Viewed in
1999, 2002, 2008
Premise
Akira Kurosawa's masterpiece reinterpretation of Shakespeares's 'King Lear' for feudal Japan.
Who should watch
Those who enjoy epics.
Thoughts
Those was one of my favorite epics of all time.
The first thing I noticed was the wonderful use of colors throughout the film. Not only did it make it easy to tell all the characters apart, but there was a visual poetry as if Kurosawa was a painter. The scope and action was just magnificent to behold, as the film takes full advantage of every inch of the screen with colors, death, fire, castles, and lush landscapes. Words cannot describe the beauty, sadness and majesty that Kurosawa was able to evoke.
This would be nothing without a story. In the midst of epic action and overacting, there were many wonderful moments of tragedy and sorrow. Usually, I have trouble telling characters apart in military-themed films, since solders usually look alike, but thanks to great writing, I never had that problem. I also usually get lost in political maneuvering, but I could clearly tell who was doing what to whom. While everyone did great, and the actor who played the ousted lord driven mad was excellent, it was the actress who played Lady Kaede who stole the show. I love love loved this character, as she manipulated everyone with deadly precision to fulfill her revenge.
By today's standards, some of the blood special effects looked dated, but to dislike a film because of that is folly.
I cherish this masterpiece for great storytelling of sorrow and sins, and astounding epic action without any computer graphics.
What I would change
Nothing.
