The indomitable bond between Chinese mothers and daughters is explored in all its many joys and sorrows in Wayne Wang’s The Joy Luck Club. Covering multiple generations in four Chinese families with all of the present and past tragedies to either succumb to or overcome, The Joy Luck Club is a deeply felt and engaging string of stories linked by four women whose daughters struggle with their own present-day problems in America much as each of them had to deal with the terrific pressures of living in a society which put little stock in the rank of women. It's a beautiful, affecting film.
The Joy Luck Club (Blu-ray)
Directed by Wayne Wang
Studio: Hollywood
Year: 1993
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 1080p AVC codec
Running Time: 139 minutes
Rating: R
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 English; Dolby Digital 5.1 French, 2.0 Spanish
Subtitles: SDH, Spanish, French
Region: A-B-C
MSRP: $ 20.00
Release Date: December 11, 2012
Review Date: December 7, 2012
The Film
4/5
The film centers on a going away party for June (Ming-Na Wen) who is about to embark on a trip to China to meet her two half-sisters that her mother (Kieu Chinh) had had to abandon many years before the family moved to America. With her mother having died four months previously, June must find a way to bring her mother’s love and spirit to her two daughters whom she hadn’t seen in decades. As she wanders though the party filled with friends and relatives, various other stories emerge (eight in all), all of which share a central tenant – how daughters often fail to meet the high expectations of their mothers and how each one manages to cope with those feelings of seeming disfavor. As the movie reveals, the mothers themselves held their own unsatisfactory feelings about not living up to the examples of their mothers, a vicious cycle that the film eventually shows each of the four young Chinese-American daughters having managed to override in their own unique ways.
All of the stories grip one’s attention, the tragic Lindo’s (Tsai Chin) story of being sold into marriage to a young boy who had no interest in a real marriage with her and the subsequent rocky relationship she has with his chess prodigy daughter Waverly (Tamlyn Tomita) certainly makes those two characters the most memorable of the supporting cast through both women’s sheer force of will. When Rose’s (Rosalind Chao) marriage to enormously wealthy publishing heir Ted (Andrew McCarthy) begins to unwind, we’re gifted with a riveting story of her mother An Mei’s (Lisa Lu) miserably unhappy life as the fourth wife (i.e. a concubine) to a wealthy Chinese man with some surprising twists and turns in the relationship. Less interesting is Lena’s (Lauren Tom) unhappy 50-50 marriage of non-equality with the cold Harold (Michael Paul Chan) even though her mother Ying Ying’s (France Nuyen) tale of a devastating tragedy in her fractured marriage is a heart-stopping one.
Amy Tan and Ronald Bass’s adaptation of Tan’s 1989 best seller is skillfully executed by director Wayne Wang. Even with these multiple stories unfolding almost one after another, it’s easy to keep the characters separate and each flows naturally into the next. Wang also does an exemplary job in depicting the various Chinese locales in their early 20th century atmosphere and contrasting them with the more modern tales set in America. And he’s guided all of his female cast to superb performances. Of the large cast, possibly Lauren Tom and Tamlyn Tomita get the richest characters to dig deeply into, but viewers won’t be spared some very wet eyes in the climactic meeting of the sisters which Ming-Na Wen pulls off expertly. Of the older ladies, Tsai Chin has the showiest role of the feisty, determined mothers.
Video Quality
5/5
The film’s 1.85:1 theatrical aspect ratio is delivered in a 1080p transfer using the AVC codec. With the warm, rich shades in the modern day party framing device and realistic hues in all of the other scenes, color is a standout in this reference-quality transfer. Flesh tones are especially appealing, and sharpness is excellently maintained throughout the presentation. Black levels are deep and inky making for superb shadow detail. Subtitles are printed in white when characters are speaking Chinese and are very easy to read. The film has been divided into 10 chapters.
Audio Quality
4/5
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 sound mix makes good use of the front three channels throughout much of the run time at the expense of the rears which are seldom used. However, the film’s climactic sequence in China for some reason seems to flip a switch opening up the full range of sound effects and Rachel Portman’s music to flood through the entire soundfield showing what might have been possible throughout the film’s running time. Dialogue has been excellently recorded and has been placed in the center channel.
Special Features
0/5
Despite offering promo trailers for ABC’s Castle and other ABC-TV dramas, there are no bonus features related to this film.
In Conclusion
4/5 (not an average)
A beautifully crafted and deeply moving series of mother-daughter stories which won’t leave a dry eye in the house, The Joy Luck Club looks simply smashing on this new Blu-ray release. A quality film of this distinction cries out for some bonus material to enhance its unique qualities, but fans will be disappointed to learn there is none offered in this unfortunately barebones release.
Matt Hough
Charlotte, NC
