In The Mood For Love (2000)
Director - Wong Kar-Wai
DVD Released by : Mei Ah
Player reviewed with : Sony S3000
Receiver reviewed with : Sony 925
Features:

Menu
Cantonese and Mandarin Soundtracks
Dolby Digital and Dolby Digital 5.1 remix
English and Chinese Subtitles
Not enhanced for 16 x 9 TVs
Running Time : 94 mins.

I have been eagerly awaiting this DVD because I have heard so much praise for the movie. Though not given as much attention as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE has been given many extremely positive reviews from all over the world. After viewing the movie, I can honestly say that I enjoyed it and the performances are excellent. This Mei Ah version is good but it has been announced that Criterion will also be releasing there version Spring 2002 so if you are a real fans of the movie, you may want to wait a little while. There are two excellent DVD releases from France and England so hopefully Criterion will equal these.

IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE is a slow moving drama set in 1960's Hong Kong. The movie centers on the relationship between Mr. Chow (Tony Leung) and Mrs. Chan (Maggie Chueng). Mr. Chow and his wife live in an apartment next door to Mrs. Chan and her husband. Mrs. Chan's husband is frequently away on business, and Mr. Chow's wife always works late. In fact, we never see what Mrs. Chan's and Mr. Chow's spouses look like through the whole movie. Through the course of the movie, Mrs. Chan and Mr. Chow develop a friendship that is sometimes uneasy because of the limitations of their relationship due to the fact that are both married to others.

The picture quality is a welcome surprise since this is from Mei Ah. The last few Mei Ah titles I have seen had pretty bad transfers. IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE looks very good. The colors are vibrant and really accent the dresses Maggie Cheung wears throughout the film. There are some scenes with a lot of reds but the color is balanced and doesn't bleed. The picture is also very clear and their are practically no specks at all on the film.

The sound gives the option of a 5.1 mix but I choose the Dolby Digital 2.0 track that is in Cantonese. The sound was mixed well. The music, as with most Wong Kai-Wai films, is almost a character in itself and it sets the mood perfectly and never overpowers the dialogue.

The subtitles are fairly well done even though there are a couple of misspellings and sometimes (maybe twice) disappear almost too quick to read. These are not too distracting and do not take away from the movie. The only minor complaint is that there are sometimes titles that appear that do not have a translation. The subtitles due appear on the bottom of the picture and not the black bar so if you have a widescreen TV you can still watch this without a problem.
There aren't any extras on this DVD. I usually don't mind as long as the picture and sound are good, but with all the praise this movie has been getting, it would have been nice to at least see a trailer.

I really liked this movie but I recommend it with caution. It is slow moving. I think part of this is because unlike some of Wong Kar-Wai's other movies, there is no narration and a lot of time is spent reading the characters' emotions by their actions. The camera work is also very deliberate. You will notice that even when Tony Leung and Maggie Chueng are in the same scene, they are seldom in the same frame. I was able to capture a few of these shots to the right. When the two are in an apartment or restaurant, one always gets the feeling that the camera is peeking in on them. The colors that are used even emphasize what is going on in the scene. There is a lot to watch in this movie and the slow pacing lets you soak it in. You may even want to watch it more than once.

DVD provided by HKFLIX.COM .