A.K.

A documentary that shows the production of "Ran" and discusses the film techniques of Akira Kurosawa himself.

This documentary is not necessarily great in itself, as it may mean very little to those not otherwise familiar with its subject, but serves as a wonderful supplement for the movie "Ran". Anyone who loves "Ran" or Kurosawa's work will certainly get something more out of seeing the actors and director at work when the cameras are not rolling. Well, the cameras are still rolling... but different cameras.

Coming from Chris Marker, it is no surprise that even a simple making-of documentary would have some artistic license. He shows some footage via a television set, and some audio via a tape recorder, rather than incorporated into the documentary itself. Clever or pretentious? Who knows?