Classic Hong Kong Movie Quality

[singhcr]

Originally Posted by pro-bassoonist

I don't know what else to tell you. Awhile ago I spoke with someone in Hong Kong to find out exactly what masters were going to be used for the Japanese releases of the A Better Tomorrow trilogy. Let's put it this way: The answers I received were pretty strange.

Could you share their answers? I would be interested in learning about what masters they had.

I'm crossing my fingers for proper BD releases of the John Woo and Jackie Chan classics but it seems increasingly unlikely. You'd think one could at least locate a 35mm release print or something. It would be better than what's out there now.

[OldPangYau]

Originally Posted by singhcr

Could you share their answers? I would be interested in learning about what masters they had.

I'm crossing my fingers for proper BD releases of the John Woo and Jackie Chan classics but it seems increasingly unlikely. You'd think one could at least locate a 35mm release print or something. It would be better than what's out there now.

If only Criterion would re-license The Killer and Hard Boiled, we'd be in heaven with at least those two Hell, Dragon Dynasty seems to be letting the rights to a lot of films lapse lately (Well Go releasing Flash Point, Echo Bridge releasing Supercop, Shout! Factory soon releasing Crime Story, etc), so these two could be up for grabs. Dunno who has the rights to A Better Tomorrow here though... last US release was the DVD by Anchor Bay 10 or so years ago.

[Mike dk]

If people don't demand quality they won't get it. Why some of you keep buying blu rays that is not HD is beyond me. But to each their own I guess.

I don't belive for one second that HD sources do not excist for most of the films released on blu ray as "upscales". It all boils down to money. Why bother demanding HD sources when people buy the blu rays anyway? It is more expensive to make a real HD master than using a SD as source and just upscale.
And why releasing "upscales" as being thrue HD? The blu rays claims to be true 1080p picture and HD sound, but thay are (for the most part) not. They do this because people buy their shit. There is no excuse for ripping off costumers of their hard earned money.

Would you buy a car that a company advertise as being a Rolls Royce, but when you get it is in fact a Folks Wagen? (nothing against a good Folks Wagen

Had K&R been a danish company (i'm danish) they would not be able to advertise films as being HD when they are not. People would go ape-shit, complain to the right authorities, and the company would be out of business almost before that got started. Quality is the key word here.

But, with the hong Kong blu rays....some people still buy them with the argument that "one can always upgrade if a better version comes along". Sorry, not my why of thinking! I don't have a money tree in my garden.

Anyway, we all love Asian cinema and it is indeed very frustrating that we most likely won't get all the great classics in HD

[drees5761]

Could not agree more, people are being duped and conned by some of these releases, the only way to stop it, is to not buy them in the first place.

[pro-bassoonist]

Originally Posted by singhcr

Could you share their answers? I would be interested in learning about what masters they had.

I'm crossing my fingers for proper BD releases of the John Woo and Jackie Chan classics but it seems increasingly unlikely. You'd think one could at least locate a 35mm release print or something. It would be better than what's out there now.

Yes. This happened some time ago. After the first HK releases came out. I was told that they don't have True HD masters (that's how they described them). The person I communicated with is a freelancer, but he is in the business.

Pro-B