Ran (1985) dir. Kurosawa

Ran (1985) dir. Kurosawa

Javelina bow hunting: Old; Stinks; Indigestible!

Fool alert!: (The great Lord is tired.) Broken Arrows!

I cut the bond between us: Rash desire!

Tango, you're an idiot. Played by Banquo as the Earl of Kent:  Whatever disguise I adopt, I sha’n’t abandon the Great Lord.

Taro, the post-transition Gonriel, played by Mifune’s Macbeth (As a man): Check!

Lady Kaede, Princess Maple Leaf, plays Lady Macbeth to a couple of the brothers: But just for a while!

I burned down your castle. 

     You father and mother perished.

God of Fury, 

     Ashura: 

          Three-faced; Six-armed; and pissed off!

Howling Wind’s Burning Castle: Wandering Kings -- Please, my Lord, come to your wits!

How could I forget the man who burned down our castle -- and, in exchange for my life: gouged out my eyes!

Rape scene begins.

Now it’s my turn to be frank. 

     You are just as pleased as I am!   

          Lord Jiro, 

               You are now head of the Ichimonji Clan.

I am not blind.

     You murdered your brother 

          and stole his title. 

               PREPARE TO DIE !!! 

(It was Kurogane! )

HYPOCRITE!

     You gave the order 

          but won’t take the blame!

I watched this scene several times before I realized that Lady Kaede doesn’t bring a knife to meet with Jiro. She simply grabs short sword and starts slashing.  Compared to 1961’s West Side Story, the knife fight is more stylized, and yet more brutally realistic -- due in part to the cringing, crying behavior of the fight’s only male participant. 

You give in so easily!

Now I will tell you the truth.* 

I don’t care about Taro’s death. 

What concerns me 

is my own future. 

I won’t be a widow or a nun

with cropped hair. (Stamps foot.)

*This is a tell.

This castle was my father’s. I won’t leave it : Then licks the blood from his Snowblood-sliced neck!  

Now she deploys her woman’s tears: He caves! 

Rape scene ends.

Such an other woman cannot remain alive!

Fujimaki is at the border! Ayabe is on the move!

If you are tired of it, Jump!: I’ve looked at clouds from both sides now!  

I’m a stupid old fool!  

     I have so much to say! 

          I know when one is dead!  

Must you crush us like ants?

In the most powerful scene in all Shakespeare, Lady Kaede throws off her Lady Macbeth disguise and reveals herself as Lady Snowblood:

Vanity you say?

I wanted to avenge my family!

I wanted this castle to burn!

I have done all I set out to do!

Lady Akane is the greatest female role in cinema, perhaps the greatest of any role in cinema. She doesn’t have a Lawyer Dagget behind her -- she's all alone in enemy territory -- a little girl -- completely surrounded by those that killed her family. And she does have her day!  When Ran was released,  it would have been better titled Lady Kaede.

Kurosawa’s homage to Lady Snowblood. A bunch of disgusting people behaving in appallingly human ways. No one does Medieval like Kurosawa. No one does Humanity so well. Check it out!