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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |
(aka "Shen nu" )
directed
by Yonggang Wu
China 1934
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Ruan Lingyu, one of the most famous stars of early Chinese cinema, gives
a devastating performance as an unnamed goddess an ironic euphemism for
a prostitute in this profoundly moving but rarely seen classic of world
cinema. A tragic tale of shame and maternal sacrifice, Ruan stars as a
mother desperate to provide for her young son and forced to take brutal
vengeance on her pimp. It is a profoundly moving drama, all the poignant
by the fact that its star committed suicide at the age of 24, a year
after the film's release. Newly restored by the Chinese Film Archive, this iconic film boasts a new score by renowned composer Zou Ye. Premiered at the BFI London Film Festival in 2014, this long-awaited release makes one of the most important early Chinese films finally available on DVD in the UK, and will delight all fans of silent cinema. *** The great actress Ruan Lingyu earned international acclaim for her powerful performances in a series of social dramas made between 1927 and 1935. Her success brought her much fame that caused her to commit suicide at the age of 24. In The Goddess (1934), Ruan Lingyu portrays a single mother whose only hope for supporting her son is to submit to a life of prostitution. The film is a heartbreaking look at life under the strictures of an intolerant society. |
Posters
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Theatrical Release: 1934 - China
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
DVD Comparison:
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San Francisco Silent Film Festival (NTSC) - Region 0 - NTSC vs. San Francisco Silent Film Festival (PAL) - Region 0 - PAL vs. German/French TV channel ARTE - Region 0 - PAL vs. BFI - Region 2 - PAL |
Big thanks to Gregory Meshman and Pavel Borodin for the San Fran and German DVD Screen Caps!
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1) San Francisco Silent Film Festival (NTSC) - Region 0 - NTSC - LEFT 2) San Francisco Silent Film Festival (PAL) - Region 0 - PAL - SECOND3) German/French TV channel ARTE - Region 0 - PAL - THIRD 4) BFI - Region 2 - PAL - RIGHT |
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| Distribution |
San Francisco Silent Film Festival Region 0 - NTSC |
San
Francisco Silent Film Festival Region 0 - PAL |
German/French TV channel ARTE Region 0 - PAL |
BFI Region 2 - PAL |
| Runtime | 1:14:30 | 1:14:30 | 1:19:40 | 1:19:54 |
| Video |
4:3
Original Aspect Ratio |
4:3
Original Aspect Ratio |
4:3
Original Aspect Ratio |
4:3
Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 8.2 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s |
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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:
San Francisco Silent Film Festival (NTSC)
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Bitrate:
San Francisco Silent Film Festival (PAL)
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Bitrate:
German/French TV channel ARTE
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| Audio | Dolby Digital 2.0 |
Dolby Digital 2.0 |
MPEG-1 |
LPCM 2.0 |
| Subtitles | English or Chinese intertitles | English or Chinese intertitles | Chinese intertitles with German subtitles | English over Mandarin intertitles, or none |
| Features |
Release Information: Studio: San Francisco Silent Film Festival Aspect Ratio:
Edition Details: Chapters 10 |
Release Information: Studio: San Francisco Silent Film Festival Aspect Ratio:
Edition Details:
DVD
Release Date: Chapters 10 |
Release Information: Studio: German/French TV channel ARTE Aspect Ratio:
Edition Details:
DVD
Release Date: |
Release Information: Studio:BFI Aspect Ratio:
Edition Details:
DVD
Release Date: April 24th, 2017 Chapters 9 |
| Comments | ADDITION: BFI -
Region 2 - PAL - April 2017: The BFI provides the best presentation. It must
be a different *more information) and/or restored source. It is transferred
to a dual-layered disc in the PAL standard. It has no combing artifacts,
optional English subtitles for the Mandarin intertitles and no extras.
There is a new score by renowned composer Zou Ye in linear PCM. This does show the, most, complete version of
the film. A 'must own' for cinema fans everywhere... *** ON THE DVDs: The San Francisco Silent Film Festival PAL version appears to be the sharpest. The German/French TV counterpart has had significant contrast boosting and is zoomed in. There appears to be different damage spots on the versions. Obviously the San Francisco Silent Film Festival DVD is the only option (offering both PAL and NTSC) although the time differences compared to the German/French show a missing 5 minutes. Unusual but both the NTSC and PAL editions on the San Francisco Silent Film Festival DVD share the exact same time meaning that one was not prepared properly for its required video format . as the NTSC side is significantly hazier (greenish/brown tinge) I would guess that it is the culprit. Our meager suggestion is if you own the San Francisco Silent Film Festival DVD and own a PAL compatible player - watch the PAL version. It is quite possible that someone may have such a dire interest in this film that they may consider purchasing a Region-Free player to watch the superior version. -Gary W. Tooze |
Recommended Reading in Chinese/Hong Kong/Taiwanese Cinema (CLICK COVERS or TITLES for more information)
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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 |
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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 |
Women Through the Lens: Gender and Nation in a
Century of Chinese Cinema by Shuqin Cui |
Tsai Ming-Liang by Tsai Ming-Liang |
Check out more in "The Library"
DVD Menus
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(San Francisco Silent Film Festival (NTSC) - Region 0 - NTSC - LEFT vs. San Francisco Silent Film Festival (PAL) - Region 0 - PAL - MIDDLE vs. German/French TV channel ARTE - Region 0 - PAL - RIGHT) |
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BFI - Region 2 - PAL
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Subtitle / Intertitle Sample
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1) San Francisco Silent Film Festival (NTSC) - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP 2) San Francisco Silent Film Festival (PAL) - Region 0 - PAL - SECOND3) German/French TV channel ARTE - Region 0 - PAL - THIRD 4) BFI - Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM |
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Screen Captures
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1) San Francisco Silent Film Festival (NTSC) - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP 2) San Francisco Silent Film Festival (PAL) - Region 0 - PAL - SECOND3) German/French TV channel ARTE - Region 0 - PAL - THIRD 4) BFI - Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM |
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1) San Francisco Silent Film Festival (NTSC) - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP 2) San Francisco Silent Film Festival (PAL) - Region 0 - PAL - SECOND3) German/French TV channel ARTE - Region 0 - PAL - THIRD 4) BFI - Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM |
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1) San Francisco Silent Film Festival (NTSC) - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP 2) San Francisco Silent Film Festival (PAL) - Region 0 - PAL - SECOND3) German/French TV channel ARTE - Region 0 - PAL - THIRD 4) BFI - Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM |
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1) San Francisco Silent Film Festival (NTSC) - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP 2) San Francisco Silent Film Festival (PAL) - Region 0 - PAL - SECOND3) German/French TV channel ARTE - Region 0 - PAL - THIRD 4) BFI - Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM |
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1) San Francisco Silent Film Festival (NTSC) - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP 2) San Francisco Silent Film Festival (PAL) - Region 0 - PAL - SECOND3) German/French TV channel ARTE - Region 0 - PAL - THIRD 4) BFI - Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM |
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1) San Francisco Silent Film Festival (NTSC) - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP 2) San Francisco Silent Film Festival (PAL) - Region 0 - PAL - SECOND3) German/French TV channel ARTE - Region 0 - PAL - THIRD 4) BFI - Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM |
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More BFI Captures
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Associated Reading (CLICK COVERS or TITLES for more information)
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Metropolis (Bfi Film Classics, 54) by Thomas Elsaesser |
Movie Posters of the Silent Film Era To Color by Rex Schneider, Christopher Buchman |
American Film Cycles: The Silent Era (Bibliographies
and Indexes in the Performing Arts) by Larry Langman |
Family Secrets: The Feature Films of D. W. Griffith by Michael Allen |
The First Female Stars : Women of the Silent Era by David W. Menefee |
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Silent Players: A Biographical and Autobiographical
Study of 100 Silent Film Actors and Actresses by Anthony Slide |
The Silent Cinema Reader by Lee Grieveson, Peter Kramer |
Silent Stars Speak: Interviews With Twelve Cinema
Pioneers by Tony Villecco |
Haunted Screen Expressionism in the German Cinema by Lotte Eisner |
| DVD Box Covers |
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| Distribution |
San Francisco Silent Film Festival Region 0 - NTSC |
San
Francisco Silent Film Festival Region 0 - PAL |
German/French TV channel ARTE Region 0 - PAL |
BFI Region 2 - PAL |
CLICK PayPal logo to donate!
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Gary Tooze
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Many Thanks...
