Synopsis
Shakespeare's King Lear is reimagined as a singular historical epic set in sixteenth-century Japan where an aging warlord divides his kingdom between his three sons.
Ran (1985) is a 2h 40min action feature film by Akira Kurosawa. Shakespeare's King Lear is reimagined as a singular historical epic set in sixteenth-century Japan where an aging war... Selected for Los Angeles Film Awards (2025).
Key facts
Cast
Tatsuya Nakadai, Akira Terao, Jinpachi Nezu, Daisuke Ryū, Mieko Harada, Yoshiko Miyazaki, Mansai Nomura, Hisashi Igawa
Original language
Japanese
First release
June 1, 1985 (Japan)
Production companies
Asmik Ace Entertainment, GREENWICH FILM PRODUCTIONS, HERALD ACE, Kadokawa Daiei Studio, NIPPON HERALD, SOPROFILMS
Based on
King Lear
Awards
Amanda Award for Best Foreign Feature Film, Academy Award for Best Costume Design
Setting
Japan
Filming locations
Japan
Crew
Screenplay
Masato Ide, Akira Kurosawa, Hideo Oguni
Producer
Masato Hara, Serge Silberman
Cinematography
Asakazu Nakai, Shoji Ueda, Takao Saitō
Editing
Akira Kurosawa
Music
Tōru Takemitsu
Trailer
Stills
Reviews
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Festival History
Titles
| Original title | Ran | Japanese |
| Alternate title | Le Roi Lear | |
| Alternate title | Revolt |
Soundtracks
| Vinyl LP | Highlights From The Original Soundtrack Of The Film "Ran" - Toru Takemitsu (1985) | 3 releases, 1985: Fantasy, Philips, Starchild |
| CD | Highlights From The Original Soundtrack Of The Film "Ran" - Toru Takemitsu (1985) | 4 releases, 1985-1996: Milan, SLC Inc., Starchild |
| Cassette | Highlights From The Original Soundtrack Of The Film "Ran" - Toru Takemitsu (1985) | 2 releases, 1985: Fantasy, Philips |
Releases & classifications
| Theatrical | Japan | June 1, 1985 |
| Theatrical | France | September 17, 1985 |
| Theatrical | Italy | September 24, 1985 |
| Theatrical | Denmark | October 10, 1985 |
| Theatrical | Belgium | October 17, 1985 |
| Theatrical | United Kingdom | October 21, 1985 |
| Theatrical | Ireland | October 21, 1985 |
| Theatrical | Sweden | November 15, 1985 |
| Theatrical | Spain | November 22, 1985 |
| Theatrical | Italy | November 29, 1985 |
| Theatrical | United States | December 20, 1985 |
| Theatrical | Argentina | January 16, 1986 |
| Theatrical | Netherlands | February 20, 1986 |
| Theatrical | Finland | March 7, 1986 |
| Theatrical | Italy | March 7, 1986 |
| Theatrical | Germany | April 10, 1986 |
| Theatrical | New Zealand | July 9, 1986 |
| Theatrical | Australia | September 1, 1986 |
| Theatrical | Australia | September 11, 1986 |
| Theatrical | Portugal | November 19, 1986 |
| Theatrical | Brazil | December 19, 1986 |
| Theatrical | Philippines | September 27, 1988 |
| Theatrical | Czechoslovakia | February 1, 1991 |
| Theatrical | Turkey | February 15, 1991 |
| Theatrical | Hungary | August 28, 1992 |
| Theatrical | United States | August 18, 2000 |
| Theatrical | France | March 19, 2003 |
| Television | Netherlands | December 20, 2008 |
| Theatrical | Greece | October 15, 2009 |
| Theatrical | France | December 31, 2015 |
| Theatrical | Japan | December 31, 2015 |
| Theatrical | United Kingdom | April 1, 2016 |
| Theatrical | France | April 6, 2016 |
| Theatrical | Thailand | December 21, 2019 |
| Streaming | South Korea | April 1, 2021 |
| Theatrical | Hong Kong | May 4, 2023 |
| Theatrical | Czech Republic | October 26, 2023 |
| Theatrical | United Kingdom | April 24, 2025 |
| Theatrical | United States | May 23, 2025 |
| Theatrical | Greece | September 4, 2025 |
| Theatrical | Russia | November 13, 2025 |
| Theatrical | Brazil | October 1, 2026 |
| Classification | Germany | 12 |
| Classification | United States | R |
Versions & editions
| Original version (Japanese) | ||
| Home video | United Kingdom | November 24, 1986 |
| Home video | United States | January 5, 1994 |
| Home video | United States | August 10, 1998 |
| Home video | Greece | January 28, 2003 |
| Home video | United States | April 15, 2003 |
| Home video | United Kingdom | October 25, 2004 |
| Home video | United States | November 22, 2005 |
| Home video | Czech Republic | April 24, 2008 |
| Home video | Japan | May 29, 2009 |
| Home video | France | November 3, 2009 |
| Home video | United States | February 16, 2010 |
| Home video | Netherlands | February 13, 2013 |
| Home video | Japan | February 26, 2016 |
| Home video | France | April 12, 2016 |
| Home video | United Kingdom | May 2, 2016 |
| Home video | Netherlands | May 2, 2016 |
| Home video | United Kingdom | July 19, 2021 |
| Home video | France | July 28, 2021 |
| Home video | Australia | August 23, 2021 |
| Home video | United States | November 16, 2021 |
| Home video | United Kingdom | July 21, 2025 |
Full credits
| Director | Akira Kurosawa |
| Cast | Tatsuya Nakadai (Lord Hidetora Ichimonji), Akira Terao (Taro Takatora Ichimonji), Jinpachi Nezu (Jiro Masatora Ichimonji), Daisuke Ryū (Saburo Naotora Ichimonji), Mieko Harada (Lady Kaede), Yoshiko Miyazaki (Lady Sue), Mansai Nomura (Tsurumaru), Hisashi Igawa (Shuri Kurogane), Shinnosuke Ikehata (Kyoami), Masayuki Yui (Tango Hirayama), Kazuo Katō (Kageyu Ikoma), Norio Matsui (Shumenosuke Ogura), Toshiya Ito (Mondo Naganuma), Heihachiro Suzuki (Fujimaki's General), Kenji Kodama (Samon Shirane), Haruko Tōgō (Kaede's lady in waiting), Reiko Nanjo (Hideota's concubine), Tokie Kanda (Sue's lady in waiting), Sawako Kochi (Hidetora's concubine), Kumeko Otowa (Sue's lady in waiting), Takeshi Katō (Koyota Hatakeyama), Jun Tazaki (Seiji Ayabe), Hitoshi Ueki (Nobuhiro Fujimaki), Takao Zushi, Yoshitaka Zushi, Tetsuo Yamashita, Akihiko Sugizaki, Masaaki Sasaki, Satoru Fukasaku ((uncredited)), Susumu Terajima (Foot soldier (uncredited)), Tokuju Masuda |
| Screenplay | Masato Ide, Akira Kurosawa, Hideo Oguni |
| Producer | Masato Hara, Serge Silberman |
| Executive producer | Katsumi Furukawa |
| Cinematography | Asakazu Nakai, Shoji Ueda, Takao Saitō |
| Editing | Akira Kurosawa |
| Music | Tōru Takemitsu |
| Production design | Shinobu Muraki, Yoshirō Muraki |
| Costumes | Emi Wada |
Additional data: TMDB.
Source: Wikidata (CC0-1.0)
Source: Cinémathèque québécoise, linked catalogue data (CC BY 4.0)
