7.1 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
The eldest daughter of a broken and troubled family works to keep the family together and look after her younger siblings, who are slipping into a life of crime.
Starring: Jack Kao, Lin Yang, Fan Yang, An-Shun Yu, Shu-Fang ChenForeign | 100% |
Drama | 64% |
Crime | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Mandarin: LPCM 2.0
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
The disconnect between youthful idealism and hardscrabble reality has been the basis for any number of memorable films, but Daughter of the Nile has a unique focus that sets it apart from many of its cinematic siblings. Playing almost like a live action version of what anime fans might call a “slice of life” entry, Daughter of the Nile offers a snapshot of sorts of Taiwanese culture in the early eighties, a time fraught with both (ostensible) opportunity and (undeniable) frustration. As the informative commentary by Richard Suchenski gets into, this was an era of profound change for China in general and Taiwan in particular. This island “nation” (more about that in a moment) has had a somewhat fractious history, as Sinophiles may know, having been annexed by Japan for decades after the Sino-Japanese War, and then drifting into a kind of netherworld in the wake of World War II. That came to a rather abrupt end with the rise of Communism on the Chinese mainland, at which point Taiwan famously became a refuge for the so-called Chinese Nationalists under the command of Chiang Kai-shek. Chiang more or less proclaimed the Taiwanese government as the de facto “Republic of China”, and with the Cold War firmly underway by that time, many global democracies did in fact recognize the tiny island as representing “China” in general. With President Nixon’s now legendary trip to mainland China in 1972, the scales seemed poised to tip in another direction, as they obviously ultimately did, but the eighties were still a time when the relationship between mainland China and Taiwan was tenuous. Suchenski makes an interesting point that kids raised on Taiwan during this period were taught that they were the bearers of “real” Chinese culture, but what Daughter of the Nile makes abundantly clear is that an increasing globalization and a simultaneous thrust of Capitalist energy (as evidenced by the somewhat funny use of a Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise in the film) made any claims of “cultural purity” somewhat suspect.
Daughter of the Nile is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Cohen Film Collection with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. Cohen touts a 4K restoration which I'm assuming was utilized as the source for the British Blu-ray released by Eureka Entertainment last year. This is a beautifully organic, if sometimes intentionally diffused looking, presentation, one that features a nicely rendered accounting of Huai-en Chen's cinematography. As addressed above in the main body of the review, and as can easily be seen in many of the screenshots accompanying this review, key scenes of the film play out in confined spaces, often with Hou and Huai-en Chen framing things with objects in front of the supposedly focal characters. As such, quite a bit of the film tends to play out in midrange shots where characters are placed some distance from the camera, where fine detail levels simply aren't that prevalent. Many interior scenes have a kind of garish orange quality, something that's echoed in scenes of a neon lit Taipei that can verge on the unreal at times. When the film ventures outside in brighter sunlight conditions, the palette warms considerably and looks quite vivid (again, consult some of the screenshots I've uploaded to the review). Grain resolves naturally throughout the presentation, and there are no problems with compression hurdles.
Daughter of the Nile features an LPCM 2.0 mono track in the original Mandarin, with optional English subtitles. There's some very slight but noticeable distortion in the upper midrange that occurs on occasion, in both dialogue and score, though interestingly less so in terms of effects like the zooming motorcycles that are often on display in the teeming nightlife of Taipei. It's a relatively minor annoyance (and one that might not even be noticed by some listeners). Otherwise, this is a solid accounting of a kind of verité-esque sound design, one that offers the sometimes boisterous sounds of an urban environment contrasting with the quieter climes of Yang's home life.
Daughter of the Nile is reportedly based on some real life experiences of screenwriter Chu T'ien-wen, who also wrote Millennium Mambo, another Hou film with at least some plot (and even casting) connections to Daughter of the Nile. Daughter of the Nile doesn't quite have the almost carnival like style of Millennium Mambo, and as such may be perceived even by some Hou fans as a little tamped down. But those with an eye for detail will notice a wealth of wonderful character moments in this film. Technical merits are generally first rate, and Cohen has provided some enjoyable supplements on this release. Recommended.
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