From movie adaptations to the original play, the story of King Lear always mystified me and eluded my understanding. I would have never thought knowing full well how much Japan's media can be mystifying and strange to me that a Japanese adaptation of King Lear would be the one to finally help me understand the story. Ran, however, did just that!
Taking place in feudal Japan, Ran sets the story with an aging Great Lord, his three sons, and a fool. Through the varying honesty of the future about to unfold before him, the Great Lord learns truth through the most unlikely words, those of the fool. Though coming from the mouth of fools, words not honeyed or pleasing to him, he rejects the truths within. He soon comes to learn that the betrayal of the two sons who's words did not offend, but ultimately were marred in untruth, comes to pass. He soon loses everything.
The classic tale of Shakespearean wit and woe presents a drama steeped in the arcana of tarot, fortune telling, and dream interpretation. The arcana being of course, the fool. The fool presents an unconventional source of wisdom in life. The fortune telling, akin to that of another Shakespearean classic, Macbeth, shows the protagonist his downfall. The dream he had soon comes to pass and his three sons fight, dividing his kingdom up into war and strife before his aged eyes. He is driven as mad as the fool who entertains him, becoming the fool himself.
Playing off dream interpretation through the use of classic arcana in tarot, this Shakespearean tragedy retold through Japanese cinema is an excellent movie to watch. If like me you previously did not understand King Lear, you will get the picture from this wonderful 1980's picture. Ran demystifies mystification of more than just my confusion of a classic play, but of the underlying themes behind the tragedy. It is certainly a film I will be keeping in my collection!
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