(aka "JSA" or "Gongdong gyeongbi guyeok")
directed by Park Chan-Wook
South Korea 2000
At 2:16am, October 28, in a recent year, a South Korean soldier is
attempting to cross the bridge from the North. After an exchange of fire,
the wounded soldier is rescued. In the military investigation that follows,
three dead soldiers are found in the North Korea border post: One South
Korean, Two North Korean. North Korea accuses him of being a spy, having
attacking the post with a fellow soldier, South Korea accuses the North of
having kidnapped the two soldiers and “interrogated” them. As if the
political climate wasn’t tense enough, this incident puts both sides on
alert.
Two military investigators, a Swede and a Korean born Swiss, arrive at the
border to investigate the incident. This is the set-up for “JSA”, one of the
best Korean films to date, directed by Park Chan-wook, who also made
“Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance” and the critical acclaimed “Old Boy”.
Park is a philosophy major, who during collage got fascinated with film and
who went on to be assistant director on Gwak Jae-young’ “A Sketch of a Rainy
Day” (1988). He got his breakthrough with “JSA”, after two poorly received
films, which went on to be the highest grossing Korean film to date.
At the centre of Park’s films are ordinary humans, who are driven to
extremes, but also a social aware motif, of ordinary humans fighting against
an irrational force. In “Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance” its need for 10 million
won, in “Old Boy” it’s the prisoner and in “JSA” it’s the division of Korea.
But while “JSA” is very political, the characters are not. Where it begins
as a politic thriller, it soon, by the investigation, turns into a story
about four friends, caught up in the conflict between North and South Korea.
None were spies, none were kidnapped and when we, towards the end of the
film, are shown the actual events, its basically anticlimactic in its
simplicity.
Throughout the film, Park underlines the two faces of the conflict: On one
side, we have the political, military apparatus, on the other side, we have
ordinary human beings, who can reason and who have a heart. This is
beautifully stressed in the sequences, where two border patrols meet each
other and the captains walk towards each other and have a cigarette
together.
Posters
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Theatrical Release: September 9, 2000
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DVD Comparison:
Modern Audio - Region 3 - NTSC vs. Tartan Asia Extreme - Region 2 - PAL
Big thanks to Henrik Sylow for all the Screen Caps!
(Modern Audio - Region 3 - NTSC - LEFT vs. Tartan Asia Extreme - Region 2 - PAL - RIGHT)
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| Distribution |
Modern Audio Region 3 - NTSC |
Tartan Asia Extreme Region 2 - PAL |
| Runtime | 1:48:57 | 1:49:06 |
| Video |
2.06:1 Aspect Ratio |
2.35:1 Original Aspect Ratio
16X9 enhanced |
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NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
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Bitrate:
Modern Audio
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Bitrate:
Tartan Asia Extreme
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| Audio | 2.0 Dolby Digital Korean, 5.1 Dolby Digital Korean, DTS Korean |
2.0 Dolby Digital Korean, 5.1 Dolby Digital Korean, DTS Korean |
| Subtitles | Traditional, Simplified, English, None | English, None |
| Features |
Release Information: Studio: Modern Audio Aspect Ratio:
Edition Details:
Chapters 12 |
Release Information: Studio: Tartan Asia Extreme Aspect Ratio:
Edition Details:
DVD
Release Date: May 23, 2005 Chapters 16 |
| Comments | JSA is
the first Korean film to be shot in Super35. The OAR is 2.35:1, as here
presented by Tartan, contra the Modern Video DVD AR of 2.06:1. There are several noticeable differences. Apart from the AR, Tartan is a non-progressive PAL to NTSC transfer, no PAL Speed-Up and problems with combing and ghosting. Besides this, the Tartan image is stunning. No compression artifacts visible, a very balanced color palette and great details in sharpness. I really couldn't make out any differences in the sound. One must also take into account, that I had to change DVDs doing so. The DTS is superior to the 5.1 Dolby Digital, but overall very aggressive use of fronts and rears and the sub is sure to get dusted. The additional material of Tartan is a bit disappointing. "The JSA Story" takes you behind the story and the production, full of interviews and comments. A very informative and great feature. "Making the film" is however nothing more than your average home video behind the scenes. "Profiles" is basic information about Park and the actors. Missing of essentials of the Korean SE is the audio commentary by Park and Cast&Crew interviews, and some few additional featurettes. Considering the additional material on the two other Tartan real eases of Park (Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and Old Boy), 35 minutes of good material is not only a waste of a second disc, but also a huge letdown for fans. |
DVD Menus
(Modern Audio - Region 3 - NTSC - LEFT
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Screen Captures
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Tartan Captures resized to
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(Modern Audio - Region 3 - NTSC - TOP vs. Tartan Asia Extreme - Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM)
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Report Card:
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Image: |
Tartan |
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Sound: |
tie |
| Extras: | Tartan |
| Menu: | Tartan |
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| Distribution |
Modern Audio Region 3 - NTSC |
Tartan
Asia Extreme Region 2 - PAL |
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Thank You!
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