Ran

Kurosawa really mastered shot composition. So many striking images in one film. I wish movies today would stop muting the palette all the time and just let the rich colors of the environments and costumes shine like they do in this. I've never read King Lear, so I don't know how much of the story to attribute to Shakespeare or how much credit to give Ran itself. That said, the idea that the most noble and honest among us are often punished for their "harsh" words, no matter how true, is pretty compelling. It reminded me of two quotes from Lord of the Rings: "Faithful heart may have froward tongue," and "To crooked eyes truth may wear a wry face." Lord Hidetora didn't like what his youngest son had to say, so he refused to listen. Consequently, he went mad after facing the shame of knowing he caused needles chaos for everyone around him. But, "in a mad world, only the mad are sane."