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Ageing warlord Hidetora Ichimonji (Tatsuya Nakadai) is ready to abdicate and divide his domain among his three sons: Tarō (Akira Terao), Jirō (Jinpachi Nezu) and Saburō (Daisuke Ryu). Little does he know, his attempt to secure his legacy would descend into a chaotic war for power between brothers fuelled by ambition, betrayal and the ruthless machinations of Tarō’s wife, Lady Kaede (Mieko Harada).

Widely regarded as Kurosawa’s final masterpiece, Ran is a spectacular reimagining of Shakespeare’s 'King Lear', set against the turbulent landscape of16th century feudal Japan. Featuring thousands of handcrafted costumes and hundreds of horses, the film was among the most ambitious productions of Kurosawa’s career. With the dramatic sceneries of Mount Aso and Mount Fuji as its backdrop, Ran remains a staggering achievement in large-scale filmmaking and grandeur. The film is powerfully accompanied by Tōru Takemitsu’s austere, mournful score, with restrained orchestration and lingering passages heightening its sense of tragedy and inexorable decline.

Premiering as the opening film of Tokyo International Film Festival in 1985, Ran returned to the festival in 2015 with a celebrated 4K restoration before its Japanese theatrical re-release in 2017. Combining a gripping family feud with breathtaking visuals and meticulously choreographed battle scenes, Kurosawa’s majestic epic remains an unmissable cinematic experience.

M | Violence