453 Chungking Express

[Cabiria21]

Bah. Blu-Ray pushed back until December.

[bdsweeney]

You know, it may be a personal taste, but I'm not a big fan of the softer, brightened image of the Criterion. Perhaps the faded feel is more in line with Doyle's vision, but I'd always liked the darkened, lit-by-neon look of the film. And I think the Artificial Eye version seems to capture this best. I didn't even think the Miramax version was that horrible either.

My biggest problem with the Miramax/AE was the aspect ratio/non-anamorphic issues.

Try the HD Telecine Remastered Edition (DVD) (DTS) Region-3 edition. I'm very pleased with it and the English subs are fine.



Used to have the Miramax version, but this blew it out of the water.

Very sharp and vibrant to my eyes. Don't think this capture does it justice, but here it is anyway:

[Murdoch]

Based on the captures on the DVD Asian site I just had to buy this. I now have three versions: I'll probably sell the Miramax, use the Criterion for extras, and - if the picture is as good as the captures - use the R3 DVD to watch. Thanks a lot, bdsweeney!

[jaredsap]

Simply put, one of the most deliciously film-like images I've seen on Blu-ray to date... the transfer has been so carefully prepared, I actually forgot I was looking at a Blu-ray Disc. The presentation is almost transparent - I felt as if I were watching actual film projection in a theatre.

Full review here.

[jaredsap]

And here's Glenn Kenny:

Criterion's Blu-ray of Chungking Express is a revelation. It should thrill cinephiles and tech wonks in equal measure... Pretty much every frame of the film is packed with vivid, contrasting colors, and one of the strengths of the high-def version is how fixed and solid the colors are. Flesh tones are beautifully exact. Film grain, a bedbug of certain high-def advocates, is spectacularly intact... Bottom line: a fantastic Blu-ray debut from Criterion and an essential addition to any High-Def home library.

[Jun-Dai]

Just got mine in the mail today (w/ The Third Man). I am very excited about it, although I have to say, the packaging seems pretty cheap and shoddy

As long as the image comes even somewhat close to thedigitalbits' review, I'll be happy, though.

[denti alligator]

The Beev comparison is a bit perplexing. The Blu-ray appears to my eyes 100% identical to the SD edition.

[psufootball07]

Yeah it does look very similar, glad I still purchase SD, as the DVD box is 100x better than the crap the Blu-Rays are in.

[exte]

The Beev comparison is a bit perplexing. The Blu-ray appears to my eyes 100% identical to the SD edition.

Right, they both use the same hd transfer source, except one is 1920x1080...

[basebalzac]

The Criterion audio has been RE-MIXED. They say remastered, but sections have definitely been re-mixed. Example: When Cop 663 (Tony Leung) meets Faye (Faye Wong) for the first time, in the original mix "California Dreamin'" is blasting ("You like LOUD music?"), louder than the dialogue (which is still intelligible, though just barely), uncomfortably loud.
In the new version, "California Dreamin'" is much less loud, AND reverb and compression have been added in order to make it sound like the music is coming from a cheap boom-box. The effect is dramatic: the original, astonishing, audacious mix has been replace with a more conventional sounding, unremarkable mix.

[exte]

The Criterion audio has been RE-MIXED. They say remastered, but sections have definitely been re-mixed. Example: When Cop 663 (Tony Leung) meets Faye (Faye Wong) for the first time, in the original mix "California Dreamin'" is blasting ("You like LOUD music?"), louder than the dialogue (which is still intelligible, though just barely), uncomfortably loud.
In the new version, "California Dreamin'" is much less loud, AND reverb and compression have been added in order to make it sound like the music is coming from a cheap boom-box. The effect is dramatic: the original, astonishing, audacious mix has been replace with a more conventional sounding, unremarkable mix.

Well that's just perfect. Why fuck with the movie? Why pay $30+ for something altered? (Now I sound like those Star Wars freaks..) But was this the same case with the R2 editions?

[Narshty]

Well, they were quick to point out it was a WKW-approved soundtrack.

[pro-bassoonist]

Well that's just perfect. Why fuck with the movie? Why pay $30+ for something altered? (Now I sound like those Star Wars freaks..) But was this the same case with the R2 editions?

It is actually pretty close to being perfect. It is also, arguably, a good idea to see and hear the print first, on Blu-ray, before you start assuming, incorrectly, that the film has been fucked with. Especially, when it is explicitly noted that both the audio and video remasters were approved by Mr. Kai-Wai.

Pro-B

[kaujot]

Having only seen In the Mood for Love and 2046 before this, I'd have to say that this is my favorite Kar-Wai film. It's certainly the most grounded in reality, and I think that's probably why.

With the other films, Kar-Wai overly stressed his images to the detriment of the story and pacing of the film (though I love most of the slow-mo sequences in Love). I got a feeling of emptiness, especially from 2046.

In Express, though, every part of the film is alive, from the story to the characters to the camera work and so on.

It's definitely given me the bug to rewatch the previously mentioned 2, and to seek out others from his filmography.

[Matango]

Just FYI for the previous couple of posters, the director's surname is Wong. Kar-wai is his first name, although his family and close friends would most probably call him Ah-wai, as is the informal tradition in Cantonese.

[Murdoch]

Glad you liked it, kaujot. I'd suggest seeing Fallen Angels next since it is meant as a sort of double bill with Chungking, it has a darker tone throughout but its story is told in a similar fashion.

I've always felt that Wong's films took a downturn after his 90s input since his work in the 00's seem more concentrated on a structured story (even Blueberry stuck within the confines of the road movie), which sort of defeats the playfulness that was present in Wong's earlier films. He's been my favorite director for a while now largely due to his 90s work, which I feel so far represents him at the peak of his artistic abilities. I'd also suggest Days of Being Wild and Happy Together, the former is interesting in seeing Wong develop his style and methods of storytelling, and the latter is sort of the apex of Wong's romanticism and can be seen as a sort of prerequisite to ITMFL, since both focus on one primary relationship that is ill-fated. As Tears Go By is an average melodrama, and it really is him before he settled on a distinct style, although it showcases Wong's appreciation of the American gangster film and its got some nice overacting, which I always enjoy. Ashes of Time I reserve judgment on until I see the redux, since my last viewing was it posted on youtube with terrible audio and picture.

[Matango]

Some critics in HK give Chris Doyle a lot of credit for Wong's style/international success, and see Fruit Chan as a more innovative and original home-grown director.

[Murdoch]

Some critics in HK give Chris Doyle a lot of credit for Wong's style/international success, and see Fruit Chan as a more innovative and original home-grown director.

I'd agree with the point on Doyle, once they teamed up Wong's work drastically improved, and there is a noticeable downturn without Doyle on Blueberry. Haven't heard of Chan, but will certainly be checking him out.

[Matango]

There's a Wikipedia page on Chan, that's a place to start for basic background. His films are much more in the realms of cinema verite than Wong's, and he uses non-actors a lot. Most of his stuff is on DVD but it's region 3, I think, and prob OOP, so you'd have to look on eBay. I recommend Made in Hong Kong, Hollywood-Hong Kong and Durian, Durian as good films to start with. You can find some clips on Youtube.

[Murdoch]

Thanks for the info, I'm always looking for new directors and based on the clips I'll probably love it.

[Matango]

Ur welcome. I should have mentioned Chan's Dumplings (2004), too, which was shot by Doyle.

[bigP]

Ur welcome. I should have mentioned Chan's Dumplings (2004), too, which was shot by Doyle.

And of course the original short of Dumplings made for the anthology piece, Three Extremes, was also shot by Doyle, and I felt was a stronger piece than the full length version (which was still very good).

[Rich Malloy]

I'm glad to have seen both, but I prefer the feature-length version of "DUMPLINGS"... if only for that much more of Doyle's brilliant camera work! And the HK Megastar DVD has quite a strong transfer derived from a fairly pristine print, and comes housed in an excellent package (including a nice red slipbox with, um, tastefully minimal cover art). I'd love to see some more Fruit Chan films, but have never seen any other DVDs available nor any theatrical showings.

Regardind the HD vs. SD "CHUNGKING" grabs, there does appear to be less difference than is apparent on, say,"Bottle Rocket" or "The Third Man". I'd thought much the same about the comparisons between the Tartan and other SD versions of "Days of Being Wild" compared to the HK BD, and hesitated quite a bit before purchasing (the dodgy subtitling was also a factor). But a direct A:B comparison of the Tartan WKW-Collection release upscaled to 1080i via Oppo and the HK-BD also at 1080i via Panny BD30 reveals that the BD has a much improved image in motion (not to mention a far superior audio track and much more pristine source material). None of this was anywhere near as readily apparent to me from the stills. Perhaps "Chungking" will be similar in this regard?

[Telstar]

Just finished comparing the blu-ray with the SD edition of Chungking Express, and to my eye they're very nearly indistinguishable from one another. Maybe my expectations were simply too high, but I'm more than a little disappointed with my first Criterion blu-ray. And that packaging really does seem cheap and shoddy, particularly coming from Criterion.

[swo17]

How big is your TV?