Hou Hsiao-hsien

[Rupert Pupkin]

still nothing about Millennium Mambo and Three Times on blu-ray ???

[AquaNarc]

Ha! I just stumbled across the free showing of A City of Sadness while looking into things to do in Boston this coming Sunday, and came here to post it. I'm excited, I have no experience with Hao Hsaio-hsien whatsover- I keep having to check to keep his name straight.

The Puppetmaster is also free tomorrow night. Not sure I'll make that one but if not I will probably try to get to Three Times/Daughter of the Nile on Halloween night. Anyone else gonna be there?

[FerdinandGriffon]

Ha! I just stumbled across the free showing of A City of Sadness while looking into things to do in Boston this coming Sunday, and came here to post it. I'm excited, I have no experience with Hao Hsaio-hsien whatsover- I keep having to check to keep his name straight.

You're in for such a treat. My first Hou too, but it was on a DVD rip, and seeing it again recently on a print was a revelation.

[Michael Kerpan]

Ha! I just stumbled across the free showing of A City of Sadness while looking into things to do in Boston this coming Sunday, and came here to post it. I'm excited, I have no experience with Hao Hsaio-hsien whatsover- I keep having to check to keep his name straight.

The Puppetmaster is also free tomorrow night. Not sure I'll make that one but if not I will probably try to get to Three Times/Daughter of the Nile on Halloween night. Anyone else gonna be there?

Definitely going to Puppetmaster tomorrow -- and plan to go to 3 Times/Daughter. So far only missed one evening (due to an unexpected vist by relatives). I may get to City of Sadness at the last minute, hope I can get in.

[hearthesilence]

Are these shows selling out/filling up at the Harvard Film Archive? I thought it was a huge venue, but then again they're only doing single screenings.

[Michael Kerpan]

Some of the screenings have been pretty full -- Dust in the Wind and Time to Live, Time to Die, for instance. Others (the early romantic comedies) not so full. Not sure what things will be like with a free screening.

[artfilmfan]

The new Dust in the Wind / A Time to Live, A Time to Die Blu-Ray double pack is available from JSDVD

Why do they have to bundle them? I'm only interested in owning Dust in the Wind on Blu-ray.

[Donald Brown]

The new Dust in the Wind / A Time to Live, A Time to Die Blu-Ray double pack is available from JSDVD

Why do they have to bundle them? I'm only interested in owning Dust in the Wind on Blu-ray.

There is a such an edition, here. And here it is from cdjapan.co.jp.

[artfilmfan]

The Blu-ray edition that was released a few years ago is not progressively encoded and the upcoming Japanese release does not have English subtitles (according to CDJapan). So, neither of these is an attractive option.

[Zot!]

The Blu-ray edition that was released a few years ago is not progressively encoded and the upcoming Japanese release does not have English subtitles (according to CDJapan). So, neither of these is an attractive option.

Are we convinced that the double pack is progressive, and perhaps less blue? Any reviews?

[Moshrom]

The first blu-ray actually is progressive. It's hard-telecined, though.

[Zot!]

The first blu-ray actually is progressive. It's hard-telecined, though.

That actually sounds worse.

[AquaNarc]

Ha! I just stumbled across the free showing of A City of Sadness while looking into things to do in Boston this coming Sunday, and came here to post it. I'm excited, I have no experience with Hao Hsaio-hsien whatsover- I keep having to check to keep his name straight.

The Puppetmaster is also free tomorrow night. Not sure I'll make that one but if not I will probably try to get to Three Times/Daughter of the Nile on Halloween night. Anyone else gonna be there?

Definitely going to Puppetmaster tomorrow -- and plan to go to 3 Times/Daughter. So far only missed one evening (due to an unexpected vist by relatives). I may get to City of Sadness at the last minute, hope I can get in.

Well I decided to take the trek from the suburbs into Cambridge tonight so I'll be there as well. Can't wait! Haven't seen this one yet despite my love for Hou.

As far as attendance I'm not the best the to answer as I've only been to one other HFA screening (City of Sadness actually, three or four years ago) and while it was pretty well full by screening time I doubt one would have much trouble as long as you get there a few minutes early. Not an issue for me as I'll be there quite early due to the sporadic weekend commuter rail schedule

[The Fanciful Norwegian]

The Blu-ray edition that was released a few years ago is not progressively encoded and the upcoming Japanese release does not have English subtitles (according to CDJapan). So, neither of these is an attractive option.

I would be surprised if Sony used a different encode for the two-pack release. In fact I suspect it's the exact same disc. The only thing that suggests otherwise is that the listings don't mention the French and Japanese subs from the old Dust in the Wind disc, but it's possible A Time to Live only has Chinese/English and the listings reflect the lowest common denominator, so to speak.

This is pretty frustrating for me since I just picked up the Dust in the Wind Blu a month and a half ago, but there are hazy indications this box set will be followed up by something plainer—the notebook and production log are described as "limited gifts," which implies a giftless version will eventually show up. Ideally they'd just release them separately. Still, it's taking a chance to wait.

(This also makes me wonder if we'll finally get The River in a two-pack with Vive l'amour...)

[StevenJ0001]

(This also makes me wonder if we'll finally get The River in a two-pack with Vive l'amour...)

Yes please!! Although the double pack thing is annoying since I own both Dust and Vive, just the prospect of having A Time to Live and The River in HD will be worth the repurchases.

[Michael Kerpan]

Puppetmaster, in proper widescreen format, seen on the screen, is very different from the miserable US dvd. ;~}

Apparently FedEx has midland reel one of City of Sadness. Hopefully it will be fond before tomorrow's screening. If not, the first 12 minutes will be courtesy of a home video version.

[Michael Kerpan]

CoS update -- reel one never arrived. I hope it gets located before its next scheduled retrospective showing. Needless to say, seen screened this was vastly more impressive than seen on home video. Once again, the humor comes across much more clearly (and one is more aware of the sometimes almost shocking veer from humor to sadness or outright tragedy). a pretty full crowd -- but we did get in (my wife came along to this one -- and she enjoyed it too).

[hearthesilence]

Puppetmaster, in proper widescreen format, seen on the screen, is very different from the miserable US dvd. ;~}

Very, very sad to have never seen this except on that shitty pan-and-scan DVD. I had two opportunities but couldn't due to family. I hope Criterion at least reissues this on BD.

[Shrew]

It may be quite awhile until anyone releases it. The presenter at the HFA explained that the reason Puppetmaster and City of Sadness were being screened for free was a disagreement over distribution rights.

[hearthesilence]

All right, these films are screening in Washington, D.C. in December and then in Chicago in May 2015. D.C. may be tough for me to get to, but if Puppetmaster falls on a Saturday or Sunday in Chicago, I am totally there.

[Michael Kerpan]

The Hou Retrospective has ended in Boston. Sort of sad, but also sort of a relief to not have to commute to and from Cambridge several nights a week. ;-}

One downside to the experience -- no one to chat with about the films. These are great films to discuss while they are fresh in ones's mind, but Harvard Film Archive has never set up any sort of post-film chat opportunity (live or online).

Here's a record of one of my most enjoyable Hou watching experiences: http://sensesofcinema.com/2006/cteq/time_to_live/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; . Wish I could do this more often.

[hearthesilence]

Hopefully it'll help drum up more interest in this filmmaker, and maybe even push the respective parties towards a resolution that will enable someone like Criterion to give these films a proper U.S. release. The fact that the best of these are otherwise unavailable does make the end very sad - it's great when you leave a screening knowing you're able to revisit the film very soon on a good Blu-Ray, going through everything that floored you the first time around, but it's kind of bittersweet when you realize you may not get another chance to see it again.

[Michael Kerpan]

Still trying to process the very last shot of Flowers of Shanghai...

[StevenJ0001]

...it's great when you leave a screening knowing you're able to revisit the film very soon on a good Blu-Ray, going through everything that floored you the first time around, but it's kind of bittersweet when you realize you may not get another chance to see it again.

This is so true! Whenever I really enjoy a film in a theatre, I immediately search for it on Blu-ray or even a decent DVD. I don't necessarily buy it there and then, but I like to know it's out there.

[Zot!]

The Blu-ray edition that was released a few years ago is not progressively encoded and the upcoming Japanese release does not have English subtitles (according to CDJapan). So, neither of these is an attractive option.

I would be surprised if Sony used a different encode for the two-pack release. In fact I suspect it's the exact same disc. The only thing that suggests otherwise is that the listings don't mention the French and Japanese subs from the old Dust in the Wind disc, but it's possible A Time to Live only has Chinese/English and the listings reflect the lowest common denominator, so to speak.

This is pretty frustrating for me since I just picked up the Dust in the Wind Blu a month and a half ago, but there are hazy indications this box set will be followed up by something plainer—the notebook and production log are described as "limited gifts," which implies a giftless version will eventually show up. Ideally they'd just release them separately. Still, it's taking a chance to wait.

(This also makes me wonder if we'll finally get The River in a two-pack with Vive l'amour...)

So I received this, along with Terrorizers from jsdvd, who I can wholeheartedly recommend despite their Chinese puzzle of a ordering process. Very fast, very nice packaging. Three movies together with shipping were less than $100. Of course my Momitsu starts acting up the very same day, not wanting to play certain discs, so I can report nothing other than the artwork is very nice and that the "book" that comes with it is like a weird diary or something, and contains a few stills among many blank pages....that I am supposed to fill with my own thoughts presumably. So don't worry if you miss out on that particular piece of ephemera. Perhaps one day I will brew my Eric Rohmer tea and jot down some of my ruminations in my Dust in the Wind notebook.