Wong Kar Wai's - Chunking Express - Miramax / Buena Vista - Rolling Thunder - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Artificial Eye - Region 2 - PAL Wong Kar wai Chunking Express Chung King Express DVD Review Wong Kar wai Chunking Express Chung King Express DVD Review Wong Kar wai Chunking Express Chung King Express DVD Review Wong Kar wai Chunking Express Chung King Express DVD Review Wong Kar wai Chunking Express Chung King Express DVD Review Wong Kar wai Chunking Express Chung King Express DVD Review Wong Kar wai Chunking Express Chung King Express DVD Review Wong Kar wai Chunking Express Chung King Express DVD Review Wong Kar wai Chunking Express Chung King Express DVD Review Wong Kar wai Chunking Express Chung King Express DVD Review Wong Kar wai Chunking Express Chung King Express DVD Review Wong Kar wai Chunking Express Chung King Express DVD Review Wong Kar wai Chunking Express Chung King Express

(aka "Chongqing senlin")

Hong Kong 1994

To free his mind from production and editing of the epic swordsman film set in ancient China, 'Ashes of Time', director Wong Kar-wai took some time out to write and direct a roller coaster ride of life's pivotal moments colliding through romance, emotion, fateful meetings and memories. Infused with kinetic camerawork and charmingly hip high spirits, he called it 'Chungking Express'.

A few times in life you have quintessential moments that you only reflect on in memories, unaware at the time of their significance in your life. Chungking Express is filled with these rare occasions, so crucial that they are recognized by us the viewer, if not by the characters acting out their own narrative.

Set in Hong Kong with four characters and two separate tales (aptly called Part 1 - 'Chung King House' and Part 2 - 'Midnight Express' ). The two stories have a few links; the small Hong Kong snack bar of the second title, and that two of these characters are lovelorn cops, who we know as Badge 663 (Tony Leung) and Badge 223 (Takeshi Kaneshiro). Also, both the female characters in the film appear allured by western culture, one a drug dealer (played by Brigette Lin), the other a flighty, mysterious waitress in the snack bar (Faye Wong).

Badge 223 expresses the innocent, unflagging hope that his breakup with the never seen ex, who we know only as May, is a temporary situation. He gauges the time till he deems it officially concluded by expiry dates on tinned pineapple. He resolves the closure by devouring a months worth and promptly throwing up. He waxes philosophic comparisons to memory and expiration dates of food prompting the tagline: "If my memory of her has an expiration date, let it be 10,000 years...".

Excerpt from Gary Tooze's review found HERE

Posters

Theatrical Release: August 1994 (Locarno Film Festival) - Switzerland

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DVD Comparison:

Miramax / Buena Vista - Rolling Thunder - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Artificial Eye - Region 2 - PAL

Big Thanks to Paul Whitelock for the region 2 Screen Captures !

(Miramax / Buena Vista - Rolling Thunder - Region 1 - NTSC - LEFT vs. Artificial Eye - Region 2 - PAL - RIGHT)

DVD Box Covers		NOTE: this is the actual cover. The cover shown on Amazon.Uk is incorrect!
Distribution	Miramax / Buena Vista - Rolling Thunder Region 1 - NTSC	Artificial Eye Film Company Region 2 - PAL
Runtime	1:42:00	1:37:57(4% PAL speedup)
Video	1.78:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 7.63 mb/s NTSC 704x480 29.97 f/s	1.78:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 5.45 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate: NTSC
Bitrate: PAL
Audio	Chinese (Cantonese) 2.0 Stereo	Chinese (Cantonese) 2.0 Stereo
Subtitles	(yellow) English, and none	(white) English, and none
Features	Release Information: Studio: Miramax / Buena Vista - Rolling Thunder Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 1.78:1 Edition Details: • Original Hong Kong Trailer • Quentin Tarantino Introduction • Quentin Tarantino Wrap DVD Release Date: May 21, 2002 Keep Case Chapters: 20	Release Information: Studio: Artificial Eye Film Co. Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 1.78:1 Edition Details: • filmography for Wong Kar-Wai and Christopher Doyle DVD Release Date: June 28th, 2004 Keep Case Chapters: 12

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

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Comments:

The Region 1 DVD is washed out making the colors really vary and appear untrue. On the other hand the Artificial Eye DVD has some saturation, but I think it is more accurate and definitely sharper. The Region 1 is cropped on all 4 edges. The audio sounds a bit cleaner on the AE and it seems to me that the subtitles might be a bit better as well though oddly they subtitle the dialog that is spoken in English. The only negative for the AE is that it contains virtually no extras (just a short filmography for Wong Kar-Wai and Christopher Doyle). There are other version available, but the AE is the best I have seen yet in image.

- Gary W. Tooze

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(Miramax / Buena Vista - Rolling Thunder - Region 1 - NTSC - LEFT vs. Artificial Eye - Region 2 - PAL - RIGHT)

Subtitle Sample