BD 129-130 Dragon Inn & A Touch of Zen

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#1 Post by **swo17** » Sat Oct 02, 2010 11:31 am

A quintessential entryway into the highly stylized, tightly choreographed wuxia genre of martial arts cinema, Dragon Inn was a global breakthrough for the form's greatest practitioner, King Hu. Its influence remains incalculable, from its annihilation of traditional expectations of what kind of role an actress should inhabit (also chipped away at by Hu's previous masterpiece Come Drink with Me), to the formation of many of the genre's archetypes - such as the Eunuch, the Swordswoman, and the Family of Murdered Loyal Officials - that are still recognizable in the martial arts films of today.

It's the middle of the Ming Dynasty. The powerful eunuch Cao (Pai Ying) has killed the Loyal Minister Yu, and Yu's children are exiled to the border, whereupon Cao undertakes efforts to massacre the remnants of the family. As Yu's children take refuge in the Dragon Gate Inn, Xiao the righteous swordsman (Shih Jun) and the surviving loyalists of Minister Yu engage in a series of battles to the death against the forces of the blood thirsty eunuch.

After having returned to the spotlight in 2003 as the backdrop for Tsai Ming-liang's modern classic Good Bye Dragon Inn, Hu's film is again resurrected by way of the dazzling 2014 4K restoration presented here, so that a new generation may revel in some of the most astonishing action sequences ever committed to film: Vincente Minnelli and Gene Kelly in a dance of death, pointing forward to the modern films of Tsui Hark and Johnnie To. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present Dragon Inn for the first time in the UK in a Dual Format special edition.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

• Gorgeous 1080p presentation of the film on Blu-ray from the 2014 4K Chinese Taipei Film Archive restoration
• New documentary and interview material to be announced soon
• Optional English subtitles
• 36-PAGE BOOKLET containing a testimonial about King Hu by Tsui Hark; the eight characteristics of the inn in King Hu's films; a King Hu dossier; archival imagery; and more!

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A Touch of Zen

Widely regarded as the greatest martial arts epic of all time, A Touch of Zen won awards worldwide (including at Cannes), smashed box-office records and had an incalculable influence on the genre as a whole.

An unambitious painter named Gu (Shih Jun) lives with his mother in the vicinity of an abandoned mansion rumoured to be haunted. In actuality, the mansion has become a hiding place for the warrior Yang (Hsu Feng) and her own mother, both taking refuge following the assassination of their loyal minister father by the wicked eunuch Wei of East Chamber. After the eunuch sends an army to pursue the escapees, the group fortify the mansion with traps and false intimations of the terrifying ghosts within. But even after, things take yet more unsettling turns...

Famed for its iconic set pieces, including the central bamboo forest battle, A Touch of Zen is one of cinema’s truly peerless action sagas and the precursor par excellence of such modern wuxia films as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and House of Flying Daggers. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present King Hu’s masterpiece in a Limited Edition (2000 units) Three-Disc Dual Format edition for the first time in the UK.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

LIMITED EDITION OF 2000 - With Bonus disc and slipcase
LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE: King Hu 1932-1997, a 47-minute documentary on the director featuring interviews with colleagues, collaborators and historians
LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE: Golden Blood, a new video essay by critic and filmmaker David Cairns
New 1080p transfer of the film on Blu-ray, with a progressive encode on the DVD
Newly translated English subtitles
Select scene commentary by critic and Asian cinema expert Tony Rayns
Trailer
36-PAGE BOOKLET featuring:
- King Hu's director statement from the Cannes Film Festival
- A 1975 interview with King Hu by Tony Rayns
- The original short story the film is based on
- The eight characteristics of "the swordswoman" in King Hu's films
- Archival images

#2 Post by **Finch** » Sun Oct 03, 2010 11:21 am

Richard--W wrote:I've just seen a poor quality DVD of King Hu's epic A Touch of Zen (1969). This is a major work of art, an astonishing and breathtaking movie. I'm not referring to only it's pictorial value and ingeniously choreographed action, but to its story, which has a metaphysical depth and lucidness worthy of Ingmar Bergman. The film is also a reminder of the feats one could accomplish with cinematic know-how before CGI drained a sense of reality out of optical illusion. I had no idea when I started watching how many films, both Asian and American, it has influenced. I thought Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) was an original. Now I know where Ang Lee drew his inspiration, and some of his exposition. Zhang Yimou, too.

Has anyone seen a good quality transfer of this film on DVD, laserdisc or vhs in any region?

Note to DVD distributors: whoever gets the rights to A Touch of Zen in the USA, transfers it properly and promotes it properly, is going to have a winner on their hands. If it were released in theaters today, it could be misconstrued as a brand new film it's so contemporary.

The best DVD of this film seems to be the German release available here. It comes with English subtitles and it's not interlaced like the French disc.

DanV · #3 Post by **DanV** » Sun Oct 03, 2010 11:29 am

Richard--W wrote:Note to DVD distributors: whoever gets the rights to A Touch of Zen in the USA, transfers it properly and promotes it properly, is going to have a winner on their hands. If it were released in theaters today, it could be misconstrued as a brand new film it's so contemporary.

Couldn't agree more, such a masterpiece (like many other works by King Hu, after all) and ALL the available releases are SO poor - non-anamorphic, wrong ARs, not restored and more.

bigP · #4 Post by **bigP** » Sun Oct 03, 2010 12:18 pm

The UK Optimum release is pretty awful. It's the only time I've ever received a disc that glitched halfway through - and meant missing a few minutes of the film - that I've just thought "fuck it, it's not worth exchanging". I've been eagerly watching for Dragon Dynasty to make an announcement, but still no luck. A gorgeous, pristine release (as with Come Drink With Me) complete with Bey Logan commentary would be one of my most anticipated releases.

Wu.Qinghua · #5 Post by **Wu.Qinghua** » Sun Oct 03, 2010 7:47 pm

Finch wrote:The best DVD of this film seems to be the German release available here. It comes with English subtitles and it's not interlaced like the French disc.

Well, I guess I have seen both the British and the German disc, but I can't make no comparative statements no more. But let me put it this way: Although I did not expect much when I bought the German disc, I was rather disappointed with the transfer. It's a cheap disc - note there are English subtitles only on a German disc! Apart from that, I remember the transfer to be rather weak - I couldn't see much in the darker sequences of the movie -, so I guess this might not be the disc, you want to buy, Richard, though you can get it really cheap - and I don't think it will rise in its price, until it will be OOP.

Richard--W · #6 Post by **Richard--W** » Sun Oct 03, 2010 11:32 pm

I had to go looking for this thread since I started it in the TRADES AND BARGAINS folder and had no idea where it was sent to.

Thank you each for your feedback.
I think I'll buy that German DVD regardless of its flaws. I clicked on the director's name and a collection comes up, including a 2-disc edition of A TOUCH OF ZEN. I wonder if anyone can comment on the quality of the other transfers, and if they are something we don't have in the USA or U.K. I would like to see his other films (the USA edition of COME DRINK WITH ME is enroute).
Any suggestions?

Just when I think the movies hold no surprises left, I discover a film like A TOUCH OF ZEN and I'm inspired again.

King Hu is a director of stunning aptitude and vision. It is inconceivable to me that DVD distributors have not made Hu's films a priority. Inconceivable and inexplicable.

Wu.Qinghua · #7 Post by **Wu.Qinghua** » Mon Oct 04, 2010 4:48 am

Richard--W wrote: I clicked on the director's name and a collection comes up, including a 2-disc edition of A TOUCH OF ZEN. I wonder if anyone can comment on the quality of the other transfers, and if they are something we don't have in the USA or U.K.

I haven't seen the 2-disc edition yet, but according to the German database OFDB the 2-disc edition gathers 'Touch of Zen' and 'Raining in the Mountain(s)' which is referred to as 'Touch of Zen 2'. Both discs are said to be identical to the German 1-disc editions. According to that database, there are optional English subtitles on the second disc (Raining in the Mountain/s), too.

#8 Post by **Finch** » Mon Oct 04, 2010 4:43 pm

I wouldn't go for the 2 discer including Raining in the Mountain since the French disc of Mountain has much better packaging (and the correct title!), a (reasonably) sharper image and no noise (it has English subtitles).

However, I can recommend the German release of Lee Khan which appears to have undergone some restoration (only the reinserted scenes look very faded) and emerges as the best-looking of all available Hu releases. That and Mountain are very watchable still on any screens larger than 32 inches.

knives · #9 Post by **knives** » Mon Oct 04, 2010 5:33 pm

What do you mean by better packaging and is the improvements in transfer truly that noticeable? A tight budget makes it so if the changes aren't too big (such as the minor title thing) I can live with the German disc.

Wu.Qinghua · #10 Post by **Wu.Qinghua** » Mon Oct 04, 2010 5:46 pm

Finch wrote:I wouldn't go for the 2 discer including Raining in the Mountain since the French disc of Mountain has much better packaging (and the correct title!), a (reasonably) sharper image and no noise (it has English subtitles).

Well, maybe I should post that in the bargains thread, but as Richard had started this thread: It doesn't matter whether you buy the 1-disc edition or the 2-disc edition at amazon's, as at the moment both editions are sold for exactly the same price (5 Euro).

By the way, I just remembered I have not seen the British, but the American DVD, which seems to be OOP. I am not sure, but I vaguely remember the Tai Seng not to feature a better transfer; it may be even worse ...

#11 Post by **Finch** » Mon Oct 04, 2010 6:40 pm

knives wrote:What do you mean by better packaging and is the improvements in transfer truly that noticeable? A tight budget makes it so if the changes aren't too big (such as the minor title thing) I can live with the German disc.

Better packaging as in far superior artwork (and the Germans couldn't even get the plot synopsis on the back right); as for the transfer: it's slightly sharper though I guess not by a large enough margin for you to warrant a double-dip but the French disc is also cleaner. Anyone who hasn't gotten the film yet should get the French disc if still available and cheap (the french version of priceminister often has good deals) but the German release is quite watchable on its own and probably easier to come by.

Wu.Qinghua · #12 Post by **Wu.Qinghua** » Mon Oct 04, 2010 7:28 pm

Finch wrote: (and the Germans couldn't even get the plot synopsis on the back right).

Loool ... Right you are. Funny, isn't it? They mixed 'Raining in the Mountain' up with 'Legend of the Mountain', another Hu movie!

Richard--W · #13 Post by **Richard--W** » Tue Oct 05, 2010 1:33 pm

Finch wrote:I wouldn't go for the 2 discer including Raining in the Mountain since the French disc of Mountain has much better packaging (and the correct title!), a (reasonably) sharper image and no noise (it has English subtitles).

However, I can recommend the German release of Lee Khan which appears to have undergone some restoration (only the reinserted scenes look very faded) and emerges as the best-looking of all available Hu releases. That and Mountain are very watchable still on any screens larger than 32 inches.

Obviously you've done some research. Would you provide links to these preferred editions?

Many thanks.

#14 Post by **Finch** » Tue Oct 05, 2010 5:52 pm

Lee Khan is available here

Raining in the Mountain German release & French DVD

Some ebay sellers also offer this version but I haven't seen reviews of it anywhere so you best get either of the European discs.

Richard--W · #15 Post by **Richard--W** » Wed Oct 06, 2010 6:12 am

My thanks to Finch and Wu.Qinghua for your responses.
I just bought six films directed by King Hu to add to my library:

A Touch of Zen
Raining in the Mountain
Legend of the Mountain
Swordsman
The Valiant Ones
Painted Skin

In addition, Come Drink With Me arrived today. I realize none of them are close to perfect, but I expect to get more out of them than not. I don't usually dive in so quickly, but for the director of A Touch of Zen, I'll take the risk.

DanV · #16 Post by **DanV** » Wed Oct 06, 2010 7:10 am

Oh, Painted Skin is bleedin' horrible! Anyway, never mind. If you can find it, buy The Fate of Lee Khan, that is a major King Hu.
A copy is available at HKFlix but I know nothing about the quality.

Richard--W · #17 Post by **Richard--W** » Wed Oct 06, 2010 12:44 pm

DanV wrote:Oh, Painted Skin is bleedin' horrible! Anyway, never mind.

Now you tell me?

Do you mean the DVD transfer is bleedin' horrible, or the film itself is bleedin' horrible?

I bought The Fate of Lee Khan but I forgot to list it above.

DanV · #18 Post by **DanV** » Wed Oct 06, 2010 3:31 pm

Richard--W wrote:
DanV wrote:Oh, Painted Skin is bleedin' horrible! Anyway, never mind.
Do you mean the DVD transfer is bleedin' horrible, or the film itself is bleedin' horrible?

I was talking about the film.

#19 Post by **Finch** » Wed Oct 06, 2010 5:29 pm

I don't know if the German DVD of The Valiant Ones is the only available release for this film but I couldn't bear watching it beyond the first 20 minutes. The video is unwatchable on larger screens especially and even on a tube it looks hardly acceptable. Shame because the film seemed quite intriguing. Then again, it's not the only of Hu's films that has been so criminally neglected.

The Fanciful Norwegian · Thu Oct 07, 2010 9:37 am

DanV wrote:Oh, Painted Skin is bleedin' horrible! Anyway, never mind. If you can find it, buy The Fate of Lee Khan, that is a major King Hu.
A copy is available at HKFlix but I know nothing about the quality.

PanMedia is a bootleg outfit affiliated with HK Flix themselves (as are "Red Sun", "Blax" and "Euro Cult"). They're almost certainly just ripping off the R2J or R2 German releases, which both use the same (pretty good) remaster.

knives · #21 Post by **knives** » Wed Feb 16, 2011 8:00 am

So I finally broke in my first of these films(I couldn't have had a more fun time)and was looking for the one German titles I didn't pick up and Amazon is saying that all of them from that company are OOP. Any place where they are available?
Also is this the best version available of this title?

#22 Post by **Finch** » Wed Feb 16, 2011 7:18 pm

I can't vouch for the German DVD but Come Drink With Me was released under the Dragon Dynasty label (when it still cared about its library) as one of its first titles by the Weinsteins. The DD release might work out cheaper for you when you figure in import costs from Europe and the long waiting times you guys have recently had with Customs taking extra long to check everything coming into the States.

knives · #23 Post by **knives** » Wed Feb 16, 2011 8:04 pm

That's Come Drink with Me? Good thing I asked than, bought the American disc right after viewing Raining in the Mountain. Do you know what the deal with the supposedly OOP discs are?

Wu.Qinghua · #24 Post by **Wu.Qinghua** » Wed Feb 16, 2011 9:13 pm

I have no information on this, but I've just had a short look at some German websites. It looks like they really went oop, at least I couldn't find any other retailers selling them and having them in stock - with the exception of rather few ebay shops. As I couldn't find any further information, it might be the easiest way to contact ksm?

#25 Post by **Finch** » Wed Feb 16, 2011 10:22 pm

knives, I have no info re those discs either I'm afraid. To be honest, I don't think it gets much better than with the discs I liked to earlier in the thread (French Raining in The Mountain, German disc of Lee Khan etc).

That said, I think it's the same German distributor who has a very fine DVD of the Shaw Brothers film The Boxer from Shantung (it's uncut with an 18 cert and has English subs).

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