Guide Note

A loose adaptation of Shakespeare's King Lear, 1985's Ran was one of filmmaker Akira Kurosawa's final films, considered his last great masterpiece.

The film details Lord Hidetora Ichimonji's decision to turn over his lands to his three sons. The two older brothers, however, turn corrupt and plot against their father to permanently remove all of his powers.

Fast Facts

1. Director: Akira Kurosawa
2. Released: June 1, 1985
3. Running Time: 160 Minutes
4. Budget: $12,000,000
5. U.S. Domestic Gross: $3,944,980
6. The film's costumes took two years to make
7. Kurosawa worked on the screenplay for nearly a decade
8. The crew built a castle on the side of Mount Fuji specifically to be burnt down during filming

Though Ran only won one Academy Award, for Emi Wada's costume design, it earned several other nominations, including Best Director for Kurosawa.

Japan did not enter Ran as their official entry for the Best Foreign Film award at the Oscars due to a controversy where Kurosawa did not attend the film's premiere at the Tokyo International Film Festival.

Ran cost $12 million to make, making it the most expensive film ever produced in Japan at the time.

Ran means "chaos" and "war" in Japanese, and thus the film explores the nihilistic nature of violence through its actions and images. It is Kurosawa's most visually violent film, and he later revealed in interviews that he intended it as a metaphor for nuclear warfare, especially living in Japan in the nuclear age.

Over 1,400 extras and 200 horses were used for the battle sequences and it is one of Kurosawa's only films to graphically display blood during killings.