In the Mood For Love Maggie Cheung

(aka "In the Mood For Love" or "Hua yang nian hua")

Hongkong / France 2000

Hong Kong, 1962: Chow Mo-wan and Su Li-zhen move into neighboring apartments on the same day. Their encounters are polite and formal—until a discovery about their respective spouses sparks an intimate bond. At once delicately mannered and visually stunning, Wong Kar-wai’s In the Mood for Love is a masterful evocation of romantic longing and fleeting moments in time.out of

The TF1 version is on the TOP 100 List of DVDs.

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DVD Comparison:

Criterion - Region 0 - NTSC vs. TF1/Ocean (France) - Region 2 - PAL

Big thanks to Ole of DVDBasen for the PAL Screen Caps!

(Criterion - Region 0 - NTSC - LEFT vs. TF1 - Region 2 - PAL - RIGHT)

DVD Box Covers
	NOTE: *The UK Tartan Double Disc version HERE* is also available with the same transfer as the TF1 double-disc set.**
	NOTE: *The TF1 Single Disc version HERE* is also available with the same transfer as the double-disc set.**
Distribution	Criterion Collection Spine #147 Region 1 - NTSC	TF1 Vidéo / Océan Films Region 2 - PAL
Runtime	1:38:42	1:33:54 (+ 4% PAL Speedup = 98 min)
Video	1:66:1 WideScreen 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 7.46 mb/s NTSC 704x480 29.97 f/s	1:62:1 WideScreen 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 8.10 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: Criterion
Bitrate: TF1/Ocean
Audio	Cantonese and Shanghainese (Dolby Digital 5.0) Music and Effects Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround	Cantonese Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround DUB: French Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround DUB: Spanish Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround DUB: Mandarin Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Subtitles	English and none	German, English, Spanish, French, Italian, Greek, Dutch and none
Features	Release Information: Studio: Home Vision Entertainment Theatrical Release Date: February 26, 2001 Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 1.66:1 Edition Details: DVD 1: • Alternate Ending and Deleted scenes with director’s commentary (34 min) • The music of In the Mood for Love, presented in an interactive essay • Hua Yang de Nian Hua, a short film by Wong Kar-wai (1.33:1, DD 1.0 Mono, 3:00) DVD 2: • @ In the Mood for Love, a documentary about the making of the film (51:00) • 2 Interviews with Wong Kar-wai at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival (38:00) • Toronto International Film Festival press conference with stars Maggie Cheung Man-yuk & Tony Leung Chiu-wai (43:00) • "Hong Kong, 1960’s", essay by film scholar Gina Marchetti illuminating the film’s unique setting • 2 Hong Kong TV spots • 1 US TV spot • 1 US trailer • 1 French TV spot • 1 French trailer • Electronic Press Kit "A note on the making of In the Mood for Love" with behind-the-scenes footage and interview material with the cast and director (18 min) • "The Searcher: Wong Kar-Wai", a comprehensive (and chronological) text-based essay covering the director’s career, with still photos of the director, production photos and posters from his films, and 3 trailers for Ashes of Time, Fallen Angels, Happy Together • Photo gallery • Biographies of key cast & crew • 48-page booklet featuring the short story "Intersection", by Liu Yi-chang that inspired the film, a director’s statement and liner notes by Li Cheuk- To DVD Release Date: 5 March 2002 Keep Case Chapters: 28 DVD Encoding: NTSC Region 1 2x SS-DL/DVD-9	Release Information: Studio: TF1 Vidéo Theatrical Release Date: February 26, 2001 Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 1.62:1 Edition Details: DVD 1: • The Film and the Soundtrack, presented in an interactive essay • Original English Theatrical Trailer (1.66:1/4:3, 3:18) DVD 2: • Guest House section: Interview with Wong Kar-Wai (22:00) • On Set Report: Behind the scenes on the making of In the Mood For Love, including interviews with Wong Kar-Wai, Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung (19:00) • Commentary on the Music from the film • Hotel section: 3 Deleted Scenes and Alternate Ending with optional commentary from director Wong Kar-Wai (34:00) • In Front and Behind the Camera with in-depth biographies for the cast and crew and a set of Artistic and Technical credits • Multimedia Section DVD-Rom: Wallpaper images, Screensaver, Web-links • Restaurant section: 3 Theatrical Trailers for the Cannes Film Festival • Original Theatrical Trailer • French Theatrical Trailer • 2 Original Teasers • 2 French Teasers • Promo Reels • Poster artwork and Concepts • Wong Kar-Wai World Tour: promoting In the Mood for Love in several Asian countries (5:00) • List of awards • Local Businesses section: Tailor: The dresses of Qi Pao (1:30) • Hair Dresser: Getting her hair style (3:00) • Noodle House: 4 recipes for Sesame Syrup, Pan-Fried Noodles, Won Ton and Chinese Ravioli • Postcard Kiosk: selection of photographs • Mah-jong Club (2:00) • Interactive game of Mah-jong with a hidden Easter Eggs menu • Easter Eggs section: Tony Leung Music Video "Hua Yang Nian Hua" (4:00) • Premiere in Hong Kong: Recording of the In the Mood for Love premiere in Hong Kong (14:00) • Room 2046: A series of photographs from cut scenes • 2 Unreleased Trailers and 2 Unreleased Teasers (4:00) • Concepts for T-Shirts by agnes b: 4 pieces of concept artwork for T-Shirts • 2046: Title Logo: The logo for Wong Kar-Wai's forthcoming film • Film Master class Cannes 2001 featurette (13:00) • s12-page Booklet with liner notes DVD Release Date: 5 September 2001 Digipack Case Chapters: 24 DVD Encoding: PAL Region 2 (France) 2x SS-DL/DVD-9

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

Check out more in "The Library"

I am a huge fan of Criterion, but I also have a great fondness for this particular film and I suggest that Criterion has not done their usual fine job when we compare it to the TF1/Ocean Region 2 DVD. I have quite a bit to say, so I better get started.

Criterion again have vertically cropped their image (see all captures). I still am totally baffled why they seem to do this on so many releases. It is quite slight, but is now further augmented by horizontally cropping as well in this release. I am beginning to suspect that vertical cropping is standard to their operations and the horizontal cropping is there to put the image back into aspect ratio. Regardless, this is an issue, one I am unhappy to report.

One of the two transfers aspect ratio is slightly off. The TV1 characters look taller and thinner while the Criterion look fatter. This is evident by looking in their faces (capture #6). This is pretty negligible and am willing to give Criterion the benefit of the doubt in this case, but will be able to judge when I add one (or both) of the other two version of this film that I have on DVD... a Seville Pictures version and a Hong Kong version.

Colors: Criterion skin tones look more red, a telltale of contrast boosting (capture #2). Their colors are more vibrant than the TF1 version also leading me to believe that they have been enhanced. I suppose the TF1 could have dampened their colors, but it is far more likely that Criterion have boosted theirs slightly. What happens when this is done is we lose some detail and sure enough the TF1 is sharper (capture#2 and #3 it is most prevalent).

Because the Criterion is brighter, this is further evidence that it has been adjusted. This is not a 'hard and fast rule' that the brighter image is the weaker, but is true in the vast majority of release comparisons. The Extras speak for themselves and I cannot, in good conscience, give the nod to one over the other. They are both spectacular and true devotees of this film will want both version just for the supplements. The sound likewise is excellent on both, but the TF1 offers more options for subtitles and audio. This is probably not important to most DVD buyers who read this, but it again shows the care put into the TF1 release. I think the TF1 is a limited edition and like the "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg" Region 2 (France) release will become unavailable through normal e-tailors soon. I say buy the TF1 DVD 2 pack (or single disc which is also available) while you still can. I can't scold my favorite distributor Criterion too much, but I think perhaps haste may have made them err where they usually are leading the pack.

- Gary. W Tooze

NOTE: In an article in CinemaScope magazine Jonathan Rosenbaum states "I would argue that the two-disc French edition of Wong-kar Wai's "In the Mood For Love" from Océan Films is superior in design to two-disc US version from Criterion, even though Criterion's transfer of the film is better..."

Obviously I disagree about the transfer and hope this particular page proves me correct.

NOTE: Discussed on a Danish forum, one of the members (who actually have lived in HK a years time and have been a reviewer on several Danish publications) who is a big WKW fan have owned both the French, criterion's and seen the movie in the theatre. He say's that the colors of the French is similar to the experience he had in the theatre, the soundtrack has more or less the same quality and the black levels of the French are perfect.

DVD Menus

(Criterion - Region 0 - NTSC - LEFT vs. TF1 - Region 2 - PAL - RIGHT)

Disc 2 Menus

(Criterion - Region 0 - NTSC - LEFT vs. TF1 - Region 2 - PAL - RIGHT)