Akira Kurosawa's treatment of Shakespeare's King Lear, with three sons dealing with the passing of an era as their warlord father Lord Hidetora Ichimonji (Tatsuya Nakadai), tries to find peace in his last years by dividing his fief among them. While one honest son faces his family's wrath for speaking the truth, Saburo Naotora Ichimonji (Daisuke Ryu) his two brothers, Taro Takatora Ichimonji and Jiro Masatora Ichimonji (Akira Terao, Jinpachi Nezu) vie for power in the vacuum left by Hidetora's retirement. While Kyoami the Court Fool (Peter) makes wise commentary, Hidetora discovers for himself the madness caused by his thirst for power, and tries to find redemption for his deadly past.
Cast: | Tatsuya Nakadai, Jun Tazaki, Jinpachi Nezu, Mieko Harada, Akira Terao, Daisuke Ryu, Kazuo Kato, Masayuki Yui, Hitoshi Ueki, Hisashi Igawa, Takeshi Nomura, Norio Matsui, Kenji Kodama, Toshiya Ito, Takeshi Kato |
Director: | Akira Kurosawa |
Studio: | Orion Pictures |
Producer(s): | Masato Hara, Serge Silberman |
Writer(s): | Akira Kurosawa, Hideo Oguni, Masato Ide |