6.3 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
While the Goryo Dynasty in the medieval Korea, three warriors named Deok-ki, Poong-chun and Seol-rang have led a riot against the king and his foreign allies from Kitan, China. But Deok-ki betrays them, which results in the death of Poong-chun. But Seol-rang is able to escape with Seol-hee, Poong-chun's little daughter, and her sword. 18 years later, Seol-rang got blind but she raised and taught Seol-hee very well. Both feel that the time for revenge is right, but Deok-ki is now one of the most powerful men in the country. All of them know, that spilling blood is the only way of redemption.
Starring: Lee Byung-hun, Jeon Do-yeon, Kim Go-eun, Lee Jun-ho, Lee Kyoung-youngForeign | 100% |
Martial arts | 38% |
Action | 15% |
History | 11% |
Period | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Korean: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Korean: Dolby Digital 2.0
English
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
There’s a certain hypnotic lunacy to a lot of films that have appeared in the wake of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. That now iconic Ang Lee entry introduced a lot of western viewers to a kind of intentionally hyperbolic martial arts style that featured some entrancing wire work, a special effects technique that sought to offer characters who were pretty much immune to the effects of gravity. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon also featured a relatively dense plot and some appealing characterizations, two things that some subsequent filmmakers have left by the wayside in their attempts to craft a film built largely out of combatants catapulting through the air as if propelled by some unseen but very powerful force. Memories of the Sword perhaps suffers from an equal but opposite approach, for its plot is stuffed to the gills with so much backstory, often presented in kind of lurching flashbacks, that the actual narrative elements of the film are in fact rather weighted down, the inverse of an otherwise freewheeling approach that presents a heroine named Hong-yi (Kim Go-eun) who discovers in the film’s opening sequence that she has finally mastered the art of (to quote a certain song from the Broadway musical “Wicked”) defying gravity. Those opening moments offer a perhaps misleadingly whimsical ambience, as Hong-yi encounters a preposterously overgrown sunflower that sticks up far above the surrounding field of crops. Hong-yi sizes up the mutant plant, screws up her courage, and then vaults over the flower as if it were only a couple of inches tall. Her success in that endeavor then leads to an almost comical romp through (actually over) those surrounding fields, where in her green leggings she looks for all the world like a feudal Korean version of Peter Pan.
Memories of the Sword is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Well Go USA with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. This digitally shot feature benefits from some awe inspiring views of various Korean locations, and director Park Heung-shik and cinematographer Kim Byung-seo capture some gorgeous tableaux, with and without human participants. The palette is rather lush at times, offering deep, verdant greens and whites in some of the views of expansive fields, while elements like costumes and settings feature a robust array of deeply burnished purples and reds. Some of the flashback material has been tweaked in post to be slightly desaturated, something that minimally detracts from detail levels in midrange and wide shots. Occasional shots can look just slightly soft at times, occasionally due to framings where the camera is aimed directly at light sources (see screenshot 18), but generally speaking this is a sharp and nicely precise looking presentation.
Memories of the Sword features a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track in the original Korean. The sound mix of the film is alternately quite subtle, emphasizing quieter ambient environmental sounds like breezes fluttering through fields, and quite bombastic, as in several of the action set pieces, where the clink of swords touching metal to metal and other sounds of combat provide a wealth of surround activity. The film features a rather evocative score by Mowg which courses through the side and rear channels quite effectively. Dialogue is presented very cleanly and is typically well prioritized (a few noisier sequences tend to slightly bury a line or two).
The visual acuity of Memories of the Sword is probably this film's single greatest asset. Unfortunately a lot of the rest of this overly convoluted outing isn't all that memorable. For those with a little patience, the story threads are knit together well enough to deliver some decent emotional dividends, but this film could have used a more coherent structure and probably some judicious editing. Technical merits are generally very strong, and with caveats noted, Memories of the Sword comes Recommended.
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