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Ran (Masterworks Edition) Actors: Tatsuya Nakadai, Akira Terao, Jinpachi Nezu, Daisuke Ryu Director: Akira Kurosawa Number of Items: 1 Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen Format: Color, Widescreen, Dolby Audience Rating: R (Restricted) Running Time: 160 minutes Studio: Wellspring Media, In Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Region Code: 1 Product Group: DVD Release Date: 2003-04-15 Buy from Amazon |
 "Excellent News from Criterion!! (dvd review, film is a 5)"Visited the Critereon Collection website today, April 4, 2005. Critereon just released Kurosawa's "Kagemusha" on DVD and the press release also read: "Kurosawa fans can also look forward to Criterion's upcoming edition of Ran, due out in late 2005 in a special edition which includes, among other features, an exclusive interview recently conducted in Tokyo with star Tatsuya Nakadai." EXCELLENT NEWS!! For those sorely dissapointed by the two previous editions of Ran on DVD this could not come as better news! No word yet on other extras or number of discs. There is a chance, of course, like past Critereon releases that they could lose the license quickly (reverts back to studio that owns the film) and that it could be run in limited quantities (like "Straw Dogs" was). Hope this makes the discussion on the so-called Masterworks version versus the Fox Lorber edition moot. Finally this film will get the DVD treatment it deserves.  "A Timeless Epic"I remember first seeing Ran in High School back in 1986. I was enthralled by the massive battle scenes, the use of color, and of course the story. As the years have passed and massive battle scenes have come along since such as Braveheart, LOTR, Glory, and Last Samurai this still holds its own against any of those in its enormity, and there were no computer visuals used just to show how great this movie was and is at twenty years old. When I bought the Masterworks edition a year ago I thought the movie had looked better years ago but figured with the new technology my memory had been tainted. I was able to secure a Fox Lorber DVD copy of Ran a few days ago and can now see the weakness' of the Masterworks edition. The aspect ratio is not enough to be bothersome to me, but the color is atrocious, it almost looks animated. Complain if you will about tho older version, but the color looked much more realistic on the older Fox Lorber edition. The humid haze of Japan was removed, the colors to bright, and the overall original feel has been lost with the Masterworks edition. This is an essential movie. If all that is available to purchase is the Masterworks edition then by all means buy it, but if you have the Fox Lorber original I would keep that. I am ditching the Masterworks now, and am enjoying the movie with the same appreciation I did twenty years ago with the alledged inferior version. "One of Kurosawa's best"Kurosawa's great retelling of the King Lear play, with three sons vying for the father's riches rather than three daughters. Two of the sons cowtail to the father's bidding, seeing only their rich inheritance; the third ridicules his father, calling him mad and telling him that what he is doing will only divide their kingdom up and have the brothers fighting each other for it. The father banishes him. Of course that is exactly what happens and not even the banished son, who returns to try to put things right, can save the kingdom. By film's end all have been killed and the castle's in flames. Kurosawa is a master craftsman, and the battle scenes are stunningly photographed with the camera remaining stationary and, other than music, no sound. Perhaps at 3 hours it's a bit long, but it's never boring. Marvelous. "Ran"This movie is spectacular! I just bought the Masterworks Edition DVD recently, and it is better than my older Ran DVD. I don't know what people are talking about-I thought the picture on this DVD was really good (Criterion Collection could probably do a better job, they are superior!) and the sound was brilliant. There could have been a little more extras though... For the uninitiated, this is Kurosawa's take on Shakesphere's King Lear. I had read King Lear before watching the movie, and yes, I dare say it...I like Kurosawa's version of King Lear better! (if that is a fair statement since Kurosawa's is a little different). Anyway, this movie is really, really superb and magnificent in every category. You name it-visuals (absolutely breathtaking), audio, acting, action sequences, costumes, etc. Many scenes in this movie are really, really memorable (especially the scene where Hidetora and his men are attacked in a castle by Hidetora's sons Jiro and Taro- one of the best action sequences on film!). Why this movie didn't win Best Picture of the Year or at least Best Foreign Film in 1985 is totally beyond me (it only won Best Costume Design!). So overall this movie is an amazing film. It is truly a masterpiece of masterpieces! In fact, I think this film is only rivaled by some of Kurosawa's other films (Seven Samurai and Rashomon). Anyway, if you haven't seen this film yet, (the words of Napoleon Dynamite, "IDIOT!") go buy/rent it now. Any movie buff will love this movie, but Kurosawa fans, war movie fans, and period action movie fans in particular will love it. This movie definately deserves 5 stars. "A Masterpiece"This is a cinematic masterpiece and just goes to show that a good story (adapted from Shakespeare's King Lear) is far superior to special effects (not that the effects are bad or anything). Anyone iterested in Japanese samurai culture will love this. Anyone who just loves good film will also enjoy it. I have loaned this to people who thought they had no interest and they raved about it. Highly recommended. |
