6.5 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.0 | |
Overall | 2.0 |
Foreign | 100% |
Drama | 19% |
Action | 17% |
Crime | 2% |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Mandarin: LPCM Mono
Cantonese: LPCM Mono
English: LPCM Mono
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region B (A, C untested)
Movie | 2.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 2.0 |
Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of Cinematic Vengeance: 8 Kung Fu Classics from Director Joseph Kuo.
The hits (and/or kicks, smacks and whacks) keep on comin', with this set from Eureka! Entertainment following releases like Shawscope Volume One from Arrow and a number
of offerings from 88 Films like The Chinese Boxer and
Disciples of Shaolin in my review queue. The big
difference between those films and the ones featured in this huge collection is that these were the handiwork of one Joseph Kuo, a name
which may frankly not be all that familiar even to lovers of the "kung fu" genre. Kuo was, as they say, a "multi-hyphenate" who frequently wrote,
produced and directed his films, which tended to be independently financed far, far away from the riches and "studio system" of facilities like the Shaw
Brothers. As commentator Frank Djenge mentions on more than one disc, that meant Kuo often tried to film outside, where he didn't have to pay for
things like sets, which can give these films a kind of distinctive ambience at times. According to the press sheet Eureka! sent with the (check) discs,
seven of the eight films in this set are making their worldwide debuts on
Blu-ray.
The Old Master is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka! Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. While I'm scoring this a bit lower than some of the others in this set, I frankly have to state that I think part of what I noticed with regard to this presentation is due to a probably rapid shooting schedule where little things like, you know, getting shots in focus may not have been properly attended to. Therefore, if you scroll through the screenshots I've uploaded to accompany this review, you'll see some relatively blurry moments, and in fact a lot of this presentation simply doesn't have the general clarity that the better looking transfers in this set do. The palette is once again nicely suffused, with some really nice looking primaries (notably red and blue, which really pop excellently throughout the film). Grain resolves naturally throughout the presentation.
The Old Master offers LPCM Mono audio in either Mandarin, Cantonese or English. I toggled between the three tracks as I watched/listened, and my advice is to stick with the Cantonese track on this disc. Both the Mandarin and English tracks have a noticeable low frequency hum which doesn't afflict the Cantonese track, and the Cantonese track is generally much better balanced, with better amplitude than either the Mandarin or (especially) the English track. As with virtually all of the films in this set, the overall sound is boxy and very reverberant, giving sound effects in particular a "hollow" ambience. While even the hum can't really obliterate the clarity of dialogue, the Cantonese track probably offers the clearest overall audio. Optional English subtitles are available.
It's actually maybe just a little sad that Jim-Yuen Yu was used for this film, with an emphasis on the word "used", since there seems to be a clear decision to cash in on his celebrity, despite the fact that he's not much of an actor and, probably at least due in part to his age, doesn't even seem to be partaking in many of the fight scenes (pay attention to how many are shot from behind Grandmaster Wan, so as to not show his face). Technical merits are okay, if improvable, for those who may be considering making a purchase.
(Still not reliable for this title)
酒仙十八跌 / Jiu xian shi ba die
1979
Jue quan / Hu bao long she ying / 絕拳 / 虎豹龍蛇鷹
1977
迷拳三十六招 / Mi quan san shi liu zhao
1979
少林小子 / Shao Lin xiao zi
1975
少林寺十八銅人 / Shao Lin Si shi ba tong ren
1975
少林功夫 / Shao Lin gong fu
1974
Hong quan xiao zi / 洪拳小子 / 88 Asia Collection #28
1975
皇家師姐 / Huang jia shi jie / Police Assassins | Eureka Classics
1985
Zatoichi
2003
Wǔ guǎn / 武館 / 88 Asia Collection #34
1981
四大門派 / Sì dà mén pài | Eureka Classics
1977
龍的心 / Heart of the Dragon / Jackie Chan Collection
1985
重案組 / Jackie Chan Collection
1993
Hak mau | 黑貓 | Deluxe Collector's Edition
1991
奇謀妙計五福星 / Kei mau miu gai: Ng fok sing / 5 Lucky Stars | Eureka Classics
1983
Ma Yong Zhen / Ma Wing Jing / 馬永貞 / 88 Asia Collection #35
1997
英雄好漢 / Ying hung ho hon | Eureka Classics
1987
Dou san / Dǔ shén / 賭神
1989
暗戰 / Am zin / Masters of Cinema
1999
緋牡丹博徒 花札勝負 / Hibotan bakuto: Hanafuda shōbu | Masters of Cinema
1969