Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.5

Days of Being Wild Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 9, 2008

Won Kar Wai's “Days of Being Wild” (1991) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Media Asia. The only bonus feature on the release is a gallery of trailers. In Cantonese, with optional English, Mandarin (Traditional), Mandarin (Simplified), Japanese, Indonesian, Korean, Malay, and Thai subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Disillusioned

Yuddy (Leslie Cheung), a dreamy drifter, falls for the beautiful but shy Su Lizhen (Maggie Cheung). At first Su is annoyed by Yuddy’s persistence to talk to her, but eventually she warms up to him and the two become lovers. Soon after, Su asks Yuddy if he would marry her -- and gets a negative answer. When she asks why, Yuddy explains that even though he has been with many women before, he has never known whether or not he loved them. Su isn’t an exception -- Yuddy will know if he loved her only moments before he dies.

Excluding his directorial debut As Tears Go By (1988), where his obsession to capture the inner worlds of its protagonists produces some most unusual visual and thematic contrasts, Days of Being Wild is Wong Kar Wai's most fluid film. It is a lot like an odd fragment from a lethargic séance that somewhat reluctantly becomes a character study.

Surprisingly, however, Days of Being Wild looks and feels like a more mature effort than the far better received In the Mood for Love (2000) and 2046 (2004). This is quite interesting because its protagonists are actually a lot less predictable in their inability to reach a spiritual catharsis while confronting personal demons. Love and loss are very much irrelevant here, allowing the audience to simply absorb their inertia without questioning any of their actions. As a result, even some of the most unusually fluid material in Days of Being Wild actually feels entirely logical. (Malaysian director Tsai Ming-Liang has mastered the same expressive technique to perfection).

The visual strength of this film remains its greatest strength and it is routinely what inspires critics and casual filmgoers to praise it. This isn’t surprising because Christopher Doyle is particularly impressive with his use of long continuous shots and management of color. In the séance-esque setting, without his personal touch the sense of sweet sadness that gives the film its unique structure would not have materialized.

Leslie Cheung and Maggie Cheung do not always share the screen but remain the film’s commanding figures and actually develop a very interesting relationship with the camera. When they struggle apart from each other, the camera appears mostly in a shy-mode, observing from afar, almost as if there is an invisible force that prevents it from coming closer. When they attempt to connect, it frequently feels like the camera is trying to help as well. So, it does not take long before this particular relationship becomes just as interesting to observe.

Days of Being Wild 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, Days of Being Wild arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Media Asia.

Right off the bat, I must point to the fact that people unfamiliar with the manner in which this film was shot (a Spherical 35mm camera) will likely be puzzled with how it looks on Blu-ray. Or not. if familiar with the specific color-lighting scheme favored by cinematographer Christopher Doyle. Heavy grain, a subtle use of lighting resulting in a stylistic look disallowing strong clarity, and a nuanced use of blacks and greens is what we have here. Furthermore, there is an abundance of close-up shots that make it that much more intriguing to analyze the print provided by Media Asia, as more or less it is rather impossible to judge the film presentation based on what traditional contemporary films look like in 1080p. I personally find this release to be notably better than what previous SDVD releases of Days of Being Wild have revealed, particularly in terms of color reproduction. The prevalent spectrum of greens and blacks is very well handled allowing maximum detail to be extracted from scenes that previously were source-limited into something that obviously had nothing to do with Christopher Doyle and Wong Kar-Wai's visions. Furthermore, I did not detect any DNR-filtering as the grain structure of the print looks both natural and in tune with the film's stylistic composition. Finally, I must note that the actual quality of the print appears to be of very high quality as I did not see any disturbing scratches, specks, or dirt. Overall, this is the strongest presentation of Days of Being Wild that I have seen. (Note: Even though the back cover of this Blu-ray release indicates a Region-A only status the disc is in fact region-free. I tested it on my Region-B hardware and it plays flawlessly).

Days of Being Wild Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 and Cantonese Dolby Digital 5.1. I opted for the DTS-HD Master 7.1 track.

Frankly, every single aspect of the audio treatment on this Blu-ray disc is superior to the SDVD version. The rear channels are much more potent (especially during the shooting scene) and, as far as I am concerned, the dialog is much clearer and crisper. For the record, I did not detect any disturbing hissing, cracks, or pops. This being said, the Blu-ray disc does suffer a great deal from the same issue the Asian SDVD release was plagued with – a very weak English translation. To be honest, there are specific scenes in Days of Being Wild where it is quite impossible to grasp precisely what the main characters are discussing. It appears to me that exactly the same sub-file has been used and this will surely be an issue for some. I personally am unable to comment on the quality of the rest of the subtitle tracks offered on this release as I don't speak any of the Asian languages they reflect.

Days of Being Wild Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Aside from a gallery of trailers for other Media Asia recent Blu-ray releases, there is nothing else to be found on this disc.

Days of Being Wild Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Meditative, subtly constructed and filled with nostalgia, Days of Being Wild is a film juxtaposing key Wong Kar Wai themes -- impossible romance, lyrical pessimism, and stylish eroticism. The film also marked the arrival of Christopher Doyle as the Chinese director's preferred cinematographer. The Blu-ray disc we have reviewed is nicley produced, with the only exception being the questionable English translation, which some viewers may find to be an impossible to ignore issue.