I have to admit: when I learned that the first Blu-ray release from Criterion would be of their newly remastered version of Wong Kar-Wai’s 1994 Chungking Express, I was slightly puzzled. Don’t get me wrong—the film, shot by Andrew Lau and Christopher Doyle, is breathtakingly beautiful. But its beauty is largely of an impressionistic sort. The blurred slow-motion (produced via optical printing rather than speeding up the camera), the graininess of the natural light shots at dusk, the rush produced by the fast cuts and the whip pans—all salutory qualities, but not necessarily the sort of thing to wow certain home theater enthusiasts. I figured the company would come out of the Blu-ray box with something more conventionally impressive; The Last Emperor, say, maybe even Godard’s Contempt (I saw sections of the latter in High-Definition at Criterion’s New York offices, and it’s staggering).
Well, I needn’t have been concerned, in any respect. Criterion’s Blu-ray of Chungking Express is a revelation. It should thrill cinephiles and tech wonks in equal measure. My camera-shot screen grabs are pretty poor approximations of how the disc presents the film but should give you some sense of it.
Pretty much every frame of the film is packed with vivid, contrasting colors, and one of the strengths of the high-def version is how fixed and solid the colors are. Flesh tones are beautifully exact. (The tones above belong to Faye Wong.) FIlm grain, a bedbug of certain high-def advocates, is spectacularly intact, as the top screen shot attests. Indeed, Chungking Express is one of those films that thoroughly vindicates something film preservationist Robert Harris once said to me: “The grain is the picture.”
I haven’t delved in to all the extras yet, but did enjoy Tony Rayns’ typically well-informed audio commentary. Bottom line: a fantastic Blu-ray debut from Criterion and an essential addition to any High-Def home library.
I’m going to hold my breath and stamp my feet until Criterion does a Blu-Ray of Play Time, a movie that (imho) doesn’t exist in standard-def. In three, two, one.…
That’s a capital suggestion, Sam. I’m sure that every Criterion fan who’s upgraded to Blu-ray has a wish list. “Playtime,” absolutely. “Contempt,” “Days of Heaven,” “Breathless,” “Stolen Kisses,” “Straw Dogs,” “Seven Samurai’.…that’s just off the top of my head.
Not “Salo,” though. Don’t need a high-def “Salo”…
I love this film, and I can’t wait to get the new disc.
I mean, after I get the HDTV and the Blu-Ray player. Maybe a PS3? If any of you are trying to think of what to get me for Christmas, you could start here.
No, on second thought, just give me the cash. Times is tough.
Seriously. I think I prefer the old Salo, where you couldn’t quite see what was happening. Clarity is not always a good thing.
This reminds me. I’ve had that Bluberry Pie Movie of his on my laptop since before it was in theaters and have yet to click on it. Is it as bad as they say?
Nah… IMHO, it’s just that the dialogue is in English now, so it seems a little more trite. My theory is that it would have seemed less so if Wong would have made it in his native language.
That and he falls prey to the usual trap that ensnares foreign directors. He chooses to make it a road movie with distinct American iconography that seems a little cliché to us natives.
Here’s my review if you’re interested:
http://www.cinemaviewfinder.com/2008/07/dvd-review-my-blueberry-nights-singer.html
I’m kind of mixed on “Blueberry.” There’s some good stuff in it. One interesting thing it highlights is how much American directors—particularly commercial directors—have ripped off Wong, to the extent that when he does his thing in an American landscape, he almost looks like he’s ripping off himself.
Tony is right on about the dialogue conundrum.
Yesterday the “Chungking” Blu-ray was folloed up by Blu-rays of “The Third Man,” “The Man Who Fell To Earth,” and “Bottle Rocket.” I’ll have relatively complete reports on them soon, but I’ll say here that the two “Man“s are blowing me away. I think I’ve found a cure for my Seasonal Affective Disorder, they’re that good…
The BFI has, in fact, just released Salo on Blu-Ray. But it’s region locked.
Glenn, I just watched my copy of “Chungking” (thanks), listening to the commentary. Were you as surprised as I was to hear that Christopher Doyle and Wong had a “rupture,” as Tony Rayns puts it?
At the press conference for “Ashes of Time Redux” (I don’t think you attended that screening), Wong, Doyle, and even Brigitte Lin were all in attendance, and it seemed cordial. But the falling out described on the disc seems pretty serious.
Personally, I find truth in Rayns’ assertion that Doyle’s contributions became less significant as Wong came into his own especially when he cites “In the Mood for Love.” Do you agree?
@Tony: No, I wasn’t terribly surprised that the two fell out—nor was I surprised that they patched things up. Doyle is one of those outwardly volatile guys who’s a real mensch at heart. Kar-wai is difficult but loyal. I hope they work together again.
Rayns has a point about Doyle’s contributions becoming less crucial as Kar-wai himself gains in technical fluency. But that doesn’t mean that Kar-wai doesn’t benefit from working with a cinematographer who has an understanding of, and the patience for, his working method.