Ran (film): Difference between revisions

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Latest revision as of 10:32, 27 August 2025

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{{short description|1985 Japanese film directed by Akira Kurosawa}}

{{Infobox Film |

{{Infobox film

name = Ran |

| name image = Ran (film) poster.jpg |

| image imdb_id = 0089881 |Kuroran.jpg

| caption director = [[AkiraTheatrical Kurosawa]]release |poster

| writer director = [[Akira Kurosawa]],<br>[[Hideo Oguni]],<br>[[Masato Ide]] |

| producer = {{Plain list|

starring = [[Tatsuya Nakadai]],<br> [[Mieko Harada]] |

* producer = [[Katsumi Furukawa]] |

* Masato Hara

distributor = Greenwich Film Productions<br> Herald Ace Inc.<br> Nippon Herald Films<br> |

* [[Serge Silberman]]

released = [[01 June]], [[1985]] |

}}

runtime = 160 minutes |

| screenplay = {{Plain list|

language = [[Japanese language|Japanese]] |

* Akira Kurosawa

music = [[Tôru Takemitsu]] |

* [[Hideo Oguni]]

budget = $12,000,000 |

* Masato Ide

}}

| based_on = {{based on|''[[King Lear]]''|[[William Shakespeare]]}}

| starring = {{Plain list|

* [[Tatsuya Nakadai]]

* [[Akira Terao]]

* [[Jinpachi Nezu]]

* [[Daisuke Ryu]]

* [[Mieko Harada]]

* Yoshiko Miyazaki

* [[Mansai Nomura]]

* [[Hisashi Igawa]]

* [[Peter (actor)|Peter]]

* Masayuki Yui

}}

| music = [[Toru Takemitsu]]

| cinematography = {{Plain list|

* [[Takao Saito (cinematographer)|Takao Saito]]

* [[Shoji Ueda (cinematographer)|Shoji Ueda]]

* [[Asakazu Nakai]]

}}

| editing = Akira Kurosawa

| production_companies = {{Plain list|

* [[Asmik Ace|Herald Ace]]

* [[Nippon Herald Films]]

* Greenwich Film Productions

}}

| distributor = {{Plain list|

* [[Toho]] (Japan)

* Acteurs Auteurs Associés (France)

}}

| released = {{Film date|1985|05|31|[[Tokyo International Film Festival|Tokyo]]|1985|06|01|Japan|1985|09|18|France}}<!-- ONLY THE FIRST AND COUNTRY OF ORIGIN RELEASES PER WP:FILMRELEASE -->

| runtime = 162 minutes

| country = {{Plain list|

* Japan<ref name="BFI">{{cite web|title=Ran (1985) |url=http://explore.bfi.org.uk/4ce2b75f4052d |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120711145605/http://explore.bfi.org.uk/4ce2b75f4052d |archive-date=July 11, 2012 |publisher=[[British Film Institute]] |access-date=June 13, 2017 }}</ref>

* France<ref name="BFI"/>

}}

| language = Japanese

| budget = {{USD|11–12 million|long=no}}

| gross = {{US$|19 million|long=no}} ({{estimation}})

}}

{{Nihongo|'''''Ran'''''|[[wikt:乱|乱]]||{{literal translation|''chaos'' or ''tumult''}}|lead=yes}} is a 1985 [[Epic film|epic historical]] [[action drama]] film directed, co-written, and edited by [[Akira Kurosawa]]. The plot derives from [[William Shakespeare]]'s ''[[King Lear]]'' and includes segments based on legends of the ''[[daimyō]]'' [[Mōri Motonari]]. The film stars [[Tatsuya Nakadai]] as Hidetora Ichimonji, an aging ''[[Sengoku period|Sengoku]]''-period [[warlord]] who decides to [[abdication|abdicate]] as ruler in favor of his three sons.

Like most of Kurosawa's work in the 1970s and 80s, ''Ran'' is an international production, in this case a Japanese-French venture produced by [[Asmik Ace|Herald Ace]], [[Nippon Herald Films]], and Greenwich Film Productions. Production planning went through a long period of preparation. Kurosawa conceived the idea of ''Ran'' in the mid-1970s, when he read about Motonari, who was famous for having three highly loyal sons. Kurosawa devised a plot in which the sons become antagonists of their father. Although the film became heavily inspired by Shakespeare's play ''King Lear'', Kurosawa began using it only after he had started preparations for ''Ran''. Following these preparations, Kurosawa filmed ''[[Dersu Uzala (1975 film)|Dersu Uzala]]'' in 1975, followed by ''[[Kagemusha]]'' in the early 1980s, before securing financial backing to film ''Ran''.

'''''Ran''''' (乱, "Chaos") is a 1985 [[Jidaigeki]] [[film]] [[Screenwriter|written]] and directed by [[Japanese people|Japanese]] [[Film director|filmmaker]] [[Akira Kurosawa]]. It is based on [[William Shakespeare]]'s ''[[King Lear]]'' adapted to the setting of [[Sengoku Period|Sengoku]]-era [[Japan]]. It follows the fall of Hidetora Ichimonji ([[Tatsuya Nakadai]]), an aging warlord who decides to abdicate as ruler in favor of his three sons. His kingdom slowly disintegrates, as each son jockies for power, murdering their rivals and laying waste to the land. Hidetora eventually goes insane after watching his retainers slaughtered in an epic massacre that is the centerpiece of the film. As the kingdom crumbles and rival warlords move in for the kill, the Ichimonji clan collapses in a culmination of revenge and betrayal as old scores are finally settled.

''Ran'' was Kurosawa's third encounter with Shakespeare during his career. In 1957, Kurosawa directed ''[[Throne of Blood]]'', based on Shakespeare's ''[[Macbeth]]''. In 1960, he directed the film ''[[The Bad Sleep Well]]'', based on ''[[Hamlet]]''. All three films have received critical acclaim.

The film is believed by many to be one of Kurosawa's finest. It has been hailed for its powerful images and expert use of colour, and [[Costume design|Costume designer]], [[Emi Wada]] won the [[Academy Award for Costume Design]] in 1985. The distinctive [[film score]] was written by [[Toru Takemitsu]], and in many scenes it plays in isolation, with the normal sound muted - particularly in the scene when Hidetora's castle is destroyed.

As Kurosawa's last [[Epic Film|epic]], ''Ran'' has often been cited as among his finest achievements and is widely regarded as one of [[List of films considered the best|the greatest films ever made]]. With a budget of {{USD|11–12 million|long=no}}, it was among the most expensive films in the history of [[Cinema of Japan|Japanese cinema]] upon its release. ''Ran'' was previewed on<!-- ONLY THE FIRST AND COUNTRY OF ORIGIN RELEASES --> May 31, 1985, at the [[Tokyo International Film Festival]] before its release on June 1, 1985, in Japan. The film was hailed for its powerful images and use of color; [[costume design]]er [[Emi Wada]] won an [[Academy Award for Best Costume Design]] for her work on ''Ran'', and Kurosawa received his only career nomination for [[Academy Award for Best Director|Best Director]]. The distinctive [[film score]], inspired by [[Gustav Mahler]], was composed by [[Toru Takemitsu]].

== Plot ==

{{spoiler}}

[[Image:Lady Kaede.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Lady Kaede ([[Mieko Harada]]) plotting with Jiro.]]

==Plot==

At its core, ''Ran'' is a film about loss. It chronicles the downfall of the once-powerful Ichimonji clan after its patriarch Hidetora decides to give control of his kingdom up to his three sons: Taro, Jiro, and Saburo. Taro, as the eldest son, will receive the prestigious First Castle and become leader of the Ichimonji clan, while Jiro and Saburo will be given the Second and Third Castles.

Hidetora Ichimonji, a powerful but elderly [[warlord]], decides to divide his kingdom among his three sons: Taro, Jiro, and Saburo. Taro, the eldest, will receive the prestigious First Castle and become leader of the Ichimonji clan, while Jiro and Saburo will be given the Second and Third Castles. Hidetora is to retain the title of Great Lord and Jiro and Saburo are to support Taro. However, Saburo is exiled after criticizing his father's lecture about unity. Hidetora's retainer Tango is also exiled for defending Saburo.

Jiro and Saburo are to support Taro, and Hidetora illustrates this by using a bundle of arrows.<ref>This is based on a parable by Mori Motonari: he handed each of his sons an arrow and asked for them to snap it. After each snapped their arrows, he showed three arrows and asked them to snap them. Unable to snap them, Motonari preached how one arrow could be broken easily but three arrows could not. However, in ''Ran'' Saburo smashed the bundle across his knee and called the lesson stupid.</ref> Hidetora will remain the titular leader and retain the title of Great Lord. However, Saburo criticizes the logic of Hidetora's plan, claiming that Hidetora achieved power through treachery, yet he foolishly expects his sons to be loyal to him. Hidetora mistakes these comments for a threat and when his servant Tango comes to Saburo's defense, Hidetora banishes both of them.

Following the division of Hidetora's abdicationlands between his remaining two sons, Taro's wife, Lady Kaede, beginsstill pushingbitter forabout TaroHidetora tokilling takeher directfamily controland oftaking thetheir Ichimonji clanland, andsuccessfully engineersurges a rift between Taro and Hidetora. Matters comehim to ausurp head when Hidetora kills onecontrol of Taro'sthe guardsentire whoIchimonji was threatening his fool Kyoamiclan. When Taro subsequently demands that Hidetora renounce his title of Great Lord, Hidetora stormsleaves out of the castle. He thenand travels to Jiro's castle, only to discover that Jiro is moreonly interested in using Hidetora as a titular pawn. inAs Hidetora and his ownretinue powerwander, play.Tango warns Hidetora of Taro's new decree: Finallydeath to whoever aids his father. Hidetora journiesplans to take refuge in the thirdThird castleCastle, which had beenwas abandoned afterby Saburo's forces followed(who theirfollowed lordhim into exile,) onlyand totaken be ambushedover by Taro's andgeneral JiroOgura. Hidetora Infeels athey horrificcan massacretake thatOgura iseasily, thewhereas centerpiece ofKyoami, the filmcourt [[jester|fool]], jokes about Hidetora's bodyguardspredicament, and concubinesis areyelled slaughtered,at theby castleHidetora to stay behind if he is setafraid. on fire,Kyoami and HidetoraTango isstay leftoutside towhile commitHidetora [[seppuku]]and (ritualthe suicide).rest of Ashis Taroretinue andtake Jiro'srefuge forces stormin the castleThird Castle, Jiro'swhich generalthey Kurogane has Tarofind assassinatedunoccupied.

Later, Hidetora and his retinue are attacked by Taro and Jiro's combined forces - Taro's men had "abandoned" the castle to lure Hidetora into a false sense of security and ambush him. Taro is killed by a bullet fired by Jiro's general, Kurogane. All of Hidetora's retinue are either killed or commit ritual suicide. Hidetora is allowed to survive and succumbs to madness as he wanders away from the destroyed castle. Kyoami and Tango, still loyal to Hidetora, find him and stay to assist. Hidetora is haunted by visions of the people he killed in the past. They take refuge in a peasant's home only to discover that the occupant is Tsurumaru, the brother of Lady Sue, Jiro's wife. Tsurumaru's eyes were gouged out by Hidetora's forces and he was left impoverished due to Hidetora's siege. With Taro dead, Jiro becomes the Great Lord of the Ichimonji clan, and moves into the First Castle. Lady Kaede manipulates Jiro into having an affair with her, and demands that he kill Lady Sue, and marry her instead. Jiro orders Kurogane to do the deed, but he refuses, seeing through Kaede's perfidy. Kurogane then warns Sue and Tsurumaru to flee. Tango encounters former spies and before killing them, he is informed that Jiro is considering sending assassins after Hidetora. Tango rides off to alert Saburo. As his madness grows, Hidetora runs off into a volcanic plain.

[[Image:CastleBurn Ran.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Hidetora flees from his burning castle as Jiro and Kurogane (center right) watch on.]]

However, much to his dismay, Hidetora's sword has been broken, and he can therefore not commit seppuku. Instead of killing himself, Hidetora goes mad and escapes from the burning castle. He is discovered wandering in the wilderness by Tango and Kyoami, who along with Saburo become the only people still loyal to him. They take refuge in a peasant's home, only to discover that the peasant is a man named Tsurumaru, Lady Sué's brother (and Hidetora's son-in-law), whom Hidetora had ordered blinded years ago. Upon his return from battle, Jiro begins having an affair with Lady Kaede, who quickly becomes the power behind his throne. She demands that Jiro divorce his wife Lady Sué and marry her instead. When he does so, she also demands for good measure that he have Sue killed. Kurogane is given the order, but he publicly disobeys and warns Jiro not to trust his wife. Meanwhile, Hidetora's party hides out in the remains of a castle that Hidetora and destroyed in an earlier war. During a fracas in which Tango kills two men from Hidetora's bodyguard who had previously betrayed him, Hidetora flees back into the wilderness.

After Saburo's army enters Jiro's territory to find Hidetora, Jiro hastily mobilizes his army. After a truce, Saburo learns from Kyoami of Hidetora's potential ___location. After Saburo leaves, Jiro attacks Saburo's smaller forces, suffering losses, and orders his remaining forces to retreat after learning of another army marching on the First Castle. Saburo finds Hidetora, who partially recovers his sanity, and reconciles with Saburo. However, Saburo is killed by one of Jiro's snipers. Hidetora dies from grief. Tsurumaru and Sue arrive at the ruins of a castle, but inadvertently leave behind the flute that Sue gave him when he was banished. She gives him a picture of Amida Buddha for protection while she attempts to retrieve the flute. However, she never returns.

[[Image:Jiro Ran.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Jiro's army attacks Saburo's forces at Hachiman field.]]

With Hidetora's ___location a mystery, Saburo's army crosses back into the kingdom to find him. Alarmed at what he suspects is treachery, Jiro hastily mobilizes his army to stop him. The two forces meet on the field of Hachiman. Sensing a major battle, Saburo's new patron, a warlord named Fujimaki marches to the border. Another rival warlord, Ayabe, also shows up with his own army. After arranging a truce with Jiro, Saburo rides off to find Hidetora. But Jiro orders an attack anyway, and his forces are decimated by [[arquebus]] fire from Saburo's army. In the middle of the battle, word reaches Jiro and Kurogane that Fujimaki has slipped away and is marching on the First Castle. Jiro's army promptly disintegrates and flees back to the castle, where Kurogane slays Lady Kaede after she admits that she herself had planned for events to transpire this way all along. Jiro, Kurogane, and Jiro's men all die in the battle that follows, presumably. During this period Lady Sué is also finally murdered by one of Jiro's men.

As the First Castle is besieged, Kurogane learns of Sue's death, and confronts Kaede. After she confesses her plot was revenge against the entire Ichimonji clan, she is killed by Kurogane. Jiro, Kurogane, and all Jiro's men subsequently die in battle. A funeral procession is held for Saburo and Hidetora. Meanwhile, left alone in the castle ruins, Tsurumaru trips, dropping the Amida Buddha image Sue had given to him.

In the end, Saburo finally discovers Hidetora, hiding in a cave. The two are reunited and Hidetora comes to his senses. However, Saburo is promptly killed by an assassin that Jiro had sent out earlier. Overcome with grief, Hidetora finally dies, marking the end of the Ichimonji clan. The film ends with a shot of Tsurumaru, standing alone on top of a ruined castle while Saburo's army mourns for their fallen leader.

==BackgroundCast==

{| class="wikitable sortable"

[[Image:Kurosawa Ran.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Akira Kurosawa (center) gives stage directions to Tatsuya Nakadai (left) and Jinpachi Nezu (right) during the filming of ''Ran''.]]

|-

! Actor !! Character !! ''[[King Lear]]'' analogue

|-

| [[Tatsuya Nakadai]] || {{nihongo|Ichimonji Hidetora|一文字 秀虎}} || [[Leir of Britain|King Lear]]

|-

| [[Akira Terao]] || {{nihongo|Ichimonji "Taro" Takatora|一文字 太郎 孝虎}} || [[Goneril]]

|-

| [[Jinpachi Nezu]] || {{nihongo|Ichimonji "Jiro" Masatora|一文字 次郎 正虎}} || [[Regan (King Lear)|Regan]]

|-

| [[Daisuke Ryu]] || {{nihongo|Ichimonji "Saburo" Naotora|一文字 三郎 直虎}} || [[Cordelia (King Lear)|Cordelia]]

|-

| [[Mieko Harada]] || {{nihongo|Lady Kaede|楓の方}} || [[Edmund (King Lear)|Edmund]]

|-

| Yoshiko Miyazaki || {{nihongo|Lady Sue|末の方}} || Albany

|-

| [[Mansai Nomura]] || {{nihongo|Tsurumaru|鶴丸}} || Gloucester

|-

| [[Hisashi Igawa]] || {{nihongo|Kurogane|鉄}}

|-

| [[Peter (actor)|Peter]] || {{nihongo|Kyoami|狂阿弥}} || [[Shakespearean fool|Fool]]

|-

| Masayuki Yui || {{nihongo|Hirayama Tango|平山 丹後}} || Kent

|-

| Kazuo Kato || {{nihongo|Ikoma Kageyu|生駒 勘解由}} ||

|-

| [[Jun Tazaki]] || {{nihongo|Ayabe Seiji|綾部 政治}} || Duke of Burgundy

|-

| [[Hitoshi Ueki]] || {{nihongo|Fujimaki Nobuhiro|藤巻 信弘}} || King of France

|}

==Production==

''Ran'' was the final film of Kurosawa's "third period", which lasted from 1965 - 1985. During this time, he had difficulty securing financial support for his pictures, and was frequently forced to seek foreign backing. While he had directed over twenty films in the first two decades of his career, the third period saw him direct just four. After directing 1965's ''[[Red Beard]]'', Kurosawa discovered that he was considered old-fashioned, and did not work again for almost five years. He also found himself competing against television, which had gutted Japanese film audiences from a high of 1.1 billion in 1958 to under 200 million by 1975. In 1968 he was fired from the [[20th Century Fox]] epic ''[[Tora! Tora! Tora!]]'' over what he called creative differences, but others said was a perfectionism that bordered on insanity. Kurosawa tried to start an independent production group with three other directors, but his 1970 film ''[[Dodesukaden]]'' was a box office flop and bankrupted the company.<ref>Prince, p.5</ref> Many of his younger rivals boasted that he was finished. A year later, unable to secure any domestic funding and plagued by ill-health, Kurosawa attempted [[suicide]] by slashing his wrists. Though he survived, his misfortune would continue to plague him until the late 1980s. By the time he directed ''Ran'', he was almost completely blind; to make matters worse, his wife of forty years, Yôko Yaguchi, would later die while he was filming ''Ran''.

[[File:Ran storyboards.jpg|thumb|left|Prior to filming, Kurosawa spent ten years storyboarding every shot in the film as paintings. This is the Third Castle upon Hidetora's arrival.|200x200px]]<!-- FAIR USE of RAN STORYBOARDS.jpg: see image description page at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Ran storyboards.jpg for rationale -->

''Ran'' was Kurosawa's last epic film and by far his most expensive. At the time, its budget of {{USD|11–12 million|long=no}} made it the most expensive Japanese film in history, leading to its distribution in 1985 exceeding the budget of $7.5 million for his previous film ''Kagemusha''.<ref name="Hagopian">{{cite web |last=Hagopian |first=Kevin |url=http://www.albany.edu/writers-inst/fns98n7.html |title= New York State Writers Institute Film Notes – Ran |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070312000702/http://www.albany.edu/writers-inst/fns98n7.html |archive-date=2007-03-12 |access-date=2017-06-08}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | first=Vincent | last=Canby | title=Film View: 'Ran' Weathers the Seasons | date=1986-06-22 | work=[[The New York Times]] | url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9b00eedb1539f934a1575ac0a963948260}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Mathews |first=Jack |date=December 11, 1985 |title=SNUB AND BE SNUBBED AS 'RAN' MISSES OSCAR BID |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-12-11-ca-1016-story.html |access-date=February 23, 2024 |website=[[The Los Angeles Times]] |language=en-US}}</ref> It is a Japanese-French venture<ref name="BFI"/> produced by [[Asmik Ace|Herald Ace]], [[Nippon Herald Films]], and Greenwich Film Productions. Filming started in 1983.<ref name="auto">{{Harvnb|Galbraith|2002|pp=569–576}}</ref> The 1,400 uniforms and suits of armor used for the extras were designed by [[costume design]]er [[Emi Wada]] and Kurosawa, and were handmade by master tailors over more than two years. The film also used 200 [[horse]]s. Kurosawa loved filming in lush and expansive locations, and most of ''Ran'' was shot amidst the mountains and plains of [[Mount Aso]], Japan's largest active volcano. Kurosawa was granted permission to shoot at two of the country's most famous landmarks, the ancient castles at [[Kumamoto Castle|Kumamoto]] and [[Himeji Castle|Himeji]]. For the castle of Lady Sue's family, he used the ruins of the custom-constructed Azusa castle, made by Kurosawa's production crew near [[Mount Fuji]].<ref name=Positif/><ref>MTV News, "Happy 444th Birthday, William Shakespeare, Screenwriter", Mark Bourne, 04/22/2008, {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20180201135344/http://www.mtv.com/news/2759127/happy-444th-birthday-william-shakespeare-screenwriter/]}}.</ref><ref>Soundtrack of ''Ran''. Azusa Castle listed as individual track on soundtrack release [https://www.amazon.com/Tsurumarus-Flute-Azusa-Castle-Ruins/dp/B01LD1CO0I].</ref> Hidetora's third castle, which was burned to the ground, was a real building which Kurosawa built on the slopes of Mount Fuji. No miniatures were used for that segment, and Tatsuya Nakadai had to do the scene where Hidetora flees the castle in one take.<ref name=Positif/> Kurosawa also filmed a scene that required an entire field to be sprayed gold, but cut it out of the final film during editing. The documentary ''[[A.K. (film)|A.K.]]'' shows the filming of the scene.

Kurosawa first got the idea that would become ''Ran'' in the mid-Seventies, when he read a parable about the [[Sengoku]]-era warlord [[Mori Motonari]]. Motonari was famous for having three sons, all incredibly loyal and talented in their own right. Kurosawa began imagining what would have happened had they been bad. While a similar story is the plot of [[Shakespeare]]'s play ''[[King Lear]]'', Kurosawa only became aware of the similarities after he had already started pre-planning. According to him, the stories of Mori Motonari and Lear merged in a way he was never fully able to explain. He wrote the script shortly after filming ''[[Dersu Uzala]]'' in 1975, and then "let it sleep" for seven years. During this time, he storyboarded every shot in the film in paintings (The resulting collection of images was published with the screenplay) and continued searching for funding. Following his success with 1980's ''[[Kagemusha]]'', which he sometimes called a "dress rehearsal" for ''Ran'', Kurosawa was able to secure backing from French producer [[Serge Silberman]].

Kurosawa often shot scenes with three cameras simultaneously, each using different lenses and angles. Many [[Long shot|long-shots]] were employed and very few [[close-up]]s. On several occasions, Kurosawa used static cameras and suddenly brought the action into frame, rather than using the camera to track the action. He also used [[jump cut]]s to progress certain scenes, changing the pace of the action for filmic effect.<ref name=JimReview/>

==Production==

[[Image:Ran storyboards.jpg|300px|thumb|left|Prior to filming, Kurosawa spent ten years storyboarding every shot in the film as paintings. This is the Third Castle upon Hidetora's arrival.]]

Akira Kurosawa's wife of 39 years, [[Yōko Yaguchi]], died during the production of the film. He halted filming for one day to mourn before resuming work. His regular recording engineer [[Fumio Yanoguchi]] also died late in production in January 1985.{{sfn|Kurosawa|2008|p=128}}

The epic directorial style involved the use of lush and expansive locations, the mountains and plains of Hidetora's kingdom were shot at [[Aso|Mount Aso]], Japan's largest active volcano in [[Kyushu]]. Kurosawa, was granted permission to shoot at two of the country's most famous landmarks, the ancient castles at [[Kumamoto, Kumamoto|Kumamoto]] and [[Himeji, Hyogo|Himeji]] (the third castle being a [[Set construction|filmset]] built on the slopes of [[Mount Fuji]], which was razed in the film).

=== Crew ===

Kurosawa would often shoot a scene with three cameras simultaneously, each using different lenses and angles. Many [[Long shot|long-shots]] were employed throughout the film and very few [[Close-up|close-ups]].

{{Div col}}

On several occasions he used static cameras and suddenly brought the action into frame, rather than using the camera to track the action.

* [[Akira Kurosawa]] – director, co-writer

He also used [[Jump cut|jump cuts]] to progress certain scenes, changing the pace of the action for filmic effect. <ref>http://jclarkmedia.com/film/filmreviewran.html</ref>

* [[Ishirō Honda]] – associate director

* Kunio Nozaki – assistant director

* Ichiro Yamamoto – assistant director

* Okihiro Yoneda – assistant director

* [[Teruyo Nogami]] – production manager

* Takeji Sano – lighting

* Yoshiro Muraki – production design

* Shinobu Muraki – production design

* [[Emi Wada]] – costume design

* Ichiro Minawa – sound effects

{{Div col end}}

Personnel taken from [[The Criterion Collection]].<ref name="Criterion">{{cite web|title=Ran (1985) – The Criterion Collection|url=https://www.criterion.com/films/754-ran|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210427222121/https://www.criterion.com/films/754-ran|archive-date=April 27, 2021|access-date=November 14, 2021|work=Criterion}}</ref>

* The castle destroyed in the middle of the movie was specially constructed on the slopes of [[Mount Fuji]] for the film and then burned down. No miniatures were used for that segment, although an optical of another castle being burned at the end was used.

===Development===

* The film used approximately 1,400 extras, which required 1,400 uniforms and suits of armor to be fabricated. These were designed by [[Costume design|Costume designer]], [[Emi Wada]], and Kurosawa, and were hand-made by master tailors, taking over 2 years to make.

Kurosawa conceived of the idea that became ''Ran'' in the mid-1970s, when he read a parable about the [[Sengoku period|Sengoku-period]] warlord [[Mōri Motonari]]. Motonari was famous for having three sons, all incredibly loyal and talented. Kurosawa began imagining what would have happened had they been bad.<ref name=Peary>{{cite news | first=Gerald | last=Peary | title=Akira Kurosawa | date=July 1986 | newspaper=[[Boston Herald]] | url=http://www.geraldpeary.com/interviews/jkl/kurosawa.html| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020424070639/http://www.geraldpeary.com/interviews/jkl/kurosawa.html| url-status=usurped| archive-date=April 24, 2002}}</ref> Although the film eventually became heavily inspired by [[Shakespeare]]'s play ''[[King Lear]]'', Kurosawa became aware of the play only after he had started pre-planning.<ref name=Sragow>{{cite news | first=Michael | last=Sragow | title=Lear meets the energy vampire | date=September 21, 2000 | work=[[Salon.com]] | url=http://www.salon.com/2000/09/21/kurosawa/}}</ref> According to him, the stories of Mōri Motonari and Lear merged in a way he was never fully able to explain. He wrote the script shortly after filming ''[[Dersu Uzala (1975 film)|Dersu Uzala]]'' in 1975, and then "let it sleep" for seven years.<ref name=Positif>{{Cite journal | author= Kiyoshi Watanabe | title=Interview with Akira Kurosawa on Ran | journal=Positif |date=October 1985| volume=296 }}</ref> During this time, he painted [[storyboard]]s of every shot in the film (later included with the screenplay and available on the [[The Criterion Collection|Criterion Collection]] [[DVD]] release) and then continued searching for funding. Following his success with 1980's ''[[Kagemusha]]'', which he later considered a "dress rehearsal" or "dry run" for ''Ran'', Kurosawa was finally able to secure backing from French producer [[Serge Silberman]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Ran Press Kit |url=https://cinefiles.bampfa.berkeley.edu/catalog/23367 |website=CineFiles |publisher=Orion Classics |access-date=15 August 2022 |pages=10, 17 |date=1985 |quote=He now regards KAGEMUSHA as a sort of "dress rehearsal" for RAN, an attempt to work out themes and ideas and perhaps even to demonstrate the viability of a grand-scale period film. ... Kurosawa regards KAGEMUSHA as a "dry run" for the more richly conceived, the more deeply personal RAN.}}</ref>

Kurosawa once said "Hidetora is me", and there is evidence in the film that Hidetora serves as a stand-in for Kurosawa.<ref name=AKData>{{cite web | title=Ran | work=Flicks kicks off with a Lear-inspired epic | url=https://www.usq.edu.au/news-events/news/2015/03/artsworx-flicks | access-date=2017-06-09 | archive-date=2015-04-18 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150418141854/http://usq.edu.au/news-events/news/2015/03/artsworx-flicks | url-status=dead }}</ref> Roger Ebert agrees, arguing that ''Ran'' "may be as much about Kurosawa's life as Shakespeare's play".<ref name = Ebert/> ''Ran'' was the final film of Kurosawa's "third period" (1965–1985), a time where he had difficulty securing support for his pictures, and was frequently forced to seek foreign financial backing. While he had directed over twenty films in the first two decades of his career, he directed just four in these two decades. After directing ''[[Red Beard]]'' (1965), Kurosawa discovered that he was considered old-fashioned and did not work again for almost five years. He also found himself competing against television, which had reduced Japanese film audiences from a high of 1.1 billion in 1958 to under 200 million by 1975. In 1968, he was fired from the [[20th Century Fox]] epic ''[[Tora! Tora! Tora!]]'' over what he described as creative differences, but others said was a perfectionism that bordered on [[insanity]]. Kurosawa tried to start an independent production group with three other directors, but his 1970 film ''[[Dodes'ka-den]]'' was a box-office flop and bankrupted the company.<ref>{{Harvnb|Prince|1999|p=5}}</ref> Many of his younger rivals boasted that he was finished. A year later, unable to secure any domestic funding and plagued by ill health, Kurosawa attempted [[suicide]] by slashing his wrists. Though he survived, his misfortune continued to plague him until the late 1980s. According to Stephen Prince, medical treatment and Mosfilm's offer to make a film in Russia (''[[Dersu Uzala (1975 film)|Dersu Uzala]]'') helped Kurosawa's eventual "spiritual recovery."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Prince |first=Stephen |title=The warrior's camera: the cinema of Akira Kurosawa |date=1991 |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=978-0-691-03160-6 |___location=Princeton, N.J |pages=260–261}}</ref>

* 200 [[horses]] were used in the film, a number of which had to be imported from the United States. Kurosawa used his extras and horses so efficiently, that when the film was ready for premiere, newspapers in Japan were reporting that thousands of extras and horses were used to stage the battles.

Kurosawa was influenced by the [[William Shakespeare]] play ''[[King Lear]]'' and borrowed elements from it.<ref name=Sragow/> Both depict an aging warlord who decides to divide up his kingdom among his children. Hidetora has three sons – Taro, Jiro, and Saburo – who correspond to Lear's daughters [[Goneril]], [[Regan]], and [[Queen Cordelia|Cordelia]]. In both, the warlord foolishly banishes anyone who disagrees with him as a matter of pride – in Lear it is the Earl of [[Kent]] and Cordelia; in ''Ran'' it is Tango and Saburo. The conflict in both is that two of the lord's children ultimately turn against him, while the third supports him, though Hidetora's sons are far more ruthless than Goneril and Regan. Both ''King Lear'' and ''Ran'' end with the death of the entire family, including the lord.

* Akira Kurosawa's wife of 39 years, [[Yôko Yaguchi]], died during the production of this film. Kurosawa halted filming for just one day to mourn before resuming work on the picture.

There are some crucial differences between the two stories. ''King Lear'' is a play about undeserved suffering, and Lear himself is at worst a fool. Hidetora, by contrast, has been a cruel warrior for most of his life: a man who ruthlessly murdered men, women, and children to achieve his goals.<ref>{{Harvnb|Prince|1999|p=287}}</ref> In ''Ran'', Lady Kaede, Lady Sue, and Tsurumaru were all victims of Hidetora. Whereas in ''King Lear'' the character of Gloucester had his eyes gouged out by Lear's enemies, in ''Ran'' it was Hidetora himself who gave the order to blind Tsurumaru. The role of the Fool has been expanded into a major character (Kyoami).<ref name=JimReview>[http://jclarkmedia.com/filmreviewran.html Kurosawa's RAN] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060322081409/http://jclarkmedia.com/film/filmreviewran.html |date=2006-03-22 }}. ''Jim's Reviews''.</ref> Kurosawa was concerned that Shakespeare gave his characters no past, and he wanted to give his version of ''King Lear'' a history.<ref name=AsktheExpert>{{cite AV media | chapter=Ask the Experts Q&A | title=Great Performances. Kurosawa | oclc=49757477 |type=DVD}}</ref>

* A scene which required an entire field to be sprayed gold was filmed but left out of the final film during editing.

The complex and variant etymology for the word ''Ran'' used as the title has been variously translated as "chaos", "rebellion", or "revolt"; or to mean "disturbed" or "confused".

==Cast and Characters==

{{main|Characters in Ran (film)}}

[[Image:Brothers Ran.jpg|thumb|300px|right|(Left to Right) Ikoma, Saburo, Jiro, and Taro.]]

''Ran'' was a late Kurosawa film and so it lacked many stalwarts of earlier Kurosawa films, such as [[Takashi Shimura]] and [[Toshiro Mifune]]. The description of Hidetora in the first script was originally based on Mifune, who had been estranged from Kurosawa since ''[[Red Beard]]''.<ref>http://www2.tky.3web.ne.jp/~adk/kurosawa/filmo/ran.html<br>http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/shows/kurosawa/asktheexpert/answers.html</ref> However, for various reasons the part ultimately went to [[Tatsuya Nakadai]], who had played several supporting characters in previous Kurosawa films, as well as the thief in ''[[Kagemusha]]''. However, because the character had been been written for Mifune, Nakadai found himself playing Toshiro Mifune playing Hidetora. Two other Kurosawa vetans in ''Ran'' were [[Hisashi Igawa]] (Kurogane) and [[Masayuki Yui]] (Tango), who were both in ''[[Dreams (1990 film)|Dreams]]'' and ''[[Madadayo]]'' (Yuki had also been in Kagemusha and Igawa would later appear in ''[[Rhapsody in August]]''). Many of the other actors had also appeared in other late Kurosawa films, such as [[Jinpachi Nezu]] (Jiro) and [[Daisuke Ryu]] (Saburo) in ''Kagemusha''. Others had not, but would go on to work with Kurosawa again, such as [[Akira Terao]] (Taro) and [[Mieko Harada]] (Lady Kaede) in ''[[Dreams (1990 film)|Dreams]]''. For more humorous elements, Kurosawa also brought in two comedians: the [[transvestite]] [[Shinnosuke "Peter" Ikehata]] as Hidetora's fool Kyoami and [[Hitoshi Ueki]] as rival warlord Nobuhiro Fujimaki.

== Themes =Filming===

The filming of ''Ran'' began in 1983.<ref name="auto"/> The development and conception of the filming of the war scenes in the film were influenced by Kurosawa's opinions on [[nuclear warfare]]. According to Michael Wilmington, Kurosawa told him that much of the film was a metaphor for nuclear warfare and the anxiety of the post-[[Hiroshima]] age.<ref>{{cite news | first=Michael | last=Wilmington | title=Apocalypse Song | date=December 19, 2005 | publisher=Criterion Collection|url=http://www.criterion.com/asp/release.asp?id=316&eid=452&section=essay}}</ref> He believed that, despite all of the technological progress of the 20th century, all people had learned was how to kill each other more efficiently.<ref name=Bock>{{cite news |first=Audie |last=Bock |page=21 |title=Kurosawa on His Innovative Cinema |date=1981-10-04 |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/10/04/movies/kurosawa-on-his-innovative-cinema.html}}</ref> In ''Ran'', the vehicle for [[apocalypse|apocalyptic]] destruction is the [[arquebus]], an early firearm that was introduced to Japan in the 16th century. Arquebuses revolutionized [[samurai]] warfare. Kurosawa had already dealt with this theme in his previous film ''[[Kagemusha]]'', in which the Takeda cavalry is destroyed by the arquebuses of the [[Oda clan|Oda]] and [[Tokugawa clan]]s.

[[Image:Saburo Death.jpg||right|thumb|300px|Great Lord Hidetora cries over Saburo.]]

{{section-stub}}

== Reception ==

[[Image:Warriors Ran.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Saburo's Army crosses a river.]]

In ''Ran'', the battle of Hachiman Field is an illustration of this new kind of warfare. Saburo's arquebusiers annihilate Jiro's cavalry and drive off his infantry by engaging them from the woods, where the cavalry are unable to venture. Similarly, Taro and Saburo's assassination by a sniper also shows how individual heroes can be easily disposed of on a modern battlefield. Kurosawa also illustrates this new warfare with his camera. Instead of focusing on the warring armies, he frequently sets the focal plane beyond the action, so that in the film they appear as abstract entities.<ref>{{cite video | people=Prince, Stephen (Commentary) | date=2005 | title=Ran | medium=Film | ___location=North America | publisher=Criterion Collection}}</ref>

In the later years of his career, Kurosawa got little respect from many Japanese filmmakers and the industry. A glaring sign of this was Japan's failure to submit ''Ran'' for competition in the [[Best Foreign Language Film]] category of the [[Academy Awards|Oscars]]. Kurosawa had not attended the [[Tokyo Film Festival]], where the film premiered, and many people felt the snub to ''Ran'' was payback. The film's producer and financier, Serge Silberman, tried to get it nominated as a French co-production (which it was) but failed. American director [[Sidney Lumet]] helped organize a campaign to have Kurosawa nominated as [[Academy Award for Directing|Best Director]]. Kurosawa got the nomination, but the winner that year in the director category was [[Sydney Pollack]] for ''[[Out of Africa]]''.

<ref>http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/shows/kurosawa/asktheexpert/answers.html</ref>

===Casting===

''Ran'' was nominated for four Academy Awards including Best Director, [[Academy Award for Best Art Direction|Art Direction]], [[Academy Award for Best Cinematography|Cinematography]], and [[Academy Award for Costume Design|Costume Design]] (which it won).

The description of Hidetora in the first script was originally based on [[Toshiro Mifune]].<ref name=AsktheExpert/> However, the role was cast to [[Tatsuya Nakadai]], an actor who had played several supporting and major characters in previous Kurosawa films, such as Shingen and his double in ''[[Kagemusha]]''. Other Kurosawa veterans in ''Ran'' were Masayuki Yui (Tango), Jinpachi Nezu (Jiro) and [[Daisuke Ryu]] (Saburo), all of whom were in ''Kagemusha''. For [[Akira Terao]] (Taro) and [[Mieko Harada]] (Lady Kaede), ''Ran'' was their first Kurosawa film, but they would go on to work with him again in ''[[Dreams (1990 film)|Dreams]]''. [[Hisashi Igawa]] (Kurogane), who had previously been in Kurosawa's ''[[Dodes'ka-den]]'', would reappear in both ''Dreams'' and ''[[Rhapsody in August]]''. Kurosawa also hired two popular entertainers for supporting roles: singer-dancer [[Peter (actor)|Shinnosuke "Peter" Ikehata]] as Hidetora's loyal fool Kyoami and comedian-musician [[Hitoshi Ueki]] as rival warlord Nobuhiro Fujimaki. About 1,400 [[Extra (acting)|extras]] were employed.<ref>Conrad, David A. (2022). ''Akira Kurosawa and Modern Japan'', p198-200, McFarland & Co.</ref>

<br style="clear:both;">

==Footnotes=Acting style===

While most of the characters in ''Ran'' are portrayed by conventional acting techniques, two performances are reminiscent of Japanese [[Noh]] theatre. Noh is a form of Japanese traditional theatre requiring highly trained actors and musicians where emotions are primarily conveyed by stylized conventional gestures. The heavy, ghost-like make-up worn by [[Tatsuya Nakadai]]'s character, Hidetora, resembles the emotive masks worn by traditional Noh performers. The body language exhibited by the same character is also typical of Noh theatre: long periods of static motion and silence, followed by an abrupt, sometimes violent, change in stance. The character of Lady Kaede is also Noh-influenced. The Noh treatment emphasizes the ruthless, passionate, and single-minded natures of these two characters.

[[Image:War Ran.jpg|thumb|right|300px|War between Great Lord Hidetora's three sons tears his kingdom apart.]]

<div style="font-size: 85%"><references/></div>

==References= Music ===

Craig Lysy, writing for ''Movie Music UK'', commented on the strengths of the film soundtrack's composer for Kurosawa's purposes: "[[Tōru Takemitsu]] was Japan's preeminent film score composer and Kurosawa secured his involvement in 1976, during the project's early stages. Their initial conception of the score was to use tategoe, a "shrill-voice" chant style without instrumentation. Over the intervening years, Kurosawa's conception of the score changed dramatically. As they began production his desire had changed 180 degrees, now insisting on a powerful [[Gustav Mahler|Mahleresque]] orchestral score. Takemitsu responded with what many describe as his most romantic effort, one that achieved a perfect blending of Oriental and Occidental sensibilities."<ref>{{cite video|title=Music for the Movies: Toru Takemitsu|date=1995|publisher=Sony Classical Essential Classics|medium=DVD}}</ref><ref name="Lysy">{{cite web |last=Lysy |first=Craig |url=https://moviemusicuk.us/2016/10/10/ran-toru-takemitsu/ |title=''Movie Music UK'' |access-date=2017-06-08 |archive-date=2016-12-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220230456/https://moviemusicuk.us/2016/10/10/ran-toru-takemitsu/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Takemitsu has stated that he was significantly influenced by the Japanese [[karma|karmic]] concept of ''[[Ma (negative space)|ma]]'', interpreted as a surplus of energy surrounding an abundant void. As Lysy stated: "Takemitsu was guided in his efforts best summed up in the Japanese word ''ma'', which suggests the incongruity of a void abounding with energy. He related: 'My music is like a garden, and I am the gardener. Listening to my music can be compared with walking through a garden and experiencing the changes in light, pattern and texture.{{'"}}<ref name="Lysy" />

*{{cite book|author=Prince, Stephen|title=The Warrior's Camera|publisher=Princeton University Press|year=1999|id=ISBN 0-6910-1046-3}}

The project was the second of two which allowed Kurosawa and Takemitsu to collaborate, the first being ''[[Dodes'ka-den]]'' in 1970. Lysy summarized the second project stating: "the collaboration between Kurosawa and the temperamental Takemitsu was rocky. Kurosawa constantly sent Takemitsu notes, which only served to infuriate him, so he frequently visited the set to gain a direct sensual experience. Takemitsu actually resigned... Fortunately, producer Masato Hara intervened, made peace, and Takemitsu returned to the film. Years later, Takemitsu would relate: "Overall, I still have this feeling of&nbsp;... 'Oh, if only he'd left more up to me'&nbsp;... But seeing it now&nbsp;... I guess it's fine the way it is.{{'"}}<ref name="Lysy" />

* {{news reference

| firstname=Michael

Kurosawa originally had wanted the [[London Symphony Orchestra]] to perform the score for ''Ran'', but upon meeting conductor [[Hiroyuki Iwaki]] of the [[Sapporo Symphony Orchestra]], he engaged Iwaki and the orchestra to record it.<ref name="Yomiuri">{{cite web|url=http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/e-japan/hokkaido/kikaku/121/8.htm|script-title=ja:巨匠が認めた札響の力|language=ja|date=July 1, 2007|work=Yomiuri Shimbun|access-date=June 14, 2017}}</ref> Kurosawa had the orchestra play up to 40 takes of the music.<ref name="Yomiuri" /> The running time of the soundtrack is just over an hour and was re-released in 2016 after its original release in 1985 by Silva Screen Productions. It was produced by Reynold da Silva and David Stoner.<ref name="Lysy" />

| lastname=Sragow

| pages=

==Reception==

| title=Lear meets the energy vampire

===Box office===

| date=September 21, 2000

Released on June 1, 1985, the film was modestly successful financially in Japan. It earned {{¥|2.51 billion|link=yes}} ($12 million) in Japan, just enough to break even.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tohokingdom.com/box_office/ran.htm |title=Ran|website=tohokingdom.com|access-date=16 June 2017}}</ref> In France, where it released on 18 September 1985, the film sold 813,081 tickets,<ref>{{cite web |title=Ran (1985) |url=http://www.jpbox-office.com/fichfilm.php?id=6436 |website=JP's Box-Office |access-date=22 May 2020}}</ref> grossing an estimated {{formatnum:{{#expr:813081*30}}|}}{{nbsp}}[[French franc|F]] ({{US$|{{#expr:813081*3}}|long=no}}).<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Singleton |first1=Patricia A. |title=Travel: A Film Buff's Guide To Paris |journal=[[Black Enterprise]] |date=September 1985 |volume=16 |issue=2 |page=72 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jV8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA72 |publisher=Earl G. Graves, Ltd. |issn=0006-4165}}</ref>

| org=[[Salon.com]]

| url=http://www.salon.com/ent/col/srag/2000/09/21/kurosawa/index.html

In the United States, where it released in December 1985, the film grossed $3,763,760 in its first four weeks of release.<ref>{{cite news |last1=McLellan |first1=Joseph |title=Kurosawa's film 'Ran' is Japanese version of 'King Lear' |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/613725397/ |access-date=19 April 2022 |work=[[The Salt Lake Tribune]] |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |date=12 February 1986 |page=12A |url-access=subscription}}</ref> Later re-releases between 2000 and 2016 grossed $528,357 in the United States and Canada,<ref name="BOM">{{cite web |title=Ran |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0089881/ |website=[[Box Office Mojo]] |access-date=22 May 2020}}</ref> bringing its total North American gross to {{US$|{{#expr:3763760+528357}}|long=no}}.

}}

In Germany, where it released in 1986, the film sold 222,862 tickets,<ref>{{cite web |title=Ran (1985) - Europe |url=http://www.jpbox-office.com/fichfilm.php?id=6436&view=4 |website=JP's Box-Office |access-date=23 May 2020}}</ref> grossing an estimated {{Currency|{{#expr:222862*3.3 round -1}}|code=Euro|linked=no}}<ref>{{cite book |chapter=Cinema market |title=Cinema, TV and radio in the EU: Statistics on audiovisual services (Data 1980-2002) |date=2003 |publisher=[[Office for Official Publications of the European Communities]] |isbn=92-894-5709-0 |issn=1725-4515 |pages=31–64 (61) |edition=2003 |chapter-url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/3217494/5648553/KS-BT-03-001-EN.PDF/3758081d-5ae4-4e21-9d78-fca7bcc68d5c#page=67 |access-date=23 May 2020}}</ref> ($714,912).<ref>{{cite web |title=Historical exchange rates from 1953 with graph and charts |url=https://fxtop.com/en/historical-exchange-rates.php?A=735440&C1=EUR&C2=USD&YA=1&DD1=01&MM1=01&YYYY1=1986&B=1&P=&I=1&DD2=31&MM2=12&YYYY2=1986 |website=fxtop.com |year=1986 |access-date=23 May 2020}}</ref> The film also grossed $18,692 in the United Kingdom,<ref>{{cite web |title=Ran (2016 Re-release) |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/releasegroup/gr1679774213/ |website=Box Office Mojo |access-date=22 May 2020}}</ref> and $16,215 in Portugal,<ref>{{cite web |title=Ran, Os Senhores Da Guerra - Portugal |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Ran/Portugal |website=[[The Numbers (website)|The Numbers]] |access-date=22 May 2020}}</ref> bringing the film's total estimated gross to approximately {{US$|{{#expr:12000000+2439243+4292117+714912+18692+16215}}|long=no|year=1985|round=-6}} worldwide.

===Critical reviews===

''Ran'' was critically acclaimed upon its premiere.{{sfn|Lupton|2005|p=165}} On [[review aggregator]] website [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film holds an approval rating of 96%, based on 89 reviews, and an average rating of 9/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Akira Kurosawa's sprawling, epic take on ''King Lear'' should be required viewing for fans of westerns, war movies, or period films in general."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ran |title=Ran (1985) |work=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |publisher=[[Fandango Media]] |access-date=March 29, 2021}}</ref> On [[Metacritic]], the film has a weighted average score of 97 out of 100, based on 21 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.metacritic.com/movie/ran |title=Ran Reviews |work=[[Metacritic]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |access-date=April 10, 2018}}</ref>

Shawn Levy, of the ''Portland Oregonian'' wrote, "In many respects, it's Kurosawa's most sumptuous film, a feast of color, motion and sound: Considering that its brethren include ''[[Kagemusha]]'', ''[[Seven Samurai]]'' and ''[[Dersu Uzala (1975 film)|Dersu Uzala]]'', the achievement is extraordinary."<ref>Shawn Levy, Review of ''Ran'', ''Portland Oregonian'', 1 Dec 2000, p.26.</ref> Writing for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'', [[Roger Ebert]] said, "''Ran'' is a great, glorious achievement."<ref>{{cite news | first=Roger | last=Ebert | title=Film View: 'Ran' | date=1985-12-25 | work=[[Chicago Sun-Times]] | url=http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/ran-1985}}</ref> In the ''San Francisco Examiner'', G. Allen Johnson stated: "Kurosawa pulled out all the stops with ''Ran'', his obsession with loyalty and his love of expressionistic film techniques allowed to roam freely."<ref>G. Allen Johnson. Review of ''Ran'', ''San Francisco Examiner''.</ref>

Writing for the ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]'', Bob Graham stated: "In ''Ran'', the horrors of life are transformed by art into beauty. It is finally so moving that the only appropriate response is silence."<ref>{{cite news | first=Bob | last=Graham | title=Film Review: 'Ran' | date=2000-09-29 | work=[[San Francisco Chronicle]] | url=http://www.sfgate.com/movies/article/REPEAT-PERFORMANCES-Beauty-Terror-in-2703769.php}}</ref> [[Gene Siskel]], writing for the ''Chicago Tribune'', wrote: "The physical scale of ''Ran'' is overwhelming. It's almost as if Kurosawa is saying to all the cassette buyers of America, in a play on Clint Eastwood's phrase, 'Go ahead, ruin your night' – wait to see my film on a small screen and cheat yourself out of what a movie can be."<ref>{{cite news | first=Gene | last=Siskel | title=Film Review: 'Ran' | date=1985-12-25 | work=[[Chicago Tribune]] | url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1985/12/25/ran-a-mighty-triumph-from-a-master-storyteller/}}</ref> [[Vincent Canby]], writing for ''The New York Times'', stated: "Though big in physical scope and of a beauty that suggests a kind of drunken, barbaric lyricism, ''Ran'' has the terrible logic and clarity of a morality tale seen in tight close-up, of a myth that, while being utterly specific and particular in its time and place, remains ageless, infinitely adaptable."<ref>{{cite news | first=Vincent | last=Canby | title=Film Review: 'Ran' Weathers the Seasons | date=1986-06-22 | work=[[The New York Times]] | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/06/22/movies/film-view-ran-weathers-the-seasons.html}}</ref>

Roger Ebert awarded the film four out of four stars, with extended commentary, "Kurosawa (while directing ''Ran'') often must have associated himself with the old lord as he tried to put this film together, but in the end he has triumphed, and the image I have of him, at 75, is of three arrows bundled together."<ref>{{cite news | first=Roger | last=Ebert | title=Film Review: 'Ran' | date=1985-12-25 | work=[[Chicago Sun-Times]] | url=http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/ran-1985}}</ref> In 2000, it was inducted into Ebert's [[The Great Movies|Great Movies]] list.

Notoriously acerbic critic [[John Simon (critic)|John Simon]] of the ''[[National Review]]'' wrote, "I find it as an almost total failure by a genius in his old age".<ref>{{cite book |title=John Simon on Film: Criticism 1982-2001|last1=Simon|first1=John |publisher=Applause Books |year=2005 |page=123}}</ref>

Michal Sragow, writing for ''Salon'' in 2000, summarized the Shakespearean origins of the play: "Kurosawa's Lear is a 16th century warlord who has three sons and a career studded with conquests. Kurosawa's genius is to tell his story so that every step suggests how wild and savage a journey it has been. At the start, this bold, dominating figure, now called Hidetora, is a sacred monster who wants to be a sort of warlord emeritus. He hopes to bequeath power to his oldest son while retaining his own entourage and emblems of command. He hasn't reckoned with the ambition of his successor or the manipulative skill of his heir's wife, who goes for the sexual and political jugular of anyone who invades her sphere."<ref name=Sragow/> In 2009, the film was voted at No. 59 on the list of ''The Greatest Japanese Films of All Time'' by Japanese film magazine [[Kinema Junpo]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mubi.com/topics/greatest-japanese-films-by-magazine-kinema-junpo-2009-version|title=Greatest Japanese films by magazine Kinema Junpo (2009 version)|access-date=2011-12-26|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120711021342/http://mubi.com/topics/greatest-japanese-films-by-magazine-kinema-junpo-2009-version|archive-date=July 11, 2012}}</ref>

===Accolades===

''Ran'' was completed too late to be entered at Cannes and had its premiere at Japan's first [[Tokyo International Film Festival]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/06/01/movies/tokyo-festival-opens-with-a-kurosawa-film.html|title=Tokyo Festival Opens With a Kurosawa Film|last=AP|website=[[The New York Times]]|date=June 1985 }}</ref> Kurosawa skipped the film's premiere, angering many in the Japanese film industry. As a result, it was not submitted as Japan's entry for the Best Foreign Language Film category of the Oscars. Serge Silberman tried to get it nominated as a French co-production but failed. However, American director [[Sidney Lumet]] helped organize a campaign to have Kurosawa nominated as [[Academy Award for Best Director|Best Director]].<ref>{{cite book|title=黒澤明|date=26 October 2018|oclc = 49757477}}</ref>

''Ran'' was nominated for the [[58th Academy Awards|Academy Awards]] for [[Academy Award for Best Production Design|art direction]], [[Academy Award for Best Cinematography|cinematography]], [[Academy Award for Best Costume Design|costume design]] (which it won), and [[Academy Award for Best Director|Kurosawa's direction]]. It was also nominated for a [[Golden Globe]] for [[Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film|Best Foreign Language Film]]. In Japan, ''Ran'' was conspicuously not nominated for "Best Picture" at the [[Japanese Academy Awards|Awards of the Japanese Academy]]. However, it won two prizes, for best art direction and best music score, and received four other nominations, for best cinematography, best lighting, best sound, and best supporting actor (Hitoshi Ueki, who played Saburo's patron, Lord Fujimaki). ''Ran'' won two awards from the [[British Academy of Film and Television Arts]], for [[BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language|best foreign language film]] and best make-up artist, and was nominated for best cinematography, best costume design, best production design, and best screenplay–adapted. Despite its limited commercial success at the time of its release, the film's accolades have improved greatly, and it is now regarded as one of Kurosawa's masterpieces.<ref name=Ebert>Ebert, Roger. "[http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20001001%2FREVIEWS08%2F10010301%2F1023 Ran (1985)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121003111019/http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20001001%2FREVIEWS08%2F10010301%2F1023 |date=2012-10-03 }}". Roger Ebert's Great Movies, October 1, 2000.</ref>

''Ran'' won Best Director and Best Foreign Film awards from the [[National Board of Review]],<ref>{{cite web|title=1985 National Board of Review Awards|url=http://www.nbrmp.org/awards/past.cfm?year=1985|website=NBR|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070927000048/http://www.nbrmp.org/awards/past.cfm?year=1985|archive-date = 2007-09-27}}</ref> a Best Film award and a Best Cinematography award (Takao Saitō, Shōji Ueda, and Asakazu Nakai) from the [[National Society of Film Critics]], a Best Foreign Language Film award from the [[New York Film Critics Circle]], a Best Music award (Toru Takemitsu) and a Best Foreign Film award from the [[Los Angeles Film Critics Association]], a Best Film award and a Best Cinematography award from the [[Boston Society of Film Critics]], a Best Foreign Feature award from the [[Amanda Award]]s from Norway, a [[Blue Ribbon Awards|Blue Ribbon Award]] for Best Film, a Best European Film award from the [[Bodil Awards]], a Best Foreign Director award from the [[David di Donatello]] Awards, a [[Joseph Plateau Award]] for Best Artistic Contribution, a Director of the Year award and a Foreign Language Film of the Year award from the [[London Critics Circle]] Film Awards, a Best Film, a Best Supporting Actor (Hisashi Igawa) and a Best Director from the [[Mainichi Film Concours]], and an OCIC award from the [[San Sebastian Film Festival]].<ref>{{cite news | title=Ran | date=1985-06-01 | publisher=Awards and Nominations|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089881/awards?ref_=tt_awd}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | first=Nick | last=Newman | title=Kurosawa's ''Ran'' and Chaplin's ''The Great Dictator'' Get Restored In New Trailers | date=2016-01-06 | publisher=The Film Stage |url=http://thefilmstage.com/trailer/trailers-for-restorations-of-ran-and-the-great-dictator/}}</ref>

In the [[British Film Institute]]'s 2002 ''[[Sight & Sound]]'' polls of the greatest films ever made, ''Ran'' ranked 41st in director's poll.<ref>{{cite web|title=Sight & Sound Top Ten Poll 2002 The Rest of Director's List|url=http://old.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/polls/topten/poll/directors-long.html|website=old.bfi.org.uk|access-date=2021-05-12|archive-date=2017-02-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170201155933/http://old.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/polls/topten/poll/directors-long.html}}</ref> In 2007, the film was ranked at No. 28 by ''[[The Guardian]]''{{'}}s readers' poll on its list of "40 greatest foreign films of all time".<ref>{{cite web|title=As chosen by you...the greatest foreign films of all time|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2007/may/11/1|website=[[The Guardian]]|date=11 May 2007}}</ref> The film was selected in [[BBC]]'s [[BBC's 100 Greatest Foreign-Language Films|list of 100 greatest foreign language films]] by 209 critics of 43 countries around the world in 2018.<ref>{{cite web|title=the 100 greatest foreign language films|url=https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20181029-the-100-greatest-foreign-language-films|website=bbc.com published 27 October 2018|access-date=27 October 2020}}</ref>

==See also==

* [[List of historical drama films of Asia]]

==References==

{{Reflist}}

===Bibliography===

* {{cite book| last=Conrad|first=David A.|title=Akira Kurosawa and Modern Japan|year=2022|publisher=McFarland & Co.|isbn=978-1-4766-8674-5}}

* {{cite book|last=Galbraith|first=Stuart IV|title=The Emperor and the Wolf: The Lives and Films of Akira Kurosawa and Toshiro Mifune|year=2002|publisher=Faber and Faber, Inc|isbn=0-571-19982-8|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/emperorwolf00galb}}

* {{cite book|last=Kurosawa |first=Akira |title=Akira Kurosawa: Interviews |year=2008 |publisher=University Press of Mississippi |isbn=978-1-57806-997-2 }}

* {{cite book|last=Lupton |first=Catherine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Be7RpIhiUfQC&pg=PA165 |title=Chris Marker: Memories of the Future |page=165 |publisher=Reaktion Books|date=2005 |isbn=1-86189-223-3}}

* {{cite book|last=Prince|first=Stephen|title=The Warrior's Camera: The Cinema of Akira Kurosawa|edition=2nd, revised |year=1999|publisher=Princeton University Press|isbn= 0-691-01046-3 }}

==External links==

{{wikiquote}}

* {{imdbIMDb title|id=0089881|title=Ran}}

* ''[http://www.jmdb.ne.jp/1985/di001530.htm Ran]'' {{in lang|ja}} at the [[Japanese Movie Database]]

*[http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20001001%2FREVIEWS08%2F10010301%2F1023 Roger Ebert's Great Movies]

* [http://www.geraldpearyscript-o-rama.com/interviewsmovie_scripts/jklr/ran-script-transcript-akira-kurosawa.html ''BostonRan Herald''Script interview– withDialogue AkiraTranscript]: KurosawaA (Julytranscript 1986)]of film from Drew's Script-O-Rama.

* {{rotten-tomatoes|ran}}

*[http://www.thegline.com/dvd-of-the-week/2003/03-03-2003.htm TheGline.com Review]

* {{Mojo title|ran}}

*[http://www.criterionco.com/asp/release.asp?id=316&eid=452&section=essay Michael Wilmington essay at criterionco.com]

* [https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/402-ran-apocalypse-song ''Ran: Apocalypse Song''] an essay by Michael Wilmington at the [[Criterion Collection]]

*[http://www.tohokingdom.com/web_pages/m_reviews/vega/ran.htm Review at Toho Kingdom] by Miles Imhoff

*[http://www.uaf.edu/english/faculty/ta/gaskin/lear/main.html King Lear in Film] Compares and contrasts ''Ran'' with ''[[King Lear]]''.

*[http://movies2.nytimes.com/mem/movies/review.html?_r=1&title1=&title2=RAN%20%28MOVIE%29&reviewer=Vincent%20Canby&pdate=19860622&v_id=40236_rQ3D1Q26title1Q3DQ26title2Q3DRANQ2520Q2528MOVIEQ2529Q26reviewerQ3DVincentQ2520CanbyQ26pdateQ3D19860622Q26v_idQ3D40236_rQ513D1Q5126title1Q513DQ5126title2Q513DRANQ512520Q512528MOVIEQ512529Q5126reviewerQ513DVincentQ512520CanbyQ5126pdateQ513D19860622Q5126v_idQ513D40236_rQ51513D1Q515126title1Q51513DQ515126title2Q51513DRANQ51512520Q51512528MOVIEQ51512529Q515126reviewerQ51513DVincentQ51512520CanbyQ515126pdateQ51513D19860622Q515126v_idQ51513D40236_rQ5151513D1Q51515126title1Q5151513DQ51515126title2Q5151513DRANQ5151512520Q5151512528MOVIEQ5151512529Q51515126reviewerQ5151513DVincentQ5151512520CanbyQ51515126pdateQ5151513D19860622Q51515126v_idQ5151513D40236_rQ515151513D1Q5151515126title1Q515151513DQ5151515126title2Q515151513DRANQ515151512520Q515151512528MOVIEQ515151512529Q5151515126reviewerQ515151513DVincentQ515151512520CanbyQ5151515126pdateQ515151513D19860622Q5151515126v_idQ Film View: 'Ran' Weathers the Seasons] by Vincent Canby. [[New York Times]] review from 1986.

*[http://www.videodetective.com/player.asp?publishedid=1848&src=big See the trailer for ''Ran''] at VideoDetective.Com.

{{kurosawaAkira Kurosawa}}

{{King Lear}}

{{Navboxes

|title = Awards for ''Ran''

|list =

{{BAFTA Best Foreign Language Film}}

{{Blue Ribbon Award for Best Film}}

{{Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Film}}

{{London Film Critics Circle Award for Foreign Language Film of the Year}}

{{Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Foreign Language Film}}

{{Mainichi Film Award for Best Film}}

{{National Board of Review Award for Best Foreign Language Film}}

{{National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Film}}

{{New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Foreign Language Film}}

}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ran}}

[[Category:1985 films]]

[[Category:Films1985 directedaction by Akira Kurosawafilms]]

[[Category:Japanese1980s action drama films]]

[[Category:Japanese action drama films]]

[[Category:1980s Japanese-language films]]

[[Category:Jidaigeki films]]

[[Category:Shakespeare1980s onsamurai filmfilms]]

[[Category:Action films based on actual events]]

[[Category:Films based on King Lear]]

[[de:Ran (Film)]]

[[Category:Films directed by Akira Kurosawa]]

[[fr:Ran (film)]]

[[Category:Films set in castles]]

[[pl:Ran]]

[[Category:Films with screenplays by Akira Kurosawa]]

[[pt:Ran (filme)]]

[[Category:Films with screenplays by Hideo Oguni]]

[[zh:亂]]

[[Category:Best Foreign Language Film BAFTA Award winners]]

[[Category:Films that won the Best Costume Design Academy Award]]

[[Category:Orion Pictures films]]

[[Category:Films set in 16th-century Sengoku period]]

[[Category:French epic films]]

[[Category:Films produced by Serge Silberman]]

[[Category:Films based on multiple works]]

[[Category:Films scored by Toru Takemitsu]]

[[Category:Japanese films based on plays]]

[[Category:1985 drama films]]

[[Category:National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Film winners]]

[[Category:1980s Japanese films]]

[[Category:1980s French films]]

[[Category:Japanese war drama films]]

[[Category:Historical epic films]]

[[Category:Japanese epic films]]

[[Category:Films about father–son relationships]]

[[Category:Films about brothers]]

[[Category:Films about kings]]

[[Category:Films about inheritances]]

[[Category:War epic films]]

[[Category:Films about warlords]]