10 Great Films That Lost Money On Ambitious Sets

By the 1980s, Japan's film industry was not doing well. TV had mortally wounded cinema, and a number of major studios had either gone under or were on their way out. The nation's vanguard director Akira Kurasawa had faced a long dry spell himself, but his career was revived by and large at the hands of super fan George Lucas. As Japan's film industry shrank, the films of one of their most prized directors became more lavish than ever.

Ran is Kurosawa's most expensive film, and was the most expensive ever made in Japan at the time. In scenes where some may have opted for miniatures, Kurosawa instead erected castles, in addition to barricaded villages and other elaborate sets, for this King Lear adaptation. Pressure was often high for the actors, who would have one take, as many sets were destroyed as part of the battle segments.

Money was not spared for the grand-scale of costumed extras or other heaping proportions. If movie blood is expensive by the liter too, or arrows by the grain, one would hope Ran bought wholesale. For one magical scene, which didn't even make the final cut, Kurosawa even had a field sprayed with gold.

Ran was widely acclaimed upon release but was not particularly successful in terms of money. Kurosawa, however, was regarded highly enough that, essentially, wealthy patrons allowed him to make his art.