This film is part of Rentals
Ran
Akira Kurosawa’s visually spectacular epic transplants Shakespeare’s King Lear from Celtic Britain to feudal Japan.
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Overview
Akira Kurosawa’s visually spectacular epic transplants Shakespeare’s King Lear from Celtic Britain to feudal Japan. In its epic scope and expert execution, Ran can be seen as a culmination of the great Japanese director’s filmmaking career; a late triumph which he planned and refined over several years.
By fusing the narrative – about an arrogant King who’s betrayed by his resentful children – with non-naturalistic Japanese aesthetics from the samurai epic and Noh theatre, Kurosawa crafts an arresting and singular cinematic (re)vision of Shakespearean drama. Epic and bloody spectacle is underscored by a sombre mood of loss, regret and mortality, making Ran both enthralling and disturbing. The film is presented here in a stunning new restoration.
Related
Sometimes I Think About Dying Sometimes I Think About Dying
Drama 2023 94 mins Director: Rachel Lambert
Daisy Ridley stars as a melancholic office worker who fantasises about her own death, in Rachael Lamberts wonderfully offbeat drama.
Our Mothers Our Mothers
Drama 2019 77 mins Director: César Díaz
As Guatemala confronts its violent past, a forensic anthropologist is tasked with identifying the dead, in this affecting Cannes prize-winning drama.
Stephen Stephen
Drama-documentary 2023 78 mins Director: Melanie Manchot
Artist Melanie Manchot’s debut feature is a visually striking film-within-a-film, exploring mental health and addiction.
Red Island Red Island
Drama 2023 117 mins Director: Robin Campillo
French writer-director Robin Campillo offers a searching exploration of memory and politics, in this boldly conceived story of boyhood in 1970s Madagascar.
Drift Drift
Drama 2023 93 mins Director: Anthony Chen
Cynthia Erivo delivers a captivating performance as a young refugee, who after fleeing war-torn Liberia finds hope when she meets a fellow lost soul.
Drifter Drifter
Drama 2023 79 mins Director: Hannes Hirsch
A scintillating portrait of a young man coming to terms with life, love, sex and relationships in contemporary Berlin.
Orlando Orlando
Fantasy 1993 93 mins Director: Sally Potter
Tilda Swinton stars in Sally Potter's dazzling interpretation of Virginia Woolf's novel.
2001: A Space Odyssey 2001: A Space Odyssey
Science Fiction 1968 149 mins Director: Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick took science fiction cinema in a grandly intelligent new direction with this epic story of man’s quest for knowledge.
The Searchers The Searchers
Western 1956 119 mins Director: John Ford
John Ford created perhaps the greatest of all westerns with this tale of a Civil War veteran doggedly hunting the Comanche who kidnapped his niece.
Parasite Parasite
Comedy 2019 132 mins Director: Bong Joon-ho
Bong Joon Ho's Oscar®-winning box-office sensation is a darkly comic, twisty rollercoaster ride.
Rio Bravo Rio Bravo
Western 1958 141 mins Director: Howard Hawks
Hawks’ leisurely but surprisingly suspenseful chamber western mixes drama and comedy to create an unforgettable classic.
The Wild Bunch The Wild Bunch
Western 1969 145 mins Director: Sam Peckinpah
Peckinpah’s violent yet lyrical western is a nostalgic elegy for the passing of the Old West.
Akira Kurosawa's Dreams Akira Kurosawa's Dreams
Fantasy 1990 120 mins Director: Akira Kurosawa
In this visually spectacular late masterwork, late Akira Kurosawa presents a collection of eight vividly coloured dreams.
Sometimes I Think About Dying Sometimes I Think About Dying
Drama 2023 94 mins Director: Rachel Lambert
Daisy Ridley stars as a melancholic office worker who fantasises about her own death, in Rachael Lamberts wonderfully offbeat drama.
Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus
Documentary 2023 103 mins Director: Neo Sora
This moving tribute to the late composer and musician speaks volumes about his enormous talent, pioneering work and dedication to his craft.
Our Mothers Our Mothers
Drama 2019 77 mins Director: César Díaz
As Guatemala confronts its violent past, a forensic anthropologist is tasked with identifying the dead, in this affecting Cannes prize-winning drama.
Red Herring Red Herring
Documentary 2023 94 mins Director: Kitson Vincent
Following his terminal diagnosis, young filmmaker Kit Vincent sets out to document an intimate and darkly humorous journey in this BIFA nominated documentary.
Robot Dreams Robot Dreams
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2023 103 mins Director: Pablo Berger
Spanish director Pablo Berger delivers a rich and emotionally engaging dialogue-free animation about friendship, set in a bustling 1980s New York City.
Stephen Stephen
Drama-documentary 2023 78 mins Director: Melanie Manchot
Artist Melanie Manchot’s debut feature is a visually striking film-within-a-film, exploring mental health and addiction.