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S E A R C H    D V D B e a v e r
(aka "Henjel gwa Geuretel")

 

Directed by Pil-sung Yim
South Korea 2007

 

In this world, in an unimaginably strange place, a deep forest that we could suddenly fall into exists somewhere out there," states Lee Eun-soo (Chun Jeong-myoung) at the beginning of Hansel And Gretel, his voice intoned over images of him running through darkened trees.

In fact he has just accidentally flipped his car in the middle of nowhere, in the dead of winter, and is now dazed, delirious and lost in the woods – but given that his motor trip was taking him away from his pregnant girlfriend and towards the ailing mother for whom he still harbours unresolved feelings of hostility, it seems he was already lost before his unfortunate crash.

"Everything", as he puts it, "started in this deep dense forest", and his journey will take him to no ordinary space, but to the hermetic world of the fairytale, where childhood fantasies, traumas and fears present themselves in vivid form, where memories live forever, and where the darkest aspects of the psyche come out to play.

Excerpt from Eye For Filmlocated HERE

***

One of the greatest modern horror films of all time and one of the finest achievements in contemporary Korean cinema is back on Blu thanks to 88 Films! Pilsung Yim's masterful adult fairly tale HANSEL AND GRETEL (2007) is one of the creepiest and most imaginative nightmares of modern Asian cinema and a terrifyingly effective adaptation of an old European fairy tale favourite. 88 Films is proud to present a killer special edition of this baroque and picturesque art-terror text book in spine tingling shocks!

 

 Posters

 

Release:  December 27th, 2007

Reviews                                                                                More Reviews                                                              DVD Reviews

 

Review: 88 Films - Region 'B' - Blu-ray

Box Cover

CLICK to order from:

Terracotta Media Blu-ray from 2012 (OOP)

Released on Blu-ray in the US in April 2021 by Media Blasters:

Distribution 88 Films - Region 'B' - Blu-ray
Runtime 1:56:57.010
Video

1.85:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 37,767,813,078 bytes

Feature: 34,371,729,408 bytes

Video Bitrate: 35.00 Mbps

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.

Bitrate:

 

Audio

DTS-HD Master Audio Korean 1979 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1979 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit)
Commentary:

Dolby Digital Audio English 224 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 224 kbps

Subtitles English, None
Features Release Information:
Studio:
88 Films

 

1.85:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 37,767,813,078 bytes

Feature: 34,371,729,408 bytes

Video Bitrate: 35.00 Mbps

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

 

Edition Details:

• Audio Commentary with Director Pil-Sung Yim and Calum Waddell
•Introduction by Director Pil-Sung Yim (0:41)
•Interview with Cinematographer Ji-yong Kim (A Bittersweet Life, Okja, The Age of Shadows) (9:40)
• Interview with VFX Director Jung-seong-jin (9:39)
• Interview with Production Designer Ryu Seung-hie (14:24)
• Teaser Trailer (1:25)
• Original Trailer (1:44)


Blu-ray
Release Date: July 9th, 2018
Custom Blu-ray Case inside cardboard case (see image)

Chapters 13

 

 

Comments:

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

ADDITION: (July 2018) 88 Films - Region 'B' - Blu-ray: 88 Films have transferred the excellent 2007 South Korean horror/fantasy "Hansel and Gretel" to a dual-layered Blu-ray with a max'ed out bitrate. The colors in the film, a digital process post-production, look gorgeous enhancing the 'fairy tale' visuals. The beautiful art direction reminded me of Jean-Pierre Jeunet's Amelie and Micmacs. An HFR (high frame rate) system was used for the production (digital intermediate) and the 1080P image looks amazing - greens, reds and blues looking stunningly rich and the visuals are mesmerizing - looking extremely crisp in the film's many close-ups.   

The film is presented with a DTS-HD Master 5.1 surround track (16-it). There are effects that separate well and the track has some depth with the score by Byung-woo Lee (
A Tale of Two Sisters, Mother, Tokyo!, The Host) that benefits from the lossless transfer. All good. The 88 Films has optional English subtitles on its Region 'B' Blu-ray.

88 Films include in the
Blu-ray supplements an audio commentary with Director Pil-Sung Yim and Dr. Calum Waddell who discuss his film, the luke-warm critical reaction, finding CDs in the basement of a Korean store that they are both familiar with, achieving the film's look and a humorous conversation about North Korea's "rocket boy" and "that blonde guy from the United States". Yim's English is quite passable and he is easy to understand. I really enjoyed the commentary. There is a brief introduction to the film by Pil-Sung Yim and a 10-minute interview with cinematographer Ji-yong Kim (A Bittersweet Life), one with VFX Director Jung-seong-jin and another with Production Designer Ryu Seung-hie for 1/4 hour talking about Hansel and Gretel's color-rich look. 88 Films include a teaser and original trailer.

Hansel and Gretel a finely crafted film evoking Guillermo del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth made a year earlier.  But this has it's own pace and style including themes of child abuse, family unity - all cloaked in mystery. It veers from the graphic horror to be more of a dark fantasy - and it works well. The 88 Films Blu-ray is wonderful - an amazing image (kudos to both dual-layered, max'ed out, transfer and the film's art direction color scheme), lossless surround audio, a rewarding commentary and interviews. It's one of Film 88's best Blu-ray packages - and we strongly recommend! 

Gary Tooze

 

 


Menus


 

More of the 88 Asia Collection on Blu-ray

Bewitched

Black Magic

Black Magic 2

The Bride From Hell

The Enchanting Ghost

The Ghost Lovers

HEX

The Oily Maniac

The Seeding of a Ghost

The Dragon Missile

Five Element Ninjas

The Flying Guillotine

Gifted

House of Traps

The Human Goddess

Killer Constable

The Mighty Peking Man

The One-Armed Swordsman

Sea Fog

The Spiritual Boxer

The Super Inframan


CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

 

Screen Captures

 

 


 

 


 

 


 

 


 

 


 

 


 

 


 

 


 

 


 

 


 

 


 

 


 

 


 

 


 

 


 

 


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Box Cover

CLICK to order from:

Terracotta Media Blu-ray from 2012 (OOP)

Released on Blu-ray in the US in April 2021 by Media Blasters:

Distribution 88 Films - Region 'B' - Blu-ray




 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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