Zhang yi mou's "to live" (also known as: "Huozhe" or "Life Times" (1 Viewer)

[VincentY]

i'd like to purchase the best quality version of Zhang yi mou's "to live" (it also has different names like: "Huozhe", or "Life Times").

in the US, i cannot find any retailer online that has it on dvd, only on vhs. on various other sites like ebay, i can find it but from foreign online retailers.

i'm concerned about the quality. it says region 0. does it play well on my sony 700Progressive usa dvd player? i would ideally like an anamorphic, dolby 2 ch or more version. but i have no idea why this particular movie by Zhang yimou is so hard to find.

what about getting this from a foreign source? what about region 0 dvds? i have no idea what that means, and the risks involved in terms of quality.

any advice would be appreciated.

many thanks.

my direct email is [email protected]

 

[Tim RH]

I think the quality of the foreign DVD(s) is not very good, though I can't say from experience because I don't actually own the DVD. I badly want a good version of this movie in Region 1 though, because it's one of my all-time favorite films. Yimou's RAISE THE RED LANTERN is another great film that deserves respectful treatment on DVD (as do the rest of his unreleased movies for that matter!).

Doesn't MGM own these titles?

 

[SteveGon]

I'd also like to have a nice R1 DVD of Raise the Red Lantern. Also: Ju Dou and Red Sorghum.

Does MGM have all of these?

 

[VincentY]

why do you want region 1 instead of region 0?

i don't know the differences.

please tell?

thanks!

my direct email is: [email protected]

i only have, so far, a standard, sony 700P progressive dvd player. it is a standard, one year old sony dvd purchased in nyc.

 

[Gary Tooze]

There is a complete review of the Region 0 "To Live" and "Raise the Red Lantern here:

http://www.reviews.dvdbeaver.com/

A masterpiece of a film, but a poor ERA Home Video DVD.

Cheers,

 

[SteveGon]

why do you want region 1 instead of region 0?

I suppose a Region 0 release would be okay. Anyway, I was thinking of official releases by the company that actually owns the rights in a particular country. Such a release in the U.S. would of course, be R1.

 

[Kong Chang]

Good movie, btw.

However, if any of you are big Zhang Yimou fans, do avoid "Hero". It is very confusing and just plain boring.

 

[Tim RH]

However, if any of you are big Zhang Yimou fans, do avoid "Hero".

Yeah, like that's going to happen! :rolleyes

 

[Kong Chang]

Trust me, "Hero" is utter crap. I watched it with my parents and it was just blah...pathetically bland and boring and nonsensical. Plus it was way short.

 

[Dave F]

Also: Ju Dou

Me too! The current release is horrendous.

-Dave

 

[Wan]

Kong Chang, to each its own, but the majority of the people I'm with during Hero's screening thought the movie is very entertaining. If you're a Zhang Yi Mou, heck, if you're a fan of a good movie, you need to see this movie. More likely than not, you'll like it.

I bought To Live and Raise The Red Lantern from ebay and realized that there's nothing collectible about the DVDs at all (except the movies themselves). Awful transfer, sub-par translation, it's unbearable - especially if you have seen the movies in a big screen before.