Not an April Fool's joke. Criterion on their website has written that Akira Kurosawa's Ran is now out of print as rights went out, and their upcoming Blu-Ray, cancelled.

If you haven't gottne it, now is the time.

I see the DVD is listed as OOP but where do they say that the Blu-Ray was cancelled? I can't find it

Confirmed here.

Ah, ok. It just sounded like it was announced on their website. Thanks!

Looks like there will be a run on the DVD.

A run on Ran?

I have the two crappy Wellspring DVDs but never got around to picking up the Criterion, then figured I wouldn't have to with the Blu coming up.

A lot of fans will be pissed.

Thanks OP.

Been meaning to pick this up as well as Dodes'ka-Den. Picked up both for $45.66 at DVDPacific.

Nice.

the SDVD can still be had online at normal prices.

That won't last long. It could start drying up as soon as this time next week.

don't know about that. this is what, a 3.5 year release already, and they are still plentiful. don't think it will go away anytime too soon. eventually sure, but if they haven't rid of them now they certainly won't dry up in a week or two or three...

Just bought a copy last night.

Thanks for the heads-up, OP. Been meaning to buy this, so I just ordered it from Amazon. It's still listed as in stock.

I doubt this will be the case. Look at the Batman Animated collection. A lot pricier than a criterion, still a new release at the time it went OOP & available at every on-line retailer. Then within a few weeks of going OOP, sold out everywhere & going for $150+ on ebay. I agree Ran will not be instantly hard to find, but a loaded Criterion, & one of, if not his second most well known film, if one were to say, wait till X-mas to pick this up, they will likely have a hard time of it.

I've been selling my SD versions of movies almost as soon as the Blu's have been announced, luckily I kept my criterion Ran since I haven't even opened it yet. Glad I did.

Been meaning to pick this up and never have. Ordering now. I'm guessing that it's a small snafu that will be resolved (what with the plans Criterion had for the Blu and from what I take from Noirfan's email), but just in case, I'm all over this now.

Was going to sell my Criterion version shortly in anticipation of purchasing the blu-ray version. I'm glad I didn't and am very disappointed the blu-ray has been canceled as that was one of the few Criterion's I was willing to upgrade.

They may just renegotiate their rights and reissue it soon on both blu and dvd. Lately Criterion has been doing this with Nights of Cabiria, Quai des Orfevres and others and then the oop status is short lived. But this one could be different. In fact this is a studio canal title and all those have had their rights successfully renegotiated.

im just throwing this out there, but a janus release could be possible to no?

I'm not sure if it was a janus release because it doesnt appear to be in the Janus arthouse boxset.

Nights of Cabiria was the last CC that I pick-up a last month for "wait for it" $7.99 WOW@!$#$

As for RAN going OOP that a trip has any other Kurosawsa DvD's when OOP other than those older releases that have been remastered!

Ran was licensed from Wellspring back in the days before Genius Products bought them out. The Weinsteins currently prefer to sit on the Wellspring catalog (some things never change), so I'm guessing they declined to renew Criterion's license. I hope I'm wrong.

The Criterion of Ran was a day one buy for me, but I was hoping to replace it on Blu-ray. Guess not.

Thank God, I was a Kurosawa Criterion shopping spree fall '07. Glad I own it..

Dammit I sold off my DVD last month in anticipation. That will teach me for breaking my own rule on not selling a DVD until I have the Blu-ray.