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

ADDITION: Masters of Cinema Blu-ray (February 2020): Masters of Cinema have transferred King Hu's Raining in the Mountain to Blu-ray. The presentation starts with text screens that state: "This digitally restored film is a work of Taiwan Film Institute as part of the "Taiwan Film Classics Digital Restoration and Value-Adding Project" commissioned by the Ministry of Culture in 2018. This film was originally released in 1979 and its digital restoration was completed by Taiwan Film Institute in 2018. Multiple sources, including its 35mm original negative, an interpositive, and a release print, were composited and the burned-in subtitles were removed for restoration and color correction. " This is a 2K restoration and the 1080P can look stunning at times. There is some inconsistency with a few sequences looking unnaturally thick and grainy. There are so many beautiful shots in Raining in the Mountain. This is in the 2.39:1 aspect ratio and the frame is gorgeously appointed by the cinematography. There are a few weaknesses but they are specifically related to the original source. Both the restoration and dual-layered transfer, with a max'ed out bitrate, have done their best - with the incredibly impressive visuals in 1080P - this will be considered a milestone HD presentation with the film's deeply rooted beauty.

NOTE: 44 more high resolution Blu-ray  captures (in uncompressed PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Masters of Cinema use a linear PCM 1.0 channel mono track (24-bit) in the original Mandarin language. There are some cracking effects in the fight sequences, but not extensive (as in a Shaw Bros. standard whiplash exaggeration), but depth is apparent and score by Ta Chiang Wu (King Hu's films Legend of the Mountain, A Touch of Zen, Dragon Inn), sounding flat but deep in appropriate sequences. Dialogue can suffer from, what appears to be, some minor sync'ing issues. Masters of Cinema offer optional English subtitles (see sample below) on their Region 'B' Blu-ray.

The Masters of Cinema Blu-ray offers a brand new and exclusive feature-length audio commentary by critic and Asian cinema expert Tony Rayns. We couldn't ask for better! He discusses so many aspects of the film, genre, King Hu, culture and more - including how the film came to be made, how it fits in the director's filmography, how he was, in some sense, a refugee from communism although his political leanings were still to the Left. How King Hu accidently got into film because of his calligraphy and design skills - and how he worked on many politically left Mandarin films of the 50s - sometimes as a actor. It's great - so much to absorb. There is also Beyond Description - a brand new, 21-minute, video essay by David Cairns who is always a pleasure to listen to as he probes the films more subtle points. There is a trailer and the package has a collector s booklet featuring new essays by Chinese-language film expert and author Stephen Teo; and Asian cinema expert David West, news editor at NEO magazine, Limited Edition O-Card (first print run of 2000 copies only) and a second disc, progressive DVD.

King Hu's underrated Raining in the Mountain is a beautiful meditation on Buddhism. Like much of the director's work - it has a poetic edge veering away from typical wuxia films made at the same time with peaceful monks having less-revealed powers, political conflict and a stealthy heist. It's wonderful and we can strongly recommend this Masters of Cinema Blu-ray with valuable Tony Rayns commentary, David Cairns video essay, booklet and more. Fans of King Hu's other works in this realm (Legend of the Mountain, A Touch of Zen, Dragon Inn) should consider this a must-own.

Gary Tooze