Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		4.0

As Tears Go By Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 23, 2009

Wong Kar0wai’s “As Tears Go By” (1988) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Mega Star. The only bonus feature on the disc is a vintage trailer for the film. In Cantonese, with optional English, Japanese, and Mandarin subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Maggie Cheung

“Big Brother” Wah (Andy Lau) is a tough goon who collects overdue debts for the local triad bosses. Fly (Jacky Cheung), his younger brother, tries hard to imitate his macho style, but routinely fails. In order to impress those around him, he often takes on silly gigs other goons wouldn’t touch.

Ngor (Maggie Cheung), Wah’s cousin, arrives in the city to see a doctor. Before she rings his bell, Wah is contacted by his aunt and told that Ngor will stay with him until her treatment is complete, perhaps a little longer, and then return home. But when she moves in with Wah the two immediately fall for each other and the aunt's plan is put on hold. Soon after, Wah decides to leave the triads behind and follow Ngor to the countryside. But his plan is also put on hold when Fly challenges a local gangster who vows to teach him a painful lesson and he realizes that his brother needs his help to stay alive.

Even though the melancholic overtones that would become a key element in Wong Kar-wai’s later films are easy to detect in his directorial debut, As Tears Go By, they are essentially overshadowed by the emphasis on crime. Because of this the thought processes of the main protagonists are far easier to deconstruct as well. (In the director's later films there is always a certain degree of vagueness that makes it quite difficult to tell precisely how their characters think and feel).

The first of the two stories in As Tears Go By follows the deeds of two poor but ambitious brothers gravitating around a large triad organization. The older brother is more experienced and respected, while the younger one is naïve, stubborn, and rebellious. As the story progresses both face difficult dilemmas and make decisions that ultimately push them in a different directions -- and then bring them back in a very dramatic fashion.

The second story is the one that offers a glimpse of Wong Kar-wai's future very delicate style. It has the feel of a conventional romantic tale but carries that distinct sense of nostalgia that would become so crucial for his work. Somewhat predictably, even though the romance between the older brother and his beautiful cousin is short-lived, it actually becomes an important aspect of the film's identity.

The camera movement, arguably the most easily recognizable feature of Wong Kar-wai’s style, isn’t crucial to the narrative, but it still separates this film from other similarly-themed films that emerged during the same period. There are two sequences the clearly convey the director's eagerness to be creative with his camera. The first has the short but very beautiful encounter between Maggie Cheung and Andy Lau at the pier. As they kiss, the camera slows tremendously and the image temporarily becomes incredibly soft. (Chungking Express and especially Happy Together would master the effect to perfection). The second sequence, somewhat ironically, takes place at the very end. It is right before Andy Lau’s character makes the crucial decision that ends the film. A long close-up focuses on his eyes, we don’t hear him speak, or those around him, and yet we learn everything we should about his decision. It is a superb moment that demonstrates what the films of Wong Kar-wai do best, which is relate emotions to the viewer through gorgeous, often indescribably elegant visuals.

As Tears Go By Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Wong Kar Wai's As Tears Go By arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Hong Kong-based distributors Mega Star.

Similar to Wong Kar Wai's Days of Being Wild and Chungking Express, the high-definition transfer for As Tears Go By is soft. Detail and clarity, however, are pleasing – depending on how the director wanted a particular scene to look, detail ranges from good to very good. This being said, if you expect to see the sharpness and detail contemporary films support on Blu-ray then you are definitely going to be disappointed with As Tears Go By. The color-scheme also varies quite a bit (again, those of you familiar with Wong Kar Wai's early works should know why). Lushness and saturation are pleasing, though you would notice that during some of the indoor scenes (particularly from the betting house) they tend to look slightly worn out. Regardless, this is precisely how As Tears Go By is intended to look. Finally, there are no specks, cracks, or debris plaguing the high-definition transfer. (Note: Even though this Blu-ray disc is marketed as Region-A, it is in fact Region-Free. You will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location).

As Tears Go By Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are three audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: Cantonese DTS-HD MA 5.1, Cantonese: Dolby Digital 5.1, and Mandarin: Dolby Digital 2.0. I am going to assume that there has been at least some restoration work done with the audio on As Tears Go By as my R3 DVD reveals all sorts of issues that I could not hear on the Blu-ray disc. I spent the last 48 hours comparing the Dolby Digital 5.1 track from the Blu-ray disc with the Dolby Digital 5.1 track from the digitally remastered HK DVD and there are quite obvious gaps between the two. There are some serious issues that I can hear on the SDVD (most obvious example would be the scene where Maggie Cheung bids Jacky Cheung goodbye at the bus stop) that aren't on the Blu-ray disc. Therefore, I assume that there must have been a serious compression issue of some sort with the SDVD which must have been corrected on this Blu-ray disc. This being said, the DTS-HD MA 5.1 track is simply a revelation. There is plenty of depth here that is unquestionably lacking on the Dolby Digital 5.1 track. Surround activity is practically non-existent, but the clarity of sound is far better with the DTS-HD MA 5.1 track and the actual dialog is very easy to follow. Finally, I did not detect hissings, pops, or cracks. For the record, Mega Star have provided a Mandarin 2.0 track as well. Optional Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, English, and Japanese subtitles are available for the main feature.

As Tears Go By Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Unfortunately, aside from three theatrical trailers -- one for Assembly, one for As Tears Go By, and one for Perhaps Love -- there is nothing else to be found on this Blu-ray disc.

As Tears Go By Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Wong Kar-wai's first feature film, As Tears Go By, has been incredibly difficult to locate on a proper English-friendly disc. I've gone through four different DVDs, including the latest remastered HK edition, whose master elements I suspect have been used to source this Blu-ray disc, and I always felt that something was missing. Fortunately enough, Mega Star's Blu-ray disc, herein reviewed, eliminates all of the concerns I had in the past -- the transfer for As Tears Go By is strong and the audio upgrade certainly noticeable. RECOMMENDED.