Echoes of the Rainbow Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Echoes of the Rainbow Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 13, 2010

Selected to represent Hong Kong at this year's Oscars and winner of the prestigious Crystal Bear award (Generation Kplus - Best Film) at the Berlin International Film Festival, Alex Law's "Echoes of the Rainbow" (2010) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Tai Seng Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include cast and crew interviews; standard making of featurette; original theatrical trailer; and a collection of stills from the film. In Cantonese, with optional English, Traditional Chinese, and Simplified Chinese subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Looking for her son

Here’s a film that touches the heart in a very special way. It is titled Echoes of the Rainbow, it is directed by Hong Kong helmer Alex Law, and earlier this year went on to win the prestigious Crystal Bear award (Generation Kplus - Best Film) at the Berlin International Film Festival.

The story of the film revolves around a poor family living in 1960s Hong Kong. Mr. Law (Simon Yam, Election, Sparrow, Vengeance) is the head of the family and runs a small shop in a part of the city where most people can’t afford new shoes. Mrs. Law (Sandra Ng, Lady Enforcers, Golden Chicken) is a housewife who does everything a housewife is expected to do - clean and cook. Mr. and Mrs. Law have two sons - Big Ears (Buzz Chung), who has proclaimed himself "the first Hong Kong astronaut", and Desmond (Aarif Lee, Frozen), a terrific athlete who dreams about becoming a famous musician.

Life isn’t easy for the Laws but they do not complain. As long as there is food on their table and everyone is healthy, they are happy. Mr. Law does not like the fact that each month he has to pay a fee to the police for the right to work but there is nothing he could do about it - and Mrs. Lee agrees. Desmond knows that he should be getting better grades but he has met a girl, Flora (Evelyn Choi), whom he likes a lot, and at the moment studying hard isn’t something he is interested in. Big Ears is too young to have a girlfriend, which is why he has started exploring the city.

One day Desmond gets sick. After a quick visit to the local doctor, the Laws are informed that he has leukemia. They are advised to go to Peking to meet a specialist, who will suggest the most efficient way to treat his illness. Before the Laws leave, a powerful typhoon destroys their shop.

Mrs. Law, Big Ears and Desmond arrive in Peking. Unfortunately, the specialist informs Mrs. Law that there is no cure for Desmond and that he has little time left to live – which is why it is probably best that the Laws make the most of it.

Recreating director Law’s childhood years, Echoes of the Rainbow is a wonderful though sad personal film which effectively captures the uneasy socio-political climate in Hong Kong from the 1960s. From start to finish, every single frame of it oozes nostalgia.

The script is terrific, free of needless melodrama and overused cliches about longing and loss. The Laws deal with the bad news in the most simple of ways - they try to stay as close to each other as possible and cherish every moment they have left to live together.

It is important to note that despite its intimate tone Echoes of the Rainbow isn’t a film about the tragic death of a young man. Rather, it is a film about the end of an era - that of Hong Kong as a city of happy and hopeful people, and a time when life there was slower and more peaceful.

The cast is excellent. Simon Yam is great as the overworked Mr. Law who can’t get a break. Sandra Ng is terrific as the disillusioned mother who has to find a way to live with the fact that her son is dying. Aarif Lee looks very comfortable in front of the camera. With the exception of the moon cake debates, Buzz Chung’s performance is also pleasing.

Echoes of the Rainbow 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, Alex Law's Echoes of the Rainbow arrives on Blu-ray courtesy Tai Seng Entertainment.

I don't see much of a difference between Tai Seng Entertainment's high-definition transfer and Mei Ah's high-definition transfer (we reviewed the Hong Kong Blu-ray release of Echoes of the Ranibow not too long ago). Both have identical color-schemes - the soft greens and browns look exactly the same - and the same clarity and contrast fluctuations. I also saw the exact same traces of edge-enhancement appearing during the exact same scenes. Again, macroblocking is not a serious issue of concern with Tai Seng Entertainment's high-definition transfer. I also did not see any purely transfer-specific anomalies to report in this review. To sum it all up, this North American Blu-ray release of Echoes of the Rainbow should be an excellent alternative for those of you who reside in North America and do not like importing films from around the world. (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).

Echoes of the Rainbow Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are three audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: Cantonese Dolby TrueHD 7.1, Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1, and Mandarin Dolby TrueHD 7.1. For the record, Tai Seng Entertainment have provided optional English, Traditional Chinese, and Simplified Chinese subtitles for the main feature.

The exact same loseless audio options from the Mei Ah Blu-ray release of Echoes of the Rainbow have been ported to the Tai Seng Entertainment's Blu-ray release. I opted for the Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track.

The Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track certainly impresses with its wide range of nuanced dynamics. Aside from the typhoon footage there is nothing Echoes of the Rainbow that could potentially test the muscles of your audio system, but the dialog and Henry Lai's music score are very well mixed. Additionally, the audio conveys depth and crispness that I liked a lot. I also did not detect any disturbing pops, cracks, or hissings to report in this review.

Echoes of the Rainbow Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Interviews - a collage of interviews with different cast and crew members. Unfortunately, none of them are subtitled in English. In Cantonese. (Approx. 38 min, 480/60i).

Making of - a standard making of featurette divided into four chapters. In Cantonese, not subtitled in English.

-- The Shoemaker (3 min, 480/60i).
-- The Adolescence (6 min, 480/60i).
-- The Time Odyssey (4 min, 480/60i).
-- Mrs. Lo, The Heroine (3 min, 480/60i).

Trailer - the original theatrical trailer for the film. In Cantonese, not subtitled in English. (3 min, 1080p).

Photo Gallery - a collection of stills from the film.

Echoes of the Rainbow Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Alex Law's Echoes of the Rainbow is Hong Kong's official entry at this year's Oscars. It is a beautiful film, overflowing with nostalgia for a city that no longer exists. The Blu-ray disc herein reviewed, courtesy of Tai Seng Entertainment, is practically identical to the one released by Mei Ah Entertainment in Hong Kong. Only its coverwork is different. RECOMMENDED.