Ran

Throne of Blood is considered to be the best adaptation of Shakespeare for another culture. There is support to the claim that Kurosawa does bridge a Western play to have an Eastern connotation, but Kurosawa doesn't do it to the degree that he does it in Ran. The film is an adaptation of King Lear. Shaw called this play the height of Shakespearean tragedy. Kurosawa adapts it to fit the heights of Japanese tragedy. The film starts out by showing the clouds in the sky. The film transitions into every shot of the action being from high above and afar. Shinto beliefs in Japan say that there are numerous Gods and they actively watch over people. Kurosawa's objective of the camera is to see the story from the viewpoint of a God. If this idea seems questionable, remember Ozu filmed the entire bulk of Tokyo Story from the level someone would see the world if kneeling down and praying. Kurosawa always admired Ozu and strived to make peaceful films like he did. Ran is his final hurrah with the war epic. The filmmaking could be said to be an imitation of other filmmakers like Ozu and Tarkovsky, but because of the themes and focus of the story and Kurosawa's majesty in filming battle scenes, Ran is also a filmic progression. You cannot compare Seven Samurai to Ran because both films had different filmmaking structures, but for me, Ran is Kurosawa's finest work.