Restored to 4K, the Academy Award-winning "Ran" returns to theaters and is opening the University of Nebraska–Lincoln's Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center July 25. Also opening is "Before We Forget," a coming-of-age romance that spans the globe.
Akira Kurosawa’s Academy Award-winning adaptation of William Shakespeare’s King Lear, "Ran" considers the disastrous consequences of Lord Hidetora Ichimonji’s (Tatsuya Nakadai) decision to split his kingdom among his three sons.
"Ran" returns to theaters in celebration of the film’s 40th anniversary and has been restored in 4K by the French laboratory Éclair, under Studiocanal’s supervision. Based on an original negative, the majority of the restoration work was done manually, image by image. Color grading was approved by Masaharu Ueda, one of RAN’s three cinematographers and a close associate of Kurosawa’s.
"Ran" is rated R and is showing through July 31.
Executive produced by the late Norman Lear, this debut feature by Juan Pablo Di Pace and Andres Pepe Estrada follows filmmaker Matias as he struggles to finish editing a movie that was inspired by his elusive first love — a Swedish boy name Alexander — whom he met at a boarding school in 1997. Tenderness and fascination define their strong friendship, which is short-lived when Alexander is suddenly expelled, leaving young Matias with a story of undeclared emotions…even 25 years later.
Matias, played by co-director Di Pace, decides to reopen Pandora’s box by coming face-to-face with Alexander, discovering life imitating art and confronting the sneaky power of memory. Di Pace draws on his own life for this film about the universal aching nostalgia of first love. Through flashback and meta-narrative, "Before We Forget" breathes fresh life into a classic gay coming-of-age tale by exploring the passionate memories of a just-out-of-reach lover that audiences will find both tender and crowd pleasing.
"Before We Forget" is not rated and is showing through July 31.
Ending their runs at the Ross July 24 are "Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight" and "Sunlight."
For more information on films, including showtimes and ticket availability, visit the Ross' website.
