R0029/2026-03-27/Q004
Query: Which Akira Kurosawa films were based on or inspired by Shakespeare plays? Provide the complete list with the corresponding Shakespeare source for each film.
BLUF: Kurosawa made three films based on Shakespeare: Throne of Blood (1957, Macbeth), The Bad Sleep Well (1960, Hamlet), and Ran (1985, King Lear). This is the settled scholarly consensus. The Bad Sleep Well's Hamlet connection is the most contested of the three — Kurosawa maintained a "loose grip" on the source material — but the weight of critical opinion includes it.
Answer: H1 (Three films — standard scholarly list) · Confidence: High
Summary
| Entity |
Description |
| Query Definition |
Question as received, clarified, ambiguities, sub-questions |
| Assessment |
Full analytical product |
| ACH Matrix |
Evidence × hypotheses diagnosticity analysis |
| Self-Audit |
ROBIS-adapted 4-domain process audit |
Hypotheses
| ID |
Statement |
Status |
| H1 |
Three films (standard list) |
Supported |
| H2 |
Two films only (excluding Bad Sleep Well) |
Partially supported |
| H3 |
More than three films |
Eliminated |
The Complete List
| Film |
Year |
Shakespeare Source |
Adaptation Strength |
| Throne of Blood |
1957 |
Macbeth |
Close adaptation (feudal Japan setting) |
| The Bad Sleep Well |
1960 |
Hamlet |
Loose/thematic adaptation (corporate Japan setting) |
| Ran |
1985 |
King Lear |
Close adaptation (samurai epic setting) |
Searches
| ID |
Target |
Type |
Outcome |
| S01 |
Kurosawa Shakespeare adaptations |
WebSearch |
3 selected, 17 rejected |
Sources