"Days of Being Wild" Scholar Region 0 NTSC vs Mega-Star - Region 0

(aka "Days of Being Wild" or "A Fei jing juen" or "A Fei zheng zhuan" or A-Fei Tsing Chun" or "Ah Fei's Story" or "The True Story of Ah Fei")

directed by Wong Kar-wai
Hong Kong 1991

In Wong Kar-wai's 1991 film Days of Being Wild, Yuddy (Leslie Cheung), a charming drifter captures the attention of store attendant Su Lizhen (Maggie Cheung) by asking her to look at his watch. When she sees that it says one minute before 3:00PM on April 16, 1960, he tells her that she will never forget the moment and will dream about him that night. The next time they meet, the moment becomes two, then one hour, then weeks and months but Yuddy is like the mythical bird with no legs that just flies and flies and never lands. Abandoned by his real mother and brought up by a wealthy alcoholic courtesan (Rebecca Pan), he does not know where he came from or where he is going. He treats women with little respect, discarding them when they no longer serve his purpose. When one lover asks him if he loves her, he tells her that during his life he will be friends with many, many women but won't know whom he truly loves until the end.
Days of Being Wild unfolds like a dream with color filters, unusual shadows, and the sights and sounds of Hong Kong's rainy nights and sweltering summers. Based on the director's memories from his childhood and admiration for the style of Argentinean novelist Manuel Puig (Heartbreak Tango), the film is a series of episodes involving six people who touch each other's lives. After his short-lived relationship with Su, Yuddy meets a cabaret dancer who calls herself Mimi (Carina Lau) but their relationship fares no better and she is left to suffer the consequences of their breakup. Meanwhile, Su meets Tide (Andy Lau), a gentle policeman whom she is able to confide until he suddenly leaves Hong Kong to become a sailor. Each character seeks a sense of identity and fulfillment. After Rebecca tells him of her plans to move to America with her boyfriend, she finally lets him know that who and where his real mother is. After Yuddy goes to the Philippines to try to find his mother, the lives of the main protagonists come together in a powerful conclusion.

Excerpt from Howard Schumann's comments on IMdb HERE.

Posters

Theatrical Release: 23 February 1991 (Berlin International Film Festival)

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DVD Comparison:

Scholar (Taiwan) - Region 0 - NTSC vs. Mega-Star - Region 0 - NTSC

(Scholar - Region 0 - NTSC - LEFT vs. Mega-Star - Region 0 - NTSC - RIGHT)

DVD Box Covers
Distribution	Scholar/Shengchi/New Generation (LL) [A Taiwan-Based Distributor] Region 0 - NTSC	Mega-Star (Hong Kong) Region 0 - NTSC
Runtime	1:34:03	1:33:54
Video	1.50:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 5.79 mb/s NTSC 704x480 29.97 f/s	1.78:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 5.83 mb/s NTSC 704x480 29.97 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate: Scholar
Bitrate: Mega-Star
Audio	Cantonese (Dolby Digital 5.1)	Cantonese (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Subtitles	English, Chinese, (both burned in)	English, Japanese, Korean, Bahasa Malaysian, Bahasa Indonesian, Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese (traditional), Chinese (simplified) and none
Features	Release Information: Studio: Scholar/Shengchi/New Generation (LL) [A Taiwan-Based Distributor] Aspect Ratio: Widescreen - 1.50:1 Edition Details: • None Keep Case Chapters 6	Release Information: Studio: Mega-Star (Hong Kong) Aspect Ratio: Original aspect Ratio 1.78:1 Edition Details: • "As Tears Go By" trailer • Cast information Keep Case Chapters: 9
Comments:	Seems the Taiwanese Scholar image may have been taken from an Open Matte print - cropped by ? to 1.50. The true aspect ratio appears to be listed at 1.85 which would make the 1.78 anamorphic aspect ratio on the Mega-Star certainly more accurate. As well as having dual subtitles burned in the Scholar image is excessively red. The Mega-Star looks a little green in comparison. There is 'ghosting' to varying degrees in both issues, but the obvious choice of purchase is the Mega-Star DVD. The Scholar looks like some sort of weird Taiwanese bootleg and I would avoid it. - Gary W. Tooze

DVD Menus

(Scholar - Region 0 - NTSC - LEFT vs. Mega-Star - Region 0 - NTSC - RIGHT)