Ran - Original Screenplay & Storyboards of the Academy Award-Winning Film Paperback – September 12, 1986

Arrived in great condition! Thanks!

Kurosawa's text describing the creation of the storyboards is interesting. The storyboards themselves are wonderful. I had previously owned this book but lost it and was delighted to find I could repurchase it.

Very colorful book. Almost a gem for every Kurosawa lover. Don't expect a precise screenplay, it's more like an art book.

The beautiful storyboards show off Kurosawa's artistic abilities.

This is supposed to be the story of an actual Medieval Japanese Warlord who divided his realm among his sons. It looks suspiciously like a reworking of Shakespeare's "King Lear". Kurosawa has borrowed from Western literature before: "Throne of Blood" reworked "MacBeth"; "Yojimbo" was derived from "Red Harvest"; and "Seven Samurai" patterned itself after the Hollywood Western. Hollywood, of course, repaid the complement with "The Magnificent Seven".The familiar story of Lear is well-told, the cinematography is spectacular, and the battle scenes are absorbing. The subtitles can be somewhat off-putting, but once you become engrossed in the story, you willingly cope with the minor inconvenience. Actually, the subtitles add to the artistry of the movie. Dubbing would have made the show look like one of those B grade Kung Fu movies.

This is the BOOK related to the movie, NOT the movie itself. It contains Kurosawa's own painted and drawn storyboard of the film, thereby letting us understand the strong authorial vision for the film. I saw a copy of this book a long time ago and unfortunately don't have one at hand. However, I felt I needed to write in with something, as the other reviews talk about the movie, and this book is quite different from that as an experience.I also did not give this 4stars, as I don't know what the book is. Yet another goof in the Amazon software.