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Akira Kurosawa's RAN - Masterworks Edition (street date: September 9th, 2002) (1 Viewer)

Carrol M

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http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...700946-5788143
Just briefly, it's only available as part of this box set, at least initially.
The single disc will be out in 2003. But it can be had via this box set on September 9th, 2002.
The pre-order is already up and it's exclusive to Amazon.
I had a correspondence (via e-mail) going this morning with Dave at Wellspring (Fox Lorber) and here were my questions about this set and his answers:
My first question:
Yes; this is the new special edition - brand new master.
As for the cover art for the set, it is still being finalized; I anticipate something will be up on Amazon sometime within the next month or so.
Just wanted to give everyone a heads up!
Carrol
 

Jay E

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$130!!!!

I'm really happy that they are re-doing this great film, but at that price I'm definitely going to have to wait till 2003.
 

Carrol M

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That's the MSRP... but it's on sale for $99.99. That's Ran - Masterworks Edition and Kurosawa the documentary along with Kurosawa's last film...all for $99.99.
I'm sure the packaging will be worth it and the new disc of Ran and that documentary will be cool to own, I know you can get it cheaper sooner but I don't feel like waiting for Ran to get a single disc release in 2003.
Life's too short.
Carrol
 

John Knowles

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So gee, how much $$$ did Amazon pay Wellspring to keep the new Ran DVD off the market (till next year) so they can make huge margins on this set???
 

Carrol M

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Oct 22, 2001
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:rolleyes:
They have a perfect right to do so. Call me a sucker if you want but I want to see Kurosawa's Ran in a nice anamophic transfer, the sooner the better.
Carrol
 

MartinTeller

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I am SO buying this box set! Thanks for calling it to my attention!

Are there any special features on Ran?
 

Jay E

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Carrol, I did not know that the Kurosawa documentary was also included which makes the price a little easier to handle. I do not own the documentary or Madadayo so I'm going to have to see about ordering this (it's still a lot of money).
 

Rich Malloy

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Fox-Lorber's "Yi Yi" is an anamorphic disc that was supposed to herald their new-found commitment to quality. And we know what came of that...

I'll buy "RAN" when the good members of this forum confirm its quality. I've been burned for trusting Fox-Lorber one too many times to ever preorder one of their titles.

FWIW, I think the "Madadayo" transfer is quite mediocre, and I would only recommend a rental so that you'll have the opportunity to see K's last film (which I liked a bit more than others, it would seem). So I recommend the film, but not the disc. If this is the quality I should expect for "RAN", then that'll be yet another no-sale for me.
 

Chris Wagner

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Note: This box is limited to only "5,000 individually numbered units".
Thus, this release could turn out to have quite a nice looking box.
There's also a good chance of it selling out at the pre-order stage. (not to cause alarm, but this is possible)
I'm still undecided, even though I've been waiting forever for a better edition of RAN to be released. It's been like what... 3 or 4 years.:frowning:
Also, I'm saw the KUROSAWA doc. on PBS a couple of weeks ago, I was quite impressed. I was actually just getting ready to ordered it, but now I'll wait and decide on the set.
 

Carrol M

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Are there any special features on Ran?
To my knowledge, no.
Except the new title the Masterworks Edition which will be a much more cleaned up print (PROPERLY LETTERBOXED ---and--- ANAMORPHIC 5.1 DD)
That's it.
I know alot of people will wait til Wellspring does the single disc in 2003, but I really want it asap... I have never experienced Ran except on VHS and I even own the current dvd... I popped it in and was pretty disgusted with the odd letterboxing and never watched it again.
Carrol M
 

Carrol M

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I'll buy "RAN" when the good members of this forum confirm its quality. I've been burned for trusting Fox-Lorber one too many times to ever preorder one of their titles.
I hear ya, I mean, I know I don't have the street cred of alot of the fellas around here.
But I can personally attest that the more recent Fox Lorber/Wellspring/Winstar discs I have purchased I have been very happy with.
Namely Francois Ozon's Under the Sand, wonderful anamorphic transfer and commentary by director Ozon.
And Godard's Breathless which has a really nice transfer (much better than any VHS I saw as young movie lover watching classics on VHS...some titles are hideous). Winstar's disc of Breathless was really pretty. I mean, it's 40 years old for gosh sakes and it's not like Criterion's doing their normal 2 year restoration process.
All those factors considered, they've really done alot better job lately on their titles. And with selling some Truffaut's & Fassbinder's to Criterion (some of which Criterion once owned)... their getting even rosier in my eyes.
I can understand being hesitant. I just had to share my enthusiasm for this one though, this is a biggie in my book. Some folks have their eventual Star Wars announcement, and I have my Ran re-release. :)
Carrol
 

Garrett Lundy

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Set comes with 4 5x7 pictures, a Ran mini-poster, and a japanese style miniature Shoji screen. How much of the $130msrp went towards this crap? I keep having flashbacks to the "Big Box" of Enter the Dragon(also avaliable in The Matrix and other fine films), with booklets, print cells, soundtrack cd..when all I wanted was the movie.
 

Ted Todorov

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And Godard's Breathless which has a really nice transfer (much better than any VHS I saw as young movie lover watching classics on VHS...some titles are hideous). Winstar's disc of Breathless was really pretty. I mean, it's 40 years old for gosh sakes and it's not like Criterion's doing their normal 2 year restoration process.
Even without the restoration process (which I doubt takes two years) at least they could have bothered to tranfer it from a 35mm print instead of a 16mm print. And there is absolutely NO reason for a 40 year old 35mm movie NOT to look spectacular.
I have seen plenty of films much older than Breathless with good new prints, and they look great! And I've seen Breathless itself looking spiffy.
Sorry, but F-L's treatment of Breathless is an argument for NOT trusting them. "much better than any VHS" is not much of an advertisement. There is something seriously wrong with ANY DVD that isn't much better than VHS.
Anyway, I just ordered two brand new Wellspring/F-L movies and I'll report on the quality as soon as I get them. I just saw in another thread though that one of them, The New Waterford Girl is not anamorphic, so by all current evidence, the "new" Wellspring is exactly the same as the old Fox-Lorber -- in a different universe from studios like Anchor Bay or Criterion that take pride in their work and care about quality.
Ted
 

Brook K

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Just sold my old disc at a yard sale, but I don't think I'll be picking up this package especially if Ran has no special features, $99 for a movie and doc, even one as good as Ran is outrageous; plus I already own Madadayo.
I actually think the Madadayo disc is fine, not a great transfer, but I've seen far worse from them. I also think it's a great film, standing comfortably next to Ran as his best work post-50's.
 

Carrol M

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so by all current evidence, the "new" Wellspring is exactly the same as the old Fox-Lorber
Have you seen Ozon's Under the Sand? I doubt it, if you had then you would know what I'm talking about.
Look, they'll never be as good as Criterion or Anchor Bay. But they're doing a much better job than they ever did before.
Sometimes I wonder if people just like to gripe about a little speck of grain here or there, just to gripe for chrissakes.
I mean, isn't the point to have and own the film and to be able to watch it at your leisure. Maybe it's not feesable for them to do a total restoration of Breathless, but I can tell you for sure... I owned the Criterion laser disc and have owned the dvd from F/L... F/L's dvd is better than Criterion's laser.
And I'm a huge Criterion fan.
 

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