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Ran

Akira Kurosawa’s visually spectacular epic transplants Shakespeare’s King Lear from Celtic Britain to feudal Japan.

Drama 1985 154 mins

Director: Akira Kurosawa

Kermode introduces Watch trailer Rent for £3.50

Overview

Akira Kurosawa’s visually spectacular epic transplants Shakespeare’s King Lear from Celtic Britain to feudal Japan. In its epic scope and expert execution, Ran can be seen as a culmination of the great Japanese director’s filmmaking career; a late triumph which he planned and refined over several years.

By fusing the narrative – about an arrogant King who’s betrayed by his resentful children – with non-naturalistic Japanese aesthetics from the samurai epic and Noh theatre, Kurosawa crafts an arresting and singular cinematic (re)vision of Shakespearean drama. Epic and bloody spectacle is underscored by a sombre mood of loss, regret and mortality, making Ran both enthralling and disturbing. The film is presented here in a stunning new restoration.

Director

Akira Kurosawa

Featuring

Tatsuya Nakadai , Akira Terao and Jinpachi Nezu

Genres

Drama

Certificate

moderate bloody violence

Country

France

Language

Japanese with English subtitles

Accessibility

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