Kurosawa's last epic is an extraordinary achievement.

Rating: 10/10 (7 July 2013)

Saw this for the first time today, courtesy of the StudioCanal Blu-ray, which looked and sounded fantastic on my set-up.
Great, great film. I'm not entirely familiar with the story of King Lear, but I thought "Ran" had a wonderful story with all kinds of layers. It was almost overwhelming for me at times as I was trying to keep up with all the various character names and motivations. The photography was so lush and colorful as well, probably the best-looking Kurosawa film I've seen to date. Then again, this is the first one I've seen in color. The framing of shots, the scope and scale, all of it was just so.....magnificent. I love huge epics like this which have so much to them in regards to subject matter; this one deals with loyalty, family, and the bloodthirsty nature of war, among other things, and in the sort of poetic way that would make Shakespeare proud. The battle sequences are stunning and somehow manage to be beautiful and brutal at the same time because of the way they're filmed and the use of music. The score is very haunting; I thought it was used best in the big battle scene towards the middle of the film which causes Hidetora to go mad. I was even smiling during it because the execution was so breathtaking; the type that makes your eyes widen. And the opening set the mood extremely well; I knew from that point on I was watching a film that would instantly become a favorite. I'm glad I blind-bought it, because I will definitely be seeing it more than once.