RAN: A Film about Ancient Battles that is Worth Watching.
April 24th 2007 00:58
Classic story and visually stunning
Compare Top Gun and Apocalypse Now and you have two films that deal with fighting men in uniform and the desperation of war. One of the films had help from the US military the other went it alone. One is considered to a classic of our times the other is considered to mindless twaddle for hyped up children. Guess which one is which? ‘I feel the Need, the Need for Speed,’ is right up there with ‘Pepsi to the MAX’. In a similar way films about ancient times could be easily divided into classic epic and trashy epics. It really does matter if history is tampered with and the wrong person wins, what really matter is that the story told offers the viewer more than just a few thrills. Even if the film is particularly violent and nasty it should never be so to glorify what should never be glorified. Film history is littered with controversial box office hits that are now considered a joke by today’s standards. The film RAN by Karusawa should never fall from being classed as a classic.
Considered to one of the greatest battles scenes brought to film. It pulls no punches. This is must see cinema.
The history of this retiring king is one of brutal conquest to create a peaceful and united land echoes much of the rhetoric kings and rulers have used over the ages. In this way it could argued that his two remaining sons were now to become his judgment. The trouble starts with seeking of revenge for past grievances by queen Hidetora. ‘Here is the place where my family was killed,’ Hidetora explains when she justifies her desire to ruin the king. A rift in the family has been engineered by this woman and she will do all in her power to destroy the family she was forced to serve.
The chaos that follows begins with the ruling sons turning against the old king and finally attacking his palace. The battle scenes are some of the most brutal and disturbing ever filmed. There is no way that the violence depicted could be mistaken for the glorification of war. Yet they are also some visually beautiful and surreal. The old king lives to see his brutally acquired kingdom turning to chaos and at the same time his mind turns to madness.
This is story that offers as much today as it did when it was produced in 1985 because it pull no punches about war and kingdoms built on brutality. Like all Shakespearian tragedies the inevitability of the conflict does not direct from its emotional impact. Perhaps what is also true are Karusawa’s thoughts about the film RAN.
"All the technological progress of these last years has only taught human beings how to kill more of each other faster. It's very difficult for me to retain a sanguine outlook on life under such circumstances." — Akira Kurosawa
For people who would rather see a film that offers more than newer ways to develop CGI blood splatter algorithms Ran stands out and should continue to do so for many years into the future.
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It will help blot out any bad memories you had about 300. Story, plot and characters all work in this.