Press Release Lionsgate Press Release: Ran (4k UHD Combo) (Best Buy Exclusive) (1 Viewer)

[Ronald Epstein]

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PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
From legendary director Akira Kurosawa (Rashomon, Seven Samurai) comes his sweeping action epic RAN. Ran arrives November 16th on 4K Ultra HD™ Steelbook from Lionsgate, exclusively at Best Buy. Akira Kurosawa’s RAN is a visually dazzling samurai epic that blends King Lear, 16th-century feudal Japan, and Kurosawa’s own notions of loyalty and honor to tell the story of aging Lord Hidetora, whose decision to bequeath his kingdom to his three sons sparks a power struggle that leads to chaos and madness. Hailed as a masterpiece by filmmakers and cinephiles alike, and winner of the 1985 Oscar® for Costume Design, Ran is a sumptuous 4K feast. Featuring all new artwork from artist Zi Xu, Ran will be available on 4K Ultra HD™ Steelbook at Best Buy for the suggested retail price of $27.99.

BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES

• Ran: The Restoration

CAST
Tatsuya Nakadi Hara-Kiri, Kagemusha, The Tale of The Princess Kaguya
Akira Terao After the Rain, Half a Confession, Letter from the Mountain
Jinpachi Nezu Kagemusha, Farewell to the Land, Runin: Banished
Daisuke Ryû Kagemusha, Legend of the Devil, Metropolis

PROGRAM INFORMATION
Year of Production: 1985
Title Copyright: © 1985 KADOKAWA / STUDIOCANAL. All Rights Reserved. Package Design and Summary: © 2021 Lions Gate Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Type: Catalog Re-Release
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Drama
Closed-Captioned: No
Subtitles: English
Feature Run Time: 162 minutes
4K Format: 2160p Ultra High Definition, 16x9 (1:85:1) Presentation, Dolby Vision
4K Audio: Japanese and English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio™

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/ran-steelbook-includes-digital-copy-4k-ultra-hd-blu-ray-blu-ray-only--best-buy-1985/6479725.p?skuId=6479725

 

[Angelo Colombus]

I came really close to buying the UK 4K disc but i did read that it will be released in the US. It would have been nice for Criterion to release it but this is the next best thing.

 

[Angelo Colombus]

Clicked on the link and can now pre-order it at $19.99.

 

[Stephen_J_H]

 

[sleroi]

Since the only bonus feature is the restoration featurette, im guessing this will be the same transfer as the UK 4K disc.

Unfortunately that is an underwhelming presentation. There are several direct side by side scene comparisons in the featurette and in half of them the unrestored scenes look better.

Other than the opening scene of the boar, wich is stunning, the rest of the film looks like blu-ray. A very good blu ray, but still not 4k. And in the featurette they say that they could have really brought out a lot of detail, but didnt, because one has to know when to stop.

The picture lacks 4k resolution to my eye, and while brighter overall it is also a tad amber as well. So neither the increased resolution nor use of a wide color gamut seems to have benefitted the film much.

Since Ive never owned this film in previous iterations Im happy I purchased the UK 4k, as it does look very good. It just doesnt look 4k.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

I only own this on DVD, so I went ahead and pre-ordered the UHD for $20.

 

[Angelo Colombus]

Website Caps-a-holic does have a comparison of the UK 4K disc to the other four disc releases.

 

[dpippel]

Ran • UK Ultra HD Blu-ray vs. US StudioCanal Collection Blu-ray

caps-a-holic.com

 

[Stephen_J_H]

Since the only bonus feature is the restoration featurette, im guessing this will be the same transfer as the UK 4K disc.

Unfortunately that is an underwhelming presentation. There are several direct side by side scene comparisons in the featurette and in half of them the unrestored scenes look better.

Other than the opening scene of the boar, wich is stunning, the rest of the film looks like blu-ray. A very good blu ray, but still not 4k. And in the featurette they say that they could have really brought out a lot of detail, but didnt, because one has to know when to stop.

The picture lacks 4k resolution to my eye, and while brighter overall it is also a tad amber as well. So neither the increased resolution nor use of a wide color gamut seems to have benefitted the film much.

Since Ive never owned this film in previous iterations Im happy I purchased the UK 4k, as it does look very good. It just doesnt look 4k.

It's debatable how many 35mm films on 4K UHD are "true 4K," as so many factors come into play: age of film, generation of elements, how much the film is "massaged" by various tools post-scan. The caps referenced above seem to show less futzing and more detail than SC's BD, but whether or not it is "true 4K" is well outside my wheelhouse.

 

[sleroi]

I understand all of that, and honestly its a little out of my wheelhouse too.

I guess I was just really hoping this would be a revelatory disc. Way back when in his a few words about apollo 13 Mr. Harris stated that film looked better on the 4k disc than when it was released originally. And the recent the Thing disc is close to this standard as well.

But based on comments made during the restoration doc it seems that a deliberate choice was made to make this look like it did upon release in 1985.

So we get an incremental improvement instead of a revelatory vision.

Im really not complaining. I respect the DPs vision and am more than happy to own this. Im just a little disappointed.

 

[DanH1972]

If Lionsgate isn't doing their own compression job, beware of Studio Canal's normal botch job. Their "Total Recall" 4k release was abysmal compression-wise. The Italian Eagle release of the same master was revelatory in showing just how poorly SC's quality control was.

 

[Derrick King]

It is almost 100% that this will be the exact same disc as the StudioCanal. Which is why it is surprising that Lionsgate isn't including the special features discs.