At least worthy of a rental for Asian and queer film students.
When we add together the cumulative effect of bloody sword fights, gorgeous women in states of undress and societal norms being reinforced, is it really any wonder "Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan" was a success back in the early 1970´s?
The film itself is gorgeous production with lavish sets and intricate costumes, both of which conspire to make the finished product look more expensive than it probably was. Even in the most innocuous of scenes, those of watching various menial activities inside the brothel, are given life by weaving behind curtains, pillars and other objects, always giving the audience the illusion something is standing between us and the action. Almost as if to say "keep your distance." Which may be intentional, the more you think about it. Ainu remains emotionally detached from her new life after she her vow of vengeance. Chu Yuan tells us the same in far more discrete language.
VIDEO:
By and large, the 2.35:1 anamorphic transfer looks good, exceptionally so for the age of the elements. Early on, there are a couple white pops and lines on the screen, but they are all but eliminated within five minutes. The picture isn´t quite as sharp as we´ve come to expect with modern productions, yet it´s to be expected. There is an overall softness to most of the shots, not just the ones featuring a lead actress (think original "Star Trek"). While none of the colors pop off the screen, they don´t cause a problem, either. This isn´t the best transfer committed to disc; it looks acceptable for a 36 year old production, though.
In certain scenes in the film, mostly long shots, the action seems to be filmed through a fishbowl, meaning the edges of the screen are turned inward slightly. It´s not terribly distracting, but noticeable if you´re watching.
AUDIO:
We´ve been given a couple options here. First is the original Mandarin mono track, followed by an English dubbed (mono) track. Of course, we also have English subtitles. Interestingly, the sync seems to be off by a second or two between the Mandarin track and the movement of lips on screen. In some scenes, there is no issue while in others its nearly comical. (To be honest, I didn´t bother with the dubbed track.) As with the video, it´s hard to expect a whole lot with the material at hand.
There is little-if any-depth to the sound field, making sound effects or the music come out flat. In higher frequencies, the score becomes distorted, almost like fingernails being scraped down a blackboard. Luckily, those moments are few. Audio hiss is non-existent, as are most ambient noises (such as wind blowing through the trees). The latter is a minor quibble, really, with the caveat of the film´s age.
EXTRAS:
We might as well call the special features package "trailers with featurette" because that´s exactly what we get. A single twelve minute self-congratulatory feature talking about this film and its 1984 remake. All three women (Shaw Yin-Yin, Candice Yu and Lily Li) were stars in a Shaw Brothers production and speak about their individual reactions to this film. They praise both Lily Ho and Betty Pei Ti and rightly so. The entire exercise becomes elementary and a bit tiresome when no new information is revealed about the film, though.
Two different sections contain trailers. First, Shaw Brothers Trailers consists of sixteen promos running a little over seventeen minutes. The next section, creatively titled Other Films You Might Enjoy, has thirteen trailers clocking in at 46:20. There are play all options in addition to selecting each trailer individually. I had problems selecting an individual trailer to watch. I kept defaulting to the Play All option.
Lastly, a collection of nine stills, running 36 seconds and automatically advancing.
PARTING THOUGHTS:
The Shaw Brothers put together the largest company producing Hong Kong films. Their first film hit the cinema in 1951, the last in 2002. In short, they are a legend within Asian cinema circles and are most likely unknowns to American audiences. It doesn´t help that in the pantheon of gay themed films, "Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan" rarely comes up in the discussion. Perhaps because of the negative portrayals of lesbians or the reinforcement of societal norms. Whatever the reason, and no matter how gratuitous the ending ends up being, this is at least worthy of a rental for Asian and queer film students.
The film itself is gorgeous production with lavish sets and intricate costumes, both of which conspire to make the finished product look more expensive than it probably was. Even in the most innocuous of scenes, those of watching various menial activities inside the brothel, are given life by weaving behind curtains, pillars and other objects, always giving the audience the illusion something is standing between us and the action. Almost as if to say "keep your distance." Which may be intentional, the more you think about it. Ainu remains emotionally detached from her new life after she her vow of vengeance. Chu Yuan tells us the same in far more discrete language.
VIDEO:
By and large, the 2.35:1 anamorphic transfer looks good, exceptionally so for the age of the elements. Early on, there are a couple white pops and lines on the screen, but they are all but eliminated within five minutes. The picture isn´t quite as sharp as we´ve come to expect with modern productions, yet it´s to be expected. There is an overall softness to most of the shots, not just the ones featuring a lead actress (think original "Star Trek"). While none of the colors pop off the screen, they don´t cause a problem, either. This isn´t the best transfer committed to disc; it looks acceptable for a 36 year old production, though.
In certain scenes in the film, mostly long shots, the action seems to be filmed through a fishbowl, meaning the edges of the screen are turned inward slightly. It´s not terribly distracting, but noticeable if you´re watching.
AUDIO:
We´ve been given a couple options here. First is the original Mandarin mono track, followed by an English dubbed (mono) track. Of course, we also have English subtitles. Interestingly, the sync seems to be off by a second or two between the Mandarin track and the movement of lips on screen. In some scenes, there is no issue while in others its nearly comical. (To be honest, I didn´t bother with the dubbed track.) As with the video, it´s hard to expect a whole lot with the material at hand.
There is little-if any-depth to the sound field, making sound effects or the music come out flat. In higher frequencies, the score becomes distorted, almost like fingernails being scraped down a blackboard. Luckily, those moments are few. Audio hiss is non-existent, as are most ambient noises (such as wind blowing through the trees). The latter is a minor quibble, really, with the caveat of the film´s age.
EXTRAS:
We might as well call the special features package "trailers with featurette" because that´s exactly what we get. A single twelve minute self-congratulatory feature talking about this film and its 1984 remake. All three women (Shaw Yin-Yin, Candice Yu and Lily Li) were stars in a Shaw Brothers production and speak about their individual reactions to this film. They praise both Lily Ho and Betty Pei Ti and rightly so. The entire exercise becomes elementary and a bit tiresome when no new information is revealed about the film, though.
Two different sections contain trailers. First, Shaw Brothers Trailers consists of sixteen promos running a little over seventeen minutes. The next section, creatively titled Other Films You Might Enjoy, has thirteen trailers clocking in at 46:20. There are play all options in addition to selecting each trailer individually. I had problems selecting an individual trailer to watch. I kept defaulting to the Play All option.
Lastly, a collection of nine stills, running 36 seconds and automatically advancing.
PARTING THOUGHTS:
The Shaw Brothers put together the largest company producing Hong Kong films. Their first film hit the cinema in 1951, the last in 2002. In short, they are a legend within Asian cinema circles and are most likely unknowns to American audiences. It doesn´t help that in the pantheon of gay themed films, "Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan" rarely comes up in the discussion. Perhaps because of the negative portrayals of lesbians or the reinforcement of societal norms. Whatever the reason, and no matter how gratuitous the ending ends up being, this is at least worthy of a rental for Asian and queer film students.
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[release]23831[/release]