Post by klep on Apr 22, 2019 6:40:44 GMT -6
MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 4/22: Ran
SHAKESPEARE WEEK!
Akira Kurosawa knew that all great storytellers borrow, and in Ran he borrowed from the best. Based in large part on William Shakespeare's King Lear, Ran is the story of a Japanese warlord Hidetora (Tatsuya Nakadai) who decides to abdicate and split his realm among his sons. But rather than split the land according to which son loves him most, he tries to split the realm more or less equally. His goal is for the peace he achieved to last by instructing his sons on the value of working together, expecting they will respect his wishes.
But his youngest son Saburo (Daisuke RyĆ») admonishes his father, warning that as Hidetora won his lands through war and conquest his sons are likely to follow his example. And if you've seen King Lear you already know how this goes - Saburo is proven Cassandra, and before long the other two brothers are at each others throats with no interest in supporting their father's attempt at peaceful retirement. Violence is cyclical, and ending the cycle takes more than a few nice words and a handy visual metaphor.
One of Kurosawa's last films, Ran is one of the few that he did entirely in color, and he uses it to great effect. Hidetora and each of his sons have their own colors, which carry multiple levels of significance. His sons are clad in bright, primary colors red, blue, and yellow. Each of these colors is the equal of one another, symbolizing the dynamic Hidetora wishes his sons to have. But they also carry additional symbolic meanings which reveal character and portend the troubles to come. Hidetora's elder sons Taro (Akira Terao) and Jiro (Jinpachi Nezu) are represented by red - which can represent passion and anger, and yellow - which can represent treachery. Saburo on the other hand is blue, which is the color of fidelity - as he is the only one loyal enough to risk speaking ugly truths to his father.
And above - or below - it all is Hidetora, clad in white. No doubt Hidetora adopted white to signify his purity and the peace he achieved. But that peace is a fragile one, and was achieved through bloody means. Indeed, red garments can frequently be seen under Hidetora's white clothes.
Alas white also has other significance. It is also the color of death and mourning. Hidetora achieved his throne by conquest - often brutal conquest. His robes signify the death his world is built upon. And as his sons fall one by one to the conflict he inspired by his own lived example, his robes become a mourner's garb. Violence leads to violence, and pride goeth before a fall.
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 4/29: Michael Clayton
CONSPIRACY WEEK!
For Conspiracy Week we're going under the hood to look at this film about a fixer brought in to take care of a corporate lawyer who has suddenly developed a conscience. Join us next week for Michael Clayton, the latest in a line of Movies of the Week from that high water mark year of 2007. Michael Clayton is available for rent on Amazon Video (though it is not free for Prime members), and in the other usual places.
NEXT PICTURE SHOW PODCAST for 4/23: Shazam
This edition of the podcast concludes with the latest film about a boy stuck in a man's body, the superhero story Shazam! We'll have a thread on Wednesday for discussion. Shazam is still in theaters.
SHAKESPEARE WEEK!
Akira Kurosawa knew that all great storytellers borrow, and in Ran he borrowed from the best. Based in large part on William Shakespeare's King Lear, Ran is the story of a Japanese warlord Hidetora (Tatsuya Nakadai) who decides to abdicate and split his realm among his sons. But rather than split the land according to which son loves him most, he tries to split the realm more or less equally. His goal is for the peace he achieved to last by instructing his sons on the value of working together, expecting they will respect his wishes.
But his youngest son Saburo (Daisuke RyĆ») admonishes his father, warning that as Hidetora won his lands through war and conquest his sons are likely to follow his example. And if you've seen King Lear you already know how this goes - Saburo is proven Cassandra, and before long the other two brothers are at each others throats with no interest in supporting their father's attempt at peaceful retirement. Violence is cyclical, and ending the cycle takes more than a few nice words and a handy visual metaphor.
One of Kurosawa's last films, Ran is one of the few that he did entirely in color, and he uses it to great effect. Hidetora and each of his sons have their own colors, which carry multiple levels of significance. His sons are clad in bright, primary colors red, blue, and yellow. Each of these colors is the equal of one another, symbolizing the dynamic Hidetora wishes his sons to have. But they also carry additional symbolic meanings which reveal character and portend the troubles to come. Hidetora's elder sons Taro (Akira Terao) and Jiro (Jinpachi Nezu) are represented by red - which can represent passion and anger, and yellow - which can represent treachery. Saburo on the other hand is blue, which is the color of fidelity - as he is the only one loyal enough to risk speaking ugly truths to his father.
And above - or below - it all is Hidetora, clad in white. No doubt Hidetora adopted white to signify his purity and the peace he achieved. But that peace is a fragile one, and was achieved through bloody means. Indeed, red garments can frequently be seen under Hidetora's white clothes.
Alas white also has other significance. It is also the color of death and mourning. Hidetora achieved his throne by conquest - often brutal conquest. His robes signify the death his world is built upon. And as his sons fall one by one to the conflict he inspired by his own lived example, his robes become a mourner's garb. Violence leads to violence, and pride goeth before a fall.
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 4/29: Michael Clayton
CONSPIRACY WEEK!
For Conspiracy Week we're going under the hood to look at this film about a fixer brought in to take care of a corporate lawyer who has suddenly developed a conscience. Join us next week for Michael Clayton, the latest in a line of Movies of the Week from that high water mark year of 2007. Michael Clayton is available for rent on Amazon Video (though it is not free for Prime members), and in the other usual places.
NEXT PICTURE SHOW PODCAST for 4/23: Shazam
This edition of the podcast concludes with the latest film about a boy stuck in a man's body, the superhero story Shazam! We'll have a thread on Wednesday for discussion. Shazam is still in theaters.