Korean DVDs

[sevenarts]

Does anybody know of an online vendor that has the Korean DVD "Their First Films" (featuring early works by Godard, Truffaut, Rivette, Resnais, etc)? I've tried from asiadb and they didn't have it, currently have an order in progress from koreainfogate as well... but are they any other sites shipping to the US likely to have the disc?

[fred]

It's now listed as out of stock, but this was available from dvdfromkorea.com. Maybe they'll restock it.

[bdsweeney]

Hello everyone. Please treat me nicely

Just a short question about the experiences people have had with purchasing DVDs from online vendors. Is anyone aware of particular shops to be weary of or have had a bad experience with?

In particular, has anyone purchased from DVDfromKOREA? I'm all primed to make a purchase, but I don't want to end up spending a lump of cash and have nothing to show for it. I'm buying via Paypal and I know that they'll refund bad purchases, but I'd still like to avoid all that if possible.

I've got my eye on the remastered Chungking Express!

[Cabiria21]

how can you go wrong at 10.99? it's certainly the best version of the film.

[a.khan]

Try them (as you mentioned, PayPal protects your purchases); then post back here with your experience. $10.99 is worth the "risk."

[Caligula]

In particular, has anyone purchased from DVDfromKOREA? I'm all primed to make a purchase, but I don't want to end up spending a lump of cash and have nothing to show for it. I'm buying via Paypal and I know that they'll refund bad purchases, but I'd still like to avoid all that if possible.

I've bought from them numerous times without experiencing any problems. On the contrary, I've found them to be fast & effective.

If you're only ordering one or two items, Yesasia is generally cheaper shippingwise.

[lady wakasa]

I'm in the US and I've made two sizable purchases with DVD From Korea with no problems. Shipping only took ~5 days to the East Coast of the US. But I agree that Yesasia.com (and dvdasian.com) are cheaper.

I see it on dvdheaven.com as well, but I don't remember ever buying anything from them to give advice about it.

[Michael Kerpan]

DVD from Korea sometmes has things not available from YesAsia (or limited-time-only versions that are much cheaper).

[zombeaner]

DVDFromKorea has remarkably slow shipping, but I've gotten everything I've ever ordered from them in good shape.

[Cronenfly]

DVDFromKorea has remarkably slow shipping, but I've gotten everything I've ever ordered from them in good shape.

I ordered Chungking Express/Fallen Angels from them, and they arrived in under a week (shipping to Canada) in excellent shape. They also give you the option of marking the package as a gift, which is very nice when customs charges are an issue like they are in Canada.

bdsweeney (and everyone else), have no fear.

[Stefan Andersson]

Im Kwon-Taek, famous Korean director, is the subject of a DVD box set that´s listed as a backorder item at hkflix.com. Anybody know if it´s OOP? Contains a director´s cut of CHUNHYANG.

[foggy eyes]

Im Kwon-Taek, famous Korean director, is the subject of a DVD box set that´s listed as a backorder item at hkflix.com. Anybody know if it´s OOP? Contains a director´s cut of CHUNHYANG.

It looks like a pre-order for 26/04: YesAsia and DVDfromKorea also have it up. I'm tempted to go for it - are the discs likely to be the same as the previous Spectrum releases?

I ordered from DVDfromKorea for the first time recently too, and everything was shipped to the UK within a week. Heads-up: they have the (now OOP?) disc of Hong's Woman on the Beach for only $7.99!

[fiddlesticks]

Im Kwon-Taek, famous Korean director, is the subject of a DVD box set that´s listed as a backorder item at hkflix.com. Anybody know if it´s OOP? Contains a director´s cut of CHUNHYANG.

It looks like a pre-order for 26/04: YesAsia and DVDfromKorea also have it up. I'm tempted to go for it - are the discs likely to be the same as the previous Spectrum releases?

I don't know why it's listed as an April 2008 release, as I've owned that box (or a box that looks exactly the same with the same contents) for over a year (2/07). And it is far beyond wonderful, it's one of the most prized items in my 900+ DVD collection. For US$36, this is a steal and an absolute must-own for anyone with the least interest in Im or Korean film in general.

[Michael Kerpan]

Possibly a re-release at a lower price point?

[ltfontaine]

I don't know why it's listed as an April 2008 release, as I've owned that box (or a box that looks exactly the same with the same contents) for over a year (2/07).

It has been out-of-print in the meantime, great news that it will be available once again.

[fiddlesticks]

I see that DVDfromKorea.com has the Im boxset listed for $29 (US); I paid $50 with no regrets at all. As far as I am concerned, the two magnificent pansori-themes titles (Sopyonje and Chunhyang) are easily worth more than $29 alone, so the other three films (all excellent) are like freebies.

But browsing through that site, I have to wonder if it is entirely legitimate. I mean, they have the Kieslowski Three Colors trilogy (publisher: Paraen) for $10 and a 5-disc Dekalog (publisher: Flex) for $15; when I see prices like that from producers I've never heard of, especially on a Korean website, my bootleg detector goes into overdrive. I used to patronize a site called koreandvd.com (or something like that), from which I bought a number of almost-Criterions (same PQ, same cover art, some of the extras) for prices like $5, and to this day I'm still not sure if they're legitimate (I wasn't sophisticated enough then to be concerned, and that site has since vanished.) I don't really want to go down that path again.

I see that a number of prominent and respected posters have purchased from this website. Are you concerned about the legitimacy of this vendor, and if not, how did you alleviate whatever concerns you may have had?

[Michael Kerpan]

I have mostly bought DVDs of Korean films from this company (plus the legit Korean releases of Takahata's Anne of Green Gables and Miyazaki's Future Boy Conan.

There are lots of gray areas as to releases of Western films in Asia. But DVDfromKorea's DVDs of Korean films are almost certain to be legitimate. They seem to handle over-stock and cut-outs (and such like) as well as new releases -- and some items are very cheap -- for a very limited period of time. The shipping costs from DVDfrom Korea can be substantial -- so unless one buys in bulk, places like YesAsia (with far cheaper shipping) might be more economical.

[foggy eyes]

I only ordered legit DVDs from them, and the service was swift and efficient. I was initially a little surprised by the in-built customs fiddling function at the check-out (where you can chose what amount to declare), but it did save me a charge on delivery to the UK. As there were no other problems, as long as you're buying 'official' DVDs everything should be fine.

The Im Kwon-taek set does indeed look like a re-issue. I'm all over it.

[Michael Kerpan]

I'm passing on any more Im Kwon-taek. His much-praised Sopyonje struck me as positively horrifying in terms of its sexual politics. Very artfully made -- but repugnant (to me -- and that's what counts -- in terms of my purchasing dollars).

[foggy eyes]

Don't dampen my enthusiasm, Michael! I've heard that Im uses a pronounced long take style - a dynamic that appeals to me greatly. For such a low pre-order price, the formal attributes must be worth it - or are they really that repugnant?

[Michael Kerpan]

Don't dampen my enthusiasm Michael! I've heard that Im uses a pronounced long take style - a dynamic that appeals to me greatly. For such a low pre-order price, the formal attributes must be worth it - are they really that repugnant?

Repugnant?

You'll have to judge for yourself. Nothing I could say on the point as to _why_ that would not constitute a massive spoiler. ;~}

Stylistically lovely, though.

[foggy eyes]

Stylistically lovely, though.

That'll do. Perhaps we'll get back to the other question after I've seen the films!

[lady wakasa]

I own Sopyonje (but not the box) and I could respond to that, but yeah - that'd be a spoiler.

You don't know me from Adam, foggy eyes, but I'd suggest going for the box.

[che-etienne]

Michael, I agree about "Seopyeonje". The misogyny and patriarchy are difficult to imbibe. It was the second Im film I saw on DVD, second after "Come Come Upwards" which has similar problems. I was ready to give up on him after these two films. But the next film I saw was "Chunhyang", which is probably a masterpiece. Where the first two films are stylistically and thus ideologically staid, "Chunhyang" has consummate fluidity and grace - literally a perpetually moving camera - which elevate its initially conservative historical stance to the level of universal wisdom. I would make the same claim for "The Thousand Year Crane" (a.k.a. Beyond the Years), which is a narrative sequel to "Seopyeonje" but thematically and stylistically more like a reconsideration of the same material. The engagement with Korean history is far more elaborate in this latter work, and the easy gender politics of its companion are put to the test.

[Michael Kerpan]

One of these days I'll get around to Chunhyang at least. Glad to hear not all his work is as off-putting as Sopyonje.