Akira Kurosawa's Masterpiece.

Rating: 10/10 (14 February 2015)

Kurosawa's last epic and the most expensive Japanese film of its time, "Ran" is the result of a master of his craft firing on a cylinders. Whilst my favourite of his work still remains "Ikiru" (1952), there is no doubt "Ran" is his masterpiece. The colours and level of detail the director went for is jaw dropping, spending 10 years storyboarding the film as paintings, even mourning the death of his wife for one day before returning to shooting the next. Kurosawa's ambitions and mad dedication pours out of every frame, and the results is one of those unforgettable "landmark" movies that can easily be considered among the greatest ever made.
As we all know the man particularly excels at Shakespeare such as "Throne of Blood" (A "Macbeth" adaptation from 1957), "Ran" is based on the legends of the daimyo Mōri Motonari, as well as the tragedy "King Lear". Set in the Sengoku-era, Tatsuya Nakadai stars as Hidetora Ichimonji, an ageing warlord who decides to retire and separate the land between his three sons. Unfortunately the news does not bode well among the siblings, leading to events and betrayal that will leave the whole kingdom in jeopardy.
I've said it before in my review of "Kagemusha" (1980), the colours of a Kurosawa movie are unmatched in their "saturated", watercolour like quality. And a particular silent battle scene speaks volumes when you see light pouring out the darkest of clouds, and the crimson red blood stain every wall. The theme of Nihilism is ever present, and obviously Kurosawa was more known for favouring Humanism among his work (There are a few brief glimpses in this tragedy that do show signs of redemption). But I think the ambitions of each individual is perfectly represented, with all their greed leading to their eventual demise.
Tatsuya Nakadi stars in his last collaboration with this director, and his performance as the warlord descending into insanity is believable every step of the way. Though I'm not all to familiar with it, the film has been noted for its reminiscence of Japanese "Noh" theatre, and an extensive use of wardrobe for its 1000+ extras (The movie won an Academy award for its costumes). The dialogue driven story is fantastic, and the camera-work has that look about it that remains effortless.
Final Verdict: I've praised this film enough, and I cannot think of any faults or shortcomings whatsoever. I hope you see it and become overwhelmed at its beauty, or at least its scope and efforts broaden your horizons. 10/10.