Studiocanal is marking the 40th anniversary of Ran, Akira Kurosawa’s Oscar and BAFTA award-winning final film, with a cinema re-release and special Collector’s Edition 4K Blu-ray release.
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The film is Kurosawa’s profound exploration of Shakespeare’s King Lear intertwined with the historical backdrop of Japan’s 16th century Civil Wars and the legendary tale of Morikawa, a feudal warlord with three sons.
Hidetora Ichimonji (Tatsuya Nakadai – Yojimbo, Kagemusha) is an ageing warlord who, after spending his life consolidating his empire, decides to abdicate and divide his kingdom amongst his three sons, Taro (Akira Terao), Jiro (Jinpachi Nezu ) and Saburo (Daisuke Ryû).
When Hidetora’s youngest son Saburo voices concerns about the wisdom of his father’s plan, claiming that treachery within the family will be inevitable, Hidetora mistakes these comments for a threat and banishes him.
This allows Taro and Jiro to take the reins of power unopposed, leading to a brutal and bloody struggle to win absolute power.
Immediately recognised as a masterpiece upon its release, it garnered numerous awards, including the Oscar for Best Costume Design and BAFTA awards for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Makeup.
It returns to cinemas across the UK on June 27th with the four-disc 40th Anniversary Collector’s Edition following on July 21st.
The physical release comes complete with a host of extras-material including the breath-taking soundtrack composed by Tôru Takemitsu and a 100-page booklet.
Other special features include:
- Ran: The Restoration
- Akira Kurosawa: The Epic and The Intimate
- Interview with director of photography Shoji Ueda
- The Art of the Samurai
- Interview with Michael Brooke
- Interview with Ms Mieko Harada
- Stage Appearance at Tokyo FIlm Festival 2015
- Akira Kurosawa by Catherine Cadou