Zhang Yimou Collection (Video Travel)

[thisgenius]

Video Travel are releasing the Zhang Yimou 4-Film Collection in two variations, both of which include Red Sorghum, Raise the Red Lantern, The Story of Qiu Ju and Lifetimes aka To Live.

**ONLY "RED SORGHUM" HAS ENGLISH SUBS. "RAISE THE RED LANTERN" HAS KOREAN AND GERMAN SUBS WHIILE THE OTHER TWO FILMS HAVE KOREAN AND JAPANESE SUBS.

PREORDER DATE: November 4th, 2020.

RELEASE DATE: December 10th, 2020.

PURCHASE LINKS:
RESPECT VERSION: Nova Media KimchiDVD
SENTIMENTAL VERSION: Nova Media KimchiDVD

ARTWORK:

RESPECT VERSION:


SENTIMENTAL VERSION:

[ShellBeacher]

Where did you get this news? Who are Video Travel? A Chinese distributor?

[GenPion]

Please, please, please have English subtitles. I’ve wanted these on Blu-ray for years.

[thisgenius]

Originally Posted by ShellBeacher

Where did you get this news? Who are Video Travel? A Chinese distributor?

Korean publisher. News straight from them.

Originally Posted by GenPion

Please, please, please have English subtitles. I’ve wanted these on Blu-ray for years.

I’ve asked for confirmation, but I would say yes, they will.

EDIT: Just heard back from them and sadly, they will not be English subtitled. What a bummer.

[qw0aszx]

Hmmm... Wonder where did they get the HD master of Red Sorghum...

[Batman1084]

Originally Posted by thisgenius

EDIT: Just heard back from them and sadly, they will not be English subtitled. What a bummer.

I have to say... I'm shocked to see a Korean release like this not get English subtitles. We can only pray that some type of new masters have been done for these films that will eventually get a release with English subtitles at some point.

How disappointing. 3 of these are some of the few remaining DVDs that I have... I would love for these to one day see a good, accessible upgrade.

[GenPion]

I’m going to cross my fingers anyway. Otherwise I might have to figure out adding external subs on an Oppo.

[grim_tales]

That's such a shame they won't be English subtitled I wanted to see Raise the Red Lantern as the DVD is OOP

[thisgenius]

Originally Posted by Batman1084

We can only pray that some type of new masters have been done for these films that will eventually get a release with English subtitles at some point.

How disappointing. 3 of these are some of the few remaining DVDs that I have... I would love for these to one day see a good, accessible upgrade.

Either this, or someone owns the right to these for something like 700 years and has no intention of releasing them any time soon. I hope it’s the former though.

Same here. I’ve been hoping... nay, praying... for early Zhang Yimou and early Jia Zhangke films, specially in a boxset like this apparently will be, for years now. Also one for Hou Hsiao-hsien’s remaining films while I’m at it

[GenPion]

Criterion should release some of his films.

[Batman1084]

Originally Posted by GenPion

Criterion should release some of his films.

While I do feel that a lot of what Criterion releases are either overrated and/or pretentious films (admittedly based on my own likes and dislikes), I will say that a lot of Yimou's early work really is true to what they would typically support and release.

Any of his 80s and 90s films would likely find a good home with them in truth. They do, if nothing else, pride the restorations that they commit to doing.

[Yasujiro Ozu]

Some of my favourite Zhang Yimou films here.
On the absence of English subtitles all I can say is #uck, #uck and holy #uck.

[ShellBeacher]

A good number of these titles were originally banned from Chinese release for a while. Then un-banned by the Chinese government. But with the way they have been acting lately under Xi Jin Ping, I really do get the feeling that they are attempting to reassert their values through their culture as exported to the west.

I posted a long post about this elsewhere in the Asian forum, here, last year. Almost all of these titles (and numerous later Zhang Yimou titles) were picked up by SONY PICTURES CLASSICS for theatrical and eventual DVD release (all except Red Sorghum had US DVDs), but eventually went OOP and remain in limbo in the US.

Last month, the SONY WORLD PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS mysteriously removed a certain number of images from an art exhibit featuring portraits of Hong Kong protestors:
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2020/02/1...ship-concerns/

The common denominator here is SONY. Do they still hold US/western distribution rights for these titles (and The Road Home, etc.?) Are they colluding/acquiescing to elements of Chinese investment/governmental influence for media/culture? It sure appears so in the photography/art case above.

And it makes the lack of HD versions on streaming or Blu-ray of these signature Zhang Yimou films all the more suspicious.

Having a Korean release specifically *not* including English subtitles is a very unusual occurrence, indeed...almost like someone or some group of powers-that-be are doing anything they can to prevent these films from re-circulating in the west.

P.S. Zhang Yimou's most recent film was not allowed to premiere at festivals, is currently under government censorship, and remains unreleased.

[thisgenius]

OP updated with release info and artwork. Sadly, only Red Sorghum has English subs.

[Batman1084]

Originally Posted by thisgenius

OP updated with release info and artwork. Sadly, only Red Sorghum has English subs.

Awesome set... but I truly think I should hold off on this with the lack of English subtitles. I have a feeling with new transfers out there, we may get something soon for at least some of these movies from other distributors or whatever. This is just me praying for that at least. What a shame.

[thisgenius]

Originally Posted by Batman1084

Awesome set... but I truly think I should hold off on this with the lack of English subtitles. I have a feeling with new transfers out there, we may get something soon for at least some of these movies from other distributors or whatever. This is just me praying for that at least. What a shame.

That’s two of us praying for the same thing.

I would have bought this just for Red Sorghum but I already have the Diskino release of it so this does nothing for me sadly, as much as I love the fact that this boxset exists.

[Batman1084]

Originally Posted by thisgenius

That’s two of us praying for the same thing.

I would have bought this just for Red Sorghum but I already have the Diskino release of it so this does nothing for me sadly, as much as I love the fact that this boxset exists.

Right - I want to support it but with that movie being good but admittedly my least favorite of the bunch, it doesn't feel like a worthwhile investment for it to just sit on a shelf when it includes two of my all-time favorites. This really bums me out.

[qw0aszx]

I'm guessing Red Sorghum has English and Chinese subs because they copied from the Diskino release, Raise the Red Lantern has German subs because they copied from the German release, and the other two copied from Japan releases so they have Japanese subs... I won't be surprised if the main movies were all copied video files from other releases.

[goldenarm84]

Why in the world did they put the English titles on the Blu-Ray packaging if the there are no English subs for the releases with the exception of one movie???

[Phesstve]

I am gutted they have not enclosed Zhang Yimou's "Under the Hawthorn Tree", as it really needs a release - preferable in 4K and with English subititles.