C.T Recommended: Ran (1985)

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Directed by Akira Kurosawa

With Hitchcock month coming to an end, we are entering November where the votes have been tallied and our next month will be featuring films by none other than the great Akira Kurosawa. We begin this month with Ran, which released in 1985.

Ran is heavily influenced off of Shakespeare's tragedy King Lear. This isn't tho first time his work was compared to one of Shakespeare's works, with his 1957 film, Thone of Blood being a transposition of MacBeth.

This epic war drama, follows the turn of events after an ageing warlord abdicated his position as ruler to his three sons. The film's beautifully written screenplay coupled with the film's fantastic performances, is music to your ears, as each scene engages you further and further into this film. Even at times when nothing is happening, the poetic dialogue manages to grab your attention and keep you engrossed throughout the entire nearly 3 hour runtime.

The film's gorgeous cinematography compliments the beautiful writing. Similar to Kubrick's Barry Lyndon, the stills and storyboards in this film resemble that of paintings that you can find at a gallery or museum. The sound design and soundtrack also compliments the mesmerizing battle scenes which also highlights the brilliant and immersive mise-en-scène.

It is clear how passionate Kurosawa is with his films, especially with the amount of detail and craft he puts in them. This film feels like a play, and the film's poetic dialogue and epic mise-en-scène reinforces that. Kurosawa's cinematic masterpiece is both entertaining and captivating, further establishing him as one of the greatest filmmakers in the industry.

9.5/10