kingdom building

His samurai epics like 'Ran' and 'Throne of Blood' explore the rise, consolidation, and fall of power through deeply personal and political struggles.

Films like 'Barry Lyndon' and 'Paths of Glory' dissect ambition, hierarchical systems, and the human cost of building and maintaining kingdoms.

His documentaries and dramas ('Aguirre, the Wrath of God', 'Fitzcarraldo') obsessively examine the delusion, obsession, and madness driving men to build empires in hostile worlds.