The Criterion Collection has announced that they will bring Akira Kurosawa's '
Ran' to Blu-ray on May 12th. Previously released as a two-disc DVD set, this Blu-ray disc is expected to include all the special features on a single disc. Technical specs have yet to be confirmed, but you can expect a 1.85:1 1080p AVC video presentation with some sort of lossless/uncompressed audio track.
Expected extras for this release include:
- New, restored high-definition digital transfer
- 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
- New and improved English subtitle translation
- Plus: a 28-page booklet featuring film critic Michael Wilmington and interviews with Kurosawa and composer Toru Takemitsu