Kurosawa Akira's Ran on in cinemas in June and on 4K UHD in July
9 May 2025
StudioCanal has announced that Kurosawa Akira’s Oscar and BAFTA award-winning Ran (1985) will return to UK cinemas on 27 June to mark the 40th anniversary of the master filmmaker’s final film.
An exclusive 40th Anniversary UHD/Blu-ray Collector’s Edition will be available to own from 21 July. This special four-disc edition comes complete with a host of extras-material including the breath-taking soundtrack composed by Tôru Takemitsu (Harakiri) and a 100-page booklet.
StudioCanal has commissioned the acclaimed artist Sterling Hundley to create the stunning new artwork that accompanies the film’s anniversary release and which effectively pays homage to the film’s iconic visuals via Hundley’s distinct style.
RAN (which translates as ‘turmoil’) is Kurosawa Akira’s profound exploration of Shakespeare’s King Lear intertwined with the historical backdrop of Japan’s 16th century Civil Wars and the legendary tale of Morikawa, a feudal warlord with three sons. Kurosawa’s final film was immediately recognised as a masterpiece upon its release and garnered numerous awards, including the Oscar for Best Costume Design and BAFTA awards for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Makeup.
Hidetora Ichimonji (Nakadai Tatsuya – Yojimbo, Kagemusha) is an ageing warlord who, after spending his life consolidating his empire, decides to abdicate and divide his kingdom amongst his three sons, Taro (Terao Akira – Letter from the Mountain, Dreams), Jiro (Nezu Jinpachi – The Man in White, Red Shadow: Akakage) and Saburo (Ryû Daisuke - Tono monogatari, Gojo reisenki: Gojoe).
When Hidetora’s youngest son Saburo voices concerns about the wisdom of his father’s plan, claiming that treachery within the family will be inevitable, Hidetora mistakes these comments for a threat and banishes him. This allows Taro and Jiro to take the reins of power unopposed, leading to a brutal and bloody struggle to win absolute power.
Majestic in scope, Ran is a profound examination of the folly of war and the crumbling of one family under the weight of betrayal, greed and the insatiable thirst for power.
About the Restoration
In 2015, Ran was meticulously restored in digital 4K by French laboratory Éclair under StudioCanal and Kadokawa Pictures' supervision. Based on an original negative, the majority of the restoration work was carried out manually, image by image.
The restoration’s colour grading was approved by Masaharu Ueda, one of the three cinematographers who worked on Ran and were nominated for an Academy Award, BAFTA and other awards for their work. As there has previously been some disagreement about the considerably varying colour palettes of the film’s various DVD and Blu-ray releases, it can be hoped that with Ueda’s involvement in the restoration process, a definitive digital transfer has been created which closely matches the original intentions of Kurosawa and his cinematographers.
Ran will be released as a 40th Anniversary Collector's Edition on 3-disc UHD/Blu-ray on 21 July at the pre-order price of £45.
40th ANNIVERSARY COLLECTOR'S EDITION SPECIAL FEATURES:
