Review of Ran (1985) by Matthew B — 29 Aug 2010
Of Kurosawa's films, this was the second that I watched. The first was Ikiru, which is so full of warmth and humanity, particularly in the final vindication of the central character Watanabe. Ran, however, is filmed from the viewpoint of a pitiless, omnipresent deity, and all the possible miseries of life seem to play out across the screen.
The performances, particularly Nakadai's decimated Lord Ichimonji and Meiko Harada's ominous, spidery Lady Kaede, are beyond criticism, and the photography is likely the most sumptuous I have ever seen (approached, in my mind, only by Kubrick's Barry Lyndon).
This is a haunting, indescribably beautiful masterpiece.
This review of Ran (1985) was written by Matthew B on 29 Aug 2010.
Ran has generally received very positive reviews.
Was this review helpful?
