Shakespeare in Performance: Film
Ran ["Chaos"] (1984, Akira Kurosawa)
| Title | Ran ["Chaos"] | 
|---|---|
| Year | 1984 | 
| Release Locations | Japan | 
| Director | Akira Kurosawa | 
| Medium | Color video | 
| Length | 2 hrs, 40 mins | 
| Audience | college and university general public  | 
| Play Connections | King Lear (adaptation) | 
Description
Free adaptation of William Shakespeare's King Lear in which the sisters have been transformed into the sons of Hidetora, a medieval Japanese warlord. While there are major differences between Kurosawa's script and Shakespeare's play, there are enough similarities to make comparison inevitable
Description from Shakespeare on Screen : an International Filmography and Videography by Kenneth S. Rothwell and Annabelle Henkin Melzer. ©1990 Kenneth S. Rothwell. Cited by permission. — Added 2008-11-14
Cast Overview
| Hidetora Ichimonji [King Lear] | Tatsuya Nakadai | 
|---|---|
| Lady Kaede | Mieko Harada | 
| Kurogane | Hisashi Ikawa | 
| Ikoma | Kazuo Kato | 
| Lady Sue | Yoshiko Miyazaki | 
| Jiro | Jinpachi Nezu | 
| Tsurumaru | Takeshi Nomura | 
| Kyoami | Peter | 
| Saburo | Daisuke Ryu | 
| Taro | Akira Terao | 
| Fujimaki | Hitoshi Ueki | 
| Tango | Masayuki Yui | 
Production Team and Crew Overview
Production information courtesy of: Kenneth Rothwell