Kurosawa's Ran (new 4K restoration)

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by townsend, Jan 5, 2016.

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  1. townsend

    townsend Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Ridgway, CO
    This is great news. The current blu-rays of this movie are mediocre. A new 4k restoration has been completed, done frame by frame, with the film's director of photography approving the color grading. [the emoticon for "goodie!" is just too distracting here, but warranted).

    We can anticipate a blu-ray release -- some speculate it may even be released in the Criterion collection.


    http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=18222
     
  2. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host

    Saw it in 1985, sure didn't care much for it, had to do with the really shaky long shots with zooming in and out, took me right out of it.... Perhaps if I saw it again..
     
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  3. Gaslight

    Gaslight ⎧⚍⎫⚑

    Location:
    Northeast USA
    Good movie - saw it way back when, have it on BD today. May have to give it a re-watch.
     
  4. Monosterio

    Monosterio Forum Resident

    Location:
    South Florida
    Good movie overall, but I found the long opening section (with the men sitting around) hell to sit through. The film improves greatly after that.
     
  5. Peace N. Love

    Peace N. Love Forum Resident

    Brilliant movie, although not my favourite of his (that would probably be Kagemusha).
    Also probably timely to mention that Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress was a key influence on Star Wars.
     
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  6. robertawillisjr

    robertawillisjr Music Lover

    Location:
    Hampton, VA
    One of my first LDs. Watched and enjoyed it many times. It would be nice to revisit it in 4k.
     
  7. townsend

    townsend Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Ridgway, CO
  8. townsend

    townsend Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Ridgway, CO
    According to blu-ray, this is a new trailer of the 4K restoration: Ran New 4K Restoration Trailer and Blu-ray »

    It is always kind of hard to evaluate on a computer screen, but the colors definitely look richer. I am almost of the mind "it can't look any worse" than the existing blu-ray transfers out there. If you happened to be in New York on 2/26, you could have seen it at the New York Film Forum. Still looking forward to this 4K . . . my favorite Kurosawa.
     
  9. Erik Tracy

    Erik Tracy Meet me at the Green Dragon for an ale

    Location:
    San Diego, CA, USA
    Well, it is based on Shakespeare's "King Lear".

    The thematic borrowing from East and West cinema is karmically balanced though.
     
  10. LitHum05

    LitHum05 El Disco es Cultura

    Location:
    Virginia
  11. Kristofa

    Kristofa Enthusiast of small convenient sound carrier units

    Location:
    usa
    This is great news! I own the Criterion DVD and have held out on the Blu-ray due to the reviews. I imagine this latest 4k attempt (regardless of studio) is going to look the best it will on physical media.
     
  12. harmonica98

    harmonica98 Senior Member

    Location:
    London, UK
    The new restoration is showing on the big screen here in April - think I will check it out! I've only seen a DVD copy before.
     
  13. Roninblues

    Roninblues 猿も木から落ちる。

    I think I could part with my Korea Content Zone Blu-ray for a great package on a 4K. I still have my Criterion 2-disc DVD, for the extras.
     
  14. johnnyyen

    johnnyyen Senior Member

    Location:
    Scotland
    I have the previous Studio Canal release, but the transfer isn't highly regarded, so would be keen to pick up the new restoration. One of my favourite films of all time, and I actually prefer it to King Lear! (the source play)
     
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  15. townsend

    townsend Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Ridgway, CO
    Here is the first review I have found on the new 4K restoration: RAN Blu-ray - Tatsuya Nakadai »

    The guy who runs this site, who I think does a fine job, clearly prefers the 4K restoration over all previous incarnations, considering it a "must own" blu-ray. Honestly, I am not really overwhelmed by the screen captures presented, but I will go with his learned opinion, and surely appreciate the improvement on my 50" Panasonic plasma.

    So here is the list of reissued blu-rays to own: Ran, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and now Dr. Strangelove (CC). I try not to buy many blu-rays, but these are core holdings in my small blu-ray film library.
     
  16. erniebert

    erniebert Shoe-string audiophile

    Location:
    Toronto area
    Sounds like Kurosawa was years ahead of his time, since that's all I've been seeing in movies for a while now.
     
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  17. Kristofa

    Kristofa Enthusiast of small convenient sound carrier units

    Location:
    usa
    Yep. It is the best Blu-Ray/DVD review site out there, IMO. Thanks for the link!
     
  18. townsend

    townsend Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Ridgway, CO
    SamS likes this.
  19. SamS

    SamS Forum Legend

    Location:
    Texas
  20. townsend

    townsend Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Ridgway, CO
    No . . . not yet . . . I am hoping that 1) such a version might pop up on eBay, or that 2) it might be released in the U.S. If these fail, I will eventually pick it up, since I plan to pick up an Oppo and make it region free in the future.

    If you peruse the customer reviews, there is one by Joe Gideon(?) in English. While it doesn't confirm English subtitles, one might expect a complaint on his part if this version didn't include such (yes, he could be bilingual, but one would still expect he would use his native language of French in this case).
     
  21. SamS

    SamS Forum Legend

    Location:
    Texas
    Well I got a BD from Netflix on Friday, and although it is Studio Canal, it is not the 4K restoration. I didn't read the DVD Beaver site carefully enough (initially) and was thinking any version by Studio Canal was the 4K restoration, but in reality it's only the Region B version, and maybe the version you linked to.
     
  22. townsend

    townsend Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Ridgway, CO
    Is this the cover of the version you got? It is from StudioCanal, and it's the old version. I owned this but sold it on eBay, b/c eventually, I will get the new 4K restoration -- with English subtitles. I am a little confused, b/c you said the version you have is region B, and the version below is region A.
    [​IMG]
     
  23. proudy

    proudy Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Dallas, Texas
    Seems to be a Japanese thing. I remember liking Throne of Blood and Kagemusha lot more than I did last time I tried watching them. All these guys running into the frame giving news of some offscreen skirmish that totally just happened, all these implied offscreen murders... It's like a play, I get that, but this is a movie, a more visual medium than stage plays! You can show some stuff!

    Oddly enough I didn't care in my teenage artkid days, my sensibilities are getting more immature as I age I guess.
     
  24. SamS

    SamS Forum Legend

    Location:
    Texas
    Yes that's the version Netflix sent. My earlier post may have been unclear, I was sent the R1 version.
     
  25. townsend

    townsend Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Ridgway, CO
    Sam -- since you live in Dallas (area?), Texas Theater on August 7th (Sunday), at 5:00pm is showing Ran, the 4K restoration on the big screen. Will set us back 10.00. I dunno; it's tempting. Anybody else catch this on the big scene in the 4K restored version?
     
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