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Not right now cos my copy is out on loan (something I'm regretting already), but here's a review of the DVD that came out in Hong Kong a couple of years ago:

The Goddess
Starring: Ruan Ling-yu, Tian Jian, Zhang Zhi-zhi

Director: Wu Yong-gang

Enticingly described by leading Asian-film scholar and festival programmer Tony Rayns as “the kind of film that demands a rewriting of the film history booksâ€

Thanks, Matango. Seems to be the same edition as the one reviewed here. I'll give it whirl.

You're welcome, but I'd get the HKUP version for the book, which is full of photos and doesn't seem to come with the one you linked to.

The one I linked to is no longer available. I just meant it seems to be the same transfer, and that therefore the comments on the picture quality were relevant. The HKUP version is obviously the one to get!

Where can one buy the HKUP version?

Amazon carries it. Same price as U of Washington Press, but free shipping.

Another twofer is on the way set for release on September 11th, A Spray of Plum Blossoms (Bu Wancang, 1931) and Two Stars in the Milkyway (Sze Tomsie, 1931).

As is the first Chinese feature length animated film Princess Iron Fan (1941). Coming 11/6.

Grabbed the STREET ANGEL/TWIN SISTERS doubleheader and I can unequivically say-- despite the analag hell of these transfers of shoddy prints full of pops & crackling-- that the experience was so pleasurable, so fresh for me (early Chinese cinema being a total black hole in my collection) that I now see myself easily springing for all of these. Wonderful stuff, and surprisingly confident, completely in command, and on a par-- yet entirely individual in it's sense of its own culture-- with the other emerging sound cinemas of the day. Chinese culture does (and always has) affect me profoundly, even in it's moments of workaday blankness... the visceral sights & sounds, the soft staccatto of the dialects, the grim depth of the cities (well on display here), the beauty of the endless landscapes and the existential connection to their rhythms... it's amazing I never sought this stuff out before, though indeed subs always a problem. The subbing on these I'm happy to say are above average. Definitely not Mei-Ah style Chinglish.

The latest release is A Spray of Plum Blossom (1931) and Two Stars in the Galaxy (1931). Both have bilingual intertitles (as per the initial release print) and while the first title looks horrid, the second is in quite good condition. Too bad as the first is really by far the better film.

I picked up SPRING IN A SMALL TOWN, which is watchable and looks like a ho hum old vhs, provided you watch it on a tube (I throw these up on my old sharp television instead of my hi res)... you at least feel like you're watching on PBS one sunday night in the old days. At least you get to experience this glorious rarity.

Also picked up SONG AT MIDNIGHT, a no-brainer owing to its pedigree, photography, and extreme rarity. Alas this is the worst transfer of them all (or worse print)... so hard to make out in shadowy/night scenes (and being stylized photographically as a horror film, much of the film is shot in darkness & evening). The upside is it is totally fascinating, bizarre, and BEAUTIFULLY photographed. What I wouldnt give for a 35 mm digital restoration. All these discs are so obviously from old vhs tapes. So strange how western the musical compositions are. I love Chinese music so I was a bitdisappointed actually.

dmkb wrote:As is the first Chinese feature length animated film Princess Iron Fan (1941). Coming 11/6.

Having watched this and very much liked it, is there more chinese animation available on international DVD?

harlock78 wrote:

dmkb wrote:As is the first Chinese feature length animated film Princess Iron Fan (1941). Coming 11/6.

Having watched this and very much liked it, is there more chinese animation available on international DVD?

There's always this, though I'm not sure if it has english subs or not. Some etailers say they do, some don't.

Three more releases announced for this series:
Dream of the Red Chamber (1944)/Empress Wu Zetian (1939) due 2/5/08
Myriad of Lights (1948)/Along the Sungari River (1947) due 3/4/08
Orphan on the Streets (1949)/The Watch (1949) due 3/4/08

Below are screen caps of "Myriads of Lights" on the Mei Ah VCD edition. The picture quality is pretty good here, and this may be an indication of how the upcoming Cinema Epoch edition will look. Of course, "pretty good" is a relative term. It's not Criterion-quality; it still looks unrestored. The caps below can't show you all the scratches, splices, and shakiness. But they do show the good clarity and contrast of the source.

The unsettling thing for me is that the Cinema Epoch titles, from what I've seen, often have brightness and contrast boosted to a less than optimal level. So the upcoming release may look even worse than the caps below.

MEI AH VCD (NO ENGLISH SUBS):






Two editions of "Street Angel" - the Cinema Epoch edition and the Mei Ah DVD edition.

CINEMA EPOCH



MEI AH (no English subs):

How is the quality of Princess Iron Fan?
Can't find any comments online, but I expect it to be low....