8.5 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 5.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Set in medieval Japan, an elderly warlord announces his intention to hand over his empire to his sons. A power struggle ensues between the heirs.
Starring: Tatsuya Nakadai, Akira Terao, Jinpachi Nezu, Daisuke Ryû, Mieko HaradaDrama | 100% |
Foreign | 99% |
Period | 28% |
War | 21% |
Epic | 13% |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Japanese: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Japanese: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
German: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English, French, German
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
Digital copy
4K Ultra HD
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 5.0 |
There's an old saw that says it's good to be king, but the old saw perhaps fails to mention that assuming power also evidently seriously increases chances of going crazy. Just think about all the mad kings who have populated history in either lore and legend or actual historical fact, many of whom went on to infamy on either stage or film, or both. King Lear, Richard III, Ludwig and The Madness of King George are just a few titles that may spring instantly to mind, but in the annals of Eastern monarchs with roiling psyches, nothing quite comes close to Akira Kurosawa's 1985 masterpiece Ran, a film which in fact owes more than a tip of the jingasa to the very first property named above, Shakespeare's immortal tale of a ruler who in attempting to go gentle into that good night ends up mucking everything up, including his own sanity.
Ran is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Lionsgate Films with a 2160p transfer in 1.85:1. The 1080 presentation on this disc is also culled from the restoration, and so offers some significant differences from the pretty lackluster previous Blu-ray from Lionsgate, so I'll address both resolutions in my following comments. The film begins with a brief set of text cards proclaiming:
This film has been restored by StudioCanal and Kadokawa. The color correction was approved by Shōji Ueda. In cooperation with Eclair Group. Financed by J-LOP.The restoration featurette included on this disc as the sole supplement shows some side by side examples of the negative and the restored version and without doubt the single biggest change is in the color timing, even if a litany of other improvements have been achieved. I've tried to match some of Dustin's screenshots from the original Lionsgate Blu-ray to give those interested a bit of an idea of the rather massive changes in store, but aside from being kind of weirdly windowboxed and having what to my eyes is a pretty ugly digital appearance, the first release also had a somewhat blue tint running through it which admittedly could make the expansive skies pop really nicely, but which did odd things to other elements in the palette, perhaps most noticeably the lush green grasses. And in fact if I were to point eyes to one range of hues that show clear changes in both the 1080 and 4K UHD versions offered in this package it would be greens in particular. Reds can still skew just slightly orange in both of these versions, though Dolby Vision and/or HDR does add some definite crimson highlights to the mix, and some of the yellows, like Hidetora's outfit, pop brilliantly as well. Suffusion is excellent in both versions, but the intensity of the hues is definitely more noticeable on the 4K UHD disc. The overall look in this version is noticeably darker than the old Lionsgate release, and the change in color timing means skies no longer have the vividly suffused blues they did in that version. There are passing moments where despite an absence of opticals grain can spike to pretty chunky levels and clarity decrease. The opening optically printed credits sequence also shows some grain that almost approaches macroblocking, but that's a short-lived phenomenon, and grain resolves nicely for the majority of the presentation.
Ran offers a number of different audio options, with Japanese tracks in both DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, English in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, French in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and German in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. While it's actually kind of a fun parlor game to toggle between all of these choices (and in a kind of quasi-joking way, the German track really gives an added gruffness to some of the voices), I spent most of my time on the two Japanese tracks and the English track. Neither of the surround tracks has the spaciousness that regularly accompany contemporary epics of this ilk, and a lot of information is pretty resolutely bound front and center. That said, you can still clearly catch moments of side and rear channel engagement both courtesy of ambient environmental sounds but perhaps especially courtesy of Toru Takemitsu's propulsive score, which features a battery of percussion instruments and various ethnic touches like what sounds to me like a shakuhachi. Battle scenes also offer a rabble of noise that can waft noticeably through the surround channels. The Japanese stereo track pushes the entire mix forward a bit, as should perhaps be expected, and may suffice perfectly well for many listeners. I noticed none of the momentary crackling that Dustin mentioned in his review. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English, French and German subtitles are available.
Ran is an inarguable masterpiece, and it's kind of amazing how Kurosawa is able to blend some blatantly theatrical elements into a riveting example of epic filmmaking. It's probably understandably disappointing that this release didn't port over the supplements from the now ancient Lionsgate Blu-ray, but otherwise this is a really stunning release with solid technical merits in both 4K UHD and 1080, and some very handsome SteelBook packaging. Highly recommended.
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