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Veering way off-topic: A gorgeous film and one of my favorites. It's a retelling of Shakespeare's "King Lear" set in Japan by the great, great director Akira K
by hackuser 12y ago
Veering way off-topic:
A gorgeous film and one of my favorites. It's a retelling of Shakespeare's "King Lear" set in Japan by the great, great director Akira Kurosawa.
However, the King does not attempt to reclaim or exercise power; his children abuse him once he has surrendered it and is defenseless. It's a story about power and cruelty; the rashness of old age (and youth); the consequences of his prior life; trust, love and loyalty; and consequences.
- tootie 12y agoKurosawa actually denied that it was inspried by King Lear, but rather the similarities were pointed out to him afterwards. It was based on some Japanese folk story about a king with 3 good sons, that he flipped to 3 bad sons.
- hackuser 12y agoThanks, and good to hear from someone else who appreciates Kurosawa. It's hard to believe the similarities between Ran and King Lear are coincidence. It's not just the plot but many elements of the story, too. Also, Kurosawa based other films on Shakespeare plays. Wikipedia, FWIW, says he started with a Japanese story and incorporated King Lear "after he had started pre-planning".