MovieMusic.com Message Boards: SPR steals from Ran?

Message Boards

Movie Soundtracks

SPR steals from Ran?

Archive of old forum. No more postings.

Please visit our new forum, The MovieMusic Lobby, to post new topics.

Author	Topic: SPR steals from Ran?

Kross Oscar® Winner	I recently watched one of the greatest films ever made by the greatest director of all time Akira Kurosawa. The film being Ran. The D-Day brutal war scene in SPR rips from teh middle battle scene in Ran in almost veery way! Any comments? Has a thing like Ran, that fight where things are faded out in music, in SPR faded out with noise because Hanks is confused etc. to show confusion, then we are pulled back in by a single gun shot in Ran, back into the bloody carnage, a smurai holds his arm and looks at it as does a soldier in SPR, VERY SIMILAR in MANY WAYS! Any comments? Ran is a masterpiece of film-making. It got to me. One of the best parts is the haunting simple score. It worked 300% to the disturbing and brilliant film based on King Lear, only better. One of the best films ever made, and the D-Day scene in SPR, which is nothing special beyond that first scene due to lack of everything but shock. I once was swept away by SPR, now I see how shallow and cliched it truly is, well done though, but nothing compared to other films out there. [Message edited by Kross on 03-19-2001]
posted 03-19-2001 05:28 PM PT (US)

wistiti Oscar® Winner	Scenes from SPR are lifted from many places. Ran is one of them. Fans of SPR will say it was "tribute". I say it was lack of imagination, and the lure of cash. But hey, I'm not the one who got the Oscar, so what do I know?
posted 03-19-2001 05:39 PM PT (US)

Kross Oscar® Winner	I sued the wrong word. I would say BORROWS from Ran. Ran is a great film amoung the greatest ever made. Any other film-maker to try at Ran in the way Kurosawa did would have failed ina sense. Man is Kurosawa the man! Steven is losing my respect each time I see a grat old film, even though Steven's films are damn entertaining, he is not so great compared to others out there, and he has yet to make a truly smart and deep film.
posted 03-19-2001 06:25 PM PT (US)

Swashbuckler Oscar® Winner	Yeah, Ran is really something else. I really like the Milan album of Toru Takemitsu's epic score, too. Akira Kurosawa was truly one of the most amazing filmmakers ever. His brilliance was only matched by the approachability of his films. Rashamon, Yojimbo and The Seven Samurai are other favorites... notice how much... "influence" these amazing works have had!
posted 03-19-2001 06:37 PM PT (US)

PeterK FishChip	I agree, Swash. I love the Milan release of Ran. Takemitsu's score is in my Top 50 favorite original film scores. If anyone needs a real reason why MovieMusic.com exists, or if you want someone to deeply appreciate the true art and craft of movie scoring, all it takes is a viewing of Kirosawa's Ran. NP - "Ran"
posted 03-19-2001 07:28 PM PT (US)

André Lux Oscar® Winner	I agree. RAN is indeed one of the best movies ever made. Simply breathtaking and outstanding. Spielberg would give his right arm to be able to get to the feet of Akira Kurosawa.
posted 03-19-2001 07:30 PM PT (US)

joan hue Oscar® Winner	Kurosawa is amazing. I enjoyed Ran but liked even better Seven Samurai, Yojimbo, and Rashamon. And he uses music so well. I think Spielberg is a great admirer of Kurosawa. You know Hitchcock was a great director, but not all of his movies were masterpieces. He directed a few weak movies. I would defend Spielberg by saying that while he has directed a few weak films like (IMHO) like The Lost World, Hook, and perhaps Always, he has given audiences two types of wonderful movies. First we have the great entertainment popcorn movies where audiences can lose themselves for a few hours in the world of pure entertainment. These are movies like the touching E.T., the invigorating Indy series, and the scary Jurassic Park and Jaws. Sometimes it is nice to escape reality for a few hours and just have fun. On the serious side, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed his craft and messages about the human condition in The Color Purple, Schindler’s List, and Saving Private Ryan. I’m grateful for this director as well as Kurosawa. NP Unbreakable
posted 03-19-2001 08:33 PM PT (US)

H Rocco Oscar® Winner	Kurosawa is one of my favorites. Though even he stumbled occasionally. THE MOST BEAUTIFUL, for example, is nearly unwatchable. I think his own fond memories of the picture have mainly to do with the fact that he met his wife on that picture. NO REGRETS FOR OUR YOUTH is heavy-handed as well, although in its immediate postwar context, it was certainly very daring. SCANDAL has some fascinating bits, but as Kurosawa himself admitted, doesn't go as far as it could. RECORD OF A LIVING BEING is interesting, but dramatically is all over the map. DERSU UZALA is a beautifully shot movie about unfathomable depression, and little else. And so on. I didn't catch the CHAOS (translation of the word RAN) references in SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, but did catch the SHADOW WARRIOR (KAGEMUSHA) references throughout Coppola's version of DRACULA. Any director worth his salt, and I count Spielberg as one of them, is going to be influenced. Kurosawa is among the best to look to. (I always found it curious that Spielberg's favorite Kurosawa picture is CASTLE OF THE SPIDER'S WEB, released here as THRONE OF BLOOD.) NP: nothing, but I wish I had Masaru Sato's THE BAD SLEEP WELL here rather than in Brooklyn
posted 03-19-2001 10:23 PM PT (US)

Kross Oscar® Winner	It is one thing to be influenced, another to almost rip off ebven if one means well in respect as SPR does to Ran. The middle battle is very similar in many respects, very similar and because of that I do not respect SPR as much as I did before seing Ran just recently.
posted 03-20-2001 09:19 AM PT (US)

Kross Oscar® Winner	Milan release?
posted 03-20-2001 09:23 AM PT (US)

mlw Oscar® Winner	Everything Spielberg does of late is rife with Kurosawa influence. Whether it's culturally correct, or otherwise upsetting to internet experts, there is often the deepest respect amongst great filmmakers. "Chaos"-- that showed up coloring the approach to "Jurassic Park." The Kurosawa elements inform SPR in completely profound ways not the least of which is the portrayal of a warrior ethic and the notion of unjustified activity ie WWII. The resignation of all technique and pretense to admit that no ****ing movie is comparable to any combat survivor's experience is the most interesting thing about the film (technique-free frame device, plus the most technically perfect recreated combat impressions: everything and nothing). I have issues with the screenplay which was as astute observers all know a conventional Hollywood script by Robert Rodat reserviced by Steven Zaillian, John Milius and others-- the genre conceits are fallacies the movie cannot overcome but the way they are played is beyond reproach. Spielberg is a master of letting a film be what audiences want it to be without selling the toughest implications short. For now a certain segment of the population will see the surface value (closing flag shot) and ignore the contradictions underneath (flag drained of color and clouded with the old man's doubt). hey it's a great action movie!
posted 03-20-2001 02:21 PM PT (US)

mlw Oscar® Winner	Everybody riffs on Kurosawa! Tony Montana's last stand, that's Toshiro Mifune in Throne of Blood. Every John Milius movie there is, that's got Kurosawa. George Miller. George Lucas, that's usually weak Kurosawa. The trick is living up to the referent. What am I typing this for!?!
posted 03-20-2001 02:27 PM PT (US)

Swashbuckler Oscar® Winner	quote: Originally posted by Kross: Milan release? Yeah, the original soundtrack recording from Ran is a French CD, Milan CD FMC 5. It's one of those "Film Music Collection" titles with the aweful pink stripe down the side of the cover (like Quest for Fire and Breathless). Although the sound is okay, the music is presented in two suites (basically sides one and two of the LP) running 17:51 and 15:21.
posted 03-20-2001 05:50 PM PT (US)

Kross Oscar® Winner	Where might I here tracks from or buy this cd?
posted 03-20-2001 07:20 PM PT (US)

Swashbuckler Oscar® Winner	I found it at a Tower Records...
posted 03-22-2001 09:13 PM PT (US)

Old Infopop Software by UBB