Kurosawa Likes Shakespeare

Rating: 9/10 (7 August 2005)

The most important thing about this film is that it is Kurosawa's take on Shakespeare's King Lear. That's the meat of it, and if you dig Shakespeare, watch this movie. One of the reasons those of us in the west almost invariably gravitate towards Kurosawa's films when popping our proverbial cherry in Japanese film is because the production value of ALL his films are so high. It is true that you VERY rarely follow actors, and should follow directors instead. Kurosawa obsessively disallows any and all failure or lack of ambition in his films, and this one is no different. His choking grip on the reins of his films may actually have contributed to his fatal stroke, but I'm no doctor. The one reason this film loses a 10/10 is because it is somewhat inaccessible. Whereas Shakespeare's iambic pentameter in many cases makes it difficult for neophytes to understand what is actually going on in the story, Kurosawa similarly steeps RAN so deep into Japanese culture that those who are not familiar with it WILL lose something in the translation. You'll understand what's going down, but there are so many layers that you just might not see because you don't know. My advice: Watch this film. Then, read the original Shakespeare, brush up on a little (it won't take much) on the proper etiquette for the bushi/samurai, doshin/bonge, buke/kuge, and hinen classes/castes, and you'll get a lot more from the experience. While you're at it, read up on the oyabun and kobun etiquette and obligations, Polish it off with a somewhat working knowledge of the system of conflict between Ninjo, Gimu, and Giri, and the film will mean a lot more to you. However, most will be unlikely to do so, so Kurosawa's RAN may be, as stated, inaccessible to many.