Ran
December 28, 2005
- Dan Ramer,
DVDFile.com
Criterion had quite a year in 2005. They finally issued
their long-awaited DVD of The Life Aquatic as well as notable
releases from Gus Van Sant, Orson Welles, and Robert Bresson. But very
few of their achievements can rival finally unleashing a
definitive edition of Akira Kurosawa’s majestic Ran on
DVD.
There was a Masterworks DVD release of the film made
available a few years ago, but for a film of Ran’s
near-mythic stature, it did nothing but whet the appetite for an
appropriately grandiose Criterion treatment. Criterion has become the
premiere source for all things Kurosawa; without them, we’d
still be without fantastic editions of The Lower Depths, Stray
Dog, and the upcoming The Bad Sleep Well (can’t
wait for that one). So it seems only right for the company to issue a
superb edition of Ran; it’s doubtful that Ran
could get a treatment much better than this one.
The
audio and video qualities of the Masterworks Edition have been greatly
surpassed by Criterion’s loving technical finesse. The bonus
disc is full of Kurosawa goodies that will satisfy even die-hard
fanatics who’ve already sped through the tomes of Akira Kurosawa
information on the bonus discs of other Criterion releases of films by
the Japanese master.
Ran remains an expansive,
introspective mind game loosely based on the Shakespearean epic
King Lear in which an aging king looks back on his life and
bequeaths his kingdom to his three sons. The youngest is secure that
his older brothers will go to war against each other in a vain grasp
for power. Kurosawa takes the familial tumult of Shakespeare’s
tragedy and turns it into a veritable feast for the senses. It’s
not as action-packed as you might expect; that’s definitely a
difficulty for those not versed in Kurosawa who approach Ran
as a samurai-themed motion picture. The three hours you spend within
Ran provide far more than just action and adventure.
As his last film of this type and style, Ran is in
many ways an epitaph for the kind of movies Kurosawa was famous for
constructing. His two biggest fans – George Lucas and Francis
Ford Coppola – paved the way for everything from
Kagemusha until the end of his life. For such a beloved
master filmmaker, Kurosawa had a hell of a time getting his films
financed in his native Japan until Mr. Godfather and Mr.
Star Wars decided to lend a hand, but they also hijacked his
styles and somewhat soiled them.
Today’s blockbuster
ethos don’t allow for the kind of quiet verisimilitude of
Ran, a movie about far more than just battle. Although
Ran succeeds on all fronts - even as an engaging fight-laden
piece - it tries to juxtapose the frenetic pace of war with a more
contemplative measure of cultural assessment. This is not too
dissimilar from the tone conceived by Terence Malick in his majestic
Thin Red Line. For Kurosawa, the blood-soaked narrative
progression of Ran is equally important to the philosophical
and meditative questions the film poses. What is family? What are the
limits of devotion to God and country?
Ran has
been out in stores for a while. If you haven’t already picked up
this new Criterion Collection release, do yourself a favor. Toss that
Masterworks Edition into your nearest circular file and cozy up to one
of the best DVD releases of the year.
The Video:
How Does The Disc Look?
The Masterworks Edition of
Ran was a sin against nature. It was improperly framed,
colors were totally off, and everything just reeked of a rush job.
It’s now time for all Criterion devotees to nestle themselves in
the loving embrace of what a great DVD company can do with Kurosawa
works when it really puts its mind to it. This transfer of
Ran is marvelous. Sure, there are nit-picks to complain
about: flesh tones are a bit off and black levels fluctuate ever so
moderately. But overall, the colors and definition provided in this
long-awaited Criterion DVD release are stunning and delicious. I
don’t know if it’s good enough to call it one of
Criterion’s best transfers, but it’s definitely up
there.
The Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?
The Japanese stereo mix is also lovely, but comparatively
plain. Dialogue comes through fine, as do effects and the film’s
excellent musical score. Criterion preserves the original stereo of
the film’s release with gusto and compared to older Criterion
titles, the sound quality here is quite strong. It’s leaps and
bounds more appropriate than the loosey-goosey 5.1 track found on the
Masterworks Edition.
The audio is supported by English
Closed Captions.
Supplements: What Goodies Are
There?
I believe that Stephen Prince’s
screen-specific audio commentary is a holdover from
the Masterworks Edition, and while it definitely has gaps, this track
is a nice appendix to the film. Prince tends to err on the academic
side of things - there’s not a lot of warmth in his examination
of the film - but all in all, it’s a great complement to the
film. Disc one also comes with a featurette in which
director Sidney Lumet discusses his love of the film. There are also a
few theatrical trailers.
Disc two is where
the meat is. We get Chris Marker’s amazing
documentary, A.K., as well as a thirty-
minute documentary from Akira Kurosawa: It Is
Wonderful to Create (which have appeared on almost all of
Kurosawa’s recent Criterion releases). There’s a 35-minute
construction of Kurosawa’s paintings and sketches made as part
of the Image: Kurosawa’s Continuity series. Rounding
out this edition is a nice interview with actor
Tatsuya Nakadai.
Final Thoughts
A classic film gets a classic DVD treatment. This
Criterion Collection release of Ran is one for the record
books, a DVD edition with enough technological clarity and bonus
goodies for six DVDs. Yes, you’ll be paying a premium for this
Criterion release - it’s unlikely you’ll find Ran
for less than thirty bucks or so - but you won’t be sorry.
Highly recommended.
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