Official Trailer for 40th Anniversary of Kurosawa’s ‘Ran’ Medieval Epic
by Alex Billington
April 28, 2025
Source: YouTube
“One of the most exquisite spectacles ever made.” Rialto Pictures has unveiled a new trailer for the 40th anniversary re-release of the Japanese medieval epic called Ran, one of the final films made by Japanese master Akira Kurosawa. Ran originally premiered and hit theaters in 1985, playing at the Tokyo, San Sebastian, and New York Film Festivals. Now it will debut again in theaters as a 4K restoration starting in May – playing at art house cinemas during the summer. “A grand and visually breathtaking reimagining of Shakespeare’s King Lear, Ran explores themes of power, betrayal & the devastating consequences of human folly. Set against the backdrop of feudal Japan, Kurosawa employs sweeping landscapes, intricate battle sequences, and vivid color symbolism to create a world teetering on the edge of chaos.” Ran considers the disastrous consequences of Lord Hidetora Ichimonji’s decision to split his kingdom among his three sons. Starring Tatsuya Nakadai, Akira Terao, Jinpachi Nezu, Daisuke Ryu, and Mieko Harada. This will be even more glorious & stunning to see in pristine 4K in theaters! Don’t miss out on this rare opportunity.
Here’s the new 40th Anniversary trailer (+ poster) for Akira Kurosawa’s film Ran, direct from YouTube:
In Medieval Japan, an elderly warlord retires, handing over his empire to his three sons. However, he vastly underestimates how the new-found power will corrupt them & cause them to turn on each other… and him. Thirty years after its original release, Studiocanal decided to restore Ran in 4K in collaboration with Japanese company Kadokawa. The original 1985 production was a French-Japanese collaboration and now 30 years later, Studiocanal & Kadokawa replicated this partnership to restore the film. Ran has been restored in 4K by French laboratory Éclair, under Studiocanal’s supervision. Based on the original negative, the majority of the restoration work was done manually, image by image. Color grading was approved by Masaharu Ueda – one of Ran’s three cinematographers and a close associate of Kurosawa’s.
Ran, also known as simply 乱 in Japanese, is directed by the legendary Japanese maestro filmmaker Akira Kurosawa, his 27th film at the time after making Kagemusha (1980) and before Dreams (1990) next as his last few films. The screenplay is written by Akira Kurosawa and Hideo Oguni and Masato Ide. Based on the play “King Lear” by William Shakespeare. Produced by Masato Hara and Serge Silberman. Kurosawa’s Ran originally opened in Japan in June 1985, premiering at the Tokyo Film Festival. It opened in US theaters at the end of 1985 after playing at the New York Film Festival. Rialto Pictures will re-release Ran in select US + Canadian theaters starting May 23rd, 2025 playing this summer. For the full list, visit their official site.
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