339 Yi Yi

[nyasa]

I'm ecstatic about this: Yi Yi is my favourite film of the 21st Century. I've been trying to get hold of a half-decent copy of it at a reasonable price for the past few months, but now I can sit back and wait for this masterpiece to get the release it truly deserves.

[Antoine Doinel]

GREAT NEWS! I will definitely be getting this. A fantastic film that until now hasn't been given the proper DVD treatment.

[denti alligator]

BEST

RELEASE

OF THE

YEAR !!!!

Now this is more like it, Criterion! This is fantastic. Can we expect more Yang now? What are the rights issues with the other films?

[Michael]

Can we expect more Yang now? What are the rights issues with the other films?

I've been very interested in seeing A Brighter Summer Day since zedz expressed deep love for this film some time ago. Edward Yang is well respected in the film community and I find it surprising that A Brighter Summer Day (considered his masterpiece by most) is nowhere to be found on DVD, not even in Asia.

Yi Yi is a very exciting and most appropriate addition to the Criterion family.

[FilmFanSea]

Can we expect more Yang now? What are the rights issues with the other films?

AFAIK, Yi Yi was the first (and still only) Yang film to attract a US distributor, so his other 'major' films--Taipei Story, A Confucian Confusion, A Brighter Summer Day, Mahjong--should be ripe for the picking (what a nice box set they'd make, eh?).

[FilmFanSea]

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.

From DVD Times' review of the UK release from ICA Projects:

Although films like this tend to get bare-bones releases, ICA projects have made a tremendous effort on this package by securing a commentary from Edward Yang. He appears alongside Tony Rayns (who also co-translated the subtitles with Yang) who prompts him and asks questions that are particularly pertinent to the Western audience who may be unfamiliar with Taiwanese culture. Although there are a few silences, Yang does talk throughout most of the film and offers some interesting insights into his filming, directing and casting. An excellent addition to the DVD as it does really offer an extra level of understanding that may have been lost on a Western audience.

[Narshty]

Reviews of both commentaries (the solo Yang one on R1 and R4 discs and the UK Yang/Rayns team-up) seem to say they're both great, but suffer from pauses and occasional dead air. Maybe Criterion will have edited them together to make one continuous supertrack?

I hope they'll also use the Yang/Rayns subtitles as found on the UK disc.

[htdm]

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])

Me too! I'm just glad that Criterion is starting to "look East" at other filmmakers than Ozu and WKW. Let's hope for Hou Hsiao Hsien's City of Sadness and some Korean releases.
P.S. Mahjong was legitimately released in Japan by Uplink I think with a fairly nice transfer.

[Berlueur]

I am so psyched about this release... So much so that I registered on this forum...

(I do also have a legitimate question to ask on another topic...)

What a fantastic movie that is -- damn you, Criterion, I now have a devouring need to see this movie...

(Woot: I have successfully ended all of my first post's sentences with ellipsises...)

[Don Lope de Aguirre]

!!Happy Days!!

the ICA DVD was very poor (I sold mine on Amazon to someone at Criterion a few months ago)...

it's about time this film was given a release that reflects its status!

[justeleblanc]

Forget about whether Yi Yi sells well, it seems to be doing wonders for the forum's membership drive.

[FilmFanSea]

Since Yi Yi has a running time of nearly 3 hours, and there will be two audio tracks (the second for the commentary) present on this release, depending on the bitrate of the encoding, there won't be much room for extras unless Criterion chooses to go with a second disc.

The Yang-Rayns commentary was recorded for the UK release from ICA Projects/Manga Films in 2002, so Criterion's only cost would be the licensing fee (and probably the cost of subtitling the commentary track, as they usually do).

I don't normally complain about Criterion's prices, but the $39.95 seems a bit steep given the announced specs. I'll buy it regardless (a rare triple-dip for me), because it is (IMHO) a masterpiece that improves with each viewing. I will hope that the Rayns overview of the New Taiwanese Cinema is substantial, with generous clips from other Yang--and perhaps Hou Hsiao-Hsien--films that I hope Criterion will release in the future.

[Grimfarrow]

We really have to thank Tony Rayns for helping to encourage Criterion to delve more into Asian cinema, especially those not from Japan.

[kieslowski_67]

One of my very favorite films of this decade, and quite possibly my favorite Criterion release of 2006. You can make an argument for "Late Spring", but I already have it on DVD (including Ozu box set) in several releases that feature decent transfers.

[kieslowski_67]

I find it surprising that A Brighter Summer Day (considered his masterpiece by most) is nowhere to be found on DVD, not even in Asia.

That's not true. I have it on Asian DVD.

After the release of "yi yi", the majority of the Asian film critics considered it to be Yang's masterpiece, not his "summer day".

[Michael]

That's not true. I have it on Asian DVD.

Bootleg?

[Michael]

http://www.sensesofcinema.com/contents/ ... g.html#web

[bunuelian]

I'm officially excited about this release, having never seen any of Yang's stuff. Thanks, guys.

[exte]

Wonderful news, indeed...

[obloquy]

Yang's work is so lovely. This is my favorite Criterion news in a long time.

[kieslowski_67]

That's not true. I have it on Asian DVD.

Bootleg?

Nope.

[Michael]

Can you tell me more about the Asian DVD, kieslowsk_67?

[FilmFanSea]

First review has been posted by Ed Gonzalez at Slant Magazine. A couple of excerpts:

The difference in image and sound quality between Winstar's 2001 disc and this new edition from The Criterion Collection is the difference between night and day. The image here seems a tad dark at times, and edge enhancement is a minor problem here and there, but the luxurious color reproduction and impeccable detail will surely advance new and deeper appreciations of the film.

Do not fear the British Tony Rayns, a noted Asian-cinema critic. He is not what The Onion's AV Club might call one of The 15 People You Meet Listening to DVD Audio Commentaries—whom, incidentally, you almost always come across on discs by The Criterion Collection.

[Nihonophile]

Do not fear the British Tony Rayns, a noted Asian-cinema critic. He is not what The Onion's AV Club might call one of The 15 People You Meet Listening to DVD Audio Commentaries—whom, incidentally, you almost always come across on discs by The Criterion Collection.

I disagree Rayns on MOC's The Face of Another and to a lesser extent Vengeance is Mine is the narrator.

[peerpee]

I disagree Rayns on MOC's The Face of Another and to a lesser extent Vengeance is Mine is the narrator.

He does a *lot* more than merely narrate what's happening. It's unfair to dismiss someone so brusquely, especially when these commentaries are award-winning, without at least explaining your opinion.