More than meets the eye

Rating: 10/10 (18 September 2003)

When i first saw this film several years ago, I thought it was long and demanding, and a film to be appreciated but not loved. After several dozen more viewings along with more experience in Japanese cinema (reading of, viewing and commentaries), this has become my favorite film of all time.Understanding the presentation is crucial to admiring this work: how Kurosawa used elements of Shakespearian drama, Japanese History and the ancient Noh theater style to form a coherent surreal experience. Kurosawa also felt that silent films had a visual quality that had been neglected with the advent of sound, so he even throws in the element of that in the films most famous scene!
What I originally thought of as bad makeup was not what it seemed at all. Kurosawa based the characters appearences on the masks used in the Noh tradition. Hidetora in the beginning is styled after an evil spirit, but after insanity has set in, the styles takes the form of a tormented soul condemned to wander the earth eternally.
The acting various from stage theatricality to subtle but intense minimalism. Tatsuya Nakadai gives an over the top theatrical Shakespearian performance, while at the other end of the spectrum is pure Noh by Mieko Harada as Lady Kaede, devestating evil with the baresting amount of physical movement or facial expression. While the burning of the third castle is spectacular, the quiet moments are just as gripping. My personal favorites are the scenes with Kaede, Jiro and a brilliant Hisashi Igawa as Kurogane.
True, "Ran" may not be for everyone, but for those with an open mind and a bit of patience, whole worlds of meaning and rivetting drama will unfold before you.