Ran

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: No
Watched With: Myself

Watching the new 13 Assassins the other day got me in the mood for some Samurai films. I've owned the bluray of Ran for a while now, having never seen it before and only have have finally gotten around to viewing it. It's one of many of Kurosawa's films I have somewhere in the house that I've never gotten around to actually watching.

Tonally this is completely removed from anything in 13 Assassins. I'm glad I got to see it on bluray the first time I watched it. The images in this film are stunning, the majority shot with long lenses and wide framing. There are segments that really take your breath away. This is also the first Kurosawa film I've seen that's shot in colour (I'm not counting Akira Kurosawa's Dreams as it's not really one of his, but I do have fond memories of that film) and they really use the colour well. Bright primary colours for each brother and their army, makes it very easy to tell which side is which.

The castle siege in the middle of the film is amazing. Back in the days before CG they literally built a castle on the side of Mt Fuji and burnt it to the ground whilst performing the scenes with hundreds of soldiers on horseback. That kind of film making is so impressive to me and it looks spectacular.

I'd heard that this followed some Shakespeare play storyline but I didn't know which when I started it. I've never seen King Lear before but the whole film certainly feels an awful lot like a Shakespeare tragedy, only on a bigger scale. The film is filled with misery and big performances, It's great! (And being done with giant sized samurai battles is cooler than any Shakespeare play I know...)

So glad I finally got the kick in the but I needed to take the time to sit down and watch this epic. It really deserves its classic status. I need to go watch some more!