971-972 Police Story & Police Story 2
- Michael Kerpan
- Spelling Bee Champeen
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Re: 971-972 Police Story & Police Story 2
My HK (co-)favorite Ann Hui is virtually invisible, with most of her work unavailable on DVD (much less Blu-Ray). Lots of To has at least made it to Blu-Ray in HK.
- whaleallright
- Joined: Sun Sep 25, 2005 12:56 am
Re: 971-972 Police Story & Police Story 2
There's a Blu-Ray of Boat People and The Story of Woo Viet in France, and to my eyes it looks great, so hopefully that bodes well for release stateside. And yeah, Hui has a lot of great films that have no exposure here. I'd love a good copy of Song of the Exile in particular, esp. the Cantonese version w/ the Anita Mui song at the end.
- colinr0380
- Joined: Mon Nov 08, 2004 4:30 pm
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Re: 971-972 Police Story & Police Story 2
Speaking of Anita Mui reminds me of Stanley Kwan's wonderful past and present ghost story Rouge. I wonder how dependent films getting released are on the usual issues with archival prints being in good shape, footage and different versions of films being available, which was something that Wong Kar-Wai's short film on In The Mood For Love set highlighted. Or whether the issue might be of needing to build up relationships with companies and their archives. 88 Films with the 88 Asia line seems to have been doing a good job with the martial arts and horror titles recently in the UK, but there is a need for the more arthouse end to get representation as well.
(Also how does the transition of Hong Kong becoming more a part of China now affect previous distribution patterns, if at all? At least in production terms we have seen Hong Kong filmmakers creating films much more targeted at Chinese audiences than following Western trends over the last ten to fifteen years, so maybe international video distribution has similarly dropped in priority?)
(Also how does the transition of Hong Kong becoming more a part of China now affect previous distribution patterns, if at all? At least in production terms we have seen Hong Kong filmmakers creating films much more targeted at Chinese audiences than following Western trends over the last ten to fifteen years, so maybe international video distribution has similarly dropped in priority?)
- tenia
- Ask Me About My Bassoon
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Re: 971-972 Police Story & Police Story 2
Most of 88 Asia line is sourced from masters so poor they often are either thoroughly DNRed or don't offer any improvement over the past DVD incarnations. While it's nice to have these on HD, I'd argue it's not really that much.
As for Woo Viet and Boat People, the HD masters used look more like decade old bottom-of-the-barrel Universal or MGM masters, with Boat People sometimes bordering on SD upscale. I wouldn't call that great a minute, but rather barely mediocre. These movies haven't been restored probably since the early 00s, and it's not a surprise they sadly look this way.
As for Woo Viet and Boat People, the HD masters used look more like decade old bottom-of-the-barrel Universal or MGM masters, with Boat People sometimes bordering on SD upscale. I wouldn't call that great a minute, but rather barely mediocre. These movies haven't been restored probably since the early 00s, and it's not a surprise they sadly look this way.
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- Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 10:59 am
Re: 971-972 Police Story & Police Story 2
Rather getting off topic. I remember Ann Hui's first 2 features (The Secret, The Spooky Bunch) had been restored by the Hong Kong Film Archive and screened. Wonder if Criterion would establish a relationship with HKFA as they did with Taiwan Film Archive.
As for Song of the Exile, the writer and leaf actress are Taiwanese so I think the Mandarin version (and Mandarin theme song) is equally essential. But alas I don't think there is any good print of this film.
As for Song of the Exile, the writer and leaf actress are Taiwanese so I think the Mandarin version (and Mandarin theme song) is equally essential. But alas I don't think there is any good print of this film.
- Michael Kerpan
- Spelling Bee Champeen
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Re: 971-972 Police Story & Police Story 2
I'd love to see a restored version of Hui's Romance of Book and Sword (parts 1 and 2).... (at least I have this on a VCD, but this hardly seems adequate).
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- Joined: Tue Apr 14, 2009 4:29 am
Re: 971-972 Police Story & Police Story 2
I'd be up for some Shaw Brothers titles such as King Boxer or 36th Chamber of Shaolin if they were new scans - the former is cut by 4min because Celestial removed the splices joining shots by removing entire frames, and the latter was zoomed in heavily to hide the splices.
Come Drink With Me has a decent digitial restoration, but poor subtitles. Again, a great choice for Criterion if they could get it!
Come Drink With Me has a decent digitial restoration, but poor subtitles. Again, a great choice for Criterion if they could get it!
- whaleallright
- Joined: Sun Sep 25, 2005 12:56 am
Re: 971-972 Police Story & Police Story 2
Yes, someone could move the last several posts to the HK Cinema thread, I suppose. In re. Song of the Exile, I wouldn't argue for one version being superior to the other, really, I just like hearing Maggie Cheung's own voice and the Anita Mui song is very pretty.
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- CSM126
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Re: 971-972 Police Story & Police Story 2
They’ve updated the specs:
New 4K digital restorations of Police Story and Police Story 2
Alternate 5.1 surround soundtracks
Alternate English-dubbed soundtracks
Alternate version of Police Story 2, presented in a 2K digital transfer for the first time from a subtitled 35 mm Hong Kong–release print
New interview with filmmaker Edgar Wright and a 2017 podcast conversation between Wright and actor-director Jackie Chan
New programs on Chan’s screen persona and action-filmmaking techniques featuring author and New York Asian Film Festival cofounder Grady Hendrix
Episode of Son of the Incredibly Strange Film Show from 1989 featuring interviews with Chan and actor Maggie Cheung
Archival interviews with Chan and actor and stuntman Benny Lai
Excerpts from Jackie Chan: My Stunts, a 1999 documentary codirected by and starring Chan
Excerpt from a 2017 television program reuniting Chan with the original members of the Jackie Chan Stunt Team
Television program from 1964 detailing the rigors of Beijing-opera training, akin to the education that Chan received as a child
Chan stunt reel
Trailers
New English subtitle translations
PLUS: An essay by critic Nick Pinkerton
- Boosmahn
- Joined: Mon Sep 04, 2017 10:08 pm
Re: 971-972 Police Story & Police Story 2
Wow, four/five new extras? Normally the "more" indicates only a couple of additional bonus features, right?New interview with filmmaker Edgar Wright and a 2017 podcast conversation between Wright and actor-director Jackie Chan
Episode of Son of the Incredibly Strange Film Show from 1989 featuring interviews with Chan and actor Maggie Cheung
Excerpts from Jackie Chan: My Stunts, a 1999 documentary codirected by and starring Chan
Excerpt from a 2017 television program reuniting Chan with the original members of the Jackie Chan Stunt Team
- yoloswegmaster
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- CSM126
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- Apperson
- Joined: Mon Dec 05, 2016 3:47 pm
- Location: Oxfordshire, UK
- Apperson
- Joined: Mon Dec 05, 2016 3:47 pm
- Location: Oxfordshire, UK
Re: 971-972 Police Story & Police Story 2
His comments about Gamma levels seem very accurate, just look at the comparison of these screenshots:
Eureka:
Criterion:
Eureka:
Criterion:
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- Joined: Tue Apr 14, 2009 4:29 am
Re: 971-972 Police Story & Police Story 2
The gamma issue is due to the blue and green being off on the standard ritrovata titles, nice to see Criterion addressing that.
- tenia
- Ask Me About My Bassoon
- Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2009 11:13 am
Re: 971-972 Police Story & Police Story 2
I highly doubt that.
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- Joined: Tue Apr 14, 2009 4:29 am
Re: 971-972 Police Story & Police Story 2
How so? I seem to recall gamma issues with the Arrow BD release of BLACK CAT.
- tenia
- Ask Me About My Bassoon
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Re: 971-972 Police Story & Police Story 2
I doubt David screwed the Eureka gamma and I doubt Criterion did anything willingly to tone down the Ritrovata'd grading.
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- Joined: Tue Apr 14, 2009 4:29 am
Re: 971-972 Police Story & Police Story 2
Sounds like Criterion has dropped the ball mightly on the compression front.
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- Joined: Thu Apr 26, 2018 5:34 am
Re: 971-972 Police Story & Police Story 2
From a UK perspective I suspect Hong Kong Legends flooding the market with so many titles in the 00's and then going under ment other lables were wary of taking up the slack fearing there might not be the demand.tenia wrote: ↑Fri Jan 18, 2019 7:07 amSeeing how many HK movies are available on Western BD vs how many are available on Western DVD vs how many are available on DVD in Asia, I can easily see how people can feel HK movies have been quite neglected over the past decade in Occident. If it wasn't for Eureka, how many of the FS restorations would be available to us ? 2 ? 5 ? They've restored 28 movies.
It's still missing tons of things, including many Tsui Hark or John Woo movies (Peking Opera Blues, Shanghai Blues, Bullet in the Head, A Better Tomorrow - but this one should soon be released -) but also tons of Johnnie To or Ringo Lam movies, and so so many others.
Even just looking at what Pathé, Metropolitan and their sub-label HK Video released in France on DVD, there are dozens of movies that pretty much haven't released since. There certainly has been a bubble during the DVD peak popularity, but it clearly has faded.
If they can get the materials I'd love to see Criterion do a remaster of Tsui Hark''s The Blade from 1995, one of the best candidates for a crossover into the artier end of the market.
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- Joined: Tue Apr 14, 2009 4:29 am
Re: 971-972 Police Story & Police Story 2
I think Warners owns The Blade, at least in the US.
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- Joined: Thu Apr 26, 2018 5:34 am
Re: 971-972 Police Story & Police Story 2
I don't think there's been a release of it in the UK since the early DVD at the turn of the millennium so perhaps someone like Arrow might be a better bet.
Sticking more with Golden Harvest I always thought the best of their 80's releases was actually the non Chan Eastern Condors, breaks a bit more with the opening action/hour of comedy/closing action formula and generally seems like that bit higher in production standards.
Sticking more with Golden Harvest I always thought the best of their 80's releases was actually the non Chan Eastern Condors, breaks a bit more with the opening action/hour of comedy/closing action formula and generally seems like that bit higher in production standards.
- The Fanciful Norwegian
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 2:24 pm
- Location: Teegeeack
Re: 971-972 Police Story & Police Story 2
Warner owns it outright—it was one of 200 or so titles they bought from Golden Harvest in the late '90s when Raymond Chow was drowning in debt after the Asian financial crisis. (The rest of the library eventually ended up at Fortune Star.) WB did at least release The Blade and a handful of others on DVD through Warner Archive—and very briefly (like for a couple of months) in HD through Warner Archive Instant—but Comrades: Almost a Love Story is the only one they've ever put out on Blu.
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- Joined: Tue Apr 14, 2009 4:29 am
Re: 971-972 Police Story & Police Story 2
Warners for some reason only puts SDH subs on those titles.
There was an early DVD of The Blade in the UK from MIA I think.
There was an early DVD of The Blade in the UK from MIA I think.