"Warm Water Under a Red Bridge" Wision - Region 0 - NTSC vs. Tartan Home Video - Region 0 - PAL vs. DeltaMac - Region 0 - NTSC vs. Home Vision - Region 0

( aka 'Akai hashi no shita no nurui mizu' or "Warm Water Under a Red Bridge' )

directed by Shohei Imamura
Japan 2001

"Warm Water Under a Red Bridge" has modern automobiles and supermarkets, telephones and pepper cheese imported from Europe, but it resonates like an ancient Japanese myth. Imagine a traveler in search of treasure, who finds a woman with special needs that only he can fulfill, and who repays him by ending his misery.

Shohei Imamura, one of the greatest Japanese directors, tells this story with the energy and delight of a fairy tale, but we in the West are not likely to see it so naively, because unlike the Japanese, we are touchy on the subject of bodily fluids. In Japan, natural functions are accepted calmly as a part of life, and there is a celebrated children's book about farts. No doubt a Japanese audience would view "Warm Water" entirely differently than a North American one--because, you see, the heroine has a condition that causes water to build up in her body, and it can be released only by sexual intercourse."

Excerpt from Roger Ebert's review HERE

Poster

Theatrical Release: May 19th, 2001 - Cannes Film Festival

Review More Reviews DVD Review Official Site English Website

DVD Comparison:

Wision - Region 0 - NTSC vs. Tartan Home Video - Region 0 - PAL vs. DeltaMac - Region 0 - NTSC vs. Home Vision - Region 0 - NTSC

Big thanks to Luis Canau for the Wision screen captures and Per-Olof Strandberg for the Tartan captures!

(Wision - Region 0 - NTSC LEFT vs. Tartan Home Video - Region 0 - PAL - 2nd vs. DeltaMac - Region 0 - NTSC - 3rd vs. Home Vision - Region 1 - NTSC - RIGHT)

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Distribution	Wision Region 0 - NTSC	Tartan Video Region 0 - PAL	DeltaMac Region 0 - NTSC	Home Vision Region 1 - NTSC
Runtime	1:59:15	1:54:45 (4% PAL speedup)	1:59:44	1:54:24
Video	Video: 1.78:1 16x9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 6.1 Mb/sec NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s	1.85:1 Original Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: unknown PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s	Aspect Ratio: 1.70:1 non-anamorphic VIDEO Sourced Average Bitrate: 7.49 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s	1.78:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 4.90 NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate: Wision
Bitrate: DeltaMac
Bitrate: Home Vision
Audio	Japanese (Dolby Digital 2.0)	Japanese (Dolby Digital 2.0)	Japanese (Dolby Digital 2.0)	Japanese (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Subtitles	Korean, English and none	English and none	White removable English subtitles (with black backing) are easy to read and well timed. Also included are traditional and simplified Chinese subtitles.	White removable English subtitles (with black backing) and none.
Features	Release Information: Studio: Wision DVD Production Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic 1.78:1 Edition Details: - Original Theatrical Trailer (2:05) - Korean Theatrical Trailer (1:21) - Making of Film (22:22) - Interview with Director (22:19) - Cast & Crew - 2 film frames in a slide holder NOTE: All video extras in Japanese with removable Korean subtitles only (non-removable on the Korean trailer). DVD Release Date: June 16th, 2004 Keep Case inside cardboard box Chapters 23	Release Information: Studio: Tartan Home Video Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 1.85:1 Edition Details: Trailer (1:25) Bonus Trailers 4-page booklet with Tony McKibben Film Notes DVD Release Date: August 25th, 2003 Keep Case Chapters 16	Release Information: Studio: DeltaMac Aspect Ratio: Widescreen - 1.85:1 Edition Details: Special Features: Cast and Crew Information Trailer (2:00) DVD Release Date: Summer 2002 Transparent Keep Case Chapters 12	Release Information: Studio: Home Vision Entertainment Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 1.85:1 Edition Details: Trailer (1:29) Filmography - 6 static pages DVD Release Date: June 24th, 2003 Keep Case Chapters 23

Comments:

ADDITION: Wision (Oct 2004) - The Korean edition looks sharp. It also has decent subtitles - easy to read, white with black border, though they could be placed a bit lower on the screen. It is unfortunately very dark and the colors seem off as skin tones are very reddish/brown. The extras are good, but no English subtitles. The Tartan color balance and contrast are superior, although I still suspect the Tartan to have some contrast boosting. We still lean towards the Tartan.

*******

ADDITION ( Tartan) : The Tartan image quality looks very similar to the Home Vision - same colors, brightness, but I give the edge to the Tartan for being a shade sharper. It also has better Extras and less cropping.

Hmmm.. I don't know where the missing 5 minutes of the Home Vision release have gone to. I don't see it as a PAL speedup issue. I will continue to look into it. Very strange.

The DeltaMac version has a greenish tinge to it and the Home Vision release is at about the same level of clarity, but much brighter, as well as being anamorphic. The Extras on the disc are the same. The Home Vision release is cropped on all 4 sides. Gary W. Tooze

NOTE (from Andreas) :

The runtime difference you noted in your comparison review is indeed a pal-speed-up issue. Home Vision clearly used a PAL master and converted it to NTSC, thus the shorter runtime and the ghosting artifacts and the interlaced nature of the transfer.

Recommended Reading for Japanese Film Fans (CLICK COVERS or TITLES for more information)

The Japan Journals : 1947-2004,

by Donald Richie

The Midnight Eye Guide to New Japanese Film
by Tom Mes and Jasper Sharp

Kon Ichikawa (Cinematheque Ontario Monographs)

by James Quandt, Cinematheque Ontario

Shohei Imamura (Cinematheque Ontario Monographs, No. 1)
by James Quandt

Eros Plus Massacre: An Introduction to the Japanese New Wave Cinema (Midland Book, Mb 469)
by David Desser

The Films of Akira Kurosawa by Donald Ritchie

A Hundred Years of Japanese Film by Donald Richie

Check out more in "The Library"

DVD Menus

(Wision - Region 0 - NTSC LEFT vs. Tartan Home Video - Region 0 - PAL - RIGHT )

(DeltaMac - Region 0 - NTSC - LEFT vs. Home Vision - Region 1 - NTSC - RIGHT)

Screen Captures