The Grandmaster (2013) Metrodome

[samdvd1]

Coming March 17th 2015 according to e-mail just received from Metrodome.

No Amazon page, or page for the release here yet.

Directed by Wong Kar Wai and starring Tony Leung and Ziyi Zhang.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1605798/

[rapta]

Sweet! Will likely pick this up despite it being the Weinstein cut (about 23 minutes shorter than the original cut, and 15 minutes shorter than the second cut), though Wong Kar-wai himself said it's not a lesser cut at all (despite some critics saying it is). It's still one of the best films this year.

I didn't think it was in 3D? It might've been in Asian markets but certainly not in the US as far as I'm aware of.

[samdvd1]

Originally Posted by rapta

I didn't think it was in 3D? It might've been in Asian markets but certainly not in the US as far as I'm aware of.

I think I was confusing myself with something else.

[rapta]

Originally Posted by samdvd1

I think I was confusing myself with something else.

Haha fair enough! It looks pretty glorious in 2D anyway, doesn't need 'enhancing' with 3D

[Sky_Captain]

Blimey, Metrodome actually releasing a foreign movie on BD and not consigning it to supermarket DVD bins.

[rapta]

Originally Posted by Sky_Captain

Blimey, Metrodome actually releasing a foreign movie on BD and not consigning it to supermarket DVD bins.

Their first since A Royal Affair I think - Jackpot, Dragon and Sleep Tight were Sainsbury's exclusives at first but I think you can get them elsewhere now. So to be fair to them they're just adjusting to the market when they're acquiring more interesting titles.

They released Godfrey Reggio's Visitors on blu-ray which I was surprised about...clearly on the back of Arrow's success with the popular Fricke titles and Reggio's restorated Koyaanisqatsi/Powaqqatsi package. It's not as good as said titles but I'm still glad it's on blu-ray and, as you said, not just in supermarket bargain bins on DVD.

[samdvd1]

Annoyingly, the e-mail list about 20 DVD only releases too... DTV stuff, but nonetheless, Metrodome seem to be dragging their feet compared to other companies. They have some pretty sweet titles in their back catalogue I'd like to see them release on Blu-ray like 101 Reykjavik, Dear Wendy, Last Exit to Brooklyn, Tape and Vodka Lemon. I also wonder if they retain the rights to Taxi 2 currently.

[88thCrazy]

Love how they missed out God Help The Girl on Blu-ray a few months ago.

[Le Grande Blu]

Originally Posted by 88thCrazy

Love how they missed out God Help The Girl on Blu-ray a few months ago.

And the brilliant Swedish film We Are the Best. Had to order the US version.

[insomniac013]

I hope it's the extended cut!!!

[rapta]

Originally Posted by insomniac013

I hope it's the extended cut!!!

It's not I'm afraid - the 'extended cut' I assume you're talking about is the Chinese Cut (130 minutes) that was debuted for the Asian market. The second cut was 7 minutes shorter and shown at the BIFF last year. The third US cut (overseen by The Weinstein Company) is a further 15 minutes shorter (so 22 minutes shorter than the first cut) and that is the version we are getting, as confirmed by the BBFC.

Here's Wong Kar-wai himself talking about this third cut, and how it shouldn't be seen as an 'inferior' cut like many critics and journalists have reported since:

On this coming Friday, my newest film, THE GRANDMASTER, will be released in the U.S. This is actually the third incarnation of the film, which we shot in 22 months over the course of 3 years. While each of our previous international debuts was thrilling, I'm very proud of the latest version that will be screened in American theaters. Perhaps not surprisingly, people have asked me about the reasoning behind re-editing the film, questioning why I chose to alter it from earlier iterations.

As a filmmaker, let me say that the luxury of creating a new cut for U.S. audiences was the opportunity to reshape it into something different than what I began with -- a chance one doesn't always get as a director and an undertaking much more meaningful than simply making something shorter or longer. The original version of THE GRANDMASTER is about 2 hours, 10 minutes. Why not 2 hours, 9 minutes or 2 hours, 11 minutes? To me, the structure of a movie is like a clock or a prized watch -- it's about precision and perfect balance.

We always knew that we wanted to have a U.S. version that was a bit tighter and that helped clarify the complex historical context of this particular era in Chinese history, focusing further on the journeys of Ip Man and Gong Er. While the previous version was more chronological, adding narration and captions to explain certain plot points gave us the freedom to bring more life to moments in the characters' stories. I also aimed to enhance the audience's understanding of the challenges faced between North and South, especially during the Japanese invasion.

All that being said, I was never interested in telling a watered down version of THE GRANDMASTER in the U.S., or just trimming to cut back minutes -- it had to be a creative, sharp and honed vision. I was even able to add in substantial footage -- beautiful footage -- that was not in the original release. Ultimately, I worked to envision the most perfect clock or the essence of marital arts itself; it is all about precision and balance.

I personally thought the 108 minute was excellent. Of course I'd like to see the other two cuts one day (either really, as I'm assuming the 123 minute cut is similiar to the 130 minute 'original' cut), but I'm still happy with this one. As he said himself he actually got to add footage that got removed the first time around, so see it more as an alternative cut to the original. Compared it with Wong's contemporary John Woo, whose Chinese epic Red Cliff (incidentally also starring Tony Leung) was cut by 120 minutes - from 288 minutes to 148. The cuts to The Grandmaster are in no way as drastic as that and it seems have been over exaggerated by the western press, festering in the period of anticipation for its eventual release over here.

It's different to the recent Snowpiercer fiasco which do I do think the US cut is a little clunky (but still tells the story brilliant) and would like to see the original cut in that case. But the fact is these films seem to be entering the UK market via the Weinsteins, so we'll have to bite our lip and make do for the time being. Sure, maybe one day we'll see a release of a different cut but there's no need to wait - this is still a beautiful film.

[Huseyin]

I saw this a few months ago, A very beautiful film. The version I saw was dubbed. Well worth buying. The scene which shows the different styles is amazing!

[nitin]

Originally Posted by rapta

It's not I'm afraid - the 'extended cut' I assume you're talking about is the Chinese Cut (130 minutes) that was debuted for the Asian market. The second cut was 7 minutes shorter and shown at the BIFF last year. The third US cut (overseen by The Weinstein Company) is a further 15 minutes shorter (so 22 minutes shorter than the first cut) and that is the version we are getting, as confirmed by the BBFC.

Here's Wong Kar-wai himself talking about this third cut, and how it shouldn't be seen as an 'inferior' cut like many critics and journalists have reported since:



I personally thought the 108 minute was excellent. Of course I'd like to see the other two cuts one day (either really, as I'm assuming the 123 minute cut is similiar to the 130 minute 'original' cut), but I'm still happy with this one. As he said himself he actually got to add footage that got removed the first time around, so see it more as an alternative cut to the original. Compared it with Wong's contemporary John Woo, whose Chinese epic Red Cliff (incidentally also starring Tony Leung) was cut by 120 minutes - from 288 minutes to 148. The cuts to The Grandmaster are in no way as drastic as that and it seems have been over exaggerated by the western press, festering in the period of anticipation for its eventual release over here.

It's different to the recent Snowpiercer fiasco which do I do think the US cut is a little clunky (but still tells the story brilliant) and would like to see the original cut in that case. But the fact is these films seem to be entering the UK market via the Weinsteins, so we'll have to bite our lip and make do for the time being. Sure, maybe one day we'll see a release of a different cut but there's no need to wait - this is still a beautiful film.

I though Snowpiercer was uncut? Weinstein wanted it cut but didnt Bong hold out?

[ScarfaceJoker]

Originally Posted by nitin

I though Snowpiercer was uncut? Weinstein wanted it cut but didnt Bong hold out?

That's right - there was never a cut version released. The only version either in cinemas or on disc is Bong's original cut.

[rapta]

Originally Posted by nitin

I though Snowpiercer was uncut? Weinstein wanted it cut but didnt Bong hold out?

Oh I didn't realise! In that case, I guess Bong's final cut is a bit jumbly then. Not to say it's a bad film though, it's actually one of the best action films this year.

[nitin]

I personally found it quite wobbly in execution but yeah overall I would still say it's a good film (if only for the school carriage segment).

[Otakuboy]

Has anyone bought the UK release yet? I'm tempts to get it

[Benson85]

Screw them. No original language, no sale.

[Foggy]

So it's dubbed only then. Bloody hell what's the point in that?

[mikey 6]

Wow - almost ordered this the other day too from Amazon. Thanks for the heads-up - would never have thought to check that! Ridiculous release.