IMDb > Ran (1985)
Ran
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Ran (1985) -- An elderly lord abdicates to his three sons, and the two corrupt ones turn against him.

Overview

User Rating:
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 2% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Akira Kurosawa (screenplay) and
Hideo Oguni (screenplay) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for Ran on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
1 June 1985 (Japan) more
Genre:
Plot:
An elderly lord abdicates to his three sons, and the two corrupt ones turn against him. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
Won Oscar. Another 25 wins & 15 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(17 articles)
User Comments:
RAN - A Classic Of Its Time And For All Time more (189 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
Tatsuya Nakadai ... Lord Hidetora Ichimonji
Akira Terao ... Taro Takatora Ichimonji
Jinpachi Nezu ... Jiro Masatora Ichimonji
Daisuke Ryû ... Saburo Naotora Ichimonji
Mieko Harada ... Lady Kaede
Yoshiko Miyazaki ... Lady Sue
Hisashi Igawa ... Shuri Kurogane
Peter ... Kyoami (as Pîtâ)
Masayuki Yui ... Tango Hirayama
Kazuo Katô ... Kageyu Ikoma
Norio Matsui ... Shumenosuke Ogura
Toshiya Ito ... Mondo Naganuma
Kenji Kodama ... Samon Shirane
Takashi Watanabe
Mansai Nomura ... Tsurumaru (as Takeshi Nomura)
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Ran (UK) (USA)
Revolt (International: English title)
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Runtime:
162 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby (35 mm prints) | 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)
Certification:
Iceland:16 | South Korea:15 (DVD rating) | Australia:M (TV rating) | Argentina:16 | Australia:PG | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Japan:R | Norway:16 (1985) | Singapore:PG | Sweden:15 | UK:12 (video re-rating) (2004) | UK:15 (original rating) | UK:15 (video rating) (1986) | USA:R | West Germany:12 | Canada:13+ (Quebec)
Filming Locations:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Almost the entire film is done in long-shot and there is only one close-up when The Lady Kaede is presented with the head of a fox statue. more
Quotes:
Kyoami: A serpent's egg is white and pure. A bird's is speckled and soiled.
Hidetora: This is a castle... Here's a wall.
Kyoami: The bird left the speckled egg for the white.
Hidetora: Strange...
Kyoami: The egg cracks; out comes a snake.
Hidetora: Empty space above the wall. Why?
Kyoami: The bird is gobbled by the snake.
Hidetora: Where am I? Who am I?
Kyoami: Stupid bird!
more
Movie Connections:
Featured in The 100 Greatest War Films (2005) (TV) more

FAQ

Is this movie based on a novel?
A Note Regarding Spoilers
How much sex, violence, and profanity are in this movie?
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51 out of 61 people found the following comment useful.
RAN - A Classic Of Its Time And For All Time, 30 December 2004
10/10
Author: Euan Sinclair from Scotland

Based on Shakespeare's King Lear, this film follows the story of the aging warlord Hidetora who, in an attempt to restore peace, divides his kingdom between his three sons - Taro, Jiro, and Saburo - and retires from his duties. However, one of his sons sees this as unwise and is banished by his father, leaving his two brothers in charge of two of the three castles left in their hands. It isn't long before they are overtaken by greed and eventually betray their father, leaving him in the hands of a philosophical jester and a loyal retainer. This betrayal ultimately leads to war, dividing the family and driving Hidetora insane.

The remarkable script, which contains many of my favorite lines from any film, still manages to break its way through the confinement of subtitles and reveals itself to be one of the richest Kurosawa ever wrote. He has obviously worked equally hard on the look and feel of the film - the cinematography being excellent (example: the long, continuous shot of Saburo's men charging on horseback across a river).

There's also something rather frightening about it that I can't quite put my finger on. The first battle, which is the film's turning point, is the most horrifying, yet strangely beautiful, battles ever filmed. A good effect used is the loss of sound, with only Toru Takemitsu's haunting score to be heard. The entire battle lasts less than ten minutes and there is no uplifting or bombastic music to be heard, but in my opinion, it's Ran's finest scene, and thus the finest scene ever.

What Kurosawa managed to get rather than give though was excellent performances from his actors, none more brilliant than Tatsuya Nakadai's Hidetora, Mieko Harada as Lady Kaede (a woman similar to Lady Macbeth but with a different hidden agenda), and the strangely-named Peter as Kyoami.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Ran (1985)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
GREATEST MOTION PICTURE OF ALL TIME! craigjohnson20
Death of Lady Kaede kpd0943
Just watched it for the 1st time BurnItDwn
In the IMDB #250 and only one page of comments? ken-miller-4
anyone know what the music is... misterlego
RAN CRITERION DVD edwinkim1175
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