(aka "In the Hands of the Puppetmaster" or "Hsimeng jensheng")
Taiwan 1993
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Hou Hsiao-hsien's masterpiece about the childhood and early adulthood of octogenerian Taiwanese puppet master and actor Li Tien-lu. This is the second part of a trilogy about Taiwanese life in the 20th century, covering all but the first few years of the Japanese occupation of Taiwan (1895-1945). Hou's preference for filming entire scenes in long takes from fixed camera angles and for eschewing close-ups has never been as masterfully employed and modulated as it is here--some of the landscape shots are breathtaking. The film alternates between re-created scenes from Li's life, Li speaking directly to the camera about his past, and extracts from his puppet and stage performances, creating a layered density in the narrative that does full justice to the complexity and poetry of Hou's investigation. from a capsule by Jonathan Rosenbaum found at the Chicago Reader's website HERE |
Poster
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Theatrical Release: September 13th, 1993 at the Toronto Film Festival
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
DVD Review: Fox Lorber Film - Region 1 - NTSC
Big thanks to Adam for the Review!
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| Distribution |
Fox Lorber Film Region 1 - NTSC |
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| Runtime | 2.22.59 | |
| Video |
1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio |
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| Audio | Stereo | |
| Subtitles | English, none | |
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Release Information: Studio: Fox Lorber Film Aspect Ratio:
Edition Details: Chapters 16 |
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| Comments |
Not a very good disc by any means. There
is minor combing evident, the audio is a bit weak, but overall, I’m
concerned with the contrast levels. At times, some of the images are
so dark that you can hardly make out any characters in the frame. Hou
is known for his play with light, but the washed out nature of this
print seems to exaggerate what was obviously an artistic decision,
into something that hinders the viewing of the film. Even the
exteriors look awful.
 out of
 NOTE: But I'd also like to point out that I think this DVD suffers from another very significant problem; the PAL Video tape I have of this film is I think 1:1.85 aspect ratio. The Fox Lorber DVD crops this severely to 1:1.33, and it looks to me like a complete disaster as the framing on the DVD ruins the director's original composition. (Thanks Alan!) |
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| DVD Box Cover |
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CLICK to order from:
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| Distribution |
Fox Lorber Film Region 1 - NTSC |
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Gary Tooze
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Thank You!
