertainment Weekly
"Transposing King Lear to feudal Japan, Akira Kurosawa delivers this visual feast of Shakespeare, No theater, and action epics." 11/25/3005 p.88 Entertainment Weekly
Ranked #9 in Entertainment Weekly's Top Ten DVDs Of The Year -- "With his last great masterpiece, Akira Kurosawa accomplished the remarkable -- improving upon Shakespeare." 12/30/2005 p.129 Total Film
5 stars out of 5 -- "Intimate and epic, beautiful and savage, RAN glides between astonishing action sequences and forceful drama..." 02/01/2007 p.124 Pop Matters 9 of 10
Fifteen years after it was first released, Ran still plays out as a moral lesson on family honor. Those who have not seen it owe it to themselves to see a masterwork of cinema; those who have seen it only on video should treat themselves to the grandeur that only the big screen can display. I first saw the film when it was released in 1981. I recall sitting in the theater, amazed at the completeness of this film. My second viewing of the film has only confirmed what I knew then: that I have seen "cinematic beauty." - Michael Abernethy
Apollo Movie Guide 9 of 10
Blending King Lear with an ancient samurai legend, Akira Kurosawa tells the story of a king too proud and arrogant to believe his children could deceive him. A feast of colours, sounds and images, this is a great cinematic experience. - Dan Jardine
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