Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		4.0

Taipei Story Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman November 17, 2020

Note: This film is available as part of Martin Scorsese's World Cinema Project, No. 2.

Martin Scorsese has been curating the World Cinema Project for well over a decade, and the result has been a veritable cornucopia of international films that in some cases Scorsese’s efforts have helped save from the ravages of time (and vinegar syndrome). As of the writing of this review, the World Cinema Project is closing in on fifty restorations that they’ve undertaken, allowing fans to view films that, as even Scorsese himself states in some of the introductions included in this set, have been woefully underappreciated and rarely seen. This second volume of films aggregates six interesting offerings that have at least some subtextual cross connections at times, but which serve as yet another example of what an incredible job the World Cinema Project does in bringing films of undeniable merit to a wider audience.

Insiang, also included in this second volume of World Cinema Project offerings, sought to illuminate the trials and tribulations of a lower class woman, Taipei Story may serve as a bookend of sorts, albeit one that perhaps makes the subliminal point that being relatively better off doesn't necessarily mean everything is sunshine and roses. Taipei Story centers on an apparently upwardly mobile, or at least relatively economically stable, woman named Chin (Tsai Chin), who finds both her employment and her personal life in peril when events intrude. The film may offer some "meta" interest for certain Asian film fans in that acclaimed filmmaker Hou Hsiao-hsien is on hand as Chin's boyfriend Lung. Lung might be thought of as the Chinese equivalent of the James Caan character in Rabbit, Run, in terms of being a former athlete regularly caught up in memories of his "glory days", even as his current romantic life apparently is spiraling into the drain.

Much as with Insiang, Taipei Story manages to be both intimate and universal, and also like Insiang, it captures the manic craziness of its focal culture. In this case, it's a depiction of almost relentless activity that doesn't completely mask the emptiness of those who are contributing to that very activity. There's a cold, almost sterile, feeling to the environments here, and it certainly isn't an accident that several of the characters, notably Chin herself, seem to be almost sleepwalking at times, as if in a defensive maneuver to keep them from "waking up" to the misery and sadness surrounding them.

Taipei Story Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Taipei Story is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of The Criterion Collection with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. As with all of the films in this set, there are some preliminary text cards describing the restorations, including some information which is also repeated in the insert booklet. The following is from the insert booklet, and omits some more generalized comments about The Film Foundation's World Cinema Project, and other collaborators:

Taipei Story is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1. This digital transfer was made in 4K resolution on an ARRISCAN film scanner from the original camera negative and the original soundtrack negative, provided and preserved by the Taiwan Film Institute. The main titles, missing from the original negative, were reconstructed using a vintage print. The film was restored by the World Cinema Project at L'Immagine Ritrovata, in association with the Taiwan Film Institute, Cinematheque royale de Belgique, and Hou Hsiao-hsien. Restoration was completed in March 2016.

Taipei Story could well strike fans as having the best looking transfer in this second volume of World Cinema Project offerings. The palette looks natural for the most part, and detail levels are generally very appealing throughout, understandably probably best in close-ups, but also often quite impressive even in midrange shots. There's just a slight peach or tan undertone to some scenes, and some interior moments are a bit murky, but on the whole saturation is great, and the outdoor material in particular pops extremely well. There are no signs of major (or frankly even minor) damage, and grain resolves naturally throughout this very well wrought presentation. As with most releases from the Criterion Collection, there are no signs of over aggressive digital tweaking in any form.

Taipei Story Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Taipei Story features an LPCM Mono track which provides more than capable support for the film's dialogue, as well as a wealth of urban scenes where the clamor of a busy downtown environment is presented with excellent force and fidelity. The film doesn't have an overly ambitious sound design, but both "quieter" (if sometimes intense) dialogue scenes, often between Chin and Lung, and more boisterous crowd activity are rendered without any issues whatsoever. Optional English subtitles are available.

Taipei Story Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Martin Scorsese Introduction (1080p; 2:21)


• Hou Hsiao-Hsien and Edmong Wong (1080p; 18;04) is a 2017 between the filmmaker and star and critic Wong. In Mandarin with English subtitles.

Taipei Story Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Taipei Story is a study of both characters and a society as a whole in a state of flux. As Chin and Lung attempt to navigate their personal relationship, both characters are also trying to come to terms with what it means to live in a city where the pull of the past chafes against a seemingly inexorable march toward an uncertain future. This is a deliberately slow, often emotionally repressed, outing, and as such it may take a certain amount of patience for some viewers, but for those so inclined, the payoff is substantial. This film offers the most consistently excellent technical merits of all the offerings in the second volume on Blu-ray of the World Cinema Project. Recommended.