French DVDs and Blu-Rays of Asian Movies

bradavon · Post by **bradavon** » 04 Apr 2006, 20:37

Tom2681 wrote:Review:
http://www.dvdrama.com/rw_fiche-6247-.php

Ah. Not that it matters much it's still a mess. Makes a nice change

thelostdragon · Post by **thelostdragon** » 05 Apr 2006, 23:16

Tom2681 wrote:News:
Interesting tidbit about New Police Story.

The HK Vidéo disc contains a different set of outtakes.
While the HK disc had about 50% action 50% dialogue, the HK Vidéo disc has 100% action.

I don't know if the movie itself has been altered in any way (yet).

Today I have watched the German disc and it also features these 100% action outtakes. Didn't have these in the theatrical version here.

tom2681 · Post by **tom2681** » 08 Apr 2006, 16:53

Hidden Fortress cover:

Sooo pretty ! 8)

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 08 Apr 2006, 18:14

Dang thats a cool cover

I hear Hidden Fortress Criterion is also very good.

tom2681 · Post by **tom2681** » 09 Apr 2006, 17:09

Weekly HK Vidéo DVD overview:

Once A Thief (Hong-Kong - 1990 - From John Woo with Chow Yun-Fat)
Just Heroes (Hong-Kong - 1988 - From John Woo with Stephen Chow)

http://rapidshare.de/files/17585656/Les ... s.rar.html
Promotional trailer.

These 2 John Woo films were released in 2004 in a 2-Disc edition. Officially, Just Heroes is a bonus film on the second disc of Once A Thief(it's not a boxset).
Picture quality for Once A Thief is supposed to be on par with HKL and IVL (probably closer to IVL).

There's a 14-minute french documentary on John Woo's style of filmmaking, and the usual trailers/photo galleries/filmographies.

romerojpg · Post by **romerojpg** » 09 Apr 2006, 17:10

Hidden Fortress Criterion is superb 8) the film and the transfer.

bradavon · Post by **bradavon** » 09 Apr 2006, 17:38

Tom2681 wrote:Sooo pretty ! 8)

So yucky. He looks like an underweight sumo wrestler.

Nice nappy. I'd get the Criterion.

Tom2681 wrote:

Double yuck.

tom2681 · Post by **tom2681** » 09 Apr 2006, 19:22

Brad wrote:Hidden Fortress cover: So yucky. He looks like an underweight sumo wrestler.

Anything would look better than that f*cking awful Criterion cover:
http://www.dvdasian.com/cgi-bin/dvdasia ... _arg=11542

bradavon · Post by **bradavon** » 09 Apr 2006, 20:18

I prefer The Criterion it suites the age of the film.

thelostdragon · Post by **thelostdragon** » 09 Apr 2006, 20:34

The trailer for "Once a Thief" is the original HK trailer with French writing at the end of it.

Knetan · Post by **Knetan** » 10 Apr 2006, 16:34

hey,

Tom, have on good authority now that the french dvd, despite the Cantonese track on the disc, is in fact uncut. Still claim it's not cool to exclude the mandarin track but hey, you get a Sally Yeh end credits song with the Canto track. Always something.

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 11 Apr 2006, 08:45

Ken what film are you talking about?

Knetan · Post by **Knetan** » 11 Apr 2006, 13:35

hey,

sorry, grim. Was on about Terracotta Warrior again. Meant to quote an old reply and simply couldn't be bothered.

EvaUnit02 · Post by **EvaUnit02** » 11 Apr 2006, 13:54

thelostdragon wrote:The trailer for "Once a Thief" is the original HK trailer with French writing at the end of it.

And you mentioned this why?

tom2681 · Post by **tom2681** » 11 Apr 2006, 13:57

Because it's interesting. I didn't know this.

EvaUnit02 · Post by **EvaUnit02** » 11 Apr 2006, 14:10

Tom2681 wrote:Because it's interesting. I didn't know this.

And you get excited over the presence of trailer?

thelostdragon · Post by **thelostdragon** » 11 Apr 2006, 14:29

EvaUnit02 wrote:
thelostdragon wrote:The trailer for "Once a Thief" is the original HK trailer with French writing at the end of it.
And you mentioned this why?

And you wonder about this why? Sheesh!

tom2681 · Post by **tom2681** » 11 Apr 2006, 14:32

Update:

Former BnB member Ice_Angel has written a nice post about the french release of The Blade here:

http://adg.invisionzone.com/index.php?showtopic=1006

Knetan · Post by **Knetan** » 11 Apr 2006, 14:57

hey,

only the French... 8)

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 11 Apr 2006, 15:21

Knetan wrote:hey,

sorry, grim. Was on about Terracotta Warrior again. Meant to quote an old reply and simply couldn't be bothered.

OK, no worries

ericf · Post by **ericf** » 11 Apr 2006, 17:23

Just got the Terracotta Warrior DVD today.
I think the french translators decided to cut things short on this release.

Compared to the theatrical english subtitles on the Chinese DVD this translation is so abbrieved that it isn't funny. The Swedish translation was shortened as well but still a lot better, it seems, than this French translation.

A small example where the french subs have been translated using http://www.worldlingo.com/wl/translate

French:

00:31:24,760 --> 00:31:26,318
Why throw
these invaluable ingredients?

It does not matter!

Throw them in the sewer!

But they are essential.

It is a pity really!

- What a odor!
- It comes from the laboratory.

It appears that these drugs
guarantee immortality.

It is the hour to leave.

We leave already?

Go ahead!

Turn over in your cabins!

The boat leaves!

Come quickly!

Do not try to save you!

This traitress was stopped
who fled.

We will remain together,
alive or dead!

Nobody can separate us.

From Chinese DVD:

218
00:31:00,894 --> 00:31:03,797
Why? Master, all these can be
used to make the elixir.

Don't ask. Just do as I told you.

Come here, dump them all into the drain.

It's really a waste, they are
so expensive and rare.

Should we keep some?

It's time to set off.

Master, why do we set off so early?

I said now and I mean it, so get moving.

Yes, Master. Go back to the cabin.
Back to the cabin...

Oh! My goodness. What's going on? Why
are the vessels leaving? Go and get them...

Hey, there is a girl in the water.
Go and get her.

Chamberlain Mong. The vessels left
suddenly. We've arrested this girl.

They are gone. I am not going anywhere.

I want to be with you, in death or in life.

Do note this:
- What a odor!
- It comes from the laboratory.

It appears that these drugs
guarantee immortality.

This is translated on the Swedish version as well. It's the scene where soldiers are drinking water with a strange taste (according to the Swedish translation).

Comparing the soundtracks of the Swedish VHS and the Chinese DVD I find that they have the same soundtrack. Apparently the Mandarin sountrack.

The sountrack on the French DVD is different. Apparently the Cantonese soundtrack.

Do they translate from what they hear or from a script they get?

If the translation is made from hearing the language, the content might be quite different because of that.

Any thoughts?

ericf

tom2681 · Post by **tom2681** » 11 Apr 2006, 17:33

Mandarin is more nuanced and precise than cantonese. That's why subtitles are longer in mandarin movies.

The french subs translate the cantonese track. That probably explains the difference.

ericf · Post by **ericf** » 11 Apr 2006, 17:50

Wow! Fast reply!
Anyway, should I go with the theatrical subs, then?
I wonder which soundtrack has the real voices of Zhang Yimou and Gong Li...

If only I could add the, admittedly bad quality, mandarin soundtrack to this DVD. Then I'd have the best release out of them all (at the moment). But didn't HKL have rights to this movie? Let's hope they announce something I have interest in some time.

The French subs don't translate the songs in the middle and at the end and the translation of the Japanese dialog at the end is VERY shortened. I think my subs over at Kloofy's should be very close to the Japanese dialog since most of them were translated into swedish by a professional translator. Some of the small parts of the dialog was put in there by me.

ericf

Knetan · Post by **Knetan** » 11 Apr 2006, 17:53

hey,

the translation of the Japanese dialog at the end is VERY shortened.

What you put in though eric is as complete as that section is gonna get? Nothing more subtitled on the Finnish VHS even?

ericf · Post by **ericf** » 11 Apr 2006, 17:56

I don't know. I never saw the Finnish VHS.

Does anyone here have it?

ericf

EDIT: I mailed HKL to find out if they have this licensed for the UK.