Marker sits back and just lets the footage to roll, only occasionally breaking for narration. I enjoyed the approach, though it does make the film only appeal to those with a heavy interest in Kurosawa's method.

Marker does what really great documentaries do: locks off the camera and walks away. While this may be great for Kurosawa freaks, the normal filmgoer's mind will begin to wander.

Chris Marker's behind-the-scenes look at Ran is full of striking and fascinating images, but occasionally gets too meditative for its own good. One can only stand so many minutes of armor-clad extras milling about before boredom sets in.