Christina Reviews *Ran*

         This is Kirosawa’s Japanese version of King Lear.  I saw this in high school and, again, years later. 

         In this version, King Lear has three sons instead of three daughters.  It seems that the play King Lear has inspired more than a few knock-offs, but I guess that’s true for most Shakespeare plays.  In fact, now that I think of it, I can only remember two King Lear adaptations that took liberties with the main plot.  A Thousand Acres was easily the worst one.  A Thousand Acres could, more accurately, be called The Incestuous Undertones of King Lear. 

        But I digress.

        The most memorable scene in Ran is one in which one of the wives gets her head cut off.  She was pure evil, and most definitely had it coming.

         Four stars