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Chungking Express Blu-ray
Chung Hing sam lam / Criterion CollectionCriterion | 1994 | 102 mins | Rated PG-13 | Dec 16, 2008
Chungking Express Blu-ray ReviewReviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov, November 22, 2008 Leading independent US distribs Criterion enter the Blu-ray market with the long-awaited release of Wong Kar-Wai’s “Chungking Express” (1994), a stylishly photographed drama built upon two completely unrelated stories. In 1995 pic won four awards, including Best Director and Best Actor (Tony Leung Chiu Wai), at the Hong Kong Film Awards. A lonely cop (Takeshi Kaneshiro, Perhaps Love) is wandering the neon-lit streets of Hong Kong. He is heartbroken, sad, and unable to connect with the people around him. His loved one has left him and life has suddenly become pointless. To forget about his pain the cop decides to fall in love as quickly as possible. A blond woman (Brigitte Lin, Ashes of Time) with thick dark glasses hires a group of Indians to transport a large amount of drugs for her. After she pays each of them a large amount of money, the woman takes the Indians to a local tailor. There they are given new clothes while the drugs are hidden in their personal belongings. When the time comes for the Indians to serve their part of the deal, they disappear. Devastated and jaded, the woman heads to a local bar where she encounters a funny-talking cop. A second cop (Tony Chiu-Wai Leung, Lust, Caution) is also struggling to overcome the loss of a loved one. He often dines at a fast-food restaurant where one of the workers, a beautiful girl (Faye Wang, 2046) addicted to music, falls for him. She manages to get a key for his apartment and starts visiting while the cop is at work. Slowly but surely, the apartment begins to look cleaner, better organized, and friendlier.
Blending humor, drama, and romance to perfection Wong-Kar Wai’s Chungking Express could be a difficult film to like if one isn’t particularly impressed by the stylistic preferences of its director. It is a moody, clearly episodic, and focused on detail film where the narrative is practically unimportant. Not surprisingly, the two stories in Chungking Express come to an end without really providing a conclusive resolution. Observing the main protagonists and the emotional turmoil they undergo, however, is a much more rewarding experience. Christopher Doyle’s cinematography adds a very distinctive flavor to the manner in which Chungking Express resonates with its audience, and as a result even some truly ordinary scenes begin to look quite fascinating. Color in particular becomes a key component in the manner in which the story progresses as it indirectly dictates the tempo of the film. As a result, Chungking Express could be experienced as an interesting puzzle where colors and actions are closely intertwined. From a purely technical point of view Wong Kar-Wai’s film is indeed a daring panorama of visuals which also presents a number of challenges to the unsuspecting viewer. As implied earlier, the camera moves are irregular and very much tied to the manner in which color is employed. For example, the jumpy and at time intentionally blurred scenes are quite difficult to fully absorb in a first viewing, thus, a second look at Chungking Express might be necessary for those of you interested in fully deconstructing the vivid world Wong Kar-Wai has captured. Finally, I also wish to spare a few words on the terrific soundtrack which during the years evolved into a cult piece many critics cite as one of the key reasons why Chungking Express managed to build such a large group of dedicated followers. Courtesy of Frankie Chan, Michael Galasso, and Roel A. García the music of Chungking Express can be described as an exotic hybrid where traditional Asian tunes are mixed to perfection with lush ambient tracks (the sax-theme is truly one of the most beautiful pieces I have ever heard) granting the film with a stylish edge. It is mellow, calm, and at the same time filled with intensity which, not surprisingly, resonates to perfection with those who enjoy being immersed in the colorful world of Wong Kar-Wai. Video  Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.66:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC, and granted a 1080p transfer Wong Kar-Wai’s Chungking Express arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. Before we get to the technical presentation I would like to clarify something that had me puzzled for a few seconds. Immediately after the BD loads up on your TV screen you will see the tiny Criterion logo in the upper left corner. Please keep in mind that you have to wait approximately 10-15 seconds before your player redirects you to the main menu. Don’t panic as I did and do not immediately eject the disc (for whatever reason I thought that my disc did not load up properly). Well, I suppose I can say it now – Criterion are finally on board and I have their first Blu-ray release in my hands. It is a stylishly designed digipack that houses a nice booklet plus the actual disc. For those of you wondering what exactly the digipack looks like I suppose one could argue that it is very close to the thin-packs the studio used for the Agnes Varda collection, only the Blu-ray pack is a bit smaller. It also has a clear holder with the Blu-ray logo on the very top as well as a nice pocket to hold the booklet. In addition, of course, to the main case that holds the smaller case where the actual disc is. Here are a few photos we've taken for you: Pic1 Pic2 Pic3 Pic4 Pic5 Pic6 Pic7 Now off to the transfer. The first thing I would like to point out to you is that the back cover of my Blu-ray disc states: New, restored high-definition digital transfer with DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack supervised by director Wong Kar-Wai. Obviously, this little disclaimer should answer plenty of questions as to whether or not Criterion had Wong Kar-Wai involved with the production of their first Blu-ray release. The actual transfer on the other hand is simply beautiful. It boasts a healthy dose of grain, great contrast, and a degree of clarity the SDVD does not deliver (yes, I do own the SDVD and for the last couple of hours have been comparing the two extensively). Furthermore, blown through a digital projector the Blu-ray transfer reveals a much stronger composure and you should be able to see clearly where and how it excels (take the bar scene at the end of the first story for example and compare it to the SDVD). However, I believe that film aficionados will be most satisfied with the fact that Chungking Express boasts a pure, film-like, look which is exactly what we wanted and expected from Criterion. I don’t see any traces of DNR manipulation here either and as far as I am concerned this is precisely the type of treatment everyone was hoping for. As far as the film’s color-scheme goes, I suppose the fact that Wong Kar-Wai has supervised this transfer puts plenty of the speculations we’ve seen as of late to rest. Well, at least until the recently announced Artificial Eye Blu-ray release arrives and we go back to point A. As of this very moment, however. I personally am completely satisfied with the look of Chungking Express as well as its nuanced color-scheme. As you have probably seen on the SDVD release the blues and greens are most definitely much stronger than what we have seen on past HK SDVD releases and the Blu-ray disc simply adds more to them. Finally, the actual print provided by Criterion is of top-notch quality as well. It does not reveal any scratches, debris, or dirt. (Note: I tested the Criterion Blu-ray disc on my Region-B hardware and I can confirm that this is indeed a Region-A “locked” release which those of you with Region-B only equipment will not be able to playback). Audio The back cover for this Blu-ray release states that the audio track for Chungking Express has been supervised by Wong Kar-Wai as well. It also notes that a Cantonese DTS-HD MA 5.1 track is what Criterion have chosen to compliment the impressive video presentation. Strangely enough, unless you see what the back cover reveals, you might have a very difficult time figuring out what audio codec the distribs have opted for as there isn’t a dedicated audio section on their disc menu. With other words, you will have to have your receiver do all of the detective work. This being said, the newly restored audio mix is simply gorgeous. Frankie Chan, Michael Galasso, and Roel A. García’s original tunes, as well as the cohort of classical songs, come off the speakers with a remarkable clarity, and I certainly feel confident in stating that the Blu-ray disc very much overshadows what the SDVD delivers in terms of audio. Here the music score brings forward completely different qualities which seem to have been lost in previous releases – richer overtones, great balance, and impressive clarity (the sax solo is simply flawless). My only complaint in the audio department is related to the use of the English (white) subtitles which appear rather big for my taste. They seem a bit bulky to me and those of you with large screens, as well as top-notch digital projectors, might have a few words to spare when the disc shows up at your homes. Supplements  In the extras department you will find exactly what the SDVD version of Chungking Express offers – the original US theatrical trailer and an excerpt from the BBC television series Moving Pictures with cinematographer Christopher Doyle and Wong Kar-Wai. Finally, the disc also hosts the full-blown documentary by Tony Rayns where he effectively deconstructs Chungking Express. What the Blu-ray disc offers in addition to what is already provided on the SDVD is a nice little feature called “Timeline”. With it you can bookmark specific scenes (use the green button of your remote) while watching the film, or listening to the documentary, and then compare different scenes after you’ve seen the film or listened to the analysis. You could later on delete your bookmarks (use the blue button on your remote) and return to the main feature. The lovely booklet Criterion have provided has the same essay you might have already seen on the SDVD titled “Electric Youth” written by Amy Toubin (she is a contributing editor for Film Comment and Sight & Sound, in addition to being a contributor at Artforum). Undoubtedly, this is a terrifically written piece providing a very strong analysis for Chungking Express. Final words Well, Criterion are finally on board with the rest of the studios currently producing on Blu-ray and I could not be any happier. They certainly capture a fragment of the film market which I am very interested in and having them release timeless classic as well as important contemporary films on Blu-ray should be terrific. I hope that their efforts are appreciated and more importantly rewarded with strong sales so we could all benefit from their rich catalog of films. Chungking Express, Criterion’s first Blu-ray release, is nothing short of magnificent. The video and audio treatments are superb and exactly what I was hoping to see and hear. I really feel like we are entering a new era where important cinema will finally be treated with the deserved attention no other format has been able to secure. Very Highly Recommended. 
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