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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |
(aka "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" or "Ngo foo chong lung")
directed
by Ang Lee
USA / HK / China / Taiwan 2000
Synopsis |
Posters
Theatrical Release: July 6th, 2000
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
Comparison:
Columbia Tristar (Belgian Ed.) - Region 2 - PAL vs. Columbia Tristar (Superbit Korean Ed.) - Region 3 - NTSC vs. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (UK) - Region FREE - Blu-ray |
Big thanks to Guillaume Mareri for all the DVD Screen Caps!
1) Columbia Tristar (Belgian Ed.) - Region 2 - PAL - LEFT2 ) Columbia Tristar (Superbit Korean Ed.) - Region 3 - NTSC - MIDDLE3) Sony Pictures Home Entertainment - Region FREE - Blu-ray - RIGHT
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Distribution |
Columbia Tristar Region 2 - PAL |
Columbia
Tristar Region 3 - NTSC |
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (UK) Region 0 - Blu-ray |
Runtime | 1:55:09 (4% PAL speedup) | 2:00:08 | 2:00:14.207 |
Video |
2.35:1 Original Aspect Ratio
16X9 enhanced |
2:35.1 Original Aspect Ratio
16X9 enhanced |
1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 34,491,644,004 bytesFeature: 31,738,970,112 bytesVideo Bitrate: 24.49 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video |
NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
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Bitrate:
Columbia Tristar (Belgian Ed.)
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Bitrate:
Columbia Tristar (Superbit Korean Ed.)
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Bitrate:
Blu-ray
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Audio | Mandarin DD5.1, English DD5.1, French 2.0 | Mandarin DTS & DD5.1 |
Dolby TrueHD Audio English 1423 kbps 5.1 / 48
kHz / 1423 kbps / 16-bit (AC3 Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 640 kbps) |
Subtitles | English, French, Dutch, none | English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Chinese traditional, Korean, Thai, none | English, Arabic, Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Slovenian, Turkish, none |
Features |
Release Information: Studio: Columbia Tristar Aspect Ratio:
Edition Details: Chapters 28 |
Release Information: Studio: Columbia Tristar Aspect Ratio:
Edition Details:
DVD
Release Date: February 26, 2004 Chapters 28 |
Release Information: Studio: Sony (UK)
1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 34,491,644,004 bytesFeature: 31,738,970,112 bytesVideo Bitrate: 24.49 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
Edition Details: • Michelle Yeoh Interview (14 min) • Unleashing the Dragon (Making of... - 20:46) • Photo Gallery (1.33:1 - 6:44)
Blu-ray
Release Date:
July 6th. 2009 Chapters 16 |
Comments |
NOTE:
The below
Blu-ray
captures were taken directly from the
Blu-ray
disc. Addition: Sony (UK) Blu-ray - July 09': I'll try to be brief here... The Blu-ray transfer has moments of great strength but overall the improvement only seems moderate. It also appears to be cropped on the top, bottom and right edges but is in the correct 2.35:1 aspect ratio. Colors are richer and bolder while grain/noise is more apparent in some of the film's many darker scenes. Detail delicately improves but I suspect that it is probably reporting the film sharpness as accurate as possible - it's dual-layered with the film taking up over 31 Gig but there is not an abundance of depth. In the end, the higher resolution has definitely improved the film's visuals and Crouching Tiger has benefited from the move to hi-def. NOTE: This is also available, in probably the same transfer, in a the 'USA' in a 3-pack which includes, the already released on Blu-ray, Curse of the Golden Flower and House of Flying Daggers HERE. The TrueHD 5.1 audio (available in both English DUB and original Mandarin) is not overwhelmingly buoyant at less than 1500 kbps. Tan Dun's excitable score does sound quite good though - bass is responsive and the mix offers some effect separations. There are extensive subtitle options and 3 other foreign language DUBs. My Momitsu tells me this disc is region FREE playable on Blu-ray machines worldwide. Supplements offer nothing new but duplicate the Belgian DVD, although I assume other editions around the world have similar or improved extra features. The commentary is kept light by James Schamus and it's never particularly informative as the participants (Lee + Schamus) kind of stretch out the 2 hours. Strangely Sony offer all extras, including the commentary (which is in English), with optional English subtitles. We get 14-minutes of a very 'self' Michelle Yeoh being interviewed and a more informative 'making of...' for 20-minutes entitled Unleashing the Dragon. There is also a bland photo gallery in the 1.33:1 aspect ratio running a a transition slideshow for 6:44. Well, this is not as glowing an endorsement as many may have hoped for. Sony have left some holes here with the cropping and lack of new supplements but technically the transfer betters the image of the DVDs and, at present, is the best option for the best digital home theater presentation. - Gary W. Tooze |
Recommended Reading in Chinese/Hong Kong/Taiwanese Cinema (CLICK COVERS or TITLES for more information)
Memoirs from the Beijing Film Academy
by Zhen Ni, Chris Berry, Ni Zhen |
Zhang Yimou: Interviews (Conversations With
Filmmakers) by Frances Gateward |
Chinese Films in Focus: 25 New Takes by Chris Berry |
Wong Kar-Wai: Auteur of Time (Bfi World Directors) by Stephen Teo |
China into Film: Frames of Reference in Contemporary
Chinese Cinema (Envisioning Asia) by Jerome Silbergeld |
New Chinese Cinemas
by Nick Browne |
Once Upon a Time in China : A Guide to Hong Kong,
Taiwanese, and Mainland Chinese Cinema by Jeff Yang |
Chinese Film Theory by George S. Semsel |
Check out more in "The Library"
DVD Menus
(Columbia Tristar (Belgian Ed.) - Region 2 -
PAL - LEFT vs. Columbia Tristar (Superbit Korean Ed.) - Region 3 - NTSC -
RIGHT)
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CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
Screen Captures
1) Columbia Tristar (Belgian Ed.) - Region 2 - PAL - TOP2 ) Columbia Tristar (Superbit Korean Ed.) - Region 3 - NTSC - MIDDLE3) Sony Pictures Home Entertainment - Region FREE - Blu-ray - BOTTOM |
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1) Columbia Tristar (Belgian Ed.) - Region 2 - PAL - TOP2 ) Columbia Tristar (Superbit Korean Ed.) - Region 3 - NTSC - MIDDLE3) Sony Pictures Home Entertainment - Region FREE - Blu-ray - BOTTOM
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1) Columbia Tristar (Belgian Ed.) - Region 2 - PAL - TOP2 ) Columbia Tristar (Superbit Korean Ed.) - Region 3 - NTSC - MIDDLE3) Sony Pictures Home Entertainment - Region FREE - Blu-ray - BOTTOM
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1) Columbia Tristar (Belgian Ed.) - Region 2 - PAL - TOP2 ) Columbia Tristar (Superbit Korean Ed.) - Region 3 - NTSC - MIDDLE3) Sony Pictures Home Entertainment - Region FREE - Blu-ray - BOTTOM
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1) Columbia Tristar (Belgian Ed.) - Region 2 - PAL - TOP2 ) Columbia Tristar (Superbit Korean Ed.) - Region 3 - NTSC - MIDDLE3) Sony Pictures Home Entertainment - Region FREE - Blu-ray - BOTTOM
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More Blu-ray captures
Image: |
Blu-ray |
Sound: |
Blu-ray |
Extras: | Belgian CTS DVD / Blu-ray |
More Shaw Brothers-Martial Arts-Wushu or related films on Blu-ray reviewed (click review buttons to also see comparisons where applicable): |
DVD Box Covers |
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Thinking of buying from YesAsia? CLICK HERE and use THIS UPDATED BEAVER PAGE to source their very best... |
|
Distribution |
Columbia Tristar Region 2 - PAL |
Columbia
Tristar Region 3 - NTSC |
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (UK) Region 0 - Blu-ray |