The making of Kurosawa’s Ran
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Akira Kurosawa made some of the best movies of all time.
Although the most famous is The Seven Samurai, Others such as Rashomon, Ikiru and Kagemusha are equally brilliant in their own quite different ways.
In 1984 he made another master piece, Ran, which I urge you to see. It’s based on King Lear, and is full of blood, fire and Machiavellian wives (you will also spot many of Tarantino’s influences).
The DVD version I have comes with a fascinating ‘making of’ documentary. It demonstrates the incredible attention to detail that it takes to produce a masterpiece, particularly in the face of having to get your shots through mist, rain and the use of hundreds of horses. Here’s part of it:
Based on King Lear, you say? So it’s a rip-off then. Someone call CopyCunts. Alternatively, if it’s fine for people like Kurosawa, Tarantino and Shakespeare to be influenced by others’ work, maybe we lowly ad types should chill out a little on the issue…
Thanks Simon.
I’m not going to publish any more comments about rip-offs. Aside from the fact that this issue has been explored to death, with no side being able to persuade the other, there is a also vitriolic tone to some of the arguments that leaves me feeling a bit queasy.
Was he the influence for A Fistful of Napoleon Dynamite?
Dang. I was hoping that with Tarantino and Shakespeare on my side, I could win.
I’m sure City will attempt to buy Quentin and Billy Shakespeare’s boots for next season.
What John’s trying to say is that Man City buy lots of expensive things, perhaps with the added implication that they do so without proper thought or consideration.
*cough* Eric Djemba-Djemba *cough*
Djemba-Djemba so good they named him twice.