Ran

Rating:
Summary: "Ran" still awaiting a definitive edition on DVD
Review: "Ran" is one of my favorite films, and so eager was I to have it on disc that the predictably sub-par Fox Lorber edition was one of the first DVDs I acquired soon after we bought our first DVD player. Fox Lorber did their usual quick-and-dirty (but first-to-market) job, basing their crude transfer on a copy of the film that was anything but pristine and was in no sense "restored". Unlike the present edition, however, the subtitles were error-free and faithful to the original theatrical release of the film.

Needless to say I eventually bought this version, too, and to say that the image and sound on this edition are an "improvement" over the Fox Lorber edition requires a great deal of qualification; it would be faster to say that they've been extensively processed but not necessarily improved in most respects, and I fully endorse Ben Rudiak-Gould's review of this DVD. My own less technically knowlegeable assessment is based on what I see and hear on this disc and what I saw and heard in the theatre when this "restoration" was screened theatrically a couple of years ago, compared with a still absolutely clear and distinct memory of my first theatrical experience of "Ran" in 1985 -- an experience which astounded me and profoundly enlarged my understanding of the possibilities of cinema.

My hope is that some day Criterion will acquire the rights to produce their own version of "Ran"; one which, I'm confident, would finally do justice to this masterpiece in this medium. The history of "Ran" on DVD has been a sorry one, with the profiteers triumphing over those who sincerely love movies, especially this movie, and a more capable and ambitious writer than myself could almost discern apt points of comparison with the story of the House of Ichimonji and Shakespeare's tragedy of King Lear, on which it was based.

In the meanwhile I have two editions of "Ran" sitting on my shelf, neither of which are are worthy of this immense work of art, for which they are but faded simulacra.

Rating:
Summary: "Masterworks Edition" DVD is badly botched
Review: The "Ran: Masterworks Edition" DVD could have been much better, but was badly botched by the producer (Wellspring Media).

By far the biggest problem is the so-called "digital restoration," which consists of two things: running the whole movie through a miscalibrated digital denoising filter, and increasing the contrast and color saturation to cartoonish levels. The latter change can at least be undone at the playback end, but the former does irreparable damage to the image. Most of the image problems mentioned here by other reviewers are due to this "restoration," not to defects in the new transfer.

The damage from the digital denoising is severe and present throughout the film. It's easily recognized with experience, or when the denoised image is shown next to the pristine original. But since I don't have that luxury here, I'll just mention some of the more easily seen symptoms. Clouds seem slightly unnatural, as if hand-painted, because their delicate wispiness is interpreted as noise and removed (see for example 0:11:45 and 2:18:00). Thin bright lines against dark backgrounds "sparkle" or "twinkle" like stars; this is caused by cross-frame denoising, which misinterprets movement of sharp edges due to frame jitter or camera movement as transient noise (see for example the sunray pattern in the Ichimonji crest beginning at around 0:04:30). Fast-moving objects shrink or disappear completely for brief intervals, again due to cross-frame denoising (see for example Kyoami's legs as he runs, at around 0:09:15).

The new _Metropolis (1927)_ DVD includes a restoration featurette which explains why computerized denoising was not used in the restoration of that film, and shows examples of some of the problems described above. And denoising was only considered for that film because the available prints were badly in need of restoration. _Ran_ does not need restoration, which makes this unnecessary damage all the more tragic.

Many DVDs released by Central Park Media have also been defaced in this way, notably the new two-disc edition of Takahata's _Grave of the Fireflies_. I think the same company is responsible for all of these botched "restorations," since the modus operandi is always the same: moderate to severe denoising artifacts, grossly oversaturated colors, and a "restoration demo" comparing the restored version to a previous video release in a distinctive splitscreen format.

There are many other problems with this DVD, though they are minor in comparison to the above:

The new transfer was apparently made from a theatrical print rather than a higher-fidelity interpositive, since it contains reel change marks (flashing black circles at the upper right corner of the frame). Surely such a beautiful film deserves better than this.

There are several embarrassing mistakes in the subtitles which would have been caught by a human being, but not by a software spelling checker. Apparently the producers of this DVD labor under the delusion that proofreading, like restoration, can be done by computer.

The MPEG-2 encoding was done improperly, with the result that the image switches randomly between progressive (film) and interlaced (video) encodings, instead of remaining film throughout. This causes annoying random blurring and sharpening during playback on many DVD players, noticeable mainly in still scenes. (See for example the long shots of Hidetora starting around 0:50:00; please note that this problem is not visible on all players.) Some players can be reconfigured to mask this problem (on software players choose "bob" rather than "weave" or "automatic"), but this will reduce the playback quality of properly-encoded DVDs.

Technical incompetence aside, this is not a bad disc. The subtitle translation is problematic, but I've seen much worse; I can't complain too much here. What's lost in the translation is probably insignificant compared to cultural details which no translation could hope to explain. A short "production notes" extra fills in a few of those details but neglects others. Two uninteresting trailers for the film are included. The "restoration demo" is good for seething at in impotent anger, and also for seeing how Kurosawa probably intended the film to appear, colorwise, before it was "enhanced" for this DVD.

There are two commentary tracks. One, by Stephen Prince, focuses on narrative technique and is clearly intended for students. It's quite good. The other is by Peter Grilli, who was present on the set during part of the shooting of _Ran_; he talks about his experiences there and his opinions of Kurosawa and his work. Though sometimes interesting, Grilli's comments make no sense as a commentary track since they're wholly unconnected to the action on screen. They should have been printed in a companion booklet.

The film itself is a masterpiece, of course; even the shoddiest technical treatment can't mask its emotional impact. I would have given it five stars but for the problems with the DVD.

This is the first non-Central Park Media DVD that I've seen to use this "digital restoration" process. I'm frightened that it will spread further. I urge anyone concerned by this to write to Wellspring Media and tell them that they could have produced a much better DVD, with less effort, by simply omitting the "restoration" step. If you decide not to buy the disc for this reason, tell them that too.

Rating:
Summary: Kurasawa at his epic best
Review: When Ran was released 18 years ago I remember seeing it at a small art house and not really following the story too clearly but being impressed with the sheer magnitude of the affair. The previous video version of the film did little to dispel my doubts. The film was too foreign for a mainstream audience to fully grasp.

Today after having viewed the Masterworks Edition of Ran I can finally say that I understand where the great master was trying to take his audience with this his last great epic. Ran in this edition is truly spectacular. The colors pop off the screen, every instance of ambient sound is enhanced in a 5.1 Dolby soundtrack and finally the subtitles (while still not perfect) have been set onto the film in such a way that they are a joy to read.

Ran is one of those great films that becomes better as its audience ages. On a basic level this is Kurasawa interpreting Shakespeare's King Lear in a Japanese fuedal tradition. But it is much more also. This film deals with Buddist philosophy, the impact of war on society and family disintegration. The title can be roughly translated as "chaos."

Some of the special features on this disc need to be mentioned. The commentary by Stephen Prince is easily woth the price of the disc. Turn off the subtitles and listen to Mr. Prince's shot by shot analysis for one of the truly great commentaries on Kurasawa's work. Also the more sparse commentary by Peter Grilli is worth a listen for its anecdotal information on the great director. The disc is finished with two theatrical trailers and a short restoration demo.

All in all this is a difficult and important film that is well worth the time it takes to view. Do yourself a favor and see one of the great films by a true master of the cinematic art.

Rating:
Summary: The slower the better
Review: Ran is one of the best films of the 80's and the culmination of Kurosawa's lengthy career. A vast tableau of color and epic pageantry, it is probably one of the last films that gets better with repeated viewings.

The dvd itself is at times awful, but the commentaries do help to ease the pain somewhat. I believe the Fox Lorber came with practically nothing...

While famous for the battle sequences including the attack on the third castle (the set cost $1.6 million and was made as an homage to silent films) the long "boring" moments are no less intense. While the quiet scenes are at first demanding, they soon prove themselves to be the key elements to the film being so full of intimation.

Mieko Harada is chilling as Lady Kaede, brimming with evil while using the most minimal amount of physical movement. Her few violent outbursts are all the more intense after such formal restraint. Her handling of the two Ichimonji sons is fascinating,
from merely suggestive with the eldest, Taro (in a too brief performance by Akira Terao) to physical and emotional seduction with the second son, Jiro (played by Jinpachi Nezu).

As Kurogane, Hisashi Igawa gives a wonderful commanding performance as Jiro's aid, vainly trying to keep his Lord focused on the responsiblities of subduing his kingdom. His strength lies in his submissiveness to his duty: He obviously is better leadership material then Jiro, but his devotion to the kingdom is more important to him than personal gain. The scenes between him and Harada are the strongest in the film, and while the final beheading isn't all that realistic, it is effective.

His alter-ego Tango, played by former sporting goods store owner Masayuki Yui (who auditioned for Kagemusha after reading an ad in the paper looking for extras and ended up with a key role!) is equally devoted, more so to Hidetora and Saburo than to an empire.

Kyoami, the court jester, is played flamboyantly by Peter, who was famous for cross dressing roles (as was Tom Hanks).

Tatsuya Nakadai, a longtime Kurosawa cast member gives an over the top theatrical performance as old Hidetora. His makeup was designed after masks in the Noh tradition, first as an evil spirit, then later as a condemned wandering spirit. While not to everyones taste, it is a memorable performance nonetheless.

With some patience and an open mind, Ran will continually reveal its vast and intrically nihilistic textures more and more through repeated viewings and firmly cement itself as one of the greatest Kurosawa masterpieces. Catered to Americans my ...!

Rating:
Summary: Human Chaos
Review: Akira Kurosawa`s RAN from 1985 is addapted from Shakespear`s King Leer. This film starts excellently with Lord Hidetore`s guards watching over his kingdom and Hidetore goes hunting for wild boars shows his skills as a warlord.

Kurosawa had financial problems in the late 70`s so he couldnt make this Masterpiece of cinema at an early stage, he had to wait to get financial support so he decided to make Kagemusha (the shadow warrior) and its commercial succes gave Kurosawa enough money to make RAN ( he had thought of making RAN for over 10 years). With help from G. Lucas and Spiellberg and all the great cast and crew RAN became a major succes and earned lots of Awards and pricez.

Now Published out by the Masterworks Edition RAN is one of the greatest Akira Kurosawa DVD`s you can get.

Highly recomended, this is my Fav. Kurosawa DVD.

Rating:
Summary: Men prefer sorrow over joy.
Review: Ran takes place in the 14-16th century - the "Unsettled Period", where Japan was fragmented and fought for between a number of warlords.

Ran is, basically, the story of King Lear in samurai Japan. An old warlord, Lord Hidetora, decides to leave his power and territory to his three sons, wants to keep his title, and expects peace to reign. His elder, Taro, gets the biggest castle, and Jiro, the middle son, gets the second castle - the last son, Saburo, sees the stupidity of this plan and argues, but his father expels him.

Lord Hidetora's plan crumbles as each of his son kicks him out of their castle, and band together to destroy his army. Lord Hidetora goes insane and walks off in the desert with only his Fool and a former councillor for company, while war brews and allegiances shift.

Make no doubt about it, this is as depressing as King Lear or any other Shakespeare play. Everything is already determined, there is scheming a plenty, and everyone dies at the end. It's what goes in-between that's interesting. The gorgeous plains where the action takes place, the large-scale battles with swords and muskets (not an inaccuracy, by the way), the philosophical musings of the Fool (interestingly played by a popular androgynous Japanese actor only known as "Peter"), the plays on human nature, the subtle music, all contribute to make this an eminently watchable movie.

Saburo : Men prefer sorrow over joy... suffering over peace !

Rating:
Summary: Classic movie, disappointing dvd
Review: Kurosawa's RAN is one of the all time classics of world cinema, a unique and masterfully crafted epic full of extraordinary visuals. The film may be overly melodramatic and theatrical for some (specifically those who rarely venture outside the latest Hollywood blockbusters), and its dark pessimism about human nature may turn others off. However, those that are open to the film's style will find it richly rewarding.

Unfortunately, RAN has now been twice let down on DVD in the US. The original release featured a horribly washed out print with poor compression, thoroughly destroying the impact of the amazing costumes and cinematography. The new "Masterworks" edition boasts of being digitally restored in hi-definition, and it certainly looks richer & better - however, the DVD encoding is dreadful, featuring absurd application of edge enhancement and a very unstable encoding (there are noticable leaps in sharpness every reference frame in the mpeg stream). Very poor quality control, and rather ruins the point of doing all that digital restoration.

The disc is not so bad as to be unwatchable, but it is certainly disappointing and diminished my viewing pleasure considerably. Those with a smaller tv would probably notice the flaws less, but I think there's a good argument to be made that Wellspring should recall and remaster the disc - or at least half the price they're asking for it.

Rating:
Summary: Ride into battle with the old man
Review: "Nobody does action like Akira Kurosawa," says Stephen Prince, one of two commentators on "Ran."

The film shows that the master had lost none of his touch for mayhem, even as he reached his mid-70s. "Ran's" battle sequences were so convincing that Japanese press reports claimed he used as many as 120,000 extras as soldiers (really about 1,400).

"Ran," in the 1.85:1 ratio that Kurosawa adopted in his later years, also posts improvements in image quality, as demonstrated on a restoration-comparison feature. Still, the film quality has suffered over the past 18 years, with a fair amount of instability in the images. Even stationary objects seem to quiver at times. The 5.1 surround mix sounds terrific, elevating the experience without calling attention to itself. The music of Tori Takemitsu is in full force during the famous battle scenes.

Prince, author of "The Warrior's Camera," about Kurosawa, spends much of his talk on the director's signature techniques such as shooting scenes from afar with multiple cameras fitted with telephoto lenses.

"His long lenses transform space, completely changing realities as they existed in front of the camera," Prince notes.

"Ran" is filled with amazing performances. Tatsuya Nakadai plays Lord Hidetora (King Lear), whose three sons battle for his kingdom. Mieko Harada plays his daughter-in-law Kaede, one of Kurosawa's most powerful characters, male of female. Check out the astonishing scene as she dominates one of the sons -- mentally, physically and sexually.

A second commentary, by Japanese culture expert Peter Grilli, is largely ancedotal, telling of the difficulty Kurosawa had in raising funds for the film. His talk is interesting, but a bit strange as he settles for extended silences throughout.

Rating:
Summary: Beauty in Chaos
Review: This is, quite possibly, the greatest Japanese movie ever made.
The late, great Kurosawa was, and is, the primer filmaker of modern-day Japanese cinema.

This take of Shakespeare's King Lear is full of heart wrenching betrayal, unrequited loyalty, and a bloodlust for power. With a film score by the peerless Toru Takemitsu and the hawk-eye of the wonderful Asakazu Nakai, Ran tells the tale of a old king, abdicating his throne to his three sons, who then squabble over the remains of the kingdom. Set in fedual Japan around the 17th centuary, I assume, Ran is a masterpiece any gormand of Japanese cinema should at least once. Multiple times if you can afford it.

Rating:
Summary: Overrated
Review: As a South-African, I have been more or less unaffected by the Kurosawa hype that seems ubiquitous in the United States of America. I happened upon copies of two of his more revered works, "Ran" and "Seven Samurai", and have to say that was resolutely dissappointed.

Ran is ponderous and pulpily paced when there is no battle taking place. The film seems to have been designed solely around the epic battle scenes, which are magnifiscent. The "King Lear" intertext is well imagined, but tenuously arranged, merely fascilitating the films expansive raison d' etre. Contrary to what many people believe, Kurosawa directed and designed his films with a shrewd eye for the American public and its perceptions, while adding elements of Noh Japanese theatre to taint the efficacy of such accusations. His choice to adapt "King Lear", as well as "Macbeth" for "Throne of Blood", was unfortunate and caused widespread dissatisfaction within his native country especially towards the end of his life, although the films were devoured by American audiences. His work is just as much a gateway into Japanese culture as the "Mr. Bean" series is into U.K. culture. "Seven Samurai" is a copy of the Western prototype, bloated by an hour and a half. "Rashomon"'s central conceit is not nearly as revolutionary as it at first seems.

For authenticity, try the films of Yasujiro Ozu (grim social realism) or Masaki Kobayashi (gripping surrealism, esp. on "Kwaidan").