MovieChat Forums > Ju Dou Discussion > worried about the DVD quality

worried about the DVD quality

posted 17 years ago by yossarian-heller
9 replies | jump to latest

Reading the various threads on Ju Dou (a favourite of mine that I haven't seen since it went out in 1990!!!) I am quite worried : I have found DVD copies (all regions : I live in France) in Honk Kong but several posts refer to the atrocious quality of the video transfer.... Could you tell me the origin of the DVDs you got : American? Asian? Other?

And by the way : Red Sorghum, Zhang's very first film is also available in Honk Kong : has anybody seen a DVD copy of it?

[–] wanbaclone 17 years ago

I rented the Razor Media R1 from Blockbuster Online--the only one I know to be available in the US. The picture quality is TERRIBLE! As much as I like this movie, I would not buy the DVD until something better comes along. I have a copy of Hitchcock's original 1934 version of The Man Who Knew Too Much, and it looks better than the Ju Dou DVD.

[–] SylvanK 17 years ago

Confirming, the color quality is awful, poor contrast, many visible scratches on both the video and the audio.

It looks like they just took some faded theatrical print & dumped it straight to dvd.

[–] dreid234 17 years ago

LOL, I must have gotten the same copy as you because mine was so piss poor. It looks like a movie from the 1930s not 1990(Christ less than 17 years ago). The print was horrible, the sound was like an old one track recorder, and the colors were so faded and washed out. It has more scratches than an old 78.

A previous poster hit the nail on the head it looks like they just took an old print(looks like a well used VHS rental copy lol) and threw it on DVD.

This movie deserves the treatment that was given to the original King Kong and the James Bond flicks.

[–] tuning-sensei 17 years ago

mine came from netflix and it too was such a horrible looking film transfer. i really hope they remaster this for a better quality viewing pleasure.

[–] wlcooper1 16 years ago

I got the DVD from Netflix as well (distributed by Razor Digital Entertainment). The quality was horrible, and the movie was not widescreen 1.85:1 as both Netflix and Razor claim; it was 1.66:1.

So many movies, so little time...

[–] lsaul-2 15 years ago

My VHS copy is pretty good. The colors are bright and vibrant, and there is no problem with tracking or tape noise.

Sometimes it's worth buying a good VHS machine just for items like this...

I assume it's a rights thing, or this would have been out on Criterion already. Hardly any great Chinese film represented in their catalogue...

[–] qifitness 15 years ago

Yes, I have just watched this film and was appalled by the terrible quality which spoiled enjoyment, despite a good story.

Speaking as a former film editor (TV), the copy looked to me like a poor/old print (complete with scratches and some visible film splices) that had been recorded onto videotape whilst being projected onto a screen. This is not the normal method for film transfer because original quality can't be maintained.

Since a traademark of Zhang Yimou's films are the stunning photography and use of colour, watching this dreadful copy was a huge disappointment. I'd recommend ZY fans, who have not seen Ju Dou, give this one a miss to avoid disappointment.

[–] ranran-001 11 years ago

I disagree, it's like saying don't watch Nosferatu, Metropolis or Greed because the only footage of it has scratches, debris and missing reels.

This is the best copy we got, and it is still a very absorbing film.

[–] HarmenB 15 years ago

There seems to be a good Pioneer R0 version:

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDReview/judou.htm

Good luck finding it...