Is Criterion joking at this point now by not including one of the DVD features on the new blu-ray!? That sucks.
A 35-minute video piece reconstructing Ran through Kurosawa’s paintings and sketches, created as part of the series Image: Kurosawa’s Continuity (NOTE: not included in the Blu-ray edition)
CC
Whaaat. I wonder what the reason would be for that….
I have no idea, but it’s very upsetting, to say the least. Hopefully, some light is shed sooner than later on the reason for this.
Usually, when a feature is deleted, it’s because the licensing has expired, that is, it’s licensed for one use, but not for the second, which has to be negotiated anew. If the copyright holders want more money, or just don’t want it used, then that’s it. The person to ask is not so much Criterion, as the original creator and/or rights holder.
Jon Paul nailed it. The license expired on that one.
Well, it’s too bad that the licensing expired and wasn’t renewed for the blu-ray release. It’ll be interesting, too, to see how Criterion handles any future 2-disc blu-ray releases considering their current packaging for blu-ray discs. Or, if they’ll only stick to single-disc releases and drop features from the standard DVD releases just so that a second disc won’t be necessary.?
Why not just package disc 2 from the DVD edition along with the blu-ray?
Or include a copy of the DVD edition with every blu-ray purchase.
The price point must also be taken into consideration, here. By going to one disc, be it through small sacrifices (i.e., Last Emperor’s extended television version) or creative (read: frugal) packaging, Criterion can actually offer the HD transfer at a lower price than the standard counterpart.
The decisions that Criterion are making in regards to the HD market are defining, like never before, their genuine concern for the consumer. These guys are really going out of their way to find feasible ways to survive in this burgeoning format. This is a risky move for a small company and I, for one, applaud Criterion for their efforts to provide us with the best value for our dollar.
And as far as value goes, can anyone name a more beautiful and complete single-disc edition than Criterion’s blu-ray of THE THIRD MAN?
On any format?
Ever?
Is the Chris Marker film also an HD trasfer or standard?
Did anyone else notice that ran disappeared from the blu-ray “coming soon” list. I hope this is just a mistake.
It’s not a mistake. The DVD is now officially listed as out of print too.
that is bad news, I wanted to get RAN on blu-ray
Devastating.
I wonder if Ran going out of print has anything to do with that idiot lawyer taking over the rights from AB Svensk Filmindustri because of some Colorado movie theatre going bankrupt.
a blu-ray release of this is now available from studio canal. www.studiocanal-collection.com
Not for another five and a half weeks. And from what I’ve heard, the transfer isn’t going to be anything to be excited about. I’ll probably just end up sticking with my Criterion DVD set.
pmpboarder
Thank you, Criterion team. This was a nice surprise to wake up to today. I eagerly look forward to experiencing this one in hi-def. Bring on the tech specs!