339 Yi Yi

[Buttery Jeb]

Yi Yi



The extraordinary, internationally embraced Yi Yi (A One and a Two . . .), directed by the late Taiwanese master Edward Yang, follows a middle-class family in Taipei over the course of one year, beginning with a wedding and ending with a funeral. Whether chronicling middle-age father NJ’s tentative flirtations with an old flame or precocious young son Yang-Yang’s attempts at capturing reality with his beloved camera, the filmmaker deftly imbues every gorgeous frame with a compassionate clarity. Warm, sprawling, and dazzling, this intimate epic is one of the undisputed masterworks of the new century.

Special Features

- Newly restored digital transfer (with DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition)
- Audio commentary by writer-director Edward Yang and Asian-cinema critic Tony Rayns
- Video interview with Rayns about Yang and the New Taiwan Cinema movement
- U.S. theatrical trailer
- Optional English subtitle translation by Yang and Rayns
- PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by Kent Jones and notes from the director


Criterionforum.org user rating averages

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[backstreetsbackalright]

Please god, I hope I wrote that correctly. Must be licensed from Wellspring.

Wow! That's a fierce rebuttal to that "How Much Were You Personally Injured By Criterion In 2006" thread!

And yet, is it ungrateful to ask, why not Brighter Summer Day? I'm not the most critical when it comes to transfers, image quality, etc., but I have no real beef with the existing Yi Yi disc.

[Narshty]

The Wellspring seems to still be in print, so this must be a MAJOR favourite of someone at Criterion (I'd guess Peter Becker) to go to all this trouble of sub-licensing a fairly recent film and putting out their own edition (even before Breathless, The Puppetmaster, Eric Rohmer, etc, though that's not to say they aren't on the way).

None of which reflects badly on the film though, which is a lovely addition to the collection.

[FilmFanSea]

The Winstar/Fox Lorber version of Yi Yi is a bleary abomination. I own the (now OOP) Korean Starmax DVD, but I would trade up for some extras.

Though I would've preferred Taipei Story, A Brighter Summer Day, or Mahjong (none of which--AFAIK--have been released on DVD anywhere in the world [the crappy, OOP VCDs don't count]), but there is no debating that Yi Yi is a bona fide masterpiece that deserves a much wider audience, which Criterion can now provide. I will be ecstatic if more of Yang's films are in the pipeline.

Tremendous news. Perfect, Perfect, Perfect cover. Bravo!

[backstreetsbackalright]

Thanks for the word on the Fox Lorber edition, FilmFanSea. Seriously, I have no frame of reference for these things. Years of Chantal Akerman VHS has ruined my ability to make value judgments on visual clarity.

Yi Yi will be one of the CC's 10 most contemporary films. The last film introduced from the 00s, far as I can tell, was Life Aquatic.

[zut]

I'm pretty sure that The Royal Tenenbaums was made in 2001, but that still only makes three releases of films made since 2000.

[backstreetsbackalright]

I'm pretty sure that The Royal Tenenbaums was made in 2001, but that still only makes three releases of films made since 2000.

Yes it was. As was Fat Girl. George Washington, In The Mood For Love, and Traffic date as 2000 on Criterion's site. Also A Constant Forge and the Beastie Boy Video Anthology.

[cdnchris]

I'm pretty sure that The Royal Tenenbaums was made in 2001, but that still only makes three releases of films made since 2000.

Tenenbaums and Fat Girl were 2001, I believe. Life Aquatic was 2004. Traffic was 2000. And now Yi Yi, also 2000. So 5.

These two releases seem to have come right out of left field (especially Koko), and I might be one of the few, but I'm pleasantly surprised.

[Dear Catastrophe Totoro]

This is crazy. I swear to God I was going to email Mulvaney today and inquire about the chances of adding Yang to the collection. Absolutely the best CC news of the year so far. Right behind Late Spring, that is.

[cdnchris]

I'm pretty sure that The Royal Tenenbaums was made in 2001, but that still only makes three releases of films made since 2000.

Yes it was. As was Fat Girl. George Washington, In The Mood For Love, and Traffic date as 2000 on Criterion's site. Also A Constant Forge and the Beastie Boy Video Anthology.

Ah, forgot about those other ones.

[Jeff]

This is certainly my favorite title announced so far this year. I loved the film when I saw it theatrically, but have forced myself to refrain from buying the Wellspring DVD many times due to the reputedly awful production quality. I assume that Criterion will port Yang's commentary from that disc, but I can't imagine what else they could add.

[Narshty]

Yang has recorded two commentaries - one on the Wellspring disc, and another on the R2 ICA version where he's in conversation with Tony Rayns. Which will they use?

[shumpy]

My favorite film of the decade thus far. To paraphrase Homer Simpson: "It's better than ten Super Bowls! But I don't want to oversell it--judge for yourselves." And the cover could not be better...sigh.

Not to bring everyone back down to reality, but I have heard rumors that Edward Yang is seriously ill, which is why we've heard so little from him in recent years. Can anyone shed any light on this subject (or better still dispel these rumors altogether)?

[Dear Catastrophe Totoro]

Not to bring everyone back down to reality, but I have heard rumors that Edward Yang is seriously ill, which is why we've heard so little from him in recent years. Can anyone shed any light on this subject (or better still dispel these rumors altogether)?

Isn't he working on an animated film with Jackie Chan? And I think Yang is actually working on the animation? And wasn't he at Cannes a year or two ago, as a judge? It seems I only have questions.

You may call me an optimist, but I think this will be a gateway for new Yang titles on Criterion, especially if it is a Director Approved edition. It seems whenever they contact a director about a film made this decade, that director asks them to release additional films. And considering Yang attended a film school in Los Angeles (not sure which one, and actually, maybe that should be another question since I have no idea where I read that), I'm sure he's not clueless as to the complete lack of representation his work is receiving in the states.

[FilmFanSea]

Excerpt from Yang's biography at IMDb:

After studying engineering in Taiwan, he enrolled in the Electrical Engineering program at The University of Florida, receiving his Masters degree in 1974 while doing work with The Center for Informatics Research. Yang did not pursue a PhD and instead attended USC Film School briefly, but dropped out after feeling disenchanted by the program's commerce-and-business focus and his own misgivings of pursuing a Film Career. Upon working in Seattle with microcomputers and Defense software, an encounter with a piece by Werner Herzog (Aguirre, Wrath of God) gave him inspiration to observe classics in world cinema and reignited his interest in Film.

Was on the Cannes festival jury in 2001, the year after he won the Best Director award for Yi Yi.

Further info at Wikipedia
Senses of Cinema
Chicago Reader (Excellent overview of Yang's career up to Mahjong by Jonathan Rosenbaum)

[Anthony]

This movie is big news indeed. The second best release of 2006 (behind Late Spring).

[Jeff]

Specs:
*New, restored high-definition digital transfer

*Audio commentary by writer-director Edward Yang and noted Asian-cinema critic Tony Rayns

*New video interview with Rayns about the “New Taiwanese Cinemaâ€

[King of Kong]

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES!!!!!!!!!!

First Late Spring, and now this. We're being spoiled.

[Gregory]

The director's commentary is especially exciting. Has anyone ever heard him speak at length about his own work? I believe this will be among the longest director's commentaries in the collection, which will allow plenty of time for him to explore the richness of his characters along with the whole technical side of making the film that most directors like to discuss.

[Michael Kerpan]

I believe the current US DVD has a director's commentary -- as I recall it didn't seem all that useful or informative. Maybe the new one will be better.

[kiddish]

I've asked Mulvaney about this a bunch of times before and always got the formal "no".

Now I have renewed hope for some Tsai Ming Liang, Tran Anh Hung, Hou Hsiao Hsien, and more WKW.

[/dreaming]

[King of Kong]

I believe the current US DVD has a director's commentary -- as I recall it didn't seem all that useful or informative. Maybe the new one will be better.

This commentary may be the same one used on the UK R2 disc: http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASI ... 51-4329264

[Gregory]

Probably so. I had clearly forgotten all about it. I watched the R1 disc when it came out but I guess didn't have time to listen to any of the commentary.

[Lemdog]

Oh Hell Yea! So glad I didn't buy that Region 3 edition now.

[King of Kong]

Oh Hell Yea! So glad I didn't but that Region 3 edition now.

Ditto