Ran

Movie

1985

2h 40m

Japanese

Action, Drama, History

User Score:

8.3

Critic Score:

Watch on Kanopy

With Ran, legendary director Akira Kurosawa reimagines Shakespeare's King Lear as a singular historical epic set in sixteenth-century Japan. Majestic in scope, the film is Kurosawa's late-life masterpiece, a profound examination of the folly of war and the crumbling of one f...

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Ran

Movie

1985

2h 40m

Japanese

Action, Drama, History

Play Trailer

Watch on Kanopy

WATCHMODE

8.3

IMDB

CRITIC SCORE

Where to watch

FREE

Available in 2 other countries.

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Cast

Full Cast & Crew

Tatsuya Nakadai

Lord Hidetora Ichimonji

Akira Terao

Taro Takatora Ichimonji

Jinpachi Nezu

Jiro Masatora Ichimonji

Daisuke Ryū

Saburo Naotora Ichimonji

Lady Kaede

Lady Sue

Tsurumaru

Shuri Kurogane

Kyoami

Tango Hirayama

Kageyu Ikoma

Shumenosuke Ogura

Mondo Naganuma

Fujimaki's General

Samon Shirane

Kaede's lady in waiting

Reiko Nanjo

Hideota's concubine

Tokie Kanda

Sue's lady in waiting

Sawako Kochi

Hidetora's concubine

Kumeko Otowa

Sue's lady in waiting

Koyota Hatakeyama

Seiji Ayabe

Nobuhiro Fujimaki

Directed By: Akira Kurosawa

Written By: Akira Kurosawa (Screenplay), Hideo Oguni (Screenplay), + 1 more

Featured Comments/Tips

drbrake says...

4 months ago

My son is now old enough that I could share this with him - rewatching it for the first time in nearly 40 years. A friend dragged me to see it in the cinema on or near its release and it was probably the film more than any other that got me to consider and seek out “art house” cinema. Delighted to see that it still holds up very well in the new Apple TV 4K remaster. I had forgotten that it isn’t simply a gorgeous re-telling of King Lear in a different setting, but a devastating blend of Lear, Macbeth and Kurosawa’s own storytelling - in many ways superior to its “source material”.

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ismamzaman says...

3 years ago

Incredible adaptation of Shakespeare's 'King Lear'. The cinematography and direction is mesmerizingly beautiful, contrasting the tragic tale.

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Nosnevets says...

7 months ago

In a mad world, only the mad are sane. But beauty colors the chaos... Thank you for the recommendation as a couplet to the Fall (2006) w/Mari. https://boxd.it/2xzWGH

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guzlml-deleted-1729916030 says...

a month ago

Akira Kurosawa is based on Shakespeare, and creates a tragic narrative with all the perfectionism possible. The film is extremely well rehearsed, the performances are strong and the expressions are very emotionally charged, emphasizing every speech and action, just like in a play. Everything is very well thought out and organized, even excessively, but this ends up yielding beautiful, very impactful images, massive battle scenes, striking colors and incredible costumes.

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Featured User Reviews

Afuza

CONTAINS SPOILERS10/10 one year ago

"Ran," directed by the masterful Akira Kurosawa, is more than just an adaptation of Shakespeare's "King Lear" set in feudal Japan. It's a profound meditation on power, chaos, and the tragic fallibility of human nature that grapples with philosophical concepts in a striking manner.

The film mirrors More

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Filipe Manuel Neto

one year ago

**A good film, full of detail and historical verisimilitude, but painfully long without needing to be.**

I've already seen two of Akira Kurosawa's most renowned films and, quite frankly, I still can't understand why this Japanese director is so commonly considered a cinematic genius. His films ar More

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