2) WellSpring Masterworks R1 - NTSC SECOND

3) Fox/Lorber - NTSC - THIRD

4) Studio Canal (4K Restored)  - Region 'B' - Blu-ray  - RIGHT

WellSpring

Region 1  - NTSC

Production

Criterion Collection

Twister Digital Video

Universal (Europe)

Warner Bros. (UK)

WellSpring

Fox Lorber

Runtime

2:42:25 

2:23:50 (4% PAL speedup)

2:35:30

2:23:50 (4% PAL speedup)

2:40:00 

2:45:12

Video

1.85:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced
Average Bitrate: 5.69 mb/s
NTSC 960X540 29.97 f/s

16X9 enhanced
Average Bitrate: 4.57 mb/s
PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s

16X9 enhanced
Average Bitrate: 6.35 mb/s
PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s

16X9 enhanced
Average Bitrate: 6.15 mb/s
PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s

1.85:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced
Average Bitrate: 6.24 mb/s
NTSC 960X540 29.97 f/s

1.85:1 Original Aspect Ratio 

Average Bitrate: 5.93

NTSC 704x480 29.97 f/s

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes

Blu-ray

Blu-ray details:

Total Bitrate: 16.86 Mbps

Dual-layered Blu-ray VC-1 Video

Runtime: 2:42:16.309

Audio:

DTS-HD Master Audio French 1850 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1850 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit)
DTS-HD Master Audio Japanese 1813 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1813 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit)
DTS-HD Master Audio English 943 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 943 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 16-bit)
DTS-HD Master Audio German 929 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 929 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 16-bit)
DTS-HD Master Audio Italian 1696 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1696 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit)
DTS-HD Master Audio Japanese 932 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 932 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 16-bit)
DTS-HD Master Audio Spanish 940 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 940 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 16-bit)

Subtitles:

English, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Spanish, Swedish, none

Extras:

AK - (French documentary with 'fixed' English subtitles) - 1:11:32 in SD
Akira Kurosawa: The Epic and the Intimate - (French/Japanese documentary with 'fixed' English subtitles) - 41:49 in SD
The Samurai - 52:47 in SD
Art of the Samurai - 41:10 in SD
French Trailer - 2:00
20-page liner notes booklet with photos essays
BD Live

Blu-ray

Blu-ray details:

Total Bitrate: 36.15 Mbps

Dual-layered Blu-ray MPEG-4 AVC

Runtime: 2:42:06.216

Audio: LPCM Audio Japanese 3072 kbps 4.0 / 48 kHz / 3072 kbps / 16-bit

Subtitles: Japanese, none

Extras: None

Bitrate:

Optimum + Criterion + Twister + Universal

Bitrate:

Warner +

Wellspring + Fox Lorber

Blu-ray

Blu-ray details:

Total Bitrate: 26.00 Mbps

• AK (1:11:35)
• Akira Kurosawa: The Epic and The Intimate (41:49)
• Akira Kurosawa by Catherine Cadou (14:05)
• Art of the Samurai (41:11)
• Interview with the Director of Photography - Mr Ueda (10:25)
• Interview with Michael Brooke (16:13)
• Interview with Ms Mieko Harada (20:42)
• Stage appearance at Tokyo International Film Festival 2015 (15:00)
• The Samurai (52:47)

Blu-ray Release Date: April + May, 2016 (depending on country)

Audio

Japanese (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround) .

Japanese (Dolby Digital 2.0), Japanese with Russian voiceover (Dolby Digital 2.0)

Japanese 5.1, English dub 2.0, German dub 2.0

Japanese (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), Japanese (Dolby Digital 5.1 Mono),

Japanese (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)

Subtitles

English, and none

Russian, none

English, German, Dutch, none

English (non - removable)

English, and none

Burnt in English

Features

Edition Details:
• 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
• 28-page liner notes booklet featuring film critic Michael Wilmington and interviews with Kurosawa and composer Toru Takemitsu

Release Information:
Studio: Twister Digital Video (Russia)

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen letterboxed - 1.85:1


Edition Details:
• Trailer
• Biographies
• Trailers for other Twister releases

DVD Release Date: 2003
Keep case with cardoard cover
Chapters 25

Release Information:
Studio: Wellspring Media, In

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen anamorphic - 1.85:1

Edition Details:
• Commentary by film historian Stephen Prince, author of The Warrior's Camera: The Cinema of Akira Kurosawa
• Commentary by filmmaker and Japanese specialist Peter Grilli, producer of Kurosawa
• New high-definition transfer, digitally restored
• Production notes
• Restoration demo
• Kurosawa filmography
• European and home video trailers
• Widescreen anamorphic format

DVD Release Date: September 23, 2002 in the Kurosawa Box Set or April 15, 2003 individually.
Keep Case

Release Information:
Studio: Fox Lorber

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen letterbox - 1.85:1

Edition Details:

Trailer - Eng narrative with Eng subtitles 1:30
• Awards
• Widescreen letterbox format

DVD Release Date: April 16, 2002
Keep Case

Studio Canal gives the option of a DTS-HD Master 5.1 surround at 2181 kbps (16-bit) or a similar, lossless, 2.0 channel transfer option - plus English, French or German DUBs - also in uncompressed. The unforgettable score is by iconic Tôru Takemitsu (Hiroshi Teshigahara's Pitfall, Antonio Gaudí and Woman in the Dunes, Masahiro Shinoda's Pale Flower, Masaki Kobayashi's Kwaidan plus Rikyu, Shohei Imamura's Black Rain, Kurosawa's Dodes'ka-den etc. etc.), Even at 16-bit the lossless sounds majestic and powerful - meshing with the film's epic visuals to create a hypnotic, almost overpowering, presentation.  There are optional English, French or German subtitles and the disc is region 'B'-locked.

On the first Blu-ray disc - sharing the dual-layered transfer with the feature film is a 9-minute French-language piece on the specifics of the 4-K restoration. It's very informative and detailed documenting the difficulties and successes - it has optional subtitles. On the second Blu-ray disc (also dual-layered) we get the full edition of AK - Chris marker's 75-minute look at the making of RAN - as found on both the 2005 Criterion and 2006 Optimum DVDs. Akira Kurosawa: The Epic and the Intimate is another French documentary film (as found on the LionsGate Blu-ray) that contains interviews with some European filmmakers and their view of Kurosawa. It touches upon his relationship with his crew and working methods - from that standpoint it is highly interesting. It runs 42-minutes. Akira Kurosawa by Catherine Cadou runs almost 1/4 of an hour in French with subtitles. She is known for her translation work with Kurosawa (Press conferences etc.) and on Kurosawa's Way (2011), Our Little Sister (2015) and Dreams (1990). Art of the Samurai runs over 40-minutes and gives some excellent historical background. There are interviews with the , the Director of Photography - Mr. Ueda runs about 10-minutes -  cinematographer Shôji Ueda talks about the storyboard preparation, meticulous colors in costumes etc., an informative piece of an overview of Kurosawa's career from Michael Brooke for 16-minutes along with representations of King Lear to RAN. We also get a 21-minute conversation with Ms. Mieko Harada who discusses her important role as Lady Kaede in RAN - it's inception, how she got the job, rehearsal adjustments etc. (Japanese with English subtitles.) Fans of the film might appreciate a 1/4 hour stage appearance at Tokyo International Film Festival 2015 introducing the 4K-restoration and the, almost hour-long The Samurai - an English language film talking about the historical context of the samurai spirit, and its rigid code celebrated and admired in present-day Japan (as also found on the LionsGate Blu-ray).

My only excessively fastidious reservations of this new release are a lack of commentary and the use of only 16-bit audio - as opposed to 24. I will reiterate that I can't speak to the colors of this 4K-restored Blu-ray release but, in my opinion, the image was, by far, the best I have ever seen Kurosawa's RAN in-motion in my home theater. Nothing leads me to believe anything has been manipulated or there are any biases, diverging from its original source . This makes this the definitive digital presentation for this epic film and the extensive supplements (approaching 5 hours worth) add essential value. Our highest recommendation. It has elevated to being a must-own Blu-ray.  

ADDITION LionsGate / Maple Films Blu-ray Feb 2010:  Firstly, unlike other Studio Canal Collections - RAN apparently has a different disc in North America (with a later release date) than the UK (Optimum) and French (Studio Canal) versions from Europe. Unlike those earlier Blu-rays this is region 'A'-locked. From what I can tell we (North America) simply lose Catherine Cadou's 15-minute 'Akira Kurosawa' supplement (probably a rights issue) but I strongly suspect the dual-layered VC-1 video transfer is exactly the same.

1) Some reviewers have stated the video transfer is a duplicate of Universal Studio Canal's 2007 French HD-DVD disc previously available HERE simply because it is VC-1. It obviously cannot be as the feature file size on the Blu-ray is almost 44 Gig - exceeding the capacity of the now defunct format.

2) While there is edge enhancement, I had to zoom in quite extensively to find evidence of the halos produced by that practice. It looks to me like they are more inherent in the print than produced by the new transfer. But, saying that, it does exist and those sensitive to it may make issue. It didn't seem anywhere near as prominent as on the SC HD-DVD.

3) It is significantly sharper with more film grain than the DNR'ed Jesnet Japanese Blu-ray.

4) The grain is inconsistent and clunky and there is some chromatic shifting going on with edges showing color traces that shouldn't be there.

 - Gary W. Tooze

***

ADDITION Jesnet Blu-ray Feb 2009: This new Blu-ray seems flawed to me. Either it has come from a non-HD source (up-converts from SD sources!) or has been boosted and has heavy DNR. I have issues with the image quality. Click on the 2nd large capture below (with horses) and see how flat and plastic this dual-layered Blu-ray presents itself. Surely RAN should not look this hazy - colors seem frequently altered (although some will tell us more accurate to theatrical - I defer to them) and detail is uncompromisingly dampened with what appears to be compression artifacts. There are light damage speckles. Even the edge-enhanced French HD-DVD may have been superior.

On the positive colors do exhibit the striking vibrancy that I have heard was apparent in theatrical (at times look amazingly brilliant) but see in the last large capture both fire and flags appear boosted although this tends to support the Criterion scheme. It looks far better in motion - and the more I watch it the better I like it. I'd love to hear from individuals who have experience with seeing this theatrically.

Once again there are no English subtitles (only Japanese) and I can find no extra features on this disc.

At this point, this is a thumbs down - if the lack of English subtitles wasn't enough of a deterrent. Stick with the Criterion or Optimum DVD packages - as discussed below - and let's wait for someone to get this right - a premium choice for high-definition.

Gary Tooze

***

ADDITION: Optimum (2-disc) - Region 2- PAL November 2005': - This new transfer by Optimum is very beautiful. It differs significantly from the previously UK Region 2 Warner transfer, as the Warner appears to have some contrast boosting affecting the colors. It also differs from Criterion Region 1 transfer, as Criterion has a richer, darker image, yet is more compressed than Optimum, as when you zoom in, Criterion reveals more visible compression artifacts than Optimum. To be honest, I do not recall the deep colors of Criterion from my theatrical experience many years ago. To me, there always have been a pale element to the colors, thus I am inclined to favor the Optimum.

Sound is a remixed and cleaned 2.0 Dolby Digital Mono, which has no noise and is very solid. There also is a 5.1 Dolby Digital track, but I do prefer the 2.0 Mono, as there is no real surround or separation on the 5.1.

The additional material is the same as on Warners R2, namely the 71 minute documentary by Chris Marker, here presented in 1.66:1 16x9. It is a superb documentary and needs no comments.

 - Henrik Sylow

***

ADDITION: Criterion - November 2005 - Initial first impressions are - The Criterion has the sharpest appearance (see capture # 2- the clothes) and the colors have the most natural, non-manipulated look. At times the image is much darker than the other 5 releases although this is not consistent. There doesn't appear to be any cropping on the Criterion release and of course the package is super-stacked with extras. From what I have heard of the commentary so far it sounds wonderful, but I will report back when I have more time to thoroughly get to all the extra features. I've seen Marker's 'AK' and it alone is a magnificent addition. It appears that all other releases show varying degrees of contrast boosting (generally speaking). This Criterion DVD looks just fabulous on my system and I am confident that they have once again risen to the occasion and given us another definitive edition of a masterwork film in the digital medium. Bravo!

The Fox/Lorber edition is a mess. The colors have been fiddled with, contrast turned up in spots and subtitles are VERY poorly displayed as well as burnt in.  The WellSpring MasterWorks edition in the Kurosawa Boxset ( also set for individual release in April - 03 ) is anamorphic with two well-done commentaries / option for 5.1 and original soundtracks and a much tighter image. Each capture below shows further evidence of the improved WellSpring quality. This is an easy choice for Kurosawa fans. I cannot explain the discrepancies in the times unless the Masterworks edition did not adjust for the PAL speedup. 

 - Gary W. Tooze