Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

Rouge Blu-ray Movie Review

In the mood for love (and opium).

Reviewed by Randy Miller III August 19, 2022

Stanley Kwan's 1988 romantic drama Rouge opens in a 1937 Hong Kong teahouse where wealthy playboy and aspiring actor Chan Chen-Pang, nicknamed "Twelfth Master" (Leslie Cheung), begins a brief and fiery romance with a courtesan named Fleur (Anita Mui); there's a strong attraction despite -- or more likely because of -- her tendency to drastically change appearance, sometimes even to that of a more masculine figure. Despite their connection, which includes a shared love of opium, both know that the relationship will never be accepted by their families.

After almost exactly 20 minutes, Rouge changes course so suddenly, so sharply, that first-run theatrical viewers may have thought a careless projectionist mistakenly dropped in a different movie's second reel.

We're still in Hong Kong but it's now 1987, and unassuming young newspaperman Yuen (Alex Man) is visited by Fleur minutes before closing. Fleur appears more or less the same as she did to us in 1937, perhaps a few shades paler, and desperately wants to place an advertisement for a missing person: none other than Chen-Pang, who she hasn't seen in those 50 missing years. Yuen doesn't understand this, of course, nor is he aware of her "age", but becomes increasingly suspicious of Fleur as she continues to follow him home while striking up short conversations. She eventually explains more, and we learn that the two young lovers took an opium-induced suicide pact in 1937 but Chen-Pang ended up... elsewhere. Yuen is drawn into her story despite initial (and understandable) fear, as is his girlfriend Chor (Emily Chu), and both soon take it upon themselves to help Fleur finally track down her long-lost love.

So yes, Rouge has quite the intriguing (and for first-time viewers, confusing) setup... but for the most part, it balances both time periods as we periodically return to 1937 to fill in a few missing blanks. It's an ambitious task for what might have been another predictable spin on Romeo and Juliet in different hands, as its organic layers manage to fit together in mostly satisfying ways. Yet as a whole, Rouge plays a bit too carelessly with its structure to feel like a fully polished effort, relying on a few obvious and repeated pieces of information to keep viewers up to speed when tighter visual storytelling would have been enough. It's still a compelling slice of Hong Kong cinema and certainly earns bonus points for featuring some great time-capsule footage of the city in 1987, and if nothing else is supported quite well by the eventual lead trio of Alex Man, Emily Chu, and of course especially Anita Mui, the only true link between both time periods who also somehow juggles a few distinct "roles" during its 20-minute opening sequence.

Though perhaps not as well-known to Western audiences, Mui was a massively popular singer in her native Hong Kong from the early 1980s onward, even being dubbed "daughter of Hong Kong" and "Madonna of the East" for her many contributions to the Cantopop music scene. Tragically, both Mui and her on-screen lover Leslie Cheung died separately in 2003; she from cervical cancer, and he from suicide. I'm normally not one to say that real-life events -- tragic or otherwise -- should genuinely influence a film's legacy, but it's almost unavoidable in this case.

Criterion's Blu-ray of Rouge marks the film's domestic home video debut, at least on a digital format. It predictably adds a lot of support where most studios might saddle fans with a movie-only disc, offering several quality extras and beautiful packaging along with the 4K-sourced restoration and even a new alternate 5.1 audio mix.

Rouge Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Criterion advertises their transfer as being sourced from a of scan of the original 35mm camera negative, which was undertaken by Fortune Star at L'Immagine Ritrovata in Hong Kong and Bologna, Italy. Due to Rouge's previous absence on domestic home video it's basically impossible to compare this 1080p transfer to any previous versions, recent or otherwise, and it's also extremely doubtful that anyone who saw the film theatrically could remember its visual details perfectly. Regardless, this appears to be a quality presentation whose highlights are dominated by a vivid and varied color scheme appropriate to this era, frequently deep black levels, and an overall texture clearly driven by its filmic roots. Some darker scenes are much noisier than others and a few portions may have been slightly brightened but there are no real red flags here, save for trace amounts of macro- blocking and extremely light posterization that creep into a handful of shots. But Rouge is a beautifully-shot film whose intended appearance seems to have been faithfully preserved; there are no obvious signs that its color timing appears unusually teal or cold, unless of course a particular location or lighting setup warrants it. Approved and supervised by director Stanley Kwan, this 1080p transfer is a solid overall effort that will please fans and serves as an impressive domestic home video debut indeed.

Rouge Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Two audio options are included: the original Cantonese LPCM 1.0 mono track and a new DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio remix, both again supervised by director Stanley Kwan and sourced from Rouge's original 35mm sound negatives. My primary viewing was with the original mix, and I found it to be a reasonably full-bodied sonic experience that, while clearly not without the overall narrow and somewhat confining atmosphere of a one-channel track, nonetheless shows occasional depth and a clean, era-appropriate dynamic range that can't help but feel a bit thin on the high end.

Anyone who opts for that default track shouldn't be disappointed, yet I wouldn't blame others for being curious about the more modern (and apparently exclusive) 5.1 remix. During many stretches this a mostly tasteful extension that doesn't overwhelm, typically leaning towards subtle immersion instead of overly discrete effects and strong channel panning. Yet in other areas the jump in clarity for certain sounds is almost startling, leading me to believe that either some serious sonic wizardry was employed or a handful of new foley effects were added, such as a round of applause at the tea house (5:36), a massive display of firecrackers (14:30), and even the background music at a nightclub (37:33). Nothing too flagrant, but worth mentioning nonetheless. It's there's one fundamental drawback to this remix, though, it's that the wider soundstage can exacerbate some of the original source's innate hollowness, although this is almost expected under the circumstances. Either way, I'm glad it exists as a secondary option.

English subtitles, which also translate a few important signs, are offered during the film and select extras.

Rouge Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Criterion's typically stylish packaging job features fittingly butterfly-dominated cover art of the couple embracing, with the same pattern continuing on the inner print. A like-minded fold-out booklet adds more art, a cast/crew list, notes about Rouge's A/V presentation, and the essay "Love Out of Time" by Dennis Lim, author and artistic director of the New York Film Festival. The on-disc bonus features are slim in number but well worth watching.

• A Conversation with Stanley Kwan (39:34) - This career-spanning interview with director Stanley Kwan is conducted by his mentee, filmmaker Sasha Chuk, and was recoded for Criterion in 2022. Among other topics, Kwan discusses his favorite films growing up, other influences, the filmmaking process, his contemporaries, and specific themes that have appeared in his films. In Cantonese with optional English subtitles.

• Yang ± Yin: Gender in Chinese Cinema (79:27) - Originally commissioned by the British Film Institute, this lengthy and rather worn 1996 English-language TV documentary by Stanley Kwan combines archival footage and interviews with filmmakers and actors such as Leslie Cheung, Ang Lee, Chen Kaige, and John Woo to explore representations of queerness and LGBT identity throughout the history of Chinese film.

• Still Love You After All These (44:07) - Perhaps Stanley Kwan's most experimental work, Still Love You After All These [sic] is a personal-memoir film about Hong Kong identity made in 1997, the same year of the handover of Hong Kong from Great Britain to China. In Cantonese with optional English subtitles.

• Theatrical Trailer (4:40) - This vintage promotional piece, nicely restored to match the main feature, is preceded by more than a full minute of studio logos. In Cantonese with optional English subtitles.

Rouge Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Stanley Kwan's 1988 romantic drama Rouge offers an interesting cultural spin on Romeo and Juliet, doubling down with a full-fledged ghost story that feels unsteady during its setup but promises big returns within the first 30 minutes. And though the resulting story -- laced with time shifts and fading memories of the past -- doesn't feel like it quite reaches full potential, Rouge's great atmosphere and lead performances manage to anchor this compelling slice of 1980s Hong Kong cinema. Criterion's Blu-ray offers a solid 4K-sourced restoration and even two different audio mixes, as well as their usual great packaging and archival extras. Recommended, especially at the current price point.