Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

Confucius Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 13, 2010

Hu Mei's "Confucius" (2010) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Showbox Media. The supplemental features on the disc include an exclusive new audio commentary with Hong Kong cinema expert Bay Logan; a large collection of short episodes with raw footage from the shooting of the film; and an original theatrical trailer. In Mandarin, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Chow Yun-Fat as Confucius

Hu Mei’s Confucius is a strange hybrid of a film. On the surface, it looks like a period film exploring the life and legacy of the great Chinese philosopher Confucius. Director Mei and his crew lead us through the most important stages of Confucius’ life, pointing out why and how his writings became so influential. Underneath all the period details and next to the numerous references to many of Confucius’ writings, however, there are many, extremely awkward statements about the might of modern-day communist China. Some are carefully planted during key scenes, others openly draw specific references.

The film is formally divided into two parts, each broken into uneven small episodes. The first part follows Confucius’ (Chow Yun-Fat, The Replacement Killers) rise in the kingdom of Lu from a mayor of Zhongdu to a powerful politician and military tactician. Thanks to his vision and diplomatic skills, the kingdom of Lu manages to regain control over territories that had previously been ruled by their unfriendly neighbors and form new and powerful alliances. When Confucius attempts to unite three of the biggest families in the kingdom of Lu, however, who are slowly pushing it towards chaos, he is immediately forced into exile.

The second part of the film follows Confucius and his disciples as they wander through vast and often unfriendly lands of the kingdoms. The men endure great hardship but remain loyal to each other and Confucius’ teachings. Eventually, after surviving a series of bloody clashes between the different kingdoms, Confucius is invited back to the kingdom of Lu. He returns home where he eventually dies at the age of 73.

Confucius is undoubtedly a lot more satisfying than the majority of period films China has produced in recent years. International superstar Chow Yun-Fat delivers a wonderfully nuanced performance that sets the tone for the entire film - despite the epic nature of the narrative, there is hardly anything that feels overdramatized or unrealistic. It has to be said, however, that Confucius assumes that its potential viewers are at least partially familiar with the famous philosopher and his legacy. Confucius’ childhood, for example, is practically unaddressed as are some key events from his life after his return to the kingdom of Lu.

Generally speaking, Confucius is free of the excessive melodrama other recent Chinese period films, such as Red Cliff and Mulan, have suffered from. Despite its unusual chronological sequencing, the narrative is convincing, never feeling dull or heavy. Even the mandatory epic battle scenes in it, which these types of films usually boast, are well paced.

A major setback with Confucius that could have been avoided - or I am mistaken, and this was something that simply could not have been addressed by the creators of the film - is the awkward praising of certain values, social responsibility and loyalty that is directly linked to present-day communist China. Some of the references are extremely subtle, others not so much. Still, viewers interested in the film's subject matter would likely be satisfied with the emphasis on detail, the solid production values, as well as director Mei’s genuine desire to be as accurate in his depiction of key historic events as possible.

In Confucius, cinematographer Peter Pau, who won an Oscar for his work on Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, is again at his very best. Costume designer Yee Chung-Man's contribution is also outstanding. Finally, Su Cong's original music score enhances the epic atmosphere in the film exceptionally well.

Confucius Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Hu Mei's Confucius arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Showbox Media.

This is a solid high-definition transfer - but it is not identical to the one Hong Kong-based distributors Mei Ah used for their Blu-ray release of Confucius. Fine object detail is very impressive, clarity excellent, and contrast levels consistent throughout the entire film. The color-scheme does not disappoint either. Reds, blues, greens, yellows, brown, and blacks are exceptionally rich and well saturated. In my opinion, the colors are also slightly better balanced here - on the Mei Ah release there is a prominent light red tint, while on the Showbox Media the reds are balanced well with the greens and blues. Edge-enhancement is not a serious issue of concern. Neither is macroblocking. I also did not see any traces of heavy noise reduction. There are no serious stability issues to report in this review either. Lastly, when blown through a digital projector the high-definition transfer conveys remarkable depth and tightness. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location. For the record, there is no problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).

Confucius Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Mandarin Dolby Digital 2.0. For the record, Showbox Media have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they split the image frame and the black bar below it.

The audio treatment is as impressive as the video treatment. The Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track has a terrific dynamic amplitude, which I am convinced audiophiles will appreciate. The bass is powerful and punchy, the rear channels very active, and the high-frequencies not overdone. The dialog is crisp, clean, stable, and exceptionally easy to follow. Lastly, I did not detect any disturbing pops, cracks, hissing, or audio dropouts to report in this review.

Confucius Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Note: Some of the supplemental features on this Blu-ray disc are encoded in PAL. Therefore, if you reside in North America, or another region where PAL is not supported, you must have a Region-Free player capable of converting PAL to NTSC, or a TV set capable of receiving native PAL data, in order to view them.

Commentary - Hong Kong cinema expert Bay Logan deconstructs Confucius and discusses the film's production history. This is an incredibly entertaining commentary, which also contains an abundance of information about a number of different Asian films, actors, etc. In English, not subtitled.

Making of Gallery - a collection of short episodes with raw footage from the shooting of Confucius and various interviews with cast and crew members. In Mandarin, with imposed English subtitles. (PAL).

-- From Chow Yun-Fat to Confucius (7 min).
-- A Woman, a bosom Friend (7 min)
-- Chaotic period of Spring and Autumn (9 min).
-- From Chow Yun-Fat to Confucius (Special Edition). (7 min).
-- The Politicians (7 min).
-- Animal Stars (8 min).
-- Progressing in the Snow (7 min).
-- The Warfare (7 min).

Trailer - the original theatrical trailer for Confucius. In Mandarin, with imposed English subtitles. (2 min, PAL).

Trailers - a collection of trailers for other Showbox Media releases.

Confucius Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The exclusive new audio commentary by Hong Kong cinema expert Bay Logan is a good enough reason to recommend this Blu-ray disc, courtesy of British distributors Showbox Media, over the Hong Kong Blu-ray disc, courtesy of Mei Ah, which only has a music video and a generic photo gallery. But the Showbox Media disc also looks slightly better, so if you are looking to add Confucius to your libraries, I suggest that you opt for the UK disc. RECOMMENDED.