Ran (DVD) (US Version) DVD Region 1

For his 27th film, the "sensei" of Japanese cinema, Akira Kurosawa, transposes Shakespeare's KING LEAR to feudal Japan. RAN, which translates as "chaos" or "turmoil," is the tragic tale of Lord Hidetora, a warlord who decides to divide his empire among his three sons on the eve of his 70th birthday. However, Hidetora's youngest and most compassionate son, Saburo, defiantly objects to this hasty decision and is disowned by the proud, stubborn ruler. Once the two eldest sons take control of the empire, they quickly turn on their father and begin vying for total control over the land. As Hidetora is banished from his own kingdom in a bloody battle, he must confront the consequences of his violent, ruthless past. Ten years in the making, RAN represents the culmination of Kurosawa's career by revisiting his skill at adapting Shakespeare, as evidenced in THRONE OF BLOOD, and displaying the cinematic splendor of his other landmark films such as SEVEN SAMURAI and RASHOMON. With its magnificent costumes, breathtaking settings, and amazingly photographed battle sequences, the film is truly stunning. An epic on the grandest of scales, RAN is not only one of Kurosawa's finest films, it is a glorious masterpiece of Japanese cinema.

"...Sweeping..." -- Recommended - Anthony, Reilly (Premiere Critic), Premiere, 04/01/1994

"...Kurosawa directs RAN with the easy grace that comes of a lifetime's experience..." - Tom, Milne (Sight and Sound), Sight and Sound, 03/01/1985

"...Brisk and vital, elegiac and contemplative, intimate and epic, tragic yet shot through with humor. It combines the energy of youth with the perspective of maturity..." - Kevin, Thomas (Film critic), Los Angeles Times, 12/28/1985

"...The film is visually magnificent. Kurosawa refined everything he learned about battle scenes in KAGEMUSHA and the earlier samurai epics..." - Roger, Ebert (Critic and screenwriter), Chicago Sun-Times, 10/01/2000

"...A deft switch on Shakespeare's King Lear....[A] stirring epic about familial deceit..." - Mike, Clark (USA Today Critic), USA Today, 01/28/1995

"The film] still packs a punch 19 years after its original release." - Uncut Staff (Uncut Film Critic), Uncut, 08/01/2004

"Transposing King Lear to feudal Japan, Akira Kurosawa delivers this visual feast of Shakespeare, No theater, and action epics." - Edward, Karam (Entertainment Weekly Critic), Entertainment Weekly, 11/25/3005

Ranked #9 in Entertainment Weekly's Top Ten DVDs Of The Year -- "With his last great masterpiece, Akira Kurosawa accomplished the remarkable -- improving upon Shakespeare." - Dalton, Ross (Entertainment Weekly Critic), Entertainment Weekly, 12/30/2005

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Product Title:	Ran (DVD) (US Version) Ran (DVD) (US Version) Ran (DVD) (US Version) Ran (DVD) (US Version) Ran (DVD) (US Version)
Artist Name(s):	Nakadai Tatsuya (Actor) | Terao Akira (Actor) | Harada Mieko (Actor) | Nezu Jinpachi (Actor) | Ryu Daisuke (Actor) | Luis Bunuel | SAITO TAKAO 仲代 達矢 (Actor) | 寺尾聰 (Actor) | 原田美枝子 (Actor) | 根津甚八 (Actor) | Ryu Daisuke (Actor) | 路易布努埃爾 | 齋藤隆夫 仲代 达矢 (Actor) | 寺尾聪 (Actor) | 原田美枝子 (Actor) | Nezu Jinpachi (Actor) | Ryu Daisuke (Actor) | 路易布努埃尔 | 斋藤隆夫 仲代達矢 (Actor) | 寺尾聰 (Actor) | 原田美枝子 (Actor) | 根津甚八 (Actor) | 隆大介 (Actor) | Luis Bunuel | SAITO TAKAO Nakadai Tatsuya (Actor) | Terao Akira (Actor) | Harada Mieko (Actor) | Nezu Jinpachi (Actor) | Ryu Daisuke (Actor) | Luis Bunuel | SAITO TAKAO
Director:	Kurosawa Akira 黑澤明 黑泽明 黒沢明 Kurosawa Akira
Producer:	Miyazaki Yoshiko 宮崎美子 Miyazaki Yoshiko 宮崎美子 Miyazaki Yoshiko
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Release Date:	2005-11-22
UPC Code:	715515016827
Language:	Japanese
Subtitles:	English
Country of Origin:	Japan
Picture Format:	NTSC What is it?
Color Information:	Color
Disc Format(s):	DVD
Region Code:	1 - USA, Canada, U.S. Territories What is it?
Rating:	R (MPAA)
Publisher:	Image Entertainment, Inc.
Package Weight:	213 (g)
Shipment Unit:	2 What is it?
YesAsia Catalog No.:	1005028207

Director: Akira Kurosawa

DVD Features:

Keep Case
Widescreen - 1.85
Audio:
Stereo - Japanese
Subtitles - English - Optional
Additional Release Material:
Interview - 1. Tatsuya Nakadai - Actor
Bonus Documentary - 1. Appreciation of the film by director Sidney Lumet
2. AK, a 74-minute film by Chris Marker examining making of RAN
3. AKIRA KUROSAWA: IT IS WONDERFUL TO CREATE, a 37-minute "making of" documentary
4. IMAGE: KUROSAWA'S CONTINUITY, 35-minute reconstruction of RAN through Kurosawa's paintings and sketches
Trailers - 1. Original Trailer
Text/Photo Galleries:
Essays - 1. New essays by film critic Michael Wilmington and Shakespeare scholar Anthony Davies

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