OK, so let's get this out of the way up front. This is the best Kurosawa, and (maybe) the greatest Samurai movie ever. There, I said it. He was 75 when he directed this and a lifetime of dedication to his craft is here for all to see. Astonishing.

Out-bloody-standing!

While recovering from this intense onslaught, I was reading a couple of other reviews for Ran and I just don't think I can sum this up any better than Karsten Runquist who wrote "I feel like I just witnessed color in film for the first time."

Indeed. This is a spectacularly beautiful movie. It just sways in front of you like a pretty butterfly, waiting to be watched. I found it completely mesmerizing.

So then, this is Shakespeare's King Lear: Bushido style, and tells a story of power-fueled men destroying their own world. It's actually not that complicated, but when matched with the perpetually deep, angry-sounding voices of pretty much everyone and a really tightly scripted dialogue, the effect is just breathtaking. Did I mention the editing...perfection.

Until we meet again then.
お大事になさってください (Stay Safe ❤️)

COVIDeodrome - Film #15 - A film of a less well-known Shakespeare play