‘Ran' turns 40: How a clerical error and bad blood cost Akira Kurosawa an Oscar
The legendary Japanese filmmaker's Ran proved the final samurai masterpiece of his distinguished career. His third Shakespeare adaptation, the film is epic in every sense of the word — massive in scale, shot in glorious color, with vicious betrayal and intense action and emotion. At the time of its release in 1985, Kurosawa was certainly well-regarded by the Motion Picture Academy, receiving an Honorary Award for Outstanding Foreign-Language Film for Rashomon, followed by Best Foreign-Language Film in 1976 for Dersu Uzala. The 58th Academy Awards found Ran competing for four awards, including Kurosawa's only Best Director nod — despite not being submitted for Best Foreign-Language Film, a snub that was the product of a messy history.
More from GoldDerby
2025 Tony Awards: Complete list of winners (updating live)
'What's next?': Allison Janney on playing a 'badass' on 'The Diplomat,' 'West Wing' 25 years later
'Sinners' bonus feature, 'Good Night' live, Sabrina's song of the summer, 'Fantastic Four' theme, and what to stream this weekend
Kurosawa was remarkably influential in the West. Sergio Leone's A Fistful of Dollars was essentially a remake of Yojimbo, and films as diverse as George Lucas' Star Wars (Hidden Fortress), Ingmar Bergman's The Virgin Spring (Rashomon), and John Sturges' The Magnificent Seven and A Bug's Life (Seven Samurai) borrowed liberally from his works. If Kurosawa was accessible to Western audiences, it was perhaps in part because he was inspired by Western literature and film. William Shakespeare provided continued inspiration for Kurosawa, adapting Macbeth (Throne of Blood), Hamlet (The Bad Sleep Well), and King Lear (Ran), who as did great early Western filmmakers, including John Ford.
International fame aside, Kurosawa's relationship with the Japanese film industry was significantly strained in the late-'60s through early '70s. He was hired to direct the Japanese section of the 1970's Toei-Fox. coproduction Tora! Tora! Tora!, but had difficulty dealing with Fox's communication, editors, and oversight, and spent considerable time in the thick of a mental crisis. He was prescribed two months of rest, so producer Darryl F. Zanuck's son, Richard, flew to Japan to personally fire Kurosawa. Japanese funding for his projects became scarce, and he relied on external financing support from friends for financing Dodes'ka-den. Between health problems and career turmoil, at a particularly low point, Kurosawa attempted to take his own life late in 1971, though he survived and recovered.
The career that followed cemented his trajectory of international acclaim with minimal support from the Japanese film industry. In 1972, the Soviet studio Mosfilm approached the director for what became 1975's Academy Award-winning Dersu Uzala, but despite bringing numerous awards home to Japan, he again had difficulties funding his next epic, Kagemusha. Kurosawa met George Lucas and Frances Ford Coppola in 1978 while preparing for the project, and the pair were wowed by Kurosawa's vision. Coming off the success of Star Wars, Lucas convinced 20th Century Fox head Alan Ladd Jr. to provide a reported $6 million in 1979 to complete the film's funding. The film was a success, and Kurosawa ultimately referred to Kagemusha as a 'dress rehearsal' for his biggest project yet: Ran.
Used to funding sources outside Japan, for Ran, Kurosawa secured the involvement of French producer Serge Silberman (The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie), alongside Japan's Nippon Herald Ace, to make the film, which opened in U.S. theaters on June 1, 1985. The Academy's rules for Best Foreign Film allowed one submission film per country to be considered for nomination, with each country having a unique nomination process. Speaking with The New York Times, Silberman admitted he had attempted to submit Ran as an 'independent' collaboration between France and Japan, an unintentional violation of Academy rules. Silberman next considered entering Ran as a French entry, but French rules stipulated submissions to be in the French language. That would require extensive dubbing, because the film starred Japanese actors and was shot and filmed in Japan. Silberman thought a French dub simply wouldn't have worked, so French submission was off the table. The final option would be submission to Japan's Motion Picture Producers Association (now MPPAJ), and this is where it gets even messier.
According to the Times, a representative of the Japanese producers association said Ran wasn't submitted for consideration, and that the nominating committee was told the film would be submitted through France. Silberman claimed that the group refused to give more time to the decision after plans for an independent entry were nixed by the Academy. Then again, it's entirely plausible that major players in Japan's film industry weren't displeased with an opportunity to disrupt the film's Oscar chances.
According to a report in the Los Angeles Times, Kurosawa refused to attend Ran's opening-night presentation at the Tokyo International Film Festival. Kurosawa had a rocky history of disagreements with Japan's film industry and had long relied on external funding for production, a recipe for strategic blunder. That snubbed festival was headed by Shigeru Okada, also the head of Toei and a member of Japan's Oscar-selection committee. It may not be a coincidence that Japan submitted Hana Ichi Monme (conveniently a Toei production) in Ran's stead. With its path to the foreign-language film category stymied, Silberman submitted Ran to the Academy for consideration in other feature-length categories, and the rest is Academy Award history.
It all makes for a long, twisty story about how Kurosawa's final samurai masterpiece landed him a Best Director nomination in a year where, for a number of odd reasons, it wasn't even up for Best Foreign Film. He received one final honor from the Academy at the 62nd Academy Awards, an Honorary Award celebrating his life in film, appropriately presented by Lucas and Steven Spielberg.
Best of GoldDerby
Stephen King movies: 14 greatest films ranked worst to best
'The Life of Chuck' cast reveal their favorite Stephen King works, including Mark Hamill's love of the 'terrifying' 'Pet Sematary'
From 'Hot Rod' to 'Eastbound' to 'Gemstones,' Danny McBride breaks down his most righteous roles: 'It's been an absolute blast'
Click here to read the full article.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


USA Today
16 minutes ago
- USA Today
Travis Kelce, Bad Bunny make honey-filled 'Happy Gilmore 2' appearance
Editor's note: Some minor "Happy Gilmore 2" spoilers below. Sometimes going to your happy place makes all the difference. Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has been a superstar and a fan favorite on the NFL field. He may become a Hollywood villain off of it. Kelce made an appearance in Adam Sandler-led golf comedy flick "Happy Gilmore 2" as a restaurant manager who is something of a bully to his subordinate Oscar, played by singer and entertainer Bad Bunny. Kelce is in a pair of scenes in the movie, but the more notable one features Bad Bunny's character "Oscar" going to his happy place, in which he slathers honey over a half-naked Kelce, who is tied to a post. Kelce is then left to be devoured by a bear in the fantasy sequence. Earlier, Kelce chest-bumps Xander Schauffele and Collin Morikawa through a restaurant table. "I thought he was tremendous, and could totally be a superstar in acting," star Sandler said about Kelce in a recent interview. The movie also features cameos by some of golf's biggest stars, past and present, including Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo, Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas and Will Zalatoris. As far as Netflix producing another comedy hit? Well, Happy Gilmore accomplished that feat no more than an hour ago.


Boston Globe
an hour ago
- Boston Globe
See the first trailer for ‘The History of Sound,' a romantic period drama set in New England
In the film, Mescal ('Gladiator II'), stars as Lionel, a singer who moves from Kentucky to Boston, where he meets David, a fellow student studying music composition, played by O'Connor ('Challengers'). David is soon drafted into the war, but the pair later reconnects for a journey through Maine, where they collect traditional folk songs from the region to preserve for future generations. Oscar-winning actor and Kingston resident Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up The film debuted at the Cannes Film Festival in May, earning a six-minute standing ovation, according to Advertisement Shattuck, who's married to Milton native Advertisement ''The History of Sound' is polyphonic fiction, a choir of characters from different ages and different stations of life,' Vognar wrote. '[It] marks Shattuck as one of the form's brightest lights.' Isabella Bernstein can be reached at


Gizmodo
2 hours ago
- Gizmodo
The Most Amazing Cosplay of San Diego Comic-Con 2025, Day 1
It's that time of year again; San Diego Comic-Con is upon us and is off to a festive start for the biggest fan party of them all. Between the convention floor bustle and the packed panels, all of nerdom comes to represent their genre favorites for the annual celebration of all things pop culture and comics. Five Nights at Freddy's 2 reigned supreme on the first night along with Toxic Avenger, and South Park but it was the fans who came decked out in their fandom's finest who always stole the show. Many of whom dressed to impress as icons represented in films, television, and more that were at the con to showcase the latest. Let's jump into it with a look at some of the characters we spotted in cosplay form on Day 1, from merry Marvel mutants, to Harley Quinn cats, to Star Wars faves and much, much more! Stay tuned to io9 for even more coverage of San Diego Comic-Con 2025 (and, of course, plenty more cosplay). Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what's next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.