Ran (1985)

Ran was directed by the influential Akira Kurosawa. It was made late in his career, a career which spanned 6 decades. Ran is a film which shows a master director displaying his skills and experience to the utmost. It could be seen as the culmination of over 50 years of making films. It is a spectacle of a film. A harrowing, poignant story. Majestic shot compositions. The most beautiful, rich colour palette. Perhaps the best costume designs of any film. Simple yet skilful cinematography. On a purely aesthetic and visual level, it is sumptuous and a delight to watch. But throw in the deeply profound story and its portrayal of the follies of humanity, a story which is relevant on a fundamental level, and you get a masterpiece.

 

The film covers many themes, some of which I’ll try to delineate. It is set in medieval Japan and focuses on a warlord and his 3 sons. It is partially inspired by King Lear and partially by a tale about Mōri Motonari. Though ultimately, Kurosawa has crafted his own story. The warlord in question, Lord Hidetora Ichimonji, is played in a theatrical manner by the legendary Tatsuya Nakadai. Nakadai has starred in many outstanding Japanese films, such as Harakiri (1962), The Human Condition trilogy (1959-1961) and Samurai Rebellion (1967). 

 

Hidetora, the warlord, decides late in his life to give control of his kingdom to his eldest son, Taro. After 50 years of war making, he states he wants to “give free rein to peace”. His youngest son, Saburo, vehemently counsels against this and chastises his brothers for using “honeyed words” towards their father. Saburo talks bluntly and offends his father, to the extent that he is banished and disowned. But it is clear from the beginning that, while being blunt, Saburo was also the only son who was honest and had his father’s interests at heart. We even see this when his father falls asleep in the beginning of the film and Saburo shades him with branches from a nearby bush, a minor display of thoughtfulness and care.

 

After giving control of his kingdom to his eldest son, Taro, what ensues the warlord didn’t predict. Taro pushes the boundaries of his power, trying to wrest more control from his father. Taro is counselled in this regard by his wife, Lady Kaede. We learn that Lady Kaede was wronged by Hidetora. Her family was killed and her home taken over. Clearly, she intends to exact revenge by whatever means are at her disposal. She is very skilful in this regard. Orchestrated by his wife, Taro’s actions set in motion a cycle of conflict and violence whereby each of the elder brothers fight for control of the kingdom and betray their father.

 

Incredibly deceitful and manipulative, Lady Kaede is a very well-drawn character and is played brilliantly. Full of vitriol and seething hatred, she pulls the strings throughout the film. Taro and Jiro (Jiro is the middle son and next in line after Taro) are pathetic and ignorant by comparison. This sheds interesting light on power dynamics in these imperial situations, suggesting that those with most control might often be those who are behind the scenes.

 

The film is largely about Hidetora and how he deals with this grave betrayal of his sons. He is sent on a psychological journey where the peace he wanted to instil at the beginning of the film is thrown back in his face. The lesson I conjecture is that if you have inflicted violence throughout your life, this violence will usually come back to you in one way or another. You will not escape those wrong deeds. However, it might not be as simple as this.

 

A significant aspect of the story regards Lady Sué and her brother, Tsurumaru. Lady Sué is the wife of Jiro. As with Lady Kaede, we learn that Lady Sué’s family had been killed by Hidetora. We also learn that Tsurumaru, Lady Sué’s brother, had his eyes gouged out by Hidetora. Lady Sué, however, has turned to Buddhism and seems to practice love and forgiveness. She does not hate Hidetora. In this regard, she is sharply contrasted with Lady Kaede. They are like opposites. They have both been through very similar suffering, inflicted by Hidetora, but have reacted in antithetical ways. This shows the diversity of human behaviour.

 

There is a significant scene when Hidetora encounters Lady Sué at Jiro’s castle, before Jiro has betrayed him. Encountering Lady Sué, Hidetora states “When I see you it breaks my heart” Lady Sué then smiles and Hidetora backs off with horror in his eyes and continues “It’s worse when you smile. I burned down your castle, your father and mother perished. And you look at me like that. Look upon me with hatred. It would be easier to bear. Go on, hate me!” I find this scene very powerful. It suggests that Hidetora feels some kind of remorse for what he has done. He wants to be hated for it. This hate, he feels, would at least make him feel better. But seeing someone who has arguably overcome hatred makes him feel worse about himself. Lady Sué is a reminder of what he could be. She is a reminder of a better person.

 

There is another significant scene when Hidetora, Kyoami and Tango come upon a cabin during a storm, after the epic battle scene at the third castle. They are in dire need of shelter and barge into the cabin. Here we find Tsurumaru, the brother of Lady Sué, whose eyes had been gouged out. He announces who he is and at one point begins playing a haunting song on a flute. This sends the already distressed Hidetora into a frenzy.  Hidetora is beginning to taste a glimpse of the suffering he has spent his life subjecting others to. This encounter with Tsurumaru and his flute song is allowing all of that suffering to manifest and reach his consciousness. Hidetora is being reminded of how he has treated others and is overcome by these feelings.

 

With its panoramic longshots and majestic scenery, Ran is suggesting that humans are aspects of a large, encompassing process. With its largely static camerawork, filmgoers are encouraged to take a detached view on the grand, unfolding story. We are watching the human characters from a godlike, spectatorial view as we see them dwarfed by mountainous landscapes. This formal approach is worth noting. Maybe we are being reminded that, though some humans have inflated egos and may conquer much land throughout their lives, we are all small aspects of an infinite, unknowable system. Ultimately, the egotistical desires for fame, power and immortality are misguided, as everything in life is transient and fleeting.

 

At the end of the film, Hidetora is reunited with Saburo and has begun to come back to sanity. He is utterly overjoyed to see his only loyal son and their reunion is an emotional moment. But just as Hidetora has begun to awaken to his follies and wrongdoings, Saburo is shot down by enemy soldiers. This immediately sends Hidetora back into frenzied madness, and out of sheer exhaustion and suffering he dies atop Saburo’s corpse. This last scene suggests that perhaps there is a cosmic indifference to the lives played out by us humans. Even if we realise our wrongdoings, maybe we just can’t predict how our lives will unfold. We also see this point  being made when we sadly learn that Lady Sué, who practiced love and forgiveness, was slaughtered by Jiro's men. However, for some reason I don’t find this approach pessimistic. This aspect of the story is only pessimistic if you are looking at it from an egotistical perspective which sees physical survival as the ultimate goal of life. There are far deeper processes going on in the world and it is only when we come to terms with the perceived indifference of the universe, and overcome our petty, personal concerns, that we will find some kind of peace. This, I feel, is where the Buddhist element comes into the story, because Buddhism as I understand it teaches us to overcome egotistical, myopic concerns.

 

Just following Hidetora’s death we hear Kyoami and Tango lamenting. 

 

Kyoami: “Are there no gods, no buddha. If you exist, hear me! You are mischievous and cruel. Are you so bored up there, you must crush us like ants!? Is it such fun to see men weep?!”

 

Tango: “Enough! Do not blaspheme! It is the gods who weep. They see us killing each other over and over since time began. They can’t save us from ourselves. Don't cry. It's how the world is made. Men prefer sorrow over joy. Suffering over peace”
 

Ran is a magnificent illustration of the nightmare of history, of the relentless, cyclical mistakes of humanity. It is about desirous egos striving for power. It shows how people deal with suffering in different ways and it highlights the blindness and ignorance of our species. It could be argued that Buddhism is one of our main attempts to overcome this blindness and ignorance, which is why it features strongly in the film.