Love and Duty (WCL Exclusive Limited Edition)

[qw0aszx]

Disk Kino just announced 13 new films in their future releasing plan. Among them, one excites me the most is Love and Duty, a 1931 Chinese silent film directed by Bu Wancang and starring Ruan Lingyu.

Here's an introduction on how this film was rediscovered from Wikipedia:

For many years the film was believed lost, until a complete print was discovered in Uruguay in the 1990s. The rediscovered print was shipped over to Taiwan in 1993 and is now housed at the Taipei Film Archive. Since its rediscovery, the film has made its rounds in film festivals and Chinese cinema retrospectives around the world. In 2014, Love and Duty underwent a 2K digital restoration under Italy's L'Immagine Ritrovata, after which it was screened at the Shanghai Film Festival that same year.

Update: Full details just revealed, this two-disc set is coming on March 31st.

Disc 1:

• Feature film presented in 1080p with original Chinese and English intertitles
  2K restoration from the only surviving 35mm copy, done by L'Immagine Ritrovata in 2014.
• Brand new score presented in LPCM 2.0
  A beautiful and touching score by Maud Nelissen, commissioned by Disk Kino exclusively for this release.

Disc 2:

• Star, Genre, Image: Re-examine Love and Duty (HD, 26 minutes)
  A brand new video essay on the history and style of Love and Duty. (in Mandarin, no subtitles)
• The Rediscovery of a Significant Part in Film History (HD, 79 minutes)
  New interview with Tony Rayns on the history of early Chinese cinema and Love and Duty. (in English, with Chinese subtitles)
• The Rediscovery of a Lost Film: Restoring Love and Duty (HD, 22 minutes)
  New interview with Jerry Chiu, head of the digital restoration department at TFAI, on the rediscovery and restoration process of Love and Duty. (in Mandarin, with Chinese and English subtitles)
• Stanly Kwan on Ruan Ling-yu (HD, 11 minutes)
  A new interview with Stanly Kwan, he shares his thoughts on Ruan Ling-yu and his experiences on making Center Stage. (in Mandarin, with Chinese and English subtitles)
• Scoring Love and Duty (HD, 7 minutes)
  A short documentary on how Maud Nelissen creating the new score for Love and Duty. (in English, with Chinese subtitles)
• Before and after the Restoration (HD, 3 minutes)
  A short comparison between the original scan and the restored image.

Cover art:

[Show spoiler]

[Jared A.]

Originally Posted by qw0aszx

Disk Kino just announced 13 new films in their future releasing plan. Among them, one excites me the most is Love and Duty, a 1931 Chinese silent film directed by Bu Wancang and starring Ruan Lingyu.

Here's an introduction on how this film was rediscovered from Wikipedia:

Neat. What are the other 12 films?

[qw0aszx]

Originally Posted by Jared A.

Neat. What are the other 12 films?

Love and Duty (1931, 2K Restored)
The Wages of Fear (1953, 4K Restored)
Les Diaboliques (1955, 4K Restored)
Paris, Texas (1984, new 2K restoration)
Wings of Desire (1987, 4K Restored)
Akira (1988, 4K Restored)
Éric Rohmer's Tales of the Four Seasons (1990-1998, 2K Restored)
Back to Back, Face to Face (1994, 2K Restored)
Drifting Clouds (1996, 2K Restored)
The Man Without a Past (2002, 2K Restored)

[John_Drake]

Here's a restoration comparison and a trailer from Love & Duty from the Taiwan Film & Audio Institute's YT Channel:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEaeKUenLJM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zn2CtvGLlRc

[PGW]

Excellent. Only one her surviving films I haven't seen. Would someone please post when / where this becomes available? Thanks!

[apollo828]

Keep an eye on Media Psychos. They'll have it there at some point. Taobao may be a bit faster and cheaper but the set may get banged up during shipping. MP group buys, while a bit slower (especially now with COVID) and more expensive, always have immaculate shipping.

[PGW]

I went to their site and I have to admit it's utterly beyond my ability to comprehend what they do, how they do it, and what you have to do to participate. Hopefully, the disc will pop up on Ebay, where there's nothing more complicated than clicking on a "buy now" button.

[e_d]

Here's some instructions, should you want to try:

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.p...4&postcount=30

But, eBay works too.

[apollo828]

I also posted directions here awhile back. I think there's now only one Paypal invoice once the disc is ready to ship, but other than that, the directions should still be accurate. I should probably add some links so that people don't have to look for them, though.

[qw0aszx]

Originally Posted by PGW

Excellent. Only one her surviving films I haven't seen. Would someone please post when / where this becomes available? Thanks!

I think we still need to wait a while before this one starts the pre-order. Will update when it has new information.

[e_d]

Diskino said over at MP:

pretty sure, this year, maybe end of year.

[PGW]

Thanks for the update e_d! Please post again if you learn anything else.

[e_d]

Looks like the MP group buy is open (though I will never use them again), has anything more been announced by Diskino on this?

[PGW]

The group buy concept it too difficult for my aging brain to wrap around. Hopefully, Disokino (or someone) will put them up on Ebay.

[e_d]

Originally Posted by PGW

The group buy concept it too difficult for my aging brain to wrap around. Hopefully, Disokino (or someone) will put them up on Ebay.

Buyoyo usually lists them lately, just make sure to pre-order. There is usually a Hong Kong seller on eBay who gets a few copies as well.

Don't give MP your business, they are slow, overcharge an arm and a leg, and ban you from their group buys when you vocalize your frustrations about them on here.

[apollo828]

There are directions for GBs in the "Red Sorghum" thread. But yeah, not worth it unless you miss out on Buyoyo (or they don't carry the item, which is rare but does happen). There's also Taobao and eBay, so keep them in mind. In any event, I have one GB left. After it's done and paid for, I'm out.

[e_d]

[qw0aszx]

Details updated. This will be a two-disc set, English subtitles are provided for some special features in disc two!

[CelestialAgent]

Not heard of this film before, but it sounds amazing, and Rayns is a welcome presence. Where can it be ordered from, and is it Region A or Region Free?

[themp3000]

Originally Posted by CelestialAgent

Not heard of this film before, but it sounds amazing, and Rayns is a welcome presence. Where can it be ordered from, and is it Region A or Region Free?

It’s up on Buyoyo and Region Free.

https://www.buyoyo.com/buyoyo/eng/Pr...37636&prtype=0

I strongly considered it and would really like it but I can’t swing it unfortunately.