Ran

(Akira Kurosawa, Japan/France 1985, 160 min., 35mm, Japanese w/subtitles)

Shakespeare. Kurosawa’s spellbinding epic of feudal disorder focuses on the alienation brought on by man’s lust for power and depicts it with violence set to classical cadences. Shakespeare’s King Lear refashioned through samurai stylings, Ran centers on warlord Hidetora’s abdication and decision to divide his holdings between his three sons. Seen on the big screen, Kurosawa’s mass orchestration of movement, color, landscape, and spectacle achieve a jaw-dropping beauty.