Question 1

True or false: The famous score for 'Ran' was composed by John Williams, who also scored Star Wars.

Accepted Answer

False. The score was actually composed by Toru Takemitsu, a renowned Japanese composer. John Williams had no involvement with this film.

Question 2

True or false: Akira Kurosawa's 'Ran' was inspired by the story of King Lear, not a Japanese legend.

Accepted Answer

True. Kurosawa explicitly based 'Ran' on Shakespeare's King Lear, adapting it to feudal Japan. The title means 'chaos' or 'rebellion' in Japanese.

Question 3

True or false: The castle in 'Ran' was a full-scale set built on a mountainside and later burned for the film.

Accepted Answer

True. Kurosawa had a massive, real castle constructed on Mount Fuji's slopes. It was deliberately set on fire during filming to achieve the climactic destruction.

Question 4

True or false: 'Ran' was the first Japanese film to win the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

Accepted Answer

False. It was nominated but did not win. The first Japanese film to win that Oscar was 'Departures' in 2009. 'Ran' did win for Best Costume Design.

Question 5

True or false: The battle scenes in 'Ran' used over 1,000 real horses, all trained to fall on cue.

Accepted Answer

False. Kurosawa used about 200 horses, many borrowed from the Japanese Self-Defense Forces. No horses were trained to fall on cue; the film used careful editing and stunts.

Question 6

True or false: Tatsuya Nakadai, who plays Lord Hidetora, was only 52 when he played the 70-year-old character.

Accepted Answer

True. Nakadai was 52 during filming and underwent extensive makeup and prosthetics to portray the aging, mad Hidetora convincingly.

Question 7

True or false: Kurosawa nearly went blind while editing 'Ran' and relied on assistants to describe the footage.

Accepted Answer

True. Kurosawa had severe cataracts during post-production, making it nearly impossible to see the footage. Assistants described shots so he could direct edits by sound, not sight.

Question 8

True or false: In 'Ran,' the character Lady Kaede uses a severed head as a prop during a tea ceremony.

Accepted Answer

False. This is a myth. Kaede does not use a severed head in any scene. The film has violence, but that specific image is invented for shock value.

Ran Trivia Questions