Ran

Rating:
Summary: I WISH PETER JACKSON WOULD REMAKE THIS!!
Review: This is a good action epic for the time it was made (the 1980s) but I wish that Peter Jackson (Fellowship Of The Ring) would remake it in English - he's our finest epic filmmaker right now and he could make this story both more exciting and more emotional (this version lacks feeling). Also, modern day special effects would allow for bigger battles and more realistic violence. Yet this version is still worth a look if you are into epic action movies like "Braveheart" and "Lawrence of Arabia".

Peace.

Rating:
Summary: Great Transfer - No Goodies
Review: Ran is a spectical of celluloid. One of the most beautiful color pictures ever captured on film and not even Kurosawas best! If you are not familiar; Ran is the story of King Lear set in Japan.

The shear weight and artistic power of this film gives it 4 stars but as a DVD owner I am very dissapointed. Beautiful Transfer and a cool trailer but poor, poor, extras. My suggestion, buy the DVD if you cant live without Kurosawa. If you are a collector, pray that Criterion gets their hands on this puppy.

Rating:
Summary: Masterpiece of a film, bizarre DVD rendition
Review: First of all, I want to say that this is one of the greatest films of the past 20 years, in any language or genre. It is a true masterpiece and obviously the work of a master director (who also directed Rashomon, Seven Samurai, Ikiru). The imagery is astounding (and NO computer special effects, folks, it's all real), the sound is haunting and eerie, and the storytelling impeccable. For newcomers, this is essentially a re-telling of the King Lear storyline (Shakespeare) but in a medieval Japanese setting with warlords and samurai. It is an action film of sorts, but despite the obvious power of the action, the deepest strength of this film must lay within the tragic drama of the story. This is not a happy film nor a feel-good film but it is a film that will remind everyone in these days of MTV-editing and flashiness and loud bangs how powerful a film can truly be when in the hands of a master.

Ran is not for everyone, of course. It has a deliberate pace and is set in a non-English background, which makes it foreign to a lot of Americans. It is Japanese, so the cuts are long and scenes are allowed to play out. People who don't like slow films (example, Kubrick films or Russian films) might not like this aspect of the movie Ran. The style of filmmaking harkens to older days of cinema, but then again, I've always thought the older films were better than today's movies anyways.

I just want to say a few words about the DVD itself. It is truly bizarre and obviously one of the first wave of DVDs when DVDs were still new. The transfer is not so good. There are dust and scratch marks here and there, but I can accept this on an older foreign film; picky DVD owners may not. It is also non-anamorphic and is essentially just an extremely good VHS copy placed on DVD format. At least it's in widescreen. But it is a weird widescreen, which instead of being centered, takes up the TOP 2/3 of the TV screen, with subtitles on the bottom. This takes some getting used to but it's acceptable. The WORST thing, though, which may definitely turn off potential buyers, is that the middle of the film has a really soft focused look to it, as if it were projected through a widescreen lens with condensation in it. The middle portion totally looks like poor VHS quality. Oddly enough, the first and last thirds of the film look okay in terms of focus. Was this some blunder by the DVD company in the transfer process? I can't believe they let this slip by. Oh well.

Anyways, final analysis...the film gets a strong 5 stars but the unusual transfer bumps the final rating down to 4 stars. If you are a film buff like myself, you may overlook the shortcomings of the DVD and buy it anyways, especially since a re-issue is not going to happen anytime soon.

Rating:
Summary: Kurosawa Masterpiece
Review: Fans of Kurosawa's black and white samurai films starring the incomprable Toshiro Mifune will find this film to be their equals. An Adaptation of Shakespeares King Lear, Kurosawa's take on the play is extraordinary. A stunning Japanese film with very vivid colors and superb shots of the japanese landscape, architecutre and culture. Akira Kurosawa pulls no punches in creating this modern masterpiece.

New audiences to Kurosawa's films will be stunned, and old fans will be spellbound at the DVD quality. A must have for anyone who enjoys great movies.

p.s. Lady Kaede is one of the most wicked characters in modern film history.

Rating:
Summary: watch it with an open mind
Review: Ran is an adaptation of Shakespeare's famous tragedy "King Lear." The movie takes place in pre-Tokugawa Japan and Lord Hidetora, an old and cruel warlord, is in apex of his reign. However, on a beautiful and calm afternoon he abdicates his power to Tarou, his oldest son. His second son, Jirou, agrees with the arrangement, but the youngest Saburo does not. Saburo wonders how his father can believe this will go over peacefully when all he and his brother has ever known is war, where people backstab, kill, and are merciless to achieve power and win. Lord Hidetora, angry that his son had the audcacity to doubt his decision banishes him from his sight.

I can't give away too much of the plot but from then on exits order and enters chaos. Watching the movie one wonders how there could be anything but chaos. When Hidetora abdicated his seat to Tarou , he broke the Confucian order of relationship between young/old, father/son, teacher/student and trouble aggregates from there. Although the main theme of this movie is chaos, I like to think that secondary theme is relationship (broken relationship causes chaos). This movie examines the relationship between father and son, between siblings, husband and wife, between women, ruler and the subjugates and explores existence of chaos in many level.

There are many reason to like this movie. It's beautiful, the cinematography is just breath taking. It's intellectual, cultural, and emotional. At times it moves slow, but you have to remember it's all done with artistic purposes.

I was eight and was probably watching Mickey Mouse and playing in the sandbox when Akira Kurosawa's Ran (Chaos) first opened in theaters. I regret not having had the opportunity to have watched and appreciate the movie first hand like many before me, but I'm glad I'm young enough to continue the appreciation of this great movie for the posterity. When I first watched it I was so impressed and the memory of the movie haunted me for days. I replayed the scenes over and over in my mind and re-expirienced the anger, anxiety, and grief everytime. I guess this would be a good time to note that this is not a happy movie. My sister thinks it's stupid to watch/read anything but stories with happy-endings, she argues why put yourself in such a miserable disposition when you can be happy. I disagree, I'd rather feel joy first hand and experience the grief artificially, also the experience puts your life in check, you begin to appreciate the good more earnestly.

On a random note, Peter who plays the Fool (joker) is a son of a famous Noh actor. His father is (was? I'm not sure if he's still alive) a National Living Treasure of Japan. And actors who played Saburo and Lord Hidetora was in "Kagemusha" (Shadow Warrior), another movie by Akira Kurosawa, also a great movie. As for the DVD quality, it's not that great, it's slightly grainy and fuzzy. Still, you are getting it for the quality of the movie, not the presentation, right?

Rating:
Summary: This is the only review I've ever felt the need to write.
Review: I recently saw this film for the first time; It was a revelation. It is the greatest film I have ever seen. It is the greatest performance of Shakespeare I have ever seen-- and it doesn't even include any of the Bard's dialogue. It is the greatest period piece I have ever seen-- or read. It is, quite simply, a titanic masterwork. As I watched it unfold (or rather explode,) every shot was the most beautiful I had ever witnessed. The sound-- perfect. The cinematography-- perfect. Music? You guessed it-- perfect. Acting? For this movie-- perfect. Even the makeup was the best I've ever seen. My initial reaction at the end of Ran? I couldn't believe such a movie even existed. Everyone always knew that nobody filmed men in motion like Kurosawa. Who knew that nobody filmed men at rest just as well? And all in one film?

Nobody insists that Kurosawa came from nothing. His stories came from Dostoyevsky, Shakespeare, and Japanese legend. Some of his film techniques came from Orson Welles. But nobody ever put it all together like this. The man spent ten years alone storyboarding while looking for cash-- and when Kurosawa storyboarded, he went all out. Full-sized paintings, sometimes dozens for one scene. And-- get this-- he was seventy five, and nearly blind. Keep that in mind during the last shot of the film, which, by the way, all respect to Truffaut, is the greatest ever.

The work paid off. Greatest film I've seen. Period. See it now. See it over and over.

Rating:
Summary: Kurosawa is the master, the camera is his sword.
Review: If a person only sees one Kurosawa film in his/her lifetime, or just one foriegn movie in general, it should be none other than 'Ran'. It begins with warriors on horseback, watching the endless terrain for intruders. Haunting music plays in background, and one knows their in for something special. An epic in every sense of the word, 'Ran' is the story of a Lord dividing his territory between his three sons. Ignoring the warning of his youngest son, Saburo, the Lord exiles him. Before he realizes what he has done, his oldest son turns against his father. What happens next will be nothing but chaos, just as the title suggests. 'Ran' has some of the most beautiful battle sequences ever filmed. One would think that watching dozens of being brutally slaughtered couldn't be beautiful, but one has to see this movie to believe it. 'Ran' has also one of the most mischievous female characters created, Lady Kaede. The story is based on King Lear, but I'm willing to bet Kurosawa got the inspiration of Lady Kaede from Lady Macbeth. This woman will do anything and everything to have her way; putting on a false face and tears, sleep with her husband's brother, and order the death of an innocent woman. In the end, things get very bloody and a little confusing, but the final scene suggests a cry to help humanity.

Rating:
Summary: "Man is born crying. When he stops crying, he dies."
Review: After watching Akira Kurosawa's adaptation of Shakespeare's "King Lear," I was reminded of a quote of his I once heard. Someone had apparently asked him what one of his films meant, and to this he simply replied that he did not know, and that if he knew, he would not have had to make the film.
For "Ran," it is interesting how Lord Hidetora's struggle in the film mirrors Akira Kurosawa's own life. Not as appreciated in his own country as he was earlier in his career, Kurosawa had trouble getting funding for his films during the latter part of his life. Compounded with this was the fact that he was slowly growing blind, and had tried to commit suicide but failed. Lord Hidetora in the film, after dividing up his kingdom to his sons, faces a violent backlash when his sons try to cease power, causing him to try and commit suicide, but failing, and eventually going insane. Great directors imbue their films with their own thoughts, passions, and emotions, and "Ran" is nothing short of a brilliant summation of a Master filmmaker.
Ten years in pre-production profferred a film of unbridled scope and vision. Everything from costumes to production design to music were meticulously planned, bringing about one of the most amazing films I have ever seen. Kurosawa always had a way of engraining his films with latent humanism, and in "Ran," every shot, every color, every symbol, every line, every action, is imbued with meaning and conviction. The pacing is slow and methodical, almost meditative. The camera rarely jumps in for close ups, as is the case with many Hollywood films, but instead sits back, as if it is observing from a god-like point of view. There are moments in the film that are breath taking for its beauty, its violence, and its emotional resonance. It is a film so alive, that only a man near the end of his life would be able to make.
The DVD transfer does not even come close to doing this film justice, but it is great film and needs to be seen regardless. "Ran" is a triumph of filmmaking, and an example of how great films always stay with you.

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding
Review: This is one of the best movies I have ever seen. King Lear in 16th century Japan. An old warlord splits his land amoung his three sons, but ends up banishing one because of his arrogance. The family begins to crumble as ambitions come forth. Visually stunning, with wide, sweeping landscapes and scenes seperated with shots of clouds, reinforcing the mood of the time.
Robbed of too many Oscars, this film hands down stands the test of time better than most films released that year.

Rating:
Summary: One of the worst DVD transfers ever...what a shame!
Review: This masterpeice is one of the great films. Kurosawa's genius is diminished by the shoddy transfer to DVD that makes this all but unwatchable. The VHS version is far superior in every way. The folks who transferred this to DVD should be ashamed of their shoddy work!