Criterion cancels blu-ray Ran, DVD out of print?

Bugger! I do have the excellent Studio Canal HD but it has no English sub-titles. See screenshots here for what we might be missing with no blu-ray version: http://kurosawa.jokerman.net/ran.html

However I do prefer the Optimum Home Entertainment version to the Criterion: http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000I5XNJC/languagnewsfo-21

Can I ask how Blu-ray is going to make older films look better? I mostly watch old black and white movies and can’t see how they can be improved. For example would a blu-ray version of Seven Samurai be better that what is out now?

Ralph DeLuca
Madison, NJ

Hi Ralph! That’s a very good question. In fact, we discussed this a couple of years ago when the French HD-DVD release of “Ran” came out. You can find the comments here.

Of course, if anyone has new information to add, feel free to continue to discussion here (rather than in the old thread).

This may very well just be an artifact from when Ran was slated to release on Blu-ray through Criterion, however I thought I would point it out. Borders.com currently has a pre-order available for the Ran BR from Criterion with a slotted release date of July 21st. This release date would indicate to me that Criterion was down the home stretch on this title and it really sucks if it were cancelled so late in the game. Sports analogies for movie nerds. Nonsensical…

http://www.borders.com/online/store/TitleDetail?sku=715515045216

It’s interesting that they would list July 21st as the release date. The set was supposed to come out on May 12.

Could something be going on? I guess not, as the Criterion page still fails to mention any blu-ray release, and continues to list the DVD as out of print.