Which DVDs in your opinion are the best for each WKW Movie?

Decide to create this topic because I am thinking of getting the Kino Set for the Chungking Express, Fallen Angels, Happy Together... then the perfectionist collectors bug stuck me. So which is the definitive best for each film? Regardless of DVD Regions.

2046?
In The Mood For Love (Criterion)
Happy Together?
Fallen Angels?
Ashes Of Time?
Chungking Express?
Days Of Being Wild?
As Tears Go By?

Are there any content or storyline differences between the different versions? Sound quality? Mastering wise, I remember an interview where Christopher Doyle said that the HK version of Days of Being Wild did not capture the Greeness. He said the Jap version was more accurate.

Thanks all for your time and input.

KT
http://stealourideas.theabundance.cc

for 2046 i suggest the french version, 2 disc, great release!

for Happy Together maybe the version for the 10th anniversary (but i didn't see it )

For Fallen Angels the Kino release is good, but make sure to get the more recent remastered version - there is a huge difference in image quality between it and their earlier version. For Chungking Express I would recommend the old ICA release (which is long out of print but which comes up on eBay sometimes). There is an Artificial Eye release with better image quality, but the subtitles mention Bruce Willis which just seemed wrong to me. Also wrong is the Rolling Thunder version of Quentin Tarantino's Chungking Express - I mean, it was good of him to support the film but I always thought it was directed by someone called Wong Kar Wai.

2046?
I wouldn't go for the french release, as far as i know, there are only french subs on it.
I own both the german and usa dvd, if i had to chose between them, i'd go for the american one, because of the extras. the quality is quite the same on both. but the german one also has a 7 minute trailer which shows many deleted scenes...hard decision.

In The Mood For Love?
this is also a very hard decision. the image quality is better on the german and french ones (same transfer), but the extras are better on the criterion. it's the best to own both^^
comparison:
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/dvdcompar ... orlove.htm

Happy Together?
the 10th anniversary edition. i have seen screenscaps of that one, it's a little bit sharper than the kino remastered dvd, but it's a little bit more cropped. the part that was rendered to black and white on the kino release is also rendered to black and white on the 10th anniversary edition. but the soundtrack is said to be better on the 10th anniversary edition.
screencaps: http://www.criterionforum.org/forum/vie ... 213#101213 - you have to scroll down and compare it to the screencaps on dvdbeaver!

Fallen Angels?
The alto media dvd from korea. sound and image are even way better than on the accent dvd from australia. a perfect release.
comparison:
http://forum.cinefacts.de/showthread.php?t=165320 - scroll down


Ashes Of Time?
None.

Chungking Express?
Also the alto media from korea. sound and image are way better than any other releases so far!
comparison:
http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/content.php?contentid=62749
http://forum.cinefacts.de/showthread.php?t=165320 - scroll down

Days Of Being Wild?
Don't know.

As Tears Go By?
Don't know.




If you want to buy CE, FA and HT, i'd do it that way:
Chungking Express + Fallen Angels Set from Alto Media
Happy Together from kino (remastered edition), the 10th anniversary edition is very expensive

Strangely the Alto Media version of Fallen Angels contains alternative versions of those "Because I'm Cool" songs.
One more possibility: The songs are just mixed entirely differently. But i dont think that thats the case, because the voice of the singer sounds quite different. I've also noticed that the sound effects were changed.
Tomorrow ill load up a comparison (of the german and the korean dvd) on youtube!

here's the comparison of the old and the new music (i've used the first killing scene):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hY3Qw3ISG_M

they have changed the sound of chungking express, too. i didn't notice any changed music, but the tone of the music was changed!

I have the Rolling Thunder Pictures version of CE and aside from Taratino's ugly face plastered all over it, I'm happy with it.

However, it's also interesting to note that a long time ago we were discussing a scene in the second half of CE while Tony is drinking his coffee. Depending on the release, this scene has music or doesn't. The Rolling Thunder version is silent in that scene, which I actually enjoy. It seems to freeze the moment better but I have never seen the version with the music which plays Faye Wong's version of Dream Person.

That also might be something to think about when you are buying CE. I don't know which version was the "original" or why it was changed it, though.

this is because there are two versions of chungking express.
the international and the hong kong version. the international version is actually longer since the hk version doesnt include the scene which shows the woman with the wig kidnapping the young girl. and there are many differences in the sound, too.
it seems as if alto media have reedited the whole soundtrack, since the sound effects are so different sometimes. or were these releases remastered by jettone?

@liz: you should look for the alto media or at least the artificial eye dvd of ce, since the rolling thunder one is so much inferior to them. you can see a comparison on dvdbeaver for example.


this is what the web alliance for the respectful treatment of asian cinema says:

Chungking Express
(listing of cuts and changes)
Courtesy of: Gil

* General changes: The Faye Wong cover song of "Dreams" does not play during the shot where Tony Leung's character, Cop 663, is drinking his coffee and Faye is staring at him. The scene instead plays with total silence in the audio.
* When the smugglers arrive at the airport, Indian music plays instead of the theme song as it does in the Hong Kong version.
* There is an Indian song that plays over the scene where the Blonde (Brigitte Lin) is smoking before she is chased that is added.
* The scene where Ho Chi Wu (Takeshi Kenishiro) is lingering outside his girlfriend's window happens earlier than in the HK edit.
* Special note: The version released by Miramax is actually the "international version" of the film and differs from the HK edit but the differences are actually not Miramax's doing. It should be noted that the international version was prepared by Wong Kar Wai himself and he considers it as much his own cut as the HK edit. Most of the differences between both versions are actually in seconds in the form of slightly longer takes, shots, different order of shots, or even new shots all together (for example, when Lin is smoking her cigarette right before she is chased, there is a close up shot of a clock that makes it clear that she was spending just one minute smoking that is missing from the HK edit).

This not only goes for scenes but also for the audio. There are many different cues for the voice overs and some even cue in different scenes entirely! On top of that some sound effects are present in the international version that are not in the HK edit, such as a loud cry from a cat right before the drug contact gets shot or the soundtrack during the chase scene which includes the crowd noise.

This suggests that possibly Wong Kar Wai reedited the film from scratch when preparing the international version. In the end though, the international version of the film actually ends up running longer then the domestic HK version. Since there are many little differences in scenes and music between the two version, what is listed here are the major differences between the two cuts

1. List of Additions: The scene where the Blonde (Brigitte Lin) prepares for the smuggling trip is longer
2. The scene where Lin is looking for the missing smugglers is also extended.
3. The entire subplot where Brigitte Lin kidnaps the little Indian girl for ransom and later gives her up is added in the international version.

1. List of cuts: The scene where Brigitte runs into a train and looks out at the smuggler is cut from the international version.

Who knew dvd's were so complicated?

yeah sometimes they can be really complicated^^

Any Blu Ray or HD-DVD versions? =P

So the list looks like:

2046 Sony Pictures Region 1
In The Mood For Love Criterion
Happy Together 10th Anniversay Edition
Fallen Angels Alto Media Korean
Ashes Of Time?
Chungking Express Alto Media Korean
Days Of Being Wild?
As Tears Go By?

I live in Singapore and I saw the Rolling Thunder of Chungking Express for sale at HMV for aroundd 11US. Think I will skip that.

As Tears Go By (Tartan R2)
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDCompar ... rsgoby.htm
(it the color of video is true to the original print

Days of Being Wild (Mega Star R0)
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDCompar ... ngwild.htm
(The old Mega Star edition's color represents the 60s of Hong Kong well, it's not cropped and it's sharp enough, the subtitle is not on par though)

Ashes of Time (None of them)
(Zoke culture, and world are a disgrace to Dvd transfer, and the new French edition is cut by 20 mins, the quality isn't that good anyway)

Chunking Express (Korean Edition R2)
(Best picture quality by far plus the DTS sound system)
http://dvdtimes.co.uk/content.php?contentid=62749

Fallen Angels (Koren Edition R2)
(Colors are more vibrant than the Accent version, and oh the DTS sound is very nice too)
http://dvdtimes.co.uk/content.php?contentid=62749

Happy Together (Kino's Anniversary Edtion)
(Best one in all aspects, but expensive)

In The Mood For Love (Criterion Edition/R2 French Edition/Mei Ah's Collector Edition)
(They are both excellent in terms of picture quality and extras. Mei Ah's one got the best cover and DTS sound)

2046 (French Edition/Mei Ah's Collector)
(French Edition is not English friendly but got the best picture quality and sound and extras, Mei Ah's colector edition follows it behind closely with an awesome cover DTS sound)

Eros (R0/R1)
(R1 version of The hand got the best picture quality while the Mei Ah version got the best extras and cover)
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDReview ... review.htm

@cinematric: nice to see that we nearly have the same opinion on the dvd releases:D

Yes, but makes the film more enjoyable in my opinion.