Wong Kar Wai's - Fallen Angels - Kino - Region 0 - NTSC vs. Daum - Region 0 - NTSC vs. Áccent - Region 0 - PAL vs. Ocean Shores (OOP) - Region 0 - NTSC Wong Kar wai Fallen Angels DVD Review Wong Kar wai Fallen Angels DVD Review Wong Kar wai Fallen Angels DVD Review Wong Kar wai Fallen Angels DVD Review Wong Kar wai Fallen Angels DVD Review Wong Kar wai Fallen Angels DVD Review Wong Kar wai Fallen Angels DVD Review Wong Kar wai Fallen Angels DVD Review Wong Kar wai Fallen Angels DVD Review Wong Kar wai Fallen Angels DVD Review Wong Kar wai Fallen Angels DVD Review Wong Kar wai Fallen Angels DVD Review Wong Kar wai Fallen Angels

(aka "Fallen Angels" )

Hong Kong 1995

Acknowledged throughout the world as one of the most important directors working today, Wong Kar-Wai (Happy Together, Ashes Of Time) has developed a signature style that employs bold, experimental use of photography, music, and editing to capture the tension of the approaching millennium. Originally intended to be a third story in his now classic Chungking Express, Fallen Angels has emerged as what some critics have come to consider his "quintessential work."

Set in the neon-washed underworld of present-day Hong Kong, Fallen Angels intertwines two exhilarating tales of love and isolation. First, there's the unconsummated love affair between a contract Killer (Leon Lai Ming) and the ravishing female Agent (Michele Reis) who books his assignments and cleans up after his jobs. When the Killer decides that he must move on, he leaves her with only a coin for the jukebox and instructions to play song number 1818 - "Wang Ji Ta" ("Forget Him")...

Ex-convict Ho (Takeshi Kaneshiro) stopped speaking at the age of five after eating a date-expired can of pineapple. He lives with his father, who runs a guesthouse where the Agent is in semi-permanent residence. He makes a living by re-opening shops that have closed for the night and intimidating customers into buying goods and services from him. After an awkward romance with a girl named Cherry, Ho finds himself all the more alone...

Wong Kar-Wai brings these parallel storylines together in a blitz of ultra-hip style and classical cinematic sensibilities. A poet of modern alienation, Kar-Wai's universe is populated with characters both dark and comic, magical and existential; Fallen Angels is both a vie at revolutionary cinema and an homage to a love for movies. Kino on Video is proud to present Fallen Angels in its home video debut, subtitled and letterboxed.

Posters

Theatrical Release: 6 September 1995, Hong Kong

Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews

DVD Comparison:

Kino - Region 0 - NTSC vs. Daum - Region 0 - NTSC vs. Áccent - Region 0 - PAL vs. Ocean Shores (OOP) - Region 0 - NTSC

Big thanks to Minh Nguyen and Ole Kofoed for the Screen Caps!

DVD Box Covers

Distribution

Kino

Region 0 - NTSC

Daum

Region 0 - NTSC

Áccent
Region 0 - PAL

Ocean Shores
Region 0 - NTSC

(Kino - Region 0 - NTSC LEFT vs. Daum - Region 0 - NTSC - 2ndT vs. Áccent - Region 0 - PAL - 3rd vs. Ocean Shores (OOP) - Region 0 - NTSC - RIGHT)

Distribution	Kino Region 0 - NTSC	Daum Region 0 - NTSC	Áccent Region 0 - PAL	Ocean Shores Region 0 - NTSC
Runtime	1:36:06	1:36:05	1:32:18 (4% PAL speedup)	1:36:54
Video	1.78:1 Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 6.52 Mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s	1.78:1 Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 5.40 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s	1.78:1 Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 5.47 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s	1.55:1 Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 5.83 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate: Kino
Bitrate: Daum
Bitrate: Áccent
Bitrate: Ocean Shores (OOP)
Audio	Cantonese Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround	Mandarin Dolby Digital 5.1	Cantonese Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround.	Cantonese or Mandarin (both mono).
Subtitles	English or none (16x9 friendly)	English, Korean or none.	English or none.	English and Simplified Chinese (burned in)
Features	Release Information: Studio: Kino Video Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 1.78:1 Extras: Trailers: - Fallen Angels (original & Japanese) - Happy Together (original & Japanese) - Days of Being Wild (original & Japanese) - As Tears Go By (original) - Chungking Express (Japanese) Stills gallery: 20 Filmographies: - Wong Kar-Wai - Christopher Doyle - Leon Lai Ming - Michelle Reis - Kaneshiro Takeshi - Charlie Yeung - Karen Mok Release: October 19th, 2004 Keep Case Chapter stops: 18	Release Information: Studio: Daum Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 1.78:1 Edition Details: • No extras! DVD Release Date: ? Keep Case Chapters 8	Release Information: Studio: Áccent Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 1.78:1 Edition Details: • Restoration comparison (1:44). • Essay by film scholor Stephen Teo. DVD Release Date: August 12, 2004 Keep Case Chapters 20	Release Information: Studio: Ocean Shores Aspect Ratio: Widescreen letterboxed - 1.55:1 Edition Details: • None DVD Release Date: ? Cheapo Lime Green Keep Case Chapters 1

Comments

ADDITION - Kino (Dec -04) -There is no use in comparing the Kino with the Daum and Ocean Shores. The disc is inferior compared to the Áccent for having boosted contrast and beefed up colour. Even though these are minor changes, I do feel they change the overall feel of the film. My major gripe with the Kino disc, is the softness. It did reduce the grain, but also some of the detail as you will see in capture 5. More is lost due to the slight contrast boosting, which makes several faces and items disappear into the darkness. The b&w scenes also have this light brownish hue, instead of the pure grey shown on the Áccent. Therefore, I’m recommending the Áccent – which is the one that got to stay in my collection. Oh, and the Kino image also suffers from ghosting.

Minh Nguyen

As the Daum and Ocean Shores DVDs break just about every rule we have for DVD production (including aspect ratio manipulation, burned in dual subtitles, massive contrast boosting, color manipulation etc. ) it makes it easy to recommend the Áccent. It also has some extras including a restoration demonstration. I find it hard to believe that Daum was actually able/allowed to put that distorted mess on a DVD - what a bunch of bandits. Hopefully we will add the new NTSC Kino when we can get our hands on a copy due out October 19th in a Wong Kar-wai Boxset including As Tears Go By, Days of Being Wild, Happy Together, Fallen Angels, and Chungking Express. As of this date though (Oct 7th) the Áccent is the only one to buy.

- Gary Tooze

NOTE: The Accent DVD has replaced Takeshi Kaneshiro's Ccantonese voiceover with what I can only assume is the Mandarin dub used for mainland release....why accent was sent an audio track with everyone speaking Cantonese except his character is a mystery. (Thanks Edward)

DVD Menus

(Kino - Region 0 - NTSC LEFT vs. Daum - Region 0 - NTSC - 2ndT vs. Áccent - Region 0 - PAL - 3rd vs. Ocean Shores (OOP) - Region 0 - NTSC - RIGHT)

Restoration Sample from Accent DVD

Subtitle Sample