Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		2.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		2.5

Millennium Mambo Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov February 27, 2024

Hou Hsiao-Hsien's "Millennium Mambo" (2001) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Metrograph Pictures and Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include new audio commentary by critic K. Austin Collins; new video essay by critics Cristina Alvarez Lopez and Adrian Martin; and rerelease trailer. In Mandarin, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Right before the 1990s ended people around the world had very different expectations of what the 2000s would look like. Some predicted massive technological glitches that may cause serious disasters, a few having the potential to wipe out decades of human progress. Some predicted that rapid technological advancements could reset the world order and unleash completely new, possibly unmanageable conflicts. Some predicted better days ahead -- the collapse of legendary authoritarian regimes, previously unthinkable state unifications, the arrival of AIDS and cancer cures that will save millions of lives. And some, which was the largest chunk of people, predicted that not a lot would change -- or at least not in their lifetime. More than two decades after the 1990s ended, it is clear that all of these predictions were wrong. A lot changed, but everything remained the same.

Hou Hsiao-Hsien’s Millennium Mambo came out in 2001 and offers a glimpse into the world of a young girl (Shu Qi) who must have been part of the group that did not think that the end of the 1990s and the arrival of the 2000s meant much. In fact, her recollections, which Millennium Mambo uses as its narrative, suggest that she may not have even noticed the historic transition because at the time she was constantly intoxicated by the feeling of being alive. It was not a beautiful, trouble-free experience. However, she was so addicted to it that for a while it was impossible to walk away from it.

While it lasted, the girl had romantic relationships with two different men. The first (Tuan Chun-chao) was her age and she rented an apartment with him. He did not have a job, took drugs, and gave some to her. He had friends but was a loner, so when they fought and she threatened to leave, he would panic and frequently attempt to hurt her. When she eventually broke up with him, he burned her clothes. The second (Jack Kao) was an older small-time criminal with a big heart who helped her get a job in a striptease club. When she needed a place to stay, he took her to his upscale apartment and made her feel at home. He cooked for her and listened to what she had to say, too. They made plans for the future, but when he got in trouble with some shady characters and went hiding in Japan, she lost him. It was there, in Japan, after she realized that they would never meet again, that she finally reset her life. It was when she began remembering, too.

As the final credits of Millennium Mambo appear, it becomes painfully obvious that the girl’s recollections do not belong to her. It is just as easy to tell that they are not real. These recollections come from the mind of Hou Hsiao-Hsien, an aging man, who desired to be intoxicated by the feeling of being alive as the young girl is for the majority of Millennium Mambo. Sadly, this very particular feeling is possible only when one has a lot more time in front of him than behind him.

It is why Millennium Mambo has a very fluid narrative without a proper beginning and end. Indeed, it is essentially a collection of reconstructed sensations that are attached to different images. The girl’s narration simply makes it easier to move through them and sample their intensity.

For this reason, Millennium Mambo has a unique visual style as well. It boasts very rich neon-esque colors that make it a lot easier to sample the intensity of the reconstructed sensations and, hopefully, the elusive feeling of being very young and very alive.

The leads do a great deal of improvising but look very authentic. This leaves the impression that the camera is frequently an invisible observer of their conversations, quarrels, and the parties they participate in.

*This recent release introduces a 4K restoration of Millennium Mambo that was completed at L’Immagine Ritrovata. Unfortunately, the makeover dramatically subdues and alters the rich neon-esque colors that gave the film much of its identity.

Millennium Mambo 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, Millennium Mambo arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Metrograph Pictures and Kino Lorber.

The release introduces a recent 4K restoration of Millennium Mambo that was completed at L'Immagine Ritrovata. Unfortunately, but perhaps unsurprisingly, this 4K restoration is yet another poor digital reimagination. Why? Because Millennium Mambo has a distinct lush appearance that is now gone and as a result large sections of it look very ordinary. Millennium Mambo is not supposed to look ordinary. It is supposed to boast intoxicatingly intense neon-esque colors -- blue, green, red, yellow -- that are reflective of the intoxicating feeling of being very young and very alive. This is how Millennium Mambo looked when TF1 released it on DVD more than two decades ago. Now, it looks just like another contemporary film boasting conventional, wildly inaccurate primaries and supporting nuances. (For reference, a lot of the primary blues look turquoise now, while the whites are replaced by creamy yellows like the ones that altered the native appearance of Krzysztof Kieslowski's White). Needless to say, this is most unfortunate because the new 4K restoration produces healthy visuals with outstanding density that can look pretty impressive on a large screen. The entire film looks spotless as well. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must

Millennium Mambo Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and 2.0 (with very small portions of English and Japanese). Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I viewed the entire film with the 5.1 track. I thought that the audio easily gave the film that very rich ambient quality that previous DVD releases of it never managed to properly replicate. The dialog and narration were clear and easy to follow, too. The English translation was outstanding. For the record, I did not encounter any encoding anomalies to report in our review.

Millennium Mambo Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - presented here is an original U.S. trailer for the recent 4K restoration of Millennium Mambo. In Mandarin, with English subtitles. (2 min).

• Video Essay - this exclusive new video essay was created by critics Cristina Alvarez Lopez and Adrian Martin. In English, not subtitled. (10 min).

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critic K. Austin Collins.

Millennium Mambo Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

When it is most intense, the feeling of being very young and very alive can be intoxicating, so different people manage it differently. But this most special feeling does not last long, so over time only shaky memories and dreams remind that it was real. Millennium Mambo is an aging director's attempt to reconstruct this feeling while chronicling a young girl's recent experience with it. This release from Metrograph Pictures and Kino Lorber introduces a 4K restoration of Millennium Mambo. Unfortunately, I have to report that the 4K restoration is yet another poor digital reimagination.