Ran: The Shakespearean Apocalypse - Summer of Shakespeare Fan Pick #4
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- Опубликовано: 30 авг 2016
- Akira Kurosawa’s darkest masterpiece, and its relation to one of Shakespeare’s darkest plays.
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I swear the look on the father's face was priceless when the youngest son broke the bundle of arrows. It was as if he was saying "Well ain't this a son of a bitch! Everything I know is a lie!" in his head. Or maybe that's just how it looked to me.
Exactly! He laughed and also was like "Can you believe this little shit just made me look silly!". It's also a great foreshadow of what's to come.
As a middle school student, Kurosawa lived through the great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, which ravaged Tokyo, killing over 150,000 people. Akira Kurosawa was forced by his older brother, Heigo, to view the destruction wrought by the earthquake. Walking through Tokyo, he saw the wreckage of destroyed buildings, and piles of bodies. The story is that Akira and Heigo came across a body sitting in a buddha position, and it terrified Akira so. His brother, Heigo, told him to look upon it. If Akira were to look away, it would haunt him forever, but if he were to look at it, he would realize there was nothing to fear.
Ran, of course, is not the only movie in which Kurosawa explores images of Apocalypse and finality. His previous "hit" (though not one of his major efforts), Kagemusha, ends with an apocalyptic depiction of the Battle of Nagashino in 1575. There, he imagines the end of the world of the old Samurai, being destroyed by the guns of a more modern era. His hero witnesses the end of the Takeda clan, and in his final moments, goes to be with them to try and retrieve their flag/standard, and is cut down along with his whole world.
Kurosawa had struggled with the world ending, and death, and many of his films bring out the dark thoughts he fought with. Record of a Living Being or "I Live in Fear" was one of Kurosawa's early works which deals with the struggles of a man terrified of the atom bomb.
I believe this, but I also want to believe that his film Dreams, which was a personal film as it was made using the notes he took down of the dreams he had in his life, that while he did indeed fear the world ending and what could come of it, he ended Dreams on a peaceful note, not something that is triumphant, but his final segment is a man who comes upon a peaceful village that doesn't rely on modern technology, he views a funeral procession, and is in awe of the simplicity and peace he found, before walking off the path he entered from which ended the film.
the interpretation i took from this was that throughout Kurosawa's dreams, the ones of childhood memories, of dark spirits that haunt us whether from folklore or history, or the very terrifying threat of his world dying and being replaced by something eviler, that through it all he had or found some measure of peace and instead of focusing on a doom that may come, he chose to see the peace he can grant himself or peace that was granted to him, since Dreams was made in 1990, after the Cold War had officially ended.
a fascinating man Kurosawa was
Oscar winning costumes by Emi Wada. Took her three years to complete all the wardrobe.
John Hintergardt Thanks, I didn't know that! Ill give her a look
Hope she sees this
The moral of Ran: make sure your hands-on analogies are foolproof. My college English teacher learned this the hard way with a "you can't get money and a tennis ball out of a jar at the same time", picked a gal with small hands, and lost twenty bucks.
And more seriously, thank you for this review.
What was that analogy meant to mean??
@@voidify3 I think it’s supposed to be a monkey’s fist trap kinda thing.
@@voidify3I reckon that it is equivalent to "no puedes estar en misa y replicando" in spanish which means that you cannot do two opposed things at the same time.
I saw The Seventh Seal and this for the first time in rapid succession one summer, and I've never been so depressed and simultaneously amazed by the beauty of film as an artform in my life lol
Then you clearly haven’t seen The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie
@@sstuddert lmfao i mean i did but...
When you think if it this movie is kind of a de-romanticized take on all of his past Samurai films in the same vein that Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven is a de-romanticized take on his past western films.
Seven Samurai is hardly romanticized, the violence is brutal and visceral. They have not a happy ending but end up losing, such is the life for an outlaw/ronin.
I would argue that almost none of the Samurai and Jidaigeki films of the 50s and 60s are romanticized. If anything it was a period in which Japanese filmmakers were more critical of feudal nostalgia than they had ever been. Films like Harakiri, Seven Samurai and The Life of Oharu all paint a scathingly critical picture of traditional Japanese values.
With the grim, apocalyptic tone and ambiguously supernatural elements, perhaps it's closer to _High Plains Drifter_ than _Unforgiven_ ?
I've seen a bunch of analyses of Ran, but this one stood out. I particularly like the way you included Lady Kaede.
I'm fascinated by the character of Lady Kaede. I wrote a long analysis of her in the IMDB when it had a forum. Many or most viewers see her as a villain, and they cheer when she is executed by Kurogane. But I did not. I wept inside, just as I did for Lady Sue. The true villain (if there is one) is Hidetora. Kaede is exacting revenge for his destruction of her family. Of course, she has been twisted and corrupted by her vengeful nature (symbolized by her crushing the moth), but she is among the original victims, along with Lady Sue and Tsurumaru. Each one handles tragedy in a different way. One might praise Kaede for her loyalty to her clan, even to the point of her own death, which she accepts with dignity and even a hint of defiance. Many of the audience members that cheered her death may feel the compulsion to act much as she did under the same kind of circumstances.
There is a Chinese proverb, "Revenge upon revenge, when will it ever end ?"
(I am quite sure, other cultures have similar proverbs. )
Thank you! I have long felt the same way about Lady Kaede. In the scene where she presents the helmet to Jiro and then assaults him, there is a moment of sadness that I feel when she begins shutting the sliding doors and bursts out with laughter. She has been driven to madness -- the only meaning left in her life is a terrifying all-consuming nihilism. Kaede may not be merely an innocent victim of Hidetora's bloodthirstiness, but she certainly no villain either.
I think any viewers who can cheer at Kaede's end have misunderstood the films message. I have watched this film many times and my personal reading of it is its humane sympathy for the characters and the circumstances and situations they find themselves in, their individual responses all adding and leading to the utter tragedy and the chaos of the title.
the reason Kurosawa ended up coming so close to adapting King Lear by accident is that both Shakespeare and Kurosawa were working in archetypes. Archetypes flow through fiction, illuminating basic human truths. In fact, both Shakespeare and Kurosawa started off by adapting, subverting or expanding upon an old tale. For Kurosawa, it was an old Japanese parable. For Shakespeare, it was a folk tale. Lear is loosely based on an old tale in which a king asks his three daughters how much they love him. The king is enraged when his youngest daughter tells him she loves him "like meat loves salt". He then casts out his daughter only to regret it later.
My mother would tell me the story with the salt when I was little! Then, when I grew up, I wondered why King Lear felt so familiar, lol !
I read this folk tale about a week ago though.
is this the film that has the line "in a mad world, only the mad are sane"
Yes it is
It's such a shame that your Throne of Blood review was made private.
It was definitely one of my favorites.
This movie will bring me more awe and astonishment than any modern summer blockbuster.
Story about breaking arrows, sticks etc. can be found in many cultures.
I was just about to comment, I'm pretty sure there's a very similar story by the brothers Grimm.
And Aesop had a fable about single sticks vs bundles of sticks as well.
Funny that despite our different cultures, we all share very similar stories. :)
It's a great metaphor.
Well, yes, it is. But he's speaking from the perspective of Akira Kurosawa, who heard it first in the parable of the Mori clan.
Funny story - That parable with the old warlord and his sons and the arrows? We also have that here in Bulgaria. Except in the main characters are Khan Kubrat and his five sons, once of which ends up being the first acknowledged ruler of Bulgaria.
Makes you wonder if it's a case of just archetypical storytelling, or maybe if the story has it's origins in Central Asia and then just spread both east and west?
Then again, it seems this was also recorded way, waaay back about one of the leaders of the Scythians, so who knows?
We have the exact same one in the Czech Republic, but with the Prince Svatopluk and his three sons. Also, they break three wooden sticks instead of arrows. That version of the story is apparently presented in a 10th-century book on governing, "De Administrando Imperio," by the Eastern Roman Emperor Constantine VII.
It's also a well known Roman symbol: fasces, which is where we get the word "fascism". Convergent storytelling indeed. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fasces#Origin_and_symbolism
I've also heard it attributed to Ghengis Khan.
It's connected with the Iroquois nation as well
I must watch this movie at least 3 times a year. The words "stellar" and "masterpiece" are often over-used, but not in the case of "Ran".
And the music. Oh, that music.
I watched this for the first time in April in its 4K restoration. It's one of the best films ever made
@0:40: I speak Vietnamese, where that word is pronounced "loan" (with an "L" instead of an "R");
and apart from it's shared meanings with the Japanese usage, it can even be employed to mean "incest".
In essence, I guess it means something or things that happen that "aren't supposed to" well outside of a sense of order.
interesting!
That is as fascinating as it is fitting: incest is, after all, also a crime against nature and ,sooner or later, incredibly destructive...
...now I just want to see a Between the Lines regarding Godzilla.
Or anything regarding movie monsters. Since IMO, lot to pull regarding the nature of fear and humanity's relationship to it through the metaphor of movie monsters.
As a massive Godzilla fan, one always happy to see when they take the allegorical nature of the first into some degree of account in later films, and one who a year ago discovered Kallgren's videos; I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THIS!
Damn Kyle this was nearly as bleak as the movie xD
But it's always great to hear you talk about one of my favorite directors.
I was thinking the same thing myself. This is a very dark episode of brows held high… But, still one that I very very very throughly enjoyed.
Ever think about doing a Month/Summer of Kurosawa?
Oh yes please. I would donate to make this happen
Kurosummer. :DD
is that Jim Cornette in your profile picture,sir?!!
That he is... Photoshop'd as Benny Hill...
Kurosaturdays
Thank you for doing an episode on Ran, Kyle. It's my favourite film and I'm thrilled that it's going through a revival in the last few months.
Wow, I was just watching this on TV yesterday. Perfect timing and fantastic review as usual.
Kyle, I always love watching your reviews; everything else I watch on RUclips is dumb and thoughtless, while your work is always educational and thought-provoking. Never stop!
I took a friend who had never seen a foreign film before to Ran when it was first released. He was stunned.
I just saw Ran at local cinema, so I felt compelled to return to this video once again.
This film is an utter masterpiece. It is perfect in scope, story, acting, directing, writing and everything in between. And it's not even Kurosawa's best film.
I don't think you did this film justice in 11:38. Don't get me wrong: Your analysis was AMAZING, but there's just SOOOOOOOOOOOOO much to say about it, so many angles to look from...and, I like that you acknowledged Godzilla as a legitimate film, instead of comparing it with "Armageddon," and showing mild disdain over it being in the highly prestigious "Criterion Collection."
My favorite movie of all times... Hell Yeah!
I've been binging Brows Held High all day and I'm so consistently struck by the sincere, intelligent profundity and deep passion that come through these videos. It also introduces me to so many amazing things I would have never found on my own. 'Ran' is definitely on my watch list now, as are many other films mentioned in BHH. Thank you, Kyle!
I have been waiting for this for MONTHS. You are, without a doubt, my favorite RUclipsr, and this video just reaffirmed that. Amazing job!
Man this was fantastic! I just watched this for the first time a month ago and it's a tragically beautiful film!
I love your videos! And you always seem to have something interesting to say!
One of the greatest films ever
Oh, I have been WAITING for this! Thank you so, so much for finally doing this one! :D
Yes! I was waitting for that one since Summer of Shakespeare started
Excellent video as always Kyle.
Thank you very much for this new video! I've been looking forward to it. :)
Really fascinating episode. Love your work.
Breaking the arrows was the symbol used by Hiawatha to show tribal chiefs the strength of unity. Arrows are an incredibly ubiquitous technology but I wonder if this came up simultaneously in many cultures or if it is just attributed over and over.
One of the greatest reviews of Ran I've ever seen.
Years ago, my dad and I went to see Troy. After the movie, my dad told me about a samurai movie where the battles, instead of having exciting music as battle scenes typically do, the music was sad. It was after I came across this film review of Ran, and possibly showed it to my dad, where I found out that this was that movie. A few years ago, the Christmas gift to my dad was this movie on DVD. We talked about possibly watching it together. We never got around to it.
This is the first time I watch one of your videos, hope you reach a million subs soon, great in content
I need to see more Kurosawa films.
I'm a big fan of yours, love your stuff, keep doing you man, swear to God, funny!
Kurosawa was a jeopardy question earlier this week. Appreciate these educational videos
For once, your "Story Time" referred to a tale I was quite familiar with. Not only that, but I've also wondered how strong Mori's arrows were to be unbreakable.
I've heard that Genghis Khan was taught a similar lesson in his youth as Temujin. However, his mother presented a few dozens sticks bundled together instead of three arrows, which actually are unbreakable by human hands.
Smart mother - why try and break good arrows anyway ??
11:09
Cool guys don't look at explosions!
(Yes, I know it isn't an actual explosion).
Beautiful just beautiful review Kyle
Fantasic review, sir.
This movie it's so powerful that I don't have words to describe it! A trully epic masterpice! It feels like a cinematic symphony! I watched it for the 4th time and it has the same effect on me...Just incredible!
I see the film as decrying traditional masculinity in favor of more wise or feminine approaches to ruling and parenting. At the start of the film, Saburo reminds his father that he raised them coldly and without affection. This along with his father's general aggression in taking the lands he held is what sparked his sons Jiro and Taro to dark paths in the first place. However, Saburo, who Hidetora says he ruined with too much attention, is the only son that has the empathy to care for his father until the end.
"Last masterpiece" Shows what you think of Dreams, then
Dreams has some masterful colors and compositions but lacks the intellectual heft of his true (and in my opinion ONLY) late color masterpieces, Kagemusha and Ran.
I like Dreams, but I'll admit it's more in an "art for the sake of art" manner. I've yet to see Madadayo, but it's on my list.
Some parts of Dreams are great (including Mount Fuji in Red), and some parts you just sit through respectfully.
The music, Kyle's intonation and subject matter make this a very effectively ominous video
Finally got around to watching the film, thanks to this video. You're definitely right about the bleakness. It's also a fucking masterpiece.
"Kurosawa controls his chaos."
So…he's Shadow the Hedgehog?
Does he have a gun and constantly smoking and is always brooding?
Worth the wait.
OMG. Kyle Kallgren + Kurosawa + King Lear. I clicked "like" before it even began playing!
Holy smokes, that wrap up is haunting . . .
I know that this movie is full with great scenes, but I never forget lady kaede's dead and all that blood. In my memory forever.
Damn it Kyle! Now I have to go watch it XD
If you want to learn more about Ran, go watch the Renegade Cut episode: ruclips.net/video/F8P0wnJQwEA/видео.html
I KNEW I'd seen an analysis of this film before.
Outstanding video, Kyle.
Do you think you might talk about Ikiru someday? It's sadly underappreciated in Kurusawa's library and one I'd love to hear you talk about.
I think the video is a biiit slow, but I love it :D Ran is my favourite movie, even thought about putting an essay about it on my channel. Thanks for this
good stuff man
This gave me chills.
I've seen this movie twice, once on dvd and in a theater. Both times I don't think I appreciated it, cause I was expected something different but I think I need to watch it a third time to really appreciate it...
Powerful film.
great retrospective.
@oancitizen
Truly grateful to you for your amazing video analysis. I was overwhelmed, ... speechless! Keen insight and perspective standpoint, everything you indicated was pregnant with significant. Beyond honored if I could watch your other analyses.
@JenxRodwell
There are a lot of the similar episodes around the world from ancient era. Sharing similar parable all over the world sounds so interesting.
Forgive me, just a note to say something as one of a Japanese…
This three arrows episode in this movie is originally from a feudal lord named Motonari Mouri about 500 years ago in Japan.
He had three sons, and had to divide his domains into each of his son someday. He gave an arrow to his first son, and said "Break the arrow by your hands". The first son broke it easily.
Then Motonari gave bundles of three arrows to each son, and said "Break the bundles by your hands." Nobody could break the bundles.
Then, he said, " One arrow can be broken easily, but three arrows together cannot be easily broken. So, my precious three sons, even though this is wartime, get along with each other and join your forces to defend our domains and our people against enemies."
We call this "Morality of three arrows" and keep on transmitting this moral episode from one generation to the next.
However, Kurosawa turned it around and severely pursued the reality in this film to fit with historical background - the AGE OF WAR.
He changed the last scene of Shakespeare's "King Lear", because he would have loved to reveal the dark side of human beings.
Sadly, not all people are good people. Particularly, Humans tend to betray even though brothers or relatives each other for their small benefits.
When Saburo was killed, Kyoami shouted to the heaven, " Are there no Gods? No Buddha? If you exist, hear me!"
"It's the gods who weep, they see us killing each other over and over, since time began... They can't save us from ourselves. Don't cry! This Is The World where Humans Destroyed!"
Again, another battle has begun...
But he added the very last scene.
... On the burned castle ruins, blind Tsuru-maru dropped down the divine picture of Golden Buddha ( his elder sister took it back in exchange her life ) on the ground. I think this means that Buddha will be watching over "the Humans World (= the ground )" whatever happened.
P.S. "Ran" sometimes means "chaos", but correctly, it almost usually means "the battles" "wartime" in Japanese.
Ran-亂，such a badass name for a movie
I'd love to see an episode on The Bad Sleep Well!
Awesome film. The score by Takemitsu really finishes it with a flourish.
Yay, Kurosawa! I was hoping you'd get to the japanese Shakespeare stuff!
A film as beautiful as it is long...
I know this is sacrilege, but I keep imagining what the Lear figure in "Ran" might have been like if portrayed by Toshiro Mifune. I know that Kurosawa didn't want to work with Mifune again, considering the actor marred by his work on undemanding projects like "Shogun." But I can't help thinking that the role would have been perfect for Mifune, who might very well have risen to the occasion. (Nakadai could have played Kurogane.)
Disagreed. The Lear figure in this film is a symbol of helplessness after a conplete loss of power. Whenever Mifune played a charactern at their lowest, his eyes always show a glimpse of hope. It is his mannerisms, he always manage look that he had some control whether his body is standing tall in confidence or anxious due to fear. Nadakai portrayed this role flawlessly. He is an old man afraid of death, filled with regrets and tragic self-confusions. The last part, Mifune cannot compete with Nakadai .
Nakadai was great in Ran. I wish Mifune had starred in Kagemusha though. The role demanded greater comedic chops.
@@TrevRockOne - Your instincts are spot on. The lead role in "Kagemusha" was originally cast with Shintaro Katsu (best known for playing Zatoichi), an actor better versed in comedy, but he stormed off the project after a disagreement with Kurosawa. Nakadai was a last-minute replacement for Katsu.
I haven't thought of whether this affects your analysis, but right in the front of my mind for most of my watching Ran was dementia, and the anger and violence some men use to try to cover for it. It makes sense of the moment at the start where Hidetora Ichimonji seems unconscious for a moment, and especially for how his mental state progresses over the course of the film.
the hamlet story is so sorrowful tragic ending.
Can we hope for a Bad Sleep Well analysis some summers soon?
8:00 One could argue that the blind man isn't abandoned after all. That he was saved by Buddah from falling.
But now he has nothing left to protect him, and no guarantee of his safety should he remain at that gorge.
This is my favorite Ran review on the youtubes Kyle, and I wonder if you will be reviewing R. Eggers take on Amleth/Hamlet with his movie "the Northman" perhaps? It is the first Hollywood film i've enjoyed in quite a while but it is getting quite a range of reactions from audiences. All the best!
You said Ran was Kurosawa's last masterpiece. I'm curious to hear what you have to say about Dreams which was made five years later.
still love your videos. The little bits of animation, do you do them yourself? I adore them...really atmosferic. Thanks for your work!
Wow, this was a good essay
I know a lot of people compare your series to those of you fellow Channel Awesome alums, especially Lindsey and Brad, but I think you've settled into a show that's more like Crash Course literature. It's that great sort of educational series where I feel like my life is richer for having watched it. Like, because of your show, I was able to spot the use of the A Effect in The Big Short.
love this movie!
Wow that's deeply haunting.
Considering that Kurosawa was in such a dark place at the time Ran was made it's no wonder that the film is as bleak as it is.
Honestly I just feel sorry for the poor man.
Your video analysis of Ran is awesome, Kyle. I really like how you get into how Kurosawa adapts Shakespeare's work.. What happened to your Throne of Blood video? It's really good too, yet I can't find it anywhere among your videos anymore. Did You Tube have it removed?
Another fact is that Hidetora was originally to be played by Kurosawa's old cohort Toshiro Mifune. However, the two weren't on speaking terms at the time (having a falling out due to the production of Red Beard). They also interestingly died within a year of each other, Mifune in December '97 and Kurosawa in September '98.
Anyway, Ran is probably Kurosawa's bleakest film. While many of them had morally complex endings or victories at steep costs, Ran is just apocalyptic.
The thought that Shakespeare couldn't envision "Apocalypse" is risible; the apocalypse we moderns envision is probably all rather narrower than the kind a man of his age could imagine.
Otherwise, a very interesting video-essay on one of my favorite movies. Thanks!
Is it bad that I know the meaning of the word Ran from Ranma 1/2?
not at all. they are literally the same word.
Everything is connected. You start with Dragon Ball Z, move on to Cowboy Bebop and possibly end as a fan of Miles Davis.
Learning from an unlikely source is still learning. I don't think that's something to be embarrassed about at all
Probably one of the darkest and best films ever
Interesting analisis.
At best, his later tragedies show a world starting over from ignorance, doomed to repeat until warnings are heeded. In Lear... Static.
Finally! What took you so long?
5:44 I thought that was the ocean until you said it was the sky
This was his Tempest
Hey I was wondering if you could do another Between the Lines. I love those things and you haven't done one in a while.
I know this is way after the fact and beside the point, but the pronunciation of Hidetora is hee-day-toh-rah. Four syllables. In any case, great review and looking forward to more of different Japanese directors (in particular In the Realm of the Sense by Oshima Nagisa!) ;)
Still gets my vote for the greatest adaptation of the Bard to film.
←Close contact with director Akira Kurosawa! The camera time slipped in July 1984 at the shooting site of the movie "Ran". You can meet a master who gives gentle and polite acting guidance to actors who do not scold other than the assistant director.
Hey Kyle, great video. Do you have any intention of re-uploading the reviews for Dead Man, Zardoz or Perfume? Can't find those anywhere and always really enjoyed them.
Hi! Recently discovered this channel and I love the content! But I can't find your older videos, like shortbus, perfume, The fall, e.t.c. Where can I find them? :)
Hey, have you seen the Abel Gance Napoleon and if you have i would really like a review on it