8.1 | / 10 |
Users | 4.8 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Centers on the Nanking Massacre that occurred in December, 1937, when Japanese aggressor troops occupied the eastern Chinese city and killed over 300,000 citizens.
Starring: Ye Liu, John Paisley, Hideo Nakaizumi, Wei Fan, Yiyan JiangForeign | 100% |
Drama | 71% |
War | 42% |
History | 36% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.20:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Mandarin: Dolby TrueHD 7.1
Cantonese: Dolby TrueHD 7.1
Mandarin: Dolby Digital 5.1
Cantonese: Dolby Digital 5.1
Mandarin (Traditional), Mandarin (Simplified), English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Winner of the coveted Golden Seashell award at this year's San Sebastian Film Festival, Chinese director Lu Chuan's powerful "City of Life and Death" (2009) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Hong Kong-based distributors Mega Star. The disc contains nearly two hours of behind the scenes footage with comments by the cast and crew, but, unfortunately, none of it is subtitled in English. The main feature is English-friendly. Region-Free.
Hideo Nakaizumi as Kadokawa
Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.20:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Lu Chuan's City of Life and Death arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Hong Kong-based distributors Mega Star.
Filmed in glorious B&W, City of Life and Death looks impressive on Blu-ray. Cinematographer Cao Yu has given the film a sense of authenticity that is impossible not to admire - from the massive attack of Nanking seen early into the film (great panoramic vistas) to the eventual destruction of the city by the Japanese Army, the visuals are indeed overwhelming.
Mega Star's high-definition treatment of the film is pleasing; contrast levels are consistent and clarity very impressive. Fine object detail is also good. Healthy film grain is easy to spot as well. During a few scenes - after the Chinese soldiers are executed - I noticed a bit of mild noise reduction, specifically during selected close-ups, but I don't believe most of you would be irritated by it. Mild edge-enhancement also pops up here and there, but, again, it is not a serious issue of concern. On the other hand, the color-scheme is fantastic - blacks, grays and whites are rich and well saturated. Finally, the actual transfer looks healthy; there are no disturbing debris, cuts, scratches, or dirt to report in this review. I did not spot any stability issues either. (Note: Even though this Blu-ray disc is marketed as being Region-A, it is in fact Region-Free. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location).
There are four audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: Mandarin Dolby TrueHD 7.1, Cantonese Dolby TrueHD 7.1, Mandarin Dolby Digital 5.1 and Cantonese Dolby Digital 5.1. I opted for the Mandarin Dolby TrueHD 7.1 track and later on did a few random comparisons with the Mandarin Dolby Digital 5.1 track for the purpose of this review.
The Mandarin Dolby TrueHD 7.1 track delivers everything one would expect it to with a film like City of Life and Death - the bass is thunderous, the surround activity fantastic and high frequencies not tampered with. The battle scenes, in particular, are very effective. The dialog is crisp, clear and very easy to follow. Even during some of the most disturbing scenes, where chaos reigns, it is incredibly easy to hear everything that is being said. Additionally, there are technical issues to report - the Mandarin Dolby TrueHD 7.1 track is free of pops, cracks clicks, etc.
The Mandarin Dolby Digital 5.1 track is, as expected, inferior. I tested a number of different scenes with it - the attack of Nanking, the mass execution, and the Japanese official celebration at the end of the film - and all of them sounded disappointingly flat.
For the record, Mega Star have provided optional English, Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.
Behind the scenes - this featurette has been broken into four parts: Cast - Xiao Jiang (12 min, 1080p); Cast - Miss Jiang (18 min, 1080p); Cast - Tang Family (39 min, 1080p); and Scene - Yijiang Gate (41 min, 1080p). There is an abundance of raw footage from the film here as well as plenty of comments from the cast and crew. Unfortunately, optional English subtitles are not provided.
Trailer - in Mandarin, with optional English subtitles. (2 min, 1080p).
What a powerful film! Though there are still a couple of weeks left, I would say that Lu Chuan's City of Life and Death is the best Asian film to be released in 2009. The Blu-ray disc herein reviewed, courtesy of Hong Kong-based distributors Mega Star, looks and sounds great. Also, it is English-friendly and Region-Free. Indeed, City of Life and Death gets our HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION!
(Still not reliable for this title)
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