Movie Review
“Ran”
A film by
Akira Kurosawa
Starring
Tatsuya Nakadai,
Akira Terao and Peter
★★★★★ (five out of
five)
For the past 40 years, Akira
Kurosawa has been the leading
figure in Japanese films. Kuro
sawa’s films are able to tran
scend cultural barriers and are
easily some of of the best films
of any culture.
Kurosawa began working in
the film industry as an assistant
director in 1941 and soon after
began directing, writing and ed
iting his own films. In 1951, his
film “Rashomon” was the first
Japanese film to gain wide ac
ceptance in the Western world.
In 1952, Kurosawa’s “Seven
Samurai” became internation
ally successful. “Seven Samu
rai” was later Americanized and
remade as the classic western
“The Magnificent Seven.” Ku
rosawa’s “Yojimbo” (1961)
provided the inspiration for Ser
gio Leone’s “A Fistful of Dol
lars.” William Shakespeare’s
“Macbeth” provided the story
for Kurosawa’s “Throne of
Blood” (1957).
For “Ran,” Kurosawa draws
on Shakespeare’s “King Lear.”
Last year, “Ran” was nomi
nated for an Academy Award
for Best Picture. It was the first
time a Japanese film and only
the second time a foreign film
was nominated in the Best Pic
ture catagory (Ingmar Berg
man’s “Fanny and Alexander”
was the first in 1984).
In “Ran,” the Great Lord
Hidetora decides he is too old
to continue ruling all his lands.
He divides his lands among his
three sons, Taro, Jiro and Sa-
buro, and wants them to work
together to protect the lands
from outside invaders. Saburo
tries to tell Hidetora that he is
being foolish and that his broth
ers are too greedy to be given
so much power. Hidetora feels
Saburo is being disrespectful
and banishes him.
While Saburo takes refuge
with neighboring ruler Fuji-
maka, his brothers plot against
their father. Taro, the oldest
son, cannot be absolute ruler as
long as his father is still alive.
Taro’s wife Kaede, who was
given to him after her parents
were killed by Hidetora, is also
hungry for power and pushes
Taro to take action. Jiro will
support Taro’s plans to do away
with their father but Jiro is also
plotting against his brother so
that he can become absolute
ruler.
The cinematography in
“Ran” is fantastic. The beauty
of the Japanese mountains and
the colors of the soldiers' uni
forms are captured with artistic
finesse. The battle scenes are
both majestic and realistic.
The overall effect of “Ran” is
stunning. You leave the theater
in a daze and it takes several
hours before you’re able to as
similate what you’ve just seen.
The film is so packed with
beauty and action that you
hardly even notice that it is al
most three hours long.
—Review by Karl PaWmeyer
Album Reviews
NeflYbung
“Landing on Water’
Neil Young
Geffen Records
*** (three out of five)
For the past six years I have
been wondering when Neil
Young was going to make a real
album again.
In 1979, Young released
“Rust Never Sleeps,” a tour de
force album that marked the
high point of a marvelous ca
reer. Like most of Young’s mu
sic, “Rust Never Sleeps” was a
wonderful synthesis of rock,
country and folk music styles.
Young’s next albums were
failed attempts at particular mu
sic styles: “Hawks and Doves”
(1980) — country rock; “Reac
tor” (1981) — hard rock;
“Trans” (1982) — electronic
music; “Everybody’s Rockin’”
(1983) — rockabilly; “Old
Ways” (1985) — country.
In “Landing on Water,”
Young experiments with an
other music style — syntho-
pop. The lyrics on the album
are up to Young’s usually bril
liant standards, but most of the
songs could be improved if they
were stripped of synthesizers
and electric drums.
“Touch the Night” is a beau
tiful love song with a guitar solo
reminiscent of Young’s earlier
“Like a Hurricane.” Unfortu-
natly, the solo is buried on the
chorus.
Young, one of the best writ
ers of protest music to come out
of the ’60s, criticizes the way
’60s idealism has floundered in
“Hippie Dream. ” “Pressure” at
tacks yuppie idealism of the
’80s.
Most of the other songs on
the album don’t deserve men
tion, but one song, “Drifter,”
seems to explain what Young
has been thinking for the past
six years.
According to “Drifter,”
Young feels his public doesn’t
understand his need to experi
ment with various music styles.
When Young sings: “Don’t try
to tell me what I gotta do to fit
in,” he shows a resentment for
the critics who keep telling him
to make music like he used to.
Young also accuses his pub
lic of being fair-weather fans
who are not willing to trust him.
The lines “How do I know that
your love is true?” and “How
can I count on you to count on
me?” criticize those fans.
I have more respect for
Young now that I have heard
“Drifter” and some of the other
songs on “Landing on Water.”
But I don’t feel obligated to like
the whole album.
—Review by Karl Pallmeyer
“Stand By Me”
Original Motion Picture
Soundtrack
Various Artists
Atlantic Records
★★★★★ (five out of five)
One of the best ways to set the
mood for a movie that takes
place during 1960 is to use
songs from that time. The
soundtrack for “Stand By Me”
uses 10 gems from that period.
The title track, Ben E. King’s
classic “Stand By Me, ” is simply
one of the best love songs ever
written. Buddy Holly’s “Every
day” is another great love song.
“Everyday,” originally released
as the flip side of “Peggy Sue,”
is the only song on the album
that didn’t make the Top 40.
The Del Vikings, one of the
first racially integrated rock ’n’
roll bands of the ’50s, shine
with “Come Go With Me” and
“Whispering Bells. ”
The best doo-wop song of
the ’50s had to be the Sil
houettes’ “Get a Job.” How
can you beat these lyrics?:
Sha da da da, sha da da da
da, ba-dum
Yip yip yip yip yip yip yip yip
Mm mm mm mm mm mm
Get a Job
Shirley and Lee’s “Let the
Good Times Roll,” the Chor-
dettes’ “Lollipop” and the Bob-
bettes’ “Mr. Lee” are some of
the best music to come out of
the girl groups of the ’50s. The
Coasters’ “Yakety Yak” and
Jerry Lee Lewis’ “Great Balls of
Fire” show how much fun the
guys were having too.
The soundtrack to “Stand By
Me” is the best sampler of ’50s
music since the “American
Graffiti” soundtrack. The only
problem is that the album is not
long enough and leaves you
hungry for more of this wonder
ful music.
—Review by Karl Pallmeyer