TMT: Ran at the Royal
This is the next entry in a Theatre… a Movie… and a Time, a series that was begun here. As I’ve stated before, “… what really kicks off an entry… most of the time is other bloggers.” In this case, Monica’s guest post over at Tyson Carter’s site, Head in a Vice, had the honors. Her look (published in the U.S. on Veteran’s Day) at one stellar epic by a master of cinema kicked off this memory download.
“This is truly one of the most epic Japanese films of the Feudal era. The fabric of story that Kurosawa has weaved creates an awe dropping experience that completely engulfs the viewer in a web of deep-rooted plot. It doesn’t overwhelm you to the point where you are sitting there wondering who is who and what just transpired. It’s laid out in a way that one can fully understand the characters and where their loyalties lie.”
Theatre
The Royal Theatre:
[pictures are care of the Cinema Treasures site]
Movie
Time
Autumn 1985: given the right film, I used to head to whatever movie hall that played it. Whether I knew much about the location or venue. Near or far. In the past, the grander, more esteemed and unique the theater, the better. Nowadays, with the closing of so many movie palaces of my youth, I’ve fallen back on convenience. Anything local, with stadium seating, and cheap or validated parking offered usually gathers my money these days.
Make it a matinée while you’re at it. Seen the price of movie tickets lately?!?
Considering my long-standing appreciation of Japanese cinema, I regularly went to the few theaters that specialized in them. Back in the 80s, it was the only recourse. There were no disc or streaming options available — and VHS tape offerings were measly. Yeah, yeah. The dark ages. Still, the film maestros of Japan’s feudal era, a genre known as Jidaigeki, like Kihachi Okamoto, Masaki Kobayashi, and especially Akira Kurosawa, held my interest so much I’d go to the only places that screened them.
So when the 1985 Japanese-French epic film, Ran, appeared on this shore that Fall, written by Kurosawa himself (incorporating a mix of Japanese legend and Shakespeare’s tragic King Lear), there was no way I’d miss it. The West Los Angeles art house, the Royal Theatre, was where I made my way to. Alone at a weekend matinée, at that — she-whose-name-must-not-be-spoken wasn’t about to be dragged to this (patience and perseverance she did not possess). Her loss, I’d say, to have missed this:
The entire TMT series can be found here. If you’re interested how it’s put together, click here.
It Rains... You Get Wet 
19 Responses to “TMT: Ran at the Royal”
I came here straight away after seeing your twit saying Shakespear in Kanji 😉
How lucky you are to have such special cinema…I wish such cinema exist here too. I’d love to gave cinema special for Japanese and European movies 🙂
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Thank you very kindly, Novroz.
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Excellent write up, and thank you for the mention and link back for Monicas excellent post 🙂
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Thank you, Tyson. Monica’s post was indeed excellent.
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It’s no secret, I always love these posts. I envy the fact that you’ve grown up around such an abundant variety of theaters (some gorgeous ones by the way). Thanks for sharing!
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I very much appreciate that, T. I’m truly lucky to be in this position. Thank you very much.
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Great post, Michael. Big fan of TMT here. Totally identified with your first paragraph. If it’s the right movie, I’ll go to any theater, near or far, to see it.
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I appreciate your support and enthusiasm for this series, Fernando. Many thanks.
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The film is not hugely appealing to me but I always enjoy reading your TMT series, my friend!
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Yes, this won’t be to everyone’s liking. But, Kurosawa could come up with some truly stunning visuals and storylines. Thank you so much, Ruth.
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[…] TMT: Ran at the Royal (le0pard13.com) […]
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I’m jealous. I would love to see “Ran” on the big screen. Kurosawa practically demands it!
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I quite agree, Brent :-). Thanks so much.
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I haven’t had the chance to see this yet, but it looks like an awesome one to see on the big screen. Cool TMT, Michael!
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This one, along with ‘Seven Samurai’ and ‘Rashomon’, are in my opinion the must-sees for anyone evaluating Akira Kurosawa’s work. Thanks so much, Eric.
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I remember seeing Ran at the cinema, but don’t remember which one. Normally I do. It’s a great movie which left a lasting impression. While at Uni I had to read King Lear. Kurosawa captures the feeling of the aging king and the relationship to his daughters perfectly.
Your TMT series is a great idea. I’ve only ever written one post like this which was for an outdoor showing of a Godard movie..in the rain. Speaking of which, there was another where they showed Seven Samurai on the river bank in summer for free. That was a great atmosphere.
p.s. the one photo reminds me I wanted to review “Coco Before Chanel”.
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Wonderful thoughts and memories, Marcus. Could you post your link to that outdoor Godard movie showing? I’d love to read it. And that sounds like a marvelous venue for ‘Seven Samurai’. Thanks, my friend.
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[…] Luckily, while A Hard Day’s Night disappeared from where it initially ran, an old venue, now newly remodeled as a triple-screen cinema, the Royal Theatre began its turn. Decided not to […]
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[…] since initially seeing it back in ’85, I have kept coming back to it — finally seeing this period saga for the supreme war film […]
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