Shakespeare would be proud

Rating: Null/10 (30 June 2017)

Akira Kurosawa returns to Shakespeare in this loose adaptation of King Lear that also incorporates elements from the legends of the daimyō Mōri Motonari. Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that those two sources are eerily similar. An aging warlord (Tatsuya Nakadai) that has decided to retire and hand over the three great castles he has conquered during his bloody reign to his three sons, with the oldest named his successor and the head of the great house. But almost immediately the sons begin arguing among one another and soon the warlord finds himself dethroned and wandering the battlefields of the war his sons are waging.
Quite like with his previous Shakespeare adaptation, Throne of Blood, Kurosawa delves deep into man's corruptibility and the taint of power in this film. Many of his films are at least somewhat heroic in nature and tone. Whereas the protagonist of this film, the warlord, is anything but. We learn throughout the course of the film that his life is a long tale of conquest, beaten down enemies, blood, fire and destruction. Yet Kurosawa achieves the very hard task of making him sympathetic despite all that. He obviously loves his sons and his anguish at seeing his life's work torn down in a matter of days is real and jarring.
Perhaps it could even be said that his character is reflected in his sons. There's the oldest, the one with the power, pride and possessions, but who is brought low by those closest to him and stands on feet of clay. There's the schemer, the one willing to commit atrocities to get what he wants. And there's the youngest, who's the most driven by the love he has for his family, but who's also the one with the most difficulties in surviving the war-torn realm they live in.
The film is also massive in scope, budget and length. Its themes are deep, its running time is closer to three hours and its story is a humongous five act monstrosity. It was also the most expensive Japanese film ever made back then and the money is definitely on the screen. Hundreds of soldiers at once on display, all of them decked in armour. Entire castles built and then destroyed. Lavish costumes, ruins and locations. I don't think I've seen a movie with this much handcraft on the screen since The Lord of the Rings trilogy. And this predates those films by almost two decades.
Yet the film is always gripping, always interesting and endlessly fascinating. It's called one of Kurosawa's finest, and yeah, I can see why.