If you thought you were going to be picking up Akira Kurosawa's Ran on Criterion Blu-ray on May 12 you better adjust your expectations as I just received the following update:

Hello – Criterion's two-disc special edition of RAN is now out of print, and the previously announced Blu-ray edition has been withdrawn from the schedule due to a rights issue.

This is a definite bummer and, who knows, it could be a temporary thing and the rights will be squared away and we will find it back on the release schedule, but for now it's a no go.

As I mentioned in my On DVD Today article earlier today, I just watched Kurosawa's Kagemusha and after watching it all I could think about was how I couldn't wait to give Ran another viewing and this time on proper Blu-ray format. The only other time I have seen Ran was on an anamorphic DVD which left a lot to be desired and left me with a sour taste toward the film itself. Watching what equates to a thumbnail version of the film on a 42" screen is not the ideal way to see it.

However, there are still some great Criterion Blu-ray releases in the future such as the new edition of The Seventh Seal, The Wages of Fear and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
Stay tuned as I will continue to bring you updates as they are announced.

Related post categories: Blu-ray : Ran

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