Everlasting Regret Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Everlasting Regret Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 13, 2010

Winner of the Open Prize at the Venice Film Festival and Best Actor award at the Hong Kong Film Critics Awards, Stanley Kwan's "Changhen ge" a.k.a "Everlasting Regret" (2005) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Hong Kong-based distributors Panorama. The supplemental featuress include an audio commentary with director Stanley Kwan; making of; pre-production photos, interviews with director Stanley Kwan and Tony Leung Ka Fai; promotional materials; trailers and TV spots. In Mandarin, with optional English and Traditional Chinese subtitles. Region-Free.

The good times

Stanley Kwan's Everlasting Regret tells the story of a young Chinese beauty, Qiyao (Sammi Cheng, Infernal Affairs), who lives in Shanghai, China during the 1930s. As the city slowly begins to change after the communists seize control, Qiyao begins to wonder whether her life has been a giant failure.

We first meet Qiyao when her best friend, Lili (Su Yan, To Be With You Forever), introduces her to a talented photographer, Cheng (Tony Leung Ka Fai, Ashes of Time Redux), who encourages her to enter an important beauty contest. She does and immediately captivates the mind and heart of a proud Nationalist officer, Li (Jun Hu, Bodyguards and Assassins), with plenty of enemies. The two become lovers and Qiyao begins fantasizing about having a family.

The political climate, however, changes, and Li is forced to leave the country. For awhile, Qiyao remains alone, but then an ambitious young businessman, Kang Mingxun (Daniel Wu, Shinjuku Incident), approaches her and she falls madly in love him. Soon, however, most of Kang’s business is nationalized and he moves to Hong Kong with his family. Qiyao remains in Shanghai.

Qiyao's last lover is a young man, Kela (Jue Huang, Letter from an Unknown Woman), who trades on the local black market in order to save enough to leave the country. He swears that he would never abandon Qiyao, but like the men before him, he breaks her heart the moment she begins to trust him.

Based on Wang Anyi's "Changhen Ge", Everlasting Regret effectively tells two very different stories. The first, and easier to follow one, is about a beautiful woman who is repeatedly betrayed by the men she loves. She keeps telling herself that all men are not the same, and that eventually the right one would come along, but he never does, and she grows old alone.

The second story is about Shanghai and its demise after the communists seize control in 1949. Though there is hardly any footage in the film showing how the city is changing, one could easily feel that something profound and important is underway - at first it is the hairstyles, clothes, music and food that change, then it is the people and their beliefs.

The film has a well defined episodic structure. Important historic events are highlighted and then one sees how they have affected the lives of the main protagonists. The transitions from one event to another, however, are very uneven, and occasionally it is unclear why certain changes have occurred.

Western viewers unfamiliar with Chinese history would undoubtedly have a difficult time following and understanding everything that takes place in Everlasting Regret. Admittedly, some of Qiyao's personal failures and triumphs reflect those of Shanghai and its leaders, but there are other important political overtones in the film that could be difficult to detect.

The acting is strong, though a number of the main characters feel notably underdeveloped. Jun Hu's Officer Li, in particular, should have been given a lot more time in front of the camera, considering the disastrous effect his departure has on the young Qiyao early into the film. During the second half of the film, Tony Leung Ka Fai also looks too elegant for a disillusioned man who has realized that he would never be able to love again.

Note: In 2005, Everlasting Regret won the Open Prize (Stanely Kwan) at the Venice Film Festival. In 2006, the film won the Best Actor award (Tony Leung Ka Fai) at the Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards.

Everlasting Regret Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Stanley Kwan's Everlasting Regret arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Hong Kong-based distributors Panorama.

Everlasting Regret has a very unique look, one that appears to have been at least partially inspired by director Wong Kar Wai's preference for soft colors and subdued lighting. A number of the intimate scenes in the film are also shot in a manner that reminds about Kar Wai's "shy camera" - observing the lovers from afar, peeking through a window, etc. As a result, often times contrast and clarity vary. The film's color-scheme also changes as Shanghai slowly becomes a different city, especially during the second half of the film. Fine object detail, is pleasing, through, again, there are a number of fluctuations that you would notice. During a few scenes, I noticed a bit of mild edge-enhancement creeping in. Macroblocking, however, which was a major issue of concern with the SDVD release of the film, is kept in check. When blown through a digital projector, Everlasting Regret also looks pleasingly stable. Finally, aside from a couple of flecks popping up here and there, the transfer looks healthy. (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).

Everlasting Regret Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Cantonese Dolby Digital 5.1. For the record, Panorama have provided optional English and Traditional Chinese subtitles for the main feature.

The Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is strong. Its dynamic amplitude is very good dialog treatment pleasing. The surround channels are not overly active, but I found them to be very effective. The period performances, for example, sound lovely. As expected, the dialog is crisp and clean. I also did not detect any serious balance issues to report in this review. Finally, I must point out that I noticed a few grammar and syntax errors with the English translation.

Everlasting Regret Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Blu-ray:

Commentary - an audio commentary with director Stanley Kwan. In Cantonese, not subtitled in English.

DVD (Region-Free):

Interviews-

-- director Stanley Kwan talks about Wang Anyi's novel, the main characters in his film, the production process, etc. In Cantonese, with optional English and Traditional Chinese subtitles. (23 min).

-- actor Tony Leung Ka Fai talks about his collaboration with director Stanley Kwan, the strengths and weaknesses of the character he plays, the message of the film, etc. In Cantonese, with optional English and traditional Chinese subtitles. (15 min).

Pre-production photos -

Promotional materials - posters and cards used to promote the film at different festivals around the world.

Making of - raw footage from the shooting of the film with comments from cast and crew members. In Cantonese and Mandarin, with optional English and Traditional Chinese subtitles. (20 min).

Trailers - the international (2 min) and Hong Kong (2 min) trailers for the film.

TV spots - two TV spots (30s and 10s).

Everlasting Regret Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Stanley Kwan's Everlasting Regret is not for everyone. This is a very slow film that assumes that its audience is well familiar with the history of Shanghai. I think, however, that if one has experienced a similar type of transition as the one witnessed in Everlasting Regret, one could very easily understand the type of emotions the main protagonists struggle with. The Blu-ray disc herein reviewed, courtesy of Hong Kong-based distributors Panorama, looks and sounds good. It is also English-friendly and Region-Free. RECOMMENDED.