WellSpring

Region 1  - NTSC

Production

Criterion Collection

Twister Digital Video

Universal (Europe)

Warner Bros. (UK)

WellSpring

Fox Lorber

Runtime

2:42:25 

2:23:50 (4% PAL speedup)

2:35:30

2:23:50 (4% PAL speedup)

2:40:00 

2:45:12

Video

1.85:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced
Average Bitrate: 5.69 mb/s
NTSC 960X540 29.97 f/s

16X9 enhanced
Average Bitrate: 4.57 mb/s
PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s

16X9 enhanced
Average Bitrate: 6.35 mb/s
PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s

16X9 enhanced
Average Bitrate: 6.15 mb/s
PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s

1.85:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced
Average Bitrate: 6.24 mb/s
NTSC 960X540 29.97 f/s

1.85:1 Original Aspect Ratio 

Average Bitrate: 5.93

NTSC 704x480 29.97 f/s

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes

Blu-ray

Blu-ray details:

Dual-layered Blu-ray MPEG-4 AVC

Runtime: 2:42:06.216

Audio: LPCM Audio Japanese 3072 kbps 4.0 / 48 kHz / 3072 kbps / 16-bit

Subtitles: Japanese, none

Extras: None

Bitrate:

Optimum + Criterion + Twister + Universal

Bitrate:

Warner +

Wellspring + Fox Lorber

Audio

Japanese (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround) .

Japanese (Dolby Digital 2.0), Japanese with Russian voiceover (Dolby Digital 2.0)

Japanese 5.1, English dub 2.0, German dub 2.0

Japanese (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), Japanese (Dolby Digital 5.1 Mono),

Japanese (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)

Subtitles

English, and none

Russian, none

English, German, Dutch, none

English (non - removable)

English, and none

Burnt in English

Features

Edition Details:
• Audio commentary by Kurosawa scholar Stephen Prince
• An appreciation of the film by director Sidney Lumet
A.K., a 74-minute film by director Chris Marker
• A 30-minute documentary on the making of Ran, part of the Toho Masterworks series Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create
• A 35-minute video piece reconstructing Ran through Kurosawa’s paintings and sketches, created as part of the series Image: Kurosawa’s Continuity
• New video interview with actor Tatsuya Nakadai
• Theatrical trailers
• 28-page liner notes booklet featuring film critic Michael Wilmington and interviews with Kurosawa and composer Toru Takemitsu

Release Information:
Studio: Twister Digital Video (Russia)

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen letterboxed - 1.85:1


Edition Details:
• Trailer
• Biographies
• Trailers for other Twister releases

DVD Release Date: 2003
Keep case with cardoard cover
Chapters 25

Release Information:
Studio: Wellspring Media, In

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen anamorphic - 1.85:1

Edition Details:
• Commentary by film historian Stephen Prince, author of The Warrior's Camera: The Cinema of Akira Kurosawa
• Commentary by filmmaker and Japanese specialist Peter Grilli, producer of Kurosawa
• New high-definition transfer, digitally restored
• Production notes
• Restoration demo
• Kurosawa filmography
• European and home video trailers
• Widescreen anamorphic format

DVD Release Date: September 23, 2002 in the Kurosawa Box Set or April 15, 2003 individually.
Keep Case

Release Information:
Studio: Fox Lorber

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen letterbox - 1.85:1

Edition Details:

Ttrailer - Eng narrative with Eng subtitles 1:30
• Awards
• Widescreen letterbox format

DVD Release Date: April 16, 2002
Keep Case

ADDITION Jesnet Blu-ray Feb 2009: This new Blu-ray seems flawed to me. Either it has come from a non-HD source (up-converts from SD sources!) or has been boosted and has heavy DNR. I have issues with the image quality. Click on the 2nd large capture below (with horses) and see how flat and plastic this dual-layered Blu-ray presents itself. Surely RAN should not look this hazy - colors seem frequently altered (although some will tell us more accurate to theatrical - I defer to them) and detail is uncompromisingly dampened with what appears to be compression artifacts. There are light damage speckles. Even the edge-enhanced French HD-DVD may have been superior.

On the positive colors do exhibit the striking vibrancy that I have heard was apparent in theatrical (at times look amazingly brilliant) but see in the last large capture both fire and flags appear boosted although this tends to support the Criterion scheme. It looks far better in motion - and the more I watch it the better I like it. I'd love to hear from individuals who have experience with seeing this theatrically.

Once again there are no English subtitles (only Japanese) and I can find no extra features on this disc.

At this point, this is a thumbs down - if the lack of English subtitles wasn't enough of a deterrent. Stick with the Criterion or Optimum DVD packages - as discussed below - and let's wait for someone to get this right - a premium choice for high-definition.

Gary Tooze

****

ADDITION: Optimum (2-disc) - Region 2- PAL November 2005': - This new transfer by Optimum is very beautiful. It differs significantly from the previously UK Region 2 Warner transfer, as the Warner appears to have some contrast boosting affecting the colors. It also differs from Criterion Region 1 transfer, as Criterion has a richer, darker image, yet is more compressed than Optimum, as when you zoom in, Criterion reveals more visible compression artifacts than Optimum. To be honest, I do not recall the deep colors of Criterion from my theatrical experience many years ago. To me, there always have been a pale element to the colors, thus I am inclined to favor the Optimum.

Sound is a remixed and cleaned 2.0 Dolby Digital Mono, which has no noise and is very solid. There also is a 5.1 Dolby Digital track, but I do prefer the 2.0 Mono, as there is no real surround or separation on the 5.1.

The additional material is the same as on Warners R2, namely the 71 minute documentary by Chris Marker, here presented in 1.66:1 16x9. It is a superb documentary and needs no comments.

 - Henrik Sylow

***

ADDITION: Criterion - November 2005 - Initial first impressions are - The Criterion has the sharpest appearance (see capture # 2- the clothes) and the colors have the most natural, non-manipulated look. At times the image is much darker than the other 5 releases although this is not consistent. There doesn't appear to be any cropping on the Criterion release and of course the package is super-stacked with extras. From what I have heard of the commentary so far it sounds wonderful, but I will report back when I have more time to thoroughly get to all the extra features. I've seen Marker's 'AK' and it alone is a magnificent addition. It appears that all other releases show varying degrees of contrast boosting (generally speaking). This Criterion DVD looks just fabulous on my system and I am confident that they have once again risen to the occasion and given us another definitive edition of a masterwork film in the digital medium. Bravo!

The Fox/Lorber edition is a mess. The colors have been fiddled with, contrast turned up in spots and subtitles are VERY poorly displayed as well as burnt in.  The WellSpring MasterWorks edition in the Kurosawa Boxset ( also set for individual release in April - 03 ) is anamorphic with two well-done commentaries / option for 5.1 and original soundtracks and a much tighter image. Each capture below shows further evidence of the improved WellSpring quality. This is an easy choice for Kurosawa fans. I cannot explain the discrepancies in the times unless the Masterworks edition did not adjust for the PAL speedup. 

 - Gary W. Tooze