Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #68338 in DVD
• Released on: 2002-09-23
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Letterboxed, Box set, NTSC
• Original language: Japanese
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 3

Amazon.com
Befitting a filmmaker of Akira Kurosawa's masterly stature, this sumptuous limited-edition DVD set pays tribute to Kurosawa's cinematic legacy and Japanese heritage. Like Japanese architecture, the packaging is simple yet elegant, with Ran--Kurosawa's epic reworking of King Lear in feudal Japan--at the center of attention. Kurosawa's 1985 masterpiece was remastered for this set, a clear improvement over the notoriously disappointing Fox Lorber DVD. The transfer is now vividly colorful and crisply detailed, presented in anamorphic widescreen with optional yellow subtitles that are easier to read (though the earlier release probably wasn't as bad as the "old" image used in the restoration demo). The 5.1-channel sound option allows deeper immersion into Kurosawa's painstakingly crafted soundtrack, and film historian Stephen Price's superlative, feature-length commentary track provides engaging and scholarly perspective on Kurosawa's development of theme through composition, camera placement, editing, and highly stylized direction of actors. Another comparatively sparse commentary track by Japanese cultural expert Peter Grilli is worthwhile for its insider's view of Kurosawa's personality and methods. Ran--a tragic, awe-inspiring study of human folly--remains timelessly magnificent, marking the first step in Kurosawa's gradual move from the confines of conventional narrative.

The gatefold packaging includes four glossy, postcard-quality reproductions of Kurosawa's personal storyboard paintings for Ran and Madadayo, as well as a beautiful miniature fold-out shoji screen paying tribute to Ran. (A commemorative Ran miniposter is also included.) While the DVDs of Kurosawa and Madadayo don't differ from their previous releases, their inclusion is fitting: Kurosawa (coproduced by Grilli) serves as a comprehensive study of the director's life and films, and Madadayo--Kurosawa's last and perhaps most personal film--is an evocative expression of the moral themes and unconventional storytelling that emerged in the final years of Kurosawa's legendary career. In honoring the sensei's lifetime of peerless creativity, this boxed set is guaranteed to please. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews

Great movies, lousy presentation.
My review here is more about the presentation of the set, and not the movies themselves. The movies are great and the documentary is also good. One of the main problems is that the packaging is terrible. The discs fit loosely in the packaging and as a result moved around a great deal in shipping. In the first set I received the documentary disc was covered in scratches and glue and was completely unplayable (the glue was from the poorly made cardboard case). The Ran disc was also scratched badly. Amazon was good about getting another set out but even in that one the documentary disc was scratched, although it plays for the most part. The "extra" items are cheaply made and not worth the money either. Also, I must agree with another reviewer that complained about the RAN transfer. This is not much of an improvement over the Fox Lorber transfer, and there is a lot of noise at the edges of the "letterboxing". If you already own a copy of Ran or Madadayo don't bother with this set. If you must own a newer transfer of Ran this one is coming out as a single DVD in 2003. This set is just not worth the money, unless you just have to have that cheesy cardboard "miniature shoji screen" or the "mini" Ran poster.

Finally, a print worthy of such a masterpiece!
I own the Fox-Lorber/Winstar DVD of this immortal classic, and as much as I love the film (one of the truly great movies), I have always been disappointed with the film's hideous transfer. The extraordinary detail, the fine use of color--all subdued by the bad print. Now, that crime has been rectified. But is this worth the expense?

Well, yes and no.

You DO get a glorious DVD of "Ran," an incredible and epic film, and as a most welcome bonus, you also get "Madadayo," Master Kurosawa's last film, a moving, beautifully realized story of an aged professor who looks back at his life. The title comes from the professor's exclamation at each birthday party--"Madadayo!" (Not yet! I am not done with life yet!) It is exquisitely filmed, and achingly poignant-- a fine finish to the career of one of the greatest of filmmakers. The third disc contains an engrossing documentary on the late Kurosawa, with insight from many of those who knew him best. It is a revealing look at a man who was internationally recognized abroad, yet sometimes forgotten at home.

BUT, one gets the impression that this package may be exploitive of Kurosawa fans and film buffs. (My rating of four stars = Five for the films and documentary, three for the extras).The added extras--such as the booklet and shoji screen print, and the certificate of authenticity--strike me as merely lures for consumers who see "special edition" and think that something wonderful is in the works. One can get the two DVDs (granted, with lesser print quality) separate for much less than the cost of this whole set, and if you want the documentary from the third disc, watch for it on PBS (where I caught it). I think it may also be available for purchase. However, I must say this: The new print of "Ran" is a vast improvement over the old version, and for those who are major fans of Kurosawa, this package may be worth the cost. Do bear in mind that there is the possibility that this new print of "Ran" may be issued separately at a later date.

Still a long way from satisfactory
This just to voice my opinion on the new RAN transfer. While I agree it is an improvement over the atrocious Fox Lorber edition (which is not that great an achievement considering the Fox Lorber DVD was one of the worst products in the history of home entertainment), this tranfer is still a long way from doing this masterpiece justice. Yes, the colors are vivid but the sharpness and definition are exceptionally poor and the heavy edge enhancement (straight from hell!) doesn't make it any better. I have seen transfers of movies that are some 30 or 40 years older than RAN but look far better. The problem becomes very obvious when one watches this DVD via progressive component output on a large screen - a video tape was used as a master (and a poor one at that). The only way to restore such an important movie properly and thereby finally showing Mr. Kurosawa the respect he deserves would have been to make a direct digital transfer off an original film negative, before applying filters or any enhancements. Why this opportunity was (again) wasted here escapes me totally and angers me very much. Another problem seems to be the excessive use of noise reduction on the video, which is in part responsible for the poor definition of the transfer. For my part, I would much sooner live with a bit of visible film grain and the odd dust speckle than to have a such a "saucy" soft picture without much "bite" and detail. There is no excuse for posting such an objectively false statement. And yes, the packaging is a liability - my DVDs must have been bobbing about in there all the way across the Atlantic and looked accordingly. Shocking. I would have gladly payed twice the price if they had kept all the cards and posters and instead got the most important thing right: the image quality of RAN. Like this, I'm very disappointed.