House Of Flying Daggers R1 - April 19 (1 Viewer)

[Lewis Besze]

Ok there is Thai release as well, as I just rented it from my local store. It doesn't say what region is, but it plays flawlessly on my player which is R1 only.The sound options are Thai DD 5.1, DTS 5.1 and Mandarin DD 5.1. I used the Mandarin track. The picture was pretty bad even on my 36" CRT Wega tv. Artifacts all over the place,especially on fast moving camera pannings, or just following a galloping horse.
I was somewhat dissapointed with the movie though. Don't know if I'll buy the US version after viewing this.

 

[Chris_Marin]

I received Sony's R1 release on Satrday, and after a quick flick through it is definitely cut. There is no blood when she removes the dagger.

The set does have both English and Madarin DD5.1 audio. The English dub is okay, and is nowhere near as bad as most; but then what I have listened to is not as good as the English CTHD dub. Stick to the original language.

I have taken a couple of comparison grabs tonight; however alongside my original R3 purchase, this R1 release looks stunning:

Old HK release followed by the upcoming US release:





















Whilst you can tell the subtle differences above, the R1 version houses absolutely none of the terrible ghosting that badly affects the original R3, and slightly affects the popular newer Asian release.

It also looks as if the US release is slightly cropped.

The extras look to be very interesting. I haven't had a chance to go through them yet.

 

[Kain_C]

On your 3rd set of pics, I notice that you see a bit more of the tree on the left hand side with the US release.

 

[Citizen87645]

The comparison I'm looking forward to is between the 2 disc Edko and the R1. Thanks for the effort though.

 

[Chris_Marin]

Any chance that anyone has the R3 2-disc Edko release to compare the above shots with? I used PowerDVD to capture the images (with 'keep ratio' selected).

 

[Citizen87645]

I have it, but I think my computer's DVD-ROM is running low on Region resets.

 

[Rich Malloy]

That first Edko release was really contrasty, eh? But as others mentioned, it's really the subsequent Edko SE and LE releases, and the Starmax release that merit comparison.

So only blood was cut? The "cradling" scene (I hope that's descriptive enough, while not giving anything away) is there in its entirety?

 

[Chris_Marin]

No all three edits that were present in the US theatrical cut are still there. Namely, Jin slitting the officer's throat, Jin cradling Mei, and the removal of blood from Mei's wound.

 

[Ed St. Clair]

R1 too red for me in the first three captures. Skin tones, horse, & earth.
HK is too yellow for me in the last two captures. Skin tone, uniform, & flowers.
Thanks for the shots!
Hero was my fave film for 2003 & HoFD was "it" for 2004. Lot's of fun/great films for '04, just these images are haunting! Look's (P.I.) like Sin City will be my 2005 film...

 

[Donnie Eldridge]

The 2-disk EDKO release is head over heals a better transfer than the original single disk release. I doubt the R1 transfer will be much better than the Japanese R2 or the 2-disk EDKO. Even if it was, it would have to be light years ahead for me to purchase this movie again for the third time.

If someone wants to give me the time marks, I'll post the screenshots of the 2 disk.

 

[Aaron Silverman]

You can use software like DVD Genie to override the hardware region coding.

Still awaiting my screener for an official HTF review. . .

 

[Brajesh Upadhyay]

DVD Review loves the R1 DVD. But, if there are cuts, I'd go for the best non-R1 DVD. Might that be the 2-disc Edko set?

 

[Citizen87645]

I believe the Starmax is a tinge sharper than the 2 disc Edko, but you'd probably have a hard time noticing without a side-by-side. The Starmax is a bit harder to find too and possibly more expensive.

I'm kind of interested in the R1 for the features, but more than likely I'll wait until it hits the previewed shelves.

 

[Citizen87645]

And it sounds like Miramax is more deserving of this. What Hong Kong movies are in Sony's library?

 

[Rich Malloy]

I only have the Edko 2-disc, but going on reports primarily from DVD Talk's international forum it would seem that the consensus is: (1) Starmax has slightly better color rendering and detail than the Edko (2) however, Edko's (full bitrate?) DTS track trounces Starmax's by a good margin.

I cannot confirm any of this, except that I've seen the Starmax screengrabs against the Edko's, and I agree that they are slightly better... but not enough for me to upgrade, and particularly if the audio track isn't nearly as good as the Edko one.

 

[Ian_H]

A few Jet Li flicks...The Once Upon A Time In China series (1,2,& 3) they were uncut and subbed. They released some retitled Jet Li flicks (Legend of the Red Dragon a.k.a New Legend of Shaolin, Contract Killer a.k.a. Hitman)that were dubbed. They released a few classic Jackie Chan flicks (Drunken Master, New Fist Of Fury, Miracles) that were subbed as well. On the whole Sony/Columbia Tri-Star treats the films a lot better than MiraAXE does.


--Ian

 

[David_Blackwell]

I have the DVD. I will be reviewing it soon. Love the audio on the movie.

 

[Aaron Silverman]

I am ecstatic that Sony got this title and not Miramax. (And not just because I'll get a screener! ) I just recently saw Hero for the first time, and my opinion was reinforced that if there is any justice in the world, then Miramax will not be allowed anywhere near an Asian film ever again.

Sony has a much better track record when it comes to Asian films. I'm psyched that they got Kung Fu Hustle, as well.

 

[David_Blackwell]

Yes, it is true that Sony did a much better job than Miramax.

 

[Citizen87645]

In re: Miramax, transfer-wise they treated all their films the same