Shanghai Triad Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Shanghai Triad Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 12, 2021

Zhang Yimou's "Shanghai Triad" (1995) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Via Vision Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include exclusive new program with critic Tony Rayns and vintage trailers for the film. In Mandarin, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Fourteen-year-old peasant Shuisheng (Xiaoxiao Wang) is sent to Shanghai to work as a servant in the massive home of the city’s most prominent drug lord, Boss Tang (Li Baotian, Ju Dou). The young boy is welcomed by his Uncle Leu, who immediately begins teaching him how to behave.

Uncle Liu and Shuisheng also visit Shanghai’s hottest night club. This is the place where the stunningly beautiful singer Bijou (Gong Li, Raise the Red Lantern, To Live), who has replaced Boss Tang’s wife, spends most of her time. As the night progresses, it becomes obvious that Shuisheng is something of a present for her from Boss Tang.

Shortly after his training ends, Shuisheng witnesses a deadly attack -- many of Boss Tang’s loyal men, including Uncle Liu, are killed by rival gang members. Shocked and devastated, Shuisheng vows to avenge Uncle Lui’s death when he grows up.

Meanwhile, Boss Tang’s top men urge him to leave Shanghai until they find out exactly who is behind the attack and then deal with him. Escorted by Shuisheng, Bijou and a few loyal assassins, he retreats to an unnamed island.

Zhang Yimou’s Shanghai Triad takes place over the course of an eight-day period and most of the events that are chronicled in it are seen through the eyes of the young Shuisheng. It is billed as a gangster drama, but it actually feels more like a conservative coming-of-age film.

The focus of attention is primarily on the relationship between Shiusheng and Bijou. As the film progresses it is made clear that Bijou has become the most powerful woman in Shanghai but the price she has had to pay has irreversibly damaged her life. The various conversations she has with Shuisheng on the island reveal exactly how.

For the better part of the film, however, Shuisheng is in a world of his own. He responds only when Bijou and Boss Tang order him to do something specific. As a result, the atmosphere is always quite sterile, lacking the warmth and intimacy one would rightfully expect once Bijou bares her soul before him.

There a couple of excellent twists in the film that are used to effectively redirect its narrative. All of them are very well timed and not easy to predict. The secondary characters are evenly distributed between them.

Li is undoubtedly the star of the film. It is difficult to like the character she plays but not impossible to sympathize with her. She is a skilled seductress who has earned her status but lost her freedom; given the environment she lives in -- a corrupt society of inequality -- she has simply chosen to be a manipulator instead of being manipulated.

Veteran cinematographer Lu Yue’s (Red Cliff I & II, Aftershock) lensing is brilliant. The entire film overflows with very soft reds, yellows and blues that give it a wonderful dreamy look. The footage from the big night club reminds about Hollywood’s classic crime films in which gangsters and prostitutes always look elegant.

*In 1995, Shanghai Triad was nominated for the prestigious Palme d’Or Award and won the Technical Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. A year later, the film earned an Oscar nomination for Best Cinematography (Lu Yue).

Shanghai Triad 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, Shanghai Triad arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Via Vision Entertainment.

A decade ago we reviewed this release of Shanghai Triad from Hong Kong-based label Panorama, which was sourced from a master that was supplied by StudioCanal. This release has been sourced from the exact same master.

Obviously, the age of the master is starting to show now, but I still think that it allows the film to look quite good in high-definition. For example, virtually all close-ups are pretty strong, boasting nice delineation and clarity. While depth can fluctuate, wider panoramic shots can be quite decent too. At times the grain could be a bit mushy -- with the encoding actually contributing to the unevenness -- but there are no traces of problematic digital corrections. This being said, this film has such a unique period appearance that I have to speculate that the only way in which it would look as it should is if it is fully remastered in 4K and then transferred to 4K Blu-ray. Indeed, this unique appearance utilizes plenty of filters that manipulate light and shadows, plus the color tints further affect clarity and depth. Different highlights are affected in very particular ways as well. Now, most of these stylistic enhancements actually hide the big limitations of the current master rather nicely -- the majority of the haziness for instance is clearly intended, but some of it is mixed with background flatness that isn't part of the original cinematography -- but if you view your films on a bigger screen, you will recognize a few. The overall color balance I think is good, but because of the filters and tints it is difficult to tell with absolutely certainty whether it is entirely accurate. I feel that saturation could be a tad better. A few tiny white flecks can be spotted, but there are no distracting large cuts, debris, warped or torn frames to report. All in all, I still think that the current master is good and makes it very easy to appreciate the beauty of the film as well as enjoy it at home. My score is 3.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Shanghai Triad Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: Mandarin LPCM 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The lossless track is very good. Even if you turn up the volume of your system quite a bit, you won't hear any age-related anomalies. Dynamic balance is good too, though now that some of these older films are receiving new Dolby Atmos tracks I think it is fair to wonder whether there is any room for meaningful improvements. I don't think there is, but I could be wrong. The English translation is excellent.

Shanghai Triad Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailers - two original theatrical trailers for Shanghai Triad.
  
  1. Trailer One. In Mandarin, with imposed English subtitles. (2 min).
  2. Trailer Two. With music and English text. (3 min).

• Tony Rayns on "Shanghai Triad" - in this new program, critic Tony Rayns discusses the production of Shanghai Triad and specifically the French connection in it, the glamorization of Shanghai and some misconceptions about the real city and its nightlife, Zhang Yimou's troubles with the communist leaders in China, the Shanghai Film Studio and its operations, etc. In English, not subtitled. (18 min).

Shanghai Triad Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Mainstream critics that like to rank Zhang Yimou's films usually place Shanghai Triad below the likes of Red Sorghum, Raise the Red Lantern, and To Live. The popular consensus appears to be that it is a 'smaller' film because it does not have the same dramatic power. I tend to disagree because the simplicity and elegance of Shanghai Triad are often a lot more impressive than the grand visuals of some of the big dramas that are supposedly better films. This release is included in Australian label Via Vision Entertainment's Collaborations: The Cinema of Zhang Yimou & Gong Li eight-disc box set. It is sourced from an older but good master that was supplied by StudioCanal, and is Region-Free. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.