7.8 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
After being wrongfully imprisoned for thirteen years and having her child taken away from her, a woman seeks revenge through increasingly brutal means.
Starring: Lee Yeong-ae, Choi Min-sik, Kim Shi-hoo, Tony Barry, Go Su-heeForeign | 100% |
Drama | 77% |
Crime | 27% |
Thriller | 13% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.33:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Korean: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region B (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Winner of the CinemAvvenire (Best Film) and Little Golden Lion awards at the Venice Film Festival, Korean director Park Chan-wook's "Sympathy for Lady Vengeance" (2005) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of UK-based distributors Palisades Tartan. Amongst the supplemental features on this disc are: "Making of", "The Style of Lady Vengeance", "Lady Vengeance in Venice", cast and crew interviews and more. Additionally, unlike the Hong Kong Blu-ray release, this disc contains the "fading to black and white" version of the film. With optional English subtitles. Region-B "locked".
Lady Vengeance - Lee Yeong-ae
Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.33:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Korean director Park Chan-wook's Sympathy for Lady Vengeance arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of UK-based distributors Palisades Tartan.
Note: The version of Sympathy for Lady Vengeance found on this Blu-ray disc is not identical to the one found on the Hong Kong Blu-ray disc we have already reviewed. The Palisades Tartan Blu-ray disc contains the "fading to black and white" version of the film.
This is a fine but not exceptional transfer. Detail is good, clarity consistent, and contrast stable throughout the entire film. Edge-enhancement, however, is fairly obvious during a number of scenes - there is more of it during the color half of the film, and less during the black and white half. Film grain appears to be intact, but some of it is mixed with a bit of digital noise. On a positive side, macroblocking is not an issue of concern. Color saturation levels are strong. Generally speaking, however, this transfer has a slightly darker color complexion when compared to the one used for the Hong Kong Blu-ray release. Finally, I noticed a few tiny flecks popping up here and there while viewing the film; however, there are no large debris and scratches to report in this review. To sum it all up, despite some of the minor issues described above, this is a fine presentation. Also, I personally prefer this specific version of Sympathy for Lady Vengeance over the one found on the Hong Kong Blu-ray release. I think that it is far more effective and in sync with the film's message, but some of you may disagree with me. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).
There is only one audio track in this Blu-ray disc: Korean DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. For the record, Palisades Tartan have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.
The Korean DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is impressive. As I noted in my evaluation of the Korean DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track found on the Hong Kong Blu-ray disc, there are some very neat surround effects in Sympathy for Lady Vengeance that are treated wonderfully with it. On the other hand, the dialog is crisp and clear throughout the entire film. There are no balance issues to report with Choi Seung-hyun's music score either. I also did not detect any disturbing pops, cracks, hissings, or dropouts to report in this review.
Making of - this is the same featurette found on the Hong Kong Blu-ray disc. It contains raw footage from the shooting process with occasional comments by cast and crew members. In Korean, with optional English subtitles. (11 min).
The Style of Lady Vengeance - this featurette is broken into four chapters: "Visualization" (7 min), "Production Design" (9 min), "Costume & Make Up" (9 min), "Art" (7 min) and "Cg" (7 min). In each chapter, director Park Chan-wook and cast and crew members discuss what makes Sympathy for Lady Vengeance a unique film, its message, the decision to start the film in color and finish it in black & white, some of the key locations seen throughout the film, the costumes, etc. In Korean, with optional English subtitles.
The Characters - this featurette is divided into four chapters: "Lee Yeong-Ae" (7 min), "Choi Min-Sik" (7 min), "The Prisoner" (6 min) and "The Bereaved" (8 min). Here, director Park Chan-wook and cast members discuss the different characters in the film, as well as specific scenes from it. In Korean, with optional English subtitles.
Lady Vengeance in Venice - footage from the press conference for the film at the famous film festival with some interesting comments from director Park Chan-wook about the violence shown in his film. In Korean and English, with optional English subtitles. (9 min).
Trailers & TV Spots - Korean teaser, Korean trailer, English teaser, and English trailer.
I prefer this specific version of director Park Chan-wook's award-winning Sympathy for Lady Vengeance over the one found on the Hong Kong Blu-ray release. In my opinion, it is a lot more effective and in sync with the film's message. Unfortunately, this is a Region-B "locked" release, so keep that in mind when trying to decide which Blu-ray release to get. Fans of the film might want to have both. RECOMMENDED.
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