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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |
(aka "A Tale of Two Sisters" or "Janghwa, Hongryeon" or "Red Rose, Red Lotus")
directed by Kim Ji-woon
South Korea 2003
That Asia is making
great horror films should be obvious to everyone now,
especially after Hollywood have begun remaking them by
the numbers. The wave began with Nakata’s “The Ring” in
1998 and even though I’m not a particular fan of it,
it’s influence and impact is so strong, that most horror
films today are weighted by it, as “A Tale of Two
Sisters”, which on its cover says, “The most frightening
film since RING”. Personally I find “A Tale of Two
Sisters” a far better horror film, and judging from the
films we’ve seen over the recent years, Asian horror is
still developing and we can expect many more great
horror films in the years to come. |
Posters
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Theatrical Release: June 13th, 2003 - South Korea
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
Comparison:
Tartan Asia Extreme (2 Disc Special Edition) - Region 2 - PAL vs. Tartan Asia Extreme (Special 2-Disc Set) - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Metro DVD (2-disc) - Region 3 - NTSC vs. Palisades Tartan Video - Region 'B' - Blu-ray vs. Arrow Video - Region 'B' - Blu-ray |
Big thanks to Henrik Sylow and Gregory Meshman and Jani Kauppila for the DVD Screen Caps!
Box Covers |
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Thinking of buying from YesAsia? CLICK HERE and use THIS UPDATED BEAVER PAGE to source their very best...
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There is also a German Blu-ray available |
BONUS CAPTURES: |
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Distribution |
Tartan Asia Extreme Region 2 - PAL |
Tartan Asia Extreme Region 1 - NTSC |
Metro DVD Region 3 - NTSC |
Palisades Tartan Region 'B' - Blu-ray |
Arrow - Region 'B' - Blu-ray |
Runtime | 1:49:51 (4% PAL speedup) | 1:49:40 | 1:54:26 | 1:54:31.431 | 1:54:30.905 |
Video |
1.83:1 Original Aspect Ratio
16X9 enhanced |
1.83:1 Original Aspect Ratio
16X9 enhanced |
1.85:1 Original Aspect Ratio
16X9 enhanced |
1080i Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 22,559,005,638 bytes Feature: 20,728,719,360 bytes Video Bitrate: 17.99 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video |
1.78:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 49,841,835,250 bytes Feature: 31,200,723,072 bytes Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Total Video Bitrate: 28.94 Mbps |
NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
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Bitrate:
Tartan Asia Extreme (2 Disc Special Edition)
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Bitrate:
Tartan Asia Extreme (Special 2-Disc Set)
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Bitrate:
Metro DVD (2-disc)
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Bitrate:
Tartan
Blu-ray |
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Bitrate:
Arrow Blu-ray |
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Audio | Korean (Dolby Digital 2.0), Korean (Dolby Digital 5.1), Korean (DTS) |
Korean (Dolby Digital 2.0), Korean (Dolby Digital 5.1), Korean (DTS) |
Korean (Dolby Digital 5.1 EX), Korean (DTS-ES 5.1) |
DTS-HD Master Audio Korean 2073 kbps 5.1 / 48
kHz / 2073 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps
/ 16-bit) Dolby TrueHD Audio Korean 1363 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1363 kbps / 16-bit (AC3 Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 640 kbps) |
DTS-HD Master Audio Korean 1491 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1491
kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 512 kbps / 24-bit) Dolby Digital Audio Korean 256 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 256 kbps / DN -31dB |
Subtitles | English, None | English, Spanish, None | Korean, English, None | English, None | English, None |
Features |
Release Information: Studio: Tartan Asia Extreme Aspect Ratio:
Edition Details: Chapters 16 |
Release Information: Studio: Tartan Asia Extreme Aspect Ratio:
Edition Details:
DVD Release Date: March
29th, 2005 Chapters 16 |
Release Information: Studio: Metro DVD Aspect Ratio:
Edition Details:
DVD Release Date: October
24th, 2003 Chapters 16 |
Release Information: Studio: Palisades Tartan
1080i Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 22,559,005,638 bytes Feature: 20,728,719,360 bytes Video Bitrate: 17.99 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
Edition Details:
Blu-ray
Release Date: March
29th, 2005 Chapters 16 |
Release Information: Studio: Arrow
1.78:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 49,841,835,250 bytes Feature: 31,200,723,072 bytes Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Total Video Bitrate: 28.94 Mbps
Edition Details:
Blu-ray
Release Date:
August 16th, 2021 Chapters 16 |
Comments: |
NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc. ADDITION: Arrow Blu-ray - (August 2021): Well, I never did pick-up the German Blu-ray but it's obvious to see that this Arrow package towers above Tartan's interlaced Blu-ray from 16-years ago. I can't speak to the authenticity of the colors but they are richer and bolder. In terms of detail the Arrow offers a sharper, tighter image - Arrow's 1080P is a significant improvement in every visual area. Audio, as well, steps up and goes 24-bit for lossless 5.1 and 2.0 options (in the original Korean.) Supplements as well go the way of Arrow that offer a multitude of extras including a new commentary by Korean Cinema historian Pierce Conran & critic James Marsh (plus the two previous commentaries with writer/director Kim Jee-woon), two new visuals essays; the first by Conran; Always on the Move: The Dynamic Camera and Spaces of Master Stylist Kim Jee-woon, running 1/4 hour and a second by Kat Ellinger entitled Imaginary Beasts: Memory, Trauma & the Uncanny in A Tale of Two Sisters running 1/2 hour. There is plenty more including archival featurettes, interviews - everything from 'Creating the Poster' to a 'Psychiatrist's Perspective'. Arrow's complete package has a reversible sleeve (see below) with original and newly commissioned artwork by Sister Hyde and for the first pressing we get an illustrated booklet featuring new writing by critics Stacie Ponder and Anya Stanley, plus a new translation of the original Korean folktale that inspired the film. NOTE: We have added 50 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE Arrow wins in a walkover with superiority in every area over every digital edition compared. It's another of their complete packages offering the best a/v, a new commentary and visual essays plus most all of the older supplements and a new booklet. Great to revisit Kim Jee-woon's "A Tale of Two Sisters" looking and sounding top-shelf with a bounty of extra features. Our highest recommendation! Gary Tooze *** ADDITION: Palisades / Tartan Blu-ray - REVISITED (July 2017)': I rewatched this as there is no North American BD that I can find. Yes, it is 1080i but is in theatrical running time (not PAL.) It has a low bitrate and has the same softness as the Tartan DVD. I don't think it is digitization but inherent in the source they used. It is imperfect in-motion as well but a notch above the DVDs that I sampled, but definitely not the height the format capabilities. The audio is lossless but only 16-bit and for this particular film exporting improved depth works wonders for the atmosphere - ditto for some crisper separations. The score is by Byung-woo Lee (Mother, Tokyo!, The Host) and benefits from the DTS-HD Master. There are optional English subtitles on the Region 'B' Blu-ray. No commentary or interviews - just the 24-minute 'Behind the Scenes' in SD. I'm going to pick up the German Blu-ray, that has English subtitles, to compare - it's a good film and deserves a stable 1080P transfer. Let's see... *** ON THE DVDs: Metro DVD: Judging by the runtimes, Tartan seem to have used an unconverted PAL source in their NTSC edition. The image on the Metro Korean DVD differs clearly from the other two. First thing to notice is the yellow tint most obvious in the second capture. The Metro DVD preserves detail better (capture 1). A big negative point is that the screen shakes noticeably almost all of the time. I don't know if this phenomenon is present on the Tartan versions. The translation looks similar on all three. However, some bits are left untranslated on the Korean DVD, for example the letter by the father. Extras are not subtitled on the R3. |
DVD Menus
(Tartan Asia Extreme (2 Disc Special
Edition) - Region 2 - PAL - LEFT vs. Tartan Asia Extreme
(Special 2-Disc Set) - Region 1 - NTSC - MIDDLE vs. Metro DVD
(2-disc) - Region 3 - NTSC - RIGHT)
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Palisades Tartan - Region 'B' - Blu-ray
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Arrow - Region 'B' - Blu-ray
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CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
1) Tartan Asia Extreme (2 Disc Special Edition) - Region 2 - PAL - TOP 2) Tartan Asia Extreme (Special 2-Disc Set) - Region 1 - NTSC - SECOND 3) Metro DVD (2-disc) - Region 3 - NTSC - THIRD 4) Palisades Tartan - Region 'B' - Blu-ray - FOURTH 5) Arrow - Region 'B' - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
Subtitle sample
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1) Tartan Asia Extreme (2 Disc Special Edition) - Region 2 - PAL - TOP 2) Tartan Asia Extreme (Special 2-Disc Set) - Region 1 - NTSC - SECOND 3) Metro DVD (2-disc) - Region 3 - NTSC - THIRD 4) Palisades Tartan - Region 'B' - Blu-ray - FOURTH 5) Arrow - Region 'B' - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
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1) Tartan Asia Extreme (2 Disc Special Edition) - Region 2 - PAL - TOP 2) Tartan Asia Extreme (Special 2-Disc Set) - Region 1 - NTSC - SECOND 3) Metro DVD (2-disc) - Region 3 - NTSC - THIRD 4) Palisades Tartan - Region 'B' - Blu-ray - FOURTH 5) Arrow - Region 'B' - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
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1) Tartan Asia Extreme (2 Disc Special Edition) - Region 2 - PAL - TOP 2) Tartan Asia Extreme (Special 2-Disc Set) - Region 1 - NTSC - SECOND 3) Metro DVD (2-disc) - Region 3 - NTSC - THIRD 4) Palisades Tartan - Region 'B' - Blu-ray - FOURTH 5) Arrow - Region 'B' - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
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1) Tartan Asia Extreme (2 Disc Special Edition) - Region 2 - PAL - TOP 2) Tartan Asia Extreme (Special 2-Disc Set) - Region 1 - NTSC - SECOND 3) Metro DVD (2-disc) - Region 3 - NTSC - THIRD 4) Palisades Tartan - Region 'B' - Blu-ray - FOURTH 5) Arrow - Region 'B' - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
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Report Card:
Image: |
Arrow Blu-ray |
Sound: |
Arrow Blu-ray |
Extras: |
Arrow Blu-ray |
Box Covers |
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![]() |
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Thinking of buying from YesAsia? CLICK HERE and use THIS UPDATED BEAVER PAGE to source their very best...
|
There is also a German Blu-ray available |
BONUS CAPTURES: |
|||
Distribution |
Tartan Asia Extreme Region 2 - PAL |
Tartan Asia Extreme Region 1 - NTSC |
Metro DVD Region 3 - NTSC |
Palisades Tartan Region 'B' - Blu-ray |
Arrow - Region 'B' - Blu-ray |