Note: this is not a picture comparison because I don't actually have the french DVD (just a DVD-Rip).
Note2: the "french edit" is in fact an early "american edit". I don't actually know whether this version was released theatrically in the USA or if they went for the Hong-Kong cut.
Blue refers to the HK disc. Red refers to the french disc.
The HK cut begins with text and no dialog:
The French cut begins with pictures and a new Goddess Manshen voice-over:
HK cut: "When the world was young,
between a sea of sky and a land of snow,
lay a kingdom where gods
and men lived side by side.
Love blossomed and withered,
battles were won and lost,
yet always two men vied for power -
General Guangming,
favorite of the King, hero of the people,
and Duke of the North, Wuhuan,
forever in his shadow.
Above all, it was the Goddess Manshen
who held the threads of life,
allowing each man to choose his destiny
from the palm of her hand.
But our story begins twenty years earlier
under a cherry tree
with a little girl called QingCheng...
French cut (voice-over): Back when the world was still young,
Between the sea, the sky and the land of snow,
there lay a kingdom.
In this kingdom, men and gods lived together in harmony.
The king of this kingdom got corrupted and evil.
Under his magnificent armour, his vanity was boundless.
Nobles were dreaming of betrayals,
The valiant generals were fighting for glory only.
The innocence of a young girl could be corrupted.
Good and Evil were bound together.
Even old promises were seen as lies by the gods.
Then, both cuts move on to the cherry tree:
HK title card: The Promise
French title card: Wu Ji: The Legend of the Riders of the Wind (don't ask )
The first encounter between GuangMing and Goddess Manshen...
...where she turns into QingCheng is simply not there in the french edit.
The french cut goes directly from "We're lost, let's split" to GuangMing getting attacked by Snow Wolf.
The WuHuan vs King exchange:
In the french edit, the scene is identical to the HK edit except:
The King is dubbed by another actor !
(who sounds a lot less ridiculous than his HK edit counterpart).
As far as I can tell, he's the only character to be dubbed by someone else in the french edit.
WuHuan congratulating QingCheng for her strip-tease:
This shot has been removed from the french edit.
Cecilia's "yes I betrayed you-shot":
Removed as well.
Cecilia's fall...
...is trimmed. That "falling from the sky-shot" is missing.
WuHuan jumping on top of his guards at the waterfall:
is gone in the french edit. So's WuHuan's monologue:
"Great general I admire you. The greatest supporter becomes murderer, blah-blah-blah..."
The french edit cuts directly to WuHuan's "you've nowhere to go".
End of part 1/3. Next part coming in a few hours.
I used to be "the man who loves the movies you hate".
Now I'm just "that weird french guy with a cat avatar who comes to BnB once a year for no reason and then disappears again".
QingCheng trying to seduce WuHuan in the birdcage:
Doesn't exist in the french edit.
It jumps from "Welcome" to "Put it on, my caged bird".
GuangMing and Manshen's second encounter:
HK edit:
French edit:
HK:
You've lost your bet. It wasn't me who killed the King.
FR:
-Do you know who I am ? I am Goddess Manshen.
-Goddess Manshen ? What do you want from me ?
The french edit reuses Manshen's line from her first encounter with QingCheng on the lake.
The change makes sense, because in the french edit, Guangming's first encounter with Manshen was cut.
For some reason I can't even begin to fathom...
...the 360° shot around Flying QingCheng is severely trimmed in the french edit. Only the first 10 seconds are left. To accomodate for the change, the music cue has been reworked, but it doesn't sound right at all.
The shot where QingCheng stops to slap KunLun...
...gone as well.
The soldiers trying to catch the feather...
...gone.
QingCheng having to lift the hood twice = Gone.
QingCheng and Guangming's first kiss = Gone.
Cecilia's two nude shots are one single long nude shot in the french edit (KunLun's close-up has been removed)
KunLun preparing QingCheng's bed, then GuangMing's = Gone.
GuangMing telling KunLun to kill QingCheng = Gone.
The huge wide shot showing the Land of Snow = Gone.
GuangMing covering the tree / getting drunk = Gone.
The sex scene is much shorter. All the shots showing flesh are cut.
End of part 2/3.
I used to be "the man who loves the movies you hate".
Now I'm just "that weird french guy with a cat avatar who comes to BnB once a year for no reason and then disappears again".
Yeli throwing WuHuan's "hand-thingie" to GuangMing = Axed from the french edit.
WuHuan congratulating GuangMing at the trial = Gone.
After the big reveal QingCheng goes into flashback mode.
HK:
French:
HK edit shows the girl running away. French edit shows the girl hitting WuHuan with the helmet.
Ending:
The HK cut ends with:
-KunLun's monologue about changing Fate.
-KunLun + QingCheng flying.
-Cherry tree.
French edit ends with:
-Shot of Manshen.
-Manshen's monologue (same as KunLun's).
-Cherry tree.
-QingCheng walking on the lake with a new Manshen voice-over:
"Choose again, QingCheng. Choose what your heart desires most."
Several more shots and bits of dialogue are missing here and there (barely worth mentioning).
Conclusion:
The french edit is 20 minutes shorter than the HK edit.
The beginning has been changed, the ending has been changed, one character's been re-dubbed and a few plot points have been simplified.
I honestly don't know why they removed so much stuff.
WuJi isn't a long film.
I used to be "the man who loves the movies you hate".
Now I'm just "that weird french guy with a cat avatar who comes to BnB once a year for no reason and then disappears again".
The HK disc is the approved director's version isn't it? I mean not that I would care, the film is shit anyway (IN MYYYYYY OPINION!), although I have it on DVD.
The HK disc is the approved director's version isn't it?
I would think so, yes.
the film is shit anyway (IN MYYYYYY OPINION!)
Since you've said "IMO" I'll let you live.
The german edit is the same as the french edit IIRC.
I used to be "the man who loves the movies you hate".
Now I'm just "that weird french guy with a cat avatar who comes to BnB once a year for no reason and then disappears again".
Don't care tbh. I interviewed the guy who was responsible for chosing the US cut / French cut (whatever) over the HK director's cut. When I asked him why, he said that the shorter cut didn't have any major differences and that they could get more screenings a day if they went for the shorter cut.
Unfortunately, that part got edited out of the article as my editor thought it was too "specific". He he he!
)
