GREAT CINEMAMASTER LIST
Menu

The Essential 713, made interactive

Find your next
great film.

Search 713 spoiler-free recommendations from 1916 to 2026. Filter by the night you want—not the list you’re supposed to finish.

Direct film viewShowing master rank #144 on its own—not above the ranking.
Refine this collection

Your canon

Back up / restore my film dataLoading your progress…Saved only in this browser
Artwork
DirectorAll directors

Most represented · 6+ films

More recurring directors · 3–5 films54
All directors · surname A–Z438
ActorAll actors

Most represented actors

Big Three membership
Major award winners

1 selected film

Master Rank balances Greatness, Engagement, and Ease. Sort by Greatness for the artistic-canon view.

Director:
Cast:
View Ran film page
Original poster artwork · Great Cinema Master List

Spoiler-free premise

An aging warlord divides his realm among three sons and tries to withdraw from power.

Read expanded premiseLonger, still spoiler-free

Elderly warlord Hidetora Ichimonji divides his domain among sons Taro, Jiro, and Saburo, expecting loyalty after surrendering authority. Saburo questions the plan and is banished, while the promised unity quickly gives way to rivalry, resentment, and armed conflict.

Why it belongs

Ran transforms dynastic collapse into vast visual tragedy through color-coded armies, weather, silence, movement, and merciless spatial legibility.

Read expanded why it belongsThe fuller editorial case

Tatsuya Nakadai's painted face makes Hidetora's ruin feel both theatrical and painfully human. Primary-colored banners and costumes keep armies legible across volcanic landscapes, while the castle assault's muted sound and Toru Takemitsu's score strip spectacle of triumph and leave horror.

Major award record

Metadata only · zero points in 40/40/20
Academy Awards1 win1986 · official ceremony record ↗

Plus 1 additional win

No headline-category win to name

BAFTA2 wins1987 · official BAFTA 1987 Film Awards results ↗

Plus 2 additional wins

No headline-category win to name

Totals include every recorded competitive win. Only Picture or top-film honors, Direction, Screenplay, and lead or supporting performances are named.

Good for
Film Club
Descriptive guidance derived from rating, genre, runtime, mood, and GCML scores.

Institutional reference ranks

Sight & Sound185IMDb Top 250147AFI 100—
Reference metadata only · not part of the 40/40/20 score

Great Cinema Master List scores

Greatness9.6
Engagement9.1
Ease7.9

Japanese · Not Rated
Narrative Feature
Mood: Exhilarating & Gripping