NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Criterion Blu-ray (June 2022): Criterion have transferred Stanley Kwan's Rouge to Blu-ray. It is cited as being from a "New 4K digital restoration" and is a "Director-Approved Special Edition". It's on a dual-layered disc with a max'ed out bitrate and looks magnificent - thick, rich, heavy grain textures... it's such a beautifully shot film - Bill Wong aka Chung Biu Wong (Once Upon a Time in China.) Colors carry some depth and there are even instances of depth. The 1080P produces a gorgeous HD presentation.

NOTE: We have added 80 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Criterion offer the option of a linear PCM mono track (24-bit) with an alternate, more robust, DTS-HD Master 5.1 surround bump - both in the original Cantonese language. Rouge has some instances of notable separation and few aggressive moments - it is clean and even with a score by Siu-Tin Lai (Police Story 2), sounding traditional, at times, with the Chinese opera and a more modern vibe for the nostalgic 80's-set time period. Audio is excellent. Criterion offer optional English subtitles on their Region 'A' Blu-ray.

The Criterion Blu-ray offers supplements; a new 40-minute career-spanning interview with director Stanley Kwan conducted by his mentee, filmmaker Sasha Chuk, recorded by Criterion in Hong Kong in February 2022. There is a lengthy (1-hour 20-minute) documentary. Originally commissioned by the British Film Institute, this 1996 documentary by Kwan combines archival footage with interviews with filmmakers and actors such as Leslie Cheung, Ang Lee, Chen Kaige, and John Woo to explore representations of queerness and LGBT identity throughout the history of Chinese film. Perhaps Stanley Kwan's most experimental work, Still Love You After All These is a 3/4 hour personal-memoir film about Hong Kong identity made in 1997, the year of the handover of Hong Kong from Great Britain to China. It was produced by Peggy Chiao. Lastly is a trailer. The package has liner notes with an essay by film programmer and critic Dennis Lim.

I was blown away by Stanley Kwan's stylish Rouge. What a fascinating film buoyed by the mesmerizing Anita Mui, portraying 'Fleur' - a 1930's Chinese courtesan with a sexually charged, and eventually haunting, gaze. Men are willing to pay dearly for her company or to simply caress her calf or ear lobe. Rouge could be considered a supernatural mystery, tragic melodrama or glamorous transcendent 'ghost story'. I thought of many films from Wong Kar-wai's In the Mood For Love to Masahiro Shinoda's Double Suicide. I loved the flashbacks to the '30s and the gorgeous art direction. It's a deeply realized effort with a strong theme of time, and the fluidity of succumbing to an opium-induced lover’s fantasy. The Criterion Blu-ray offers an entrancing film experience with pristine a/v and worthwhile supplements. It has our strongest recommendation! Absolutely see Rouge.

Gary Tooze