RAN

Akira Kurosawa's masterpiece "RAN" has added a lot to the world of cinema, offering a breathtaking medieval Japan story. Kurosawa, who mentioned that his previous film, "Kagemusha," was a costume rehearsal for "RAN" and spent ten years storyboarding each frame of the film, referred to it as his "magnum opus" among his own films. Let's take a closer look at this remarkable work.

 

The Kurosawa Effect

 

According to his family, Kurosawa was rarely thinking about anything other than films and even silently shot scenes in his head even at home; he was an obsessive individual. After receiving training in painting, he started his career as an assistant director. He mostly wrote his own films and was one of the rare directors who visualized his movies in the form of storyboards. This might be a significant factor in his ability to create such coherent films. Like Tarkovsky, Kurosawa was also more respected and admired in the West than in his own country. While he might not have been declared a traitor to his country like Tarkovsky, his films received numerous awards and even Hollywood made remakes of his works. For instance, "Rashômon" (1950) inspired "The Outrage" (1964), "Kakushi-toride no san-akunin" (1958) inspired "Star Wars" (1977), "Seven Samurai" (1954) inspired "Magnificent Seven" (1960), and "Yojimbo" (1961) inspired "A Fistful of Dollars" (1964).

 

From Shakespeare to Japan

 

Although he wrote his own films, Kurosawa drew inspiration from other sources. "RAN" is openly an adaptation of Shakespeare's "King Lear." In brief, "King Lear" is about a king in the 16th century who wants to divide his kingdom among his three daughters. He gives each one a castle in different parts of the country and questions their loyalty. The story begins this way. The film's director, Kurosawa, mentioned that he started writing the script for "RAN" ten years before it was released and initially, it shouldn't have been based on "King Lear," but during the writing process, it naturally evolved into a "King Lear" adaptation. Nevertheless, it is a fantastic adaptation. Kurosawa takes each point of the story, deepens, details, and concludes it, creating a coherent and captivating piece of work.

 

The Fall of an Empire! What About Family?

 

Lord Hidetora is an elderly warlord. When he decides to divide his kingdom among his three sons, the youngest son expresses doubts, but Hidetora falls for the flattery of his other two sons and hands over all his power. Unbeknownst to him, this will lead to betrayal, resulting in the downfall of both the family and the empire. The first half of the story is quite predictable, but in the middle of the story, at its peak, the film takes a different, inner journey. From a clichéd story, we witness the loyalty of a warlord's family, his inner struggles, regrets, and his ultimate fall from grace.

 

The Tale of a Man Who Loses Everything

 

Lord Hidetora, once a highly respected leader, reaches the lowest point of his life due to old age or perhaps because of his retirement plans. We witness the journey of a man who loses everything and the various approaches he takes towards the events related to himself during his character arc. This allows us to experience the character development we expect and makes it easier to connect with the character. Throughout the film, we see Hidetora being betrayed, humiliated, starved, exiled, and narrowly escaping death, all while experiencing deep regrets. "RAN" offers everything you seek in such a story.

 

Authentic Japanese Performances

 

One of the most important aspects of character-driven stories is the actors who make us feel their emotions and development. Kurosawa worked with successful Japanese actors of his time for this ambitious project, except for Tatsuya Nakadai. Although many of them might not be well-known to many, it is evident that the casting was done with great care. Sometimes, I think they tend to overact in close-up shots, but I believe it's due to their language, as different interpretations can be derived from different languages. I mentioned close-up shots because the film has a few of them, but overall, the director, Kurosawa, gives us enough of the performances we need even from wide shots. One downside of wide shots is that multiple things are happening in the frame simultaneously, requiring a keen and detail-oriented eye. If you watch carefully, you might find small mistakes, but in general, it's not easy to shoot such scenes for such a production. The style suits the epic battle scenes in particular.

 

Epic Battle Scenes Without CGI

 

I often find modern battle scenes dissatisfying due to CGI. Although there are exceptions, the sight of hundreds of armored and mounted extras running, explosions, falls, and deaths in old films made it feel more authentic. "RAN" possesses such wide shots, offering impressive and detailed epic battle scenes. Just like in "Braveheart" or "The Last Samurai," they shot all these scenes with guerrilla techniques under challenging conditions. The horsemen, infantry, and swordsmen are positioned as they should be. The battle begins, and the two armies clash in an epic manner. Especially the second castle siege sequence, which is the peak of the film, is a visual battle spectacle.

 

The Magic of Natural Light

 

Speaking of visual spectacles, the film employs natural light in almost all wide-shot scenes. Using natural light can present several challenges, but Kurosawa's mastery is evident as the scenes look very natural and clear. This choice also added another challenge in terms of shooting hours and weather conditions. Kurosawa wanted the sky to become increasingly cloudy as the plot advanced. So, they patiently waited for cloudy days as the shooting progressed. Finally, when strong winds blew during the climax of the story, the first half of the plot was completed. This required patience and effort.

 

Secondary Characters Adding Depth

 

Another point where evident effort was put into is the supporting characters and their impact on the story. There are many side stories and characters connected to the main characters, and they don't cause any confusion as they are interconnected. All of them are details written to develop the characters concerning the critical issues related to the family members or the empire. For example, Lady Kaede is the wife of Hidetora's eldest son, and Hidetora had taken over her family's castle and ordered the execution of her entire family in front of her. Then, he presented her as a gift to his eldest son. Naturally, she became full of hatred. After the kingdom's division, she seizes the opportunity and triggers the conflict by manipulating her husband. This is a small example, but there are deeply written characters that affect the story in this way.

 

A Classic Japanese Production

 

In conclusion, "RAN" is a timeless film. Each viewer can find something different to hold onto and relate to in it. During the filming, when Kurosawa's 39-year-old wife passed away, he took a day off to mourn. When he returned, he incorporated some of his grief, regrets, loneliness, and fears into the film. Perhaps, this story was chosen and written because of his anxieties about the future. In the tale of a man who loses everything, Kurosawa becomes a man who lost his 39-year-long life companion and family. "RAN," which means rebellion or chaos in Japanese, is not just limited to the events and characters in the film but also reflects the realities Kurosawa experienced in his own inner world. His monumental work, produced with a 10-year effort, is almost 40 years old today, and it has not lost any of its originality or impact.

9/10