any color you like

"Ran" is a 1985 Japanese adaptation of "King Lear" (i.e., Shakespeare meets "Seven Samurai"). A knowledge of Shakespeare's "King Lear" enriches the experience, but even those unfamiliar with it will appreciate Akira Kurosawa's final great epic.

Hidetora (Tatsuya Nakadai), an aging lord, divides his land into three kingdoms to be ruled by his three sons. The eldest son, Taro (Akira Terao), will be the primary ruler, while the younger sons, Jiro (Jinpachi Nezu) and Saburo (Daisuke Ryu), will live in smaller castles. Saburo immediately expresses dissent in his father's foolish plans, so Hidetora banishes his youngest son. His son's warnings come true, as the other two sons betray their father, and then civil war breaks out. Taro's manipulative wife (Mieko Harada) further complicates the unrest, while Hidetora wanders his kingdom with his jester/fool trying to come to grips with his sins of the past.

While King Lear's flaw was pride, Kurosawa makes Hidetora a character whose sins transcend pride, and unveil a dark militaristic past. The desperation in Hidetora's complexion suggests a similar type of madness which took control of Lear. The pure evil of Taro's wife is more revolting than any of the bloody depictions during the battle sequences. Jiro's main flaw lies in his lust, which allows Taro's wife to manipulate him into unspeakable acts of violence. Then there is Saburo, the one character in the film who consistently demonstrates love, and the fool, who obviously possesses wisdom.

The two sons' siege of the third castle, which is the first extended action sequence and occurs about an hour into the movie, is one of the greatest moments in film history. Most of the scene occurs without sound, but only a underplayed melancholy musical score. The scene climaxes after the siege is complete, and a dazed Hidetora walks down the steps leading out from the burning castle, the army parting down the middle to make way. This breathtaking shot rivals the best color cinematography of films such as "Lawrence of Arabia."

Recent epic battle scenes (Gladiator, Gangs of New York, and to a lesser extent, Braveheart) could have learned a lesson from Kurosawa. Spielberg's use of the silent perspective shots of Tom Hank's character during the Normandy invasion of "Saving Private Ryan" is a good comparison to the atmosphere the siege in "Ran" creates. In the second major battle of "Ran," Jiro's army, drenched in strikingly red uniforms, is defeated in another brutally violent scene. When I speak of heavy violence in this film, do not interpret this movie as a glorification of violence as some critics have recently labeled "Kill Bill." Hidetora's spiritual journey entails his overcoming of his violent past of pride and ruthlessness to find peace amid the chaos surrounding his former kingdom.

Cinematography and costume design play a huge role, as bright colors of army uniforms and flags distinguish the combating sides. This technique is similar to Soderbergh's color scheme in "Traffic," but for different reasons. The color tints in "Traffic" were for pragmatic purposes: to help the viewer distinguish the three storylines, but it also works on an aesthetic level, as the bleached Mexico works perfectly. In "Ran," I believe the color patterns of the costumes had original aesthetic purposes, but in the battle scenes, they certainly have a practical purpose of distinguishing the armies. I only discuss this aspect of the film so much because it *really* makes a difference.

The final shot of the film can only be fully appreciated with a knowledge of Shakespeare's play. It is devastatingly brilliant, and it wonderfully incorporates the blindness and cliff imagery of the play. Check out my previous reviews of "Z" and "The Vanishing" for other classic endings to great foreign films.