Other Screenings
Prior to the screening, lecture by Prof. Naomi Mandel, The English Department at the Hebrew University, Jerusalem
Naomi Mandel situates Akira Kurosawa's Ran in relation to his previous Shakespeare adaptations Kumonosu-jo / Macbeth (1957) and The Bad Sleep Well / Hamlet (1960), as well as to other cinematic interpretations of King Lear from the same period: Grigori Koznitsev film Лир/Lear and Peter Brooks' King Lear (both 1971). Turning to Kurosawa's cinematic techniques (especially his use of long shots, editing, and sound), she explores the philosophical implications of the director's engagements with the Shakespeare source material and the unique perspective suggested by the incorporation of Japanese history and aesthetics