Astonishing and heartbreaking

Rating: 10/10 (20 December 2003)

Surely "Ran" must rank among the very greatest dramatic creations of history. This work, loosely modeled on "King Lear," presents the heartbreak and "chaos" of the human condition, and the merciless horror of war, incomparably. It is sometimes hard to watch but I cannot imagine anybody viewing it and not coming away deeply moved.
For me, much of the power of the battle scenes comes from the unspeakably mournful music of Toru Takemitsu, another very great master. That we have preserved the collaboration of Kurosawa and Takemitsu, and that these two artistic geniuses handled such serious and thought-worthy material with such gravity and depth, is the incomparable good fortune of filmgoers everywhere.
I feel deep gratitude to the makers of art such as "Ran." May there always be a current flowing in art that is capable of nourishing such work. Humanity needs it.