Chungking Express (1994) 4K UHD (Criterion Collection) - Blu-ray Forum

lilboyblu · 01-15-2025, 04:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BluProofie

I may pick this up, was this one of the few that WKW didn’t ruin?

I think there was less tinkering here than on the others. For me though, it's the altered color and sped up audio.

Member jjlikesonions did more detailed comparisons in the World of Wong Kar Wai Blu-ray thread.

Post 1

[Show spoiler]

Post 2

[Show spoiler]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jjlikesonions

I didn't get screencaps of the end credits, but they are completely different now. In Chungking Express, they're colorful now instead of black & white.

Chungking Express: Restoration Comparison

1. The stream on the Lincoln Center site is presented in a way that is slightly sped up, similar to PAL speed up. Hopefully this only affects the stream and that the disc presentation will not be affected. EDIT: This apparent speed up DOES effect the disc. The speed of the film is slightly faster than before. The audio (both music and dialogue) is pitched up slightly as a result of the speed increase.

2. The "Chungking Express" title card

On the old versions, the title card appears silently and with the whole graphic at once. On the new restoration, each individual Chinese character (4 total) appears one by one, with each one accompanied by the sound of a gunshot. Definitely trying to highlight the action side of the film.

3. The scene of Takeshi Kaneshiro's character running in the rain at the baseball field. On the old Criterion BD, the scene ends with a fade to black. On the new restoration ends with a freeze frame on Takeshi and then cuts away.

4. I already covered this here, but in the scene after Tony rejecting the letter from his lover (Valerie Chow) that Faye tries to give him: the old Criterion BD doesn't contain music on this part. Only the sound of an airplane, and then diegetic sounds. On the new 4K restoration (and the 98 min HK cut) the song "Dream Person" aka "Dreams" sung by Faye Wong plays during this scene.

5. Finally, the image quality. The restoration brings the black levels down (darker). In some scenes, it's too dark. But in a lot of scenes, it looks more realistic / life-like than the original. I don't know which look is "correct" or more similar to a 35mm print. The tint is also different, but I think it is not bad in the way that In the Mood For Love seems to be. It is much more subtle than that. More importantly, the skin tones are more accurate and clothing/bedding/walls are more saturated than before. In a few shots, mainly in the Midnight Express, the old BD had increased contrast that lessened detail, though it of course gave it a certain gritty expressionist look. The restoration doesn't have this contrasted look, and instead retains a more realistic appearance.

The original image also contains some visible flickering (imperfections between film frames). The restoration removes the flickering entirely, from what I can tell.

It might be up to personal preference. Some may prefer the older version with slightly muted colors, raised blacks, cooler colored, more gritty, somewhat washed out look. It gives the film a bit more of a dreamy quality. Others may prefer restoration for the cleaner, more bolder colored, proper black leveled, more realistic image.

Overall: I think this restoration may be considered a success by some, assuming the "speed up" thing is not present on the disc, otherwise that would be a total blunder.

The colors are arguably better. Black levels arguably better. Flickering removed. No major cut differences. The only music cue difference is one that has valid historic precedent (reverting back to the HK theatrical cut). Although, personally I prefer the scene without the song. As long as the future BD disc has good compression and retains healthy amounts of grain, then I think it will be a relatively good presentation of the film. More to defend here than the presentation of Fallen Angels (RIP).

I think there is still room to debate over which look is more "accurate" to original look of the film or which look fits the film better. I think there is room for difference in opinion. In my personal opinion, the old look is more fitting to the film's themes and atmosphere.

Disclaimer: These screenshots are only meant for comparing colors. Do not use them to compare resolution detail or to compare framing (an outer edge of the frame is slightly cropped due to my setup). Also, the frames may or may not be exact matches because of my timing.

Left is 2008 Criterion BD vs. Right is 2020 4K restoration stream

P.S. Sorry for not including any screenshots of the first story with the blonde and Takeshi Kaneshiro. I wasn't even planning on doing screenshots for this. Then when the second story started, I suddenly felt the urge to take screenshots.

Best 4K Blu-ray Deals