Love and Bullets Hong Kong DVD Review Column #1:

Cheers to DVD! Jeers to Miramax! Cheers to Fox and Fortune Star!

Welcome to Love and Bullets new editorial column, a place for fans to share their love and passion of Hong Kong cinema with one another. And what a time to be a fan! Thanks to DVD, long past are the days when one would make do re-watching dubbed copies of Sunday Kung Fu Theatre or be grateful for a fuzzy, fifth generation VHS with semi-literate subtitles that were only off the screen half of the time. Nowadays you can find almost everything on DVD, and if it's not available yet, you can bet it will be as long somebody thinks they can make money off of it.

For me, the best part about the success of DVD isn't even the terrific picture and sound, or even all the extra features. Those are just bells and whistles. DVD as a consumer medium has done more to save Asian movies than anything or anyone else in the last 40 years. By releasing these old films on a digital format and even remastering them in high-definition, they are preserving them for future generations, not to mention making them more affordable and to a larger audience than ever before (the internet has also helped a lot).

Before the arrival of DVD the only way to even watch these films in widescreen were with expensive and unwieldy Laser Discs that would spread a single film over several discs. Some even had scenes chopped just to save on runtime (ironically of course, some of those old LDs are now the only way to see a film properly because of the necessary evil of region coding, and international lease agreements and copyrights, but more on that later). The sad fact is Asian movies aren't accorded the same respect as their western counterparts even in their own homeland. It's no secret that Hong Kong, a city of commerce considers films as commodities that earn their keep and then are dumped for the next release. Many older films, especially from the smaller studios have already been lost or destroyed. And while Asian DVD output has often been judged as sub-par (especially their early fare) in comparison to major Hollywood releases, bearing in mind their smaller budgets and limited technical resources they are nonetheless getting better. Even as a fan on a limited budget, I'm happy to double dip if my favourite film gets a better re-release on DVD, and you can't beat that.

Because Love and Bullets is primarily a DVD review site, occasionally the question of which audience the films are reviewed for comes up. Some simply want to know if the movie is worth watching, while others will want to know if that same disc is worth owning. With the advent of superior home theatre systems, this has seen a line drawn between film fans and home theatre fans. But really, that's just silly, we all watch movies because we love them, and we all want the best presentation possible. What is best however, is often a matter of personal taste.

Sometimes my friends ask why I seem to prefer a mono soundtrack over a newer 5.1 or even DTS sound mix. In the case of older films, the original mono mix as heard in the theatre is for all intents and purposes are how the filmmaker wanted their film. And when that movie comes home, it should stay as faithful to the theatrical experience as possible. I've read reviews where the writer laments that the DVD only includes a 'boring' mono track and that if it was re-mixed in 5.1, the disc would just kick ass. That kind of comment falls into the 'I paid a whack load of dough for 5 speakers, so I better hear sound coming outta every single one of 'em!' category. In some ways, with many home systems capable of beating out the local cineplex, technology has spoiled people. That's why having a new DTS soundtrack on an old title is seen as a big selling point. The problem though, is that these newer soundtracks are often remixed by the DVD production house and not the original filmmakers. Because of that, they either don't know or don't understand how the film should be heard. At best, the results often fail to faithfully represent what the director had intended, and at worse sounds like complete crap. I'm not saying that a new soundtrack has to be bad, I welcome the occasional good one, it's just bad more often than not.

Luckily with the versatility of DVD, it doesn't even matter. With the space available, DVDs can include a new DTS or 5.1 remix as well as the original mono. While my feeling is that the movie should come first, making it look and sound as good as the first day it was released, and then if possible make it better. This would satisfy most parties as the consumer would then have the power to choose what they think is best.

Which interestingly brings up the case of Miramax. Last month, Hero finally slid out of the top ten, but it's done quite well. Over five weeks in the top ten and in the number one spot for two, this must have made Miramax pretty happy. It's always nice to see an Asian film do well, especially one with its original language intact. Now everyone can look forward to the upcoming DVD release. Of course if you do happen to fall in love with this Miramax release, you should be aware that Miramax (and this nothing new to long time Asian film fan) may not necessarily love you.

While this has already been extensively covered on a number of other sites, it's worth repeating here. Many know that Miramax has history of improving the foreign films they import, and here I'm not talking about a simple soundtrack remix. Their target audience is the mainstream filmgoer who normally would never watch a foreign film (especially with subtitles, who would want to read at a movie anyway?!), but might go see a Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, or Shall We Dance if they get enough media attention or Oscar nominations. So they will tailor a film to that specific audience (westernizing it with English dubbing, cutting scenes that are deemed too 'foreign' so it's more easily understandable, etc). That's just business. As a company, Miramax needs to make money and everybody's got to eat, so I don't begrudge them that. But how they go about their business is at least questionable.

Starting last year, Miramax began legally threatening Asian film websites (such as Kung Fu Cinema and MonkeyPeaches) and even had their operations suspended for selling illegal copies of films that Miramax had purchased the North American rights to (Shaolin Soccer, Hero, etc). What's wrong with shutting down bootleggers you ask? The problem here is that the illegal copies referred to are not pirated bootlegs, but legal DVDs from other regions, and what's worse is that neither site even sells anything! They are Asia news sites and only link to other on-line retailers.

Now remember, these are legal DVDs available from legal importers, usually located in other countries. HKflix, a U.S. based retailer has always been honest and up-front about this sort thing. That's why if you've ever tried to purchase Tsui Hark's A Chinese Ghost Story for example, you'll find this instead, "According to Disney [We loosely use the term "Disney" to refer to the entire Buena Vista family of studios, including Miramax, Dimension, Disney, Touchstone, etc.], who claims exclusive North American distribution rights to this film, it is a violation of United States law for any North America-based company to sell this title. Any such competitors of ours selling this title are doing so in violation of U.S. law. We are as unhappy about this as you, and we thank you in advance for your continued support of HKFlix.com."

While it's true that most Asian film fans (such as myself) will probably ignore the westernized Miramax version in favour of the original, this is of no consequence to Miramax. The truth is they don't care about us. They know that hardcore fans won't wait for the American release, especially when the Asian import DVD is already available. And because we are a niche audience, they wouldn't make much money from us anyway.

Harvey Weinstein co-chairman of Miramax Films pretty much admits this in his Variety write-up, "Some people have suggested that the availability of illegal imports of 'Hero' on the Internet would have an effect on the box office. Clearly this was not the case and in fact our surveys showed that few audience members had seen the film on DVD. We have successfully cracked down on this practice, and have kept the sales of these DVDs to a few hundred enterprising Asian film fans."

After all, other than a few "enterprising Asian film fans" who else would bother to legally import a film deal with customs, duties, shipping, all at their own expense. But if that's case, why bother to attack Asian film websites? It seems to be a case of when a film does well, Miramax' business practices are to be congratulated, but when a film tanks, all of a sudden it's the film fan's fault. Harvey seems to have forgotten that the "some people" he referred to are none other than Miramax' own chief operating officer Rick Sands.

In a Chicago Tribune article, Sands is quite clear, "Given that 'Shaolin Soccer' isn't a 'Hero'-like spectacle, Sands blames the imports for the comedy's box office failure. 'All indications were it was going to be a commercial successful film," he said, citing audience tracking studies. 'One has to draw the conclusion that the pirated DVDs had an impact.'" (read the full article here, it's quite well written and worth the time : metromix.chicagotribune.com/movies/mmx-0408210376aug22,0,3186720.story?coll=mmx-movies_heds)

So Miramax sits on a film that's been available on DVD for over 3 years and delays its release time and again, cuts it to shreds, gives it a horrendous dub and all of sudden it's the fans' fault? And since when did being an Asian film fan constitute being their enemy? Well, apparently when they decided it's illegal to even own the original version of a film on DVD if it's from another region. That's right, they're not just attacking websites anymore, they are attacking the fans directly. How else would you interpret reports that individuals have been served legal notice if they attempt to do anything with their own personal import DVD, such as selling it on EBay?

It's one thing for them to alter a film so it suits their audience, but it's another when they say 'our way is the only way a film may be seen.' Let's forget that they're trampling all over the work of the original filmmakers whenever they 'improve' a film, but when they won't even allow the audience the option of even seeing the film the way it was intended, then that's just plain wrong.

The sad part is that it is all so unnecessary. With current DVDs there is absolutely no reason why both the dubbed and cut version, and the original can't be made available together. This would satisfy the average movie-goer and give respect to the original filmmakers and film fans. Unfortunately Miramax just doesn't seem to care. For all their protestations about how much they respect foreign films, their actions say otherwise. Even Quentin Tarantino the self-dubbed 'uber fan' has disappointed by failing to treat the films that he supposedly reveres with the respect they deserve. While Tarantino's release of Iron Monkey retained the Cantonese dialogue, the original score was dropped, subtitles were altered with fabricated story elements, and scenes were cut. None of this is even mentioned on the packaging, so consumers have no idea that what their getting has even been tampered with. If Tarantino loves the film so much (as he says in the supplements) then why does he or Miramax even feel the need to make so many improvements of their own?

To this day, films such as Jet Li's Fist of Legend or the original uncut Japanese Shall We Dance (1996) remain unavailable (except on those unwieldy Laser Discs I mentioned earlier. So if you're lucky enough to have 'em. Keep 'em.) So what can we do about it? Scroll down to the bottom of the News page and sign that petition [http://www.petitiononline.com/warthkf/petition.html] if you haven't already. And remember, let's try to be polite, no one takes a raving loon seriously. You can also visit the Web Alliance for the Respectful Treatment of Asian Cinema for more information [http://alliance.hellninjacommando.net/index.htm].

Now those of you who may think that making your thoughts heard is a waste of time and doesn't make a difference should pay attention.

Fortune Star and Fox's line of Martial Arts Legends DVDs are among the better Asian film releases in Region 1. While supplements have been few or non-existent, the films themselves have been remastered and for the most part look the best they have in years. They are generally uncut and include the original language remixed in both 5.1 and DTS, and all at an unbelievably budget friendly price of $5.99 - 9.99 (depending on where you shop). The main criticisms with the releases though were that the subtitles provided were in fact inaccurate dubtitles, and the omission of the original mono soundtrack, which would have gone a long way to make up for the mediocre surround remixes.

Well, it appears that after receiving requests from fans who made the effort to let them know, Fox's newest wave 4 includes proper subtitles and the original mono soundtrack! This is fantastic news and everyone should be aware of it! Those who had stayed away from their line-up because of those two quibbles should be satisfied. Finally, a company has listened to the fans and I couldn't be happier. You see, we can make a difference!

Here's a complete list as well as links to Matt's reviews of the Martial Arts Legend releases currently available from Fox, starting with the most recent:

Wave 4 (September 2004)
Knockabout
The Postman Fights Back
Mr. Vampire
Iron Fisted Monk
Battle Creek Brawl

Wave 3 (May 2004)
The Prodigal Son
The Young Master (misframed)
Game of Death II
Royal Warriors
Operation Scorpio

Wave 2 (December 2003)
Duel to the Death
Eastern Condors
, Heart of Dragon
In The Line Of Duty 4
My Lucky Stars

Wave 1 (February 2003)
Magnificent Butcher
Hong Kong 1941
City Hunter
Magnificent Warriors
Naked Killer (cut version)

While they may not be perfect (some more special features would sure be nice) but for the price they just can't be beat. By all means, take a chance and try a film that you've never seen before, or introduce a buddy to a Hong Kong classic. They also make economical stocking stuffers! To my knowledge the line hasn't done particularly well, and can be hard to find in certain areas, but they're worth the effort and I for one would certainly like to see them release more!

One last thing, you should do yourself a favour and check out the amusing trailer for Stephen Chow's upcoming Kung-fu Hustle, if you haven't already here: http://www.kungfuhustle.com (interestingly enough, their website is tri-lingual with three versions of the trailer, hmm). It's done well at a number of festivals, but there was a bit of scary stir last week when it was rumoured that Miramax had bought the rights again. Luckily it was just that, a rumour. Let's hope it stays that way (don't forget that Miramax is still sitting on the first Infernal Affairs when all three are already out on import DVD and a host of other films) because I can't wait another three years to see this one!

Have any questions, comments, or a rant of your own? Email us and let us know what you think! We'll reply in the next column.

Copyright © 2004 Leon Ho