SIGHT
Crash Cinema presents THE BLAZING TEMPLE in a controversial full frame (1.33.1). Gone is the original 2.35.1 theatrical ratio. I say controversial because I’ve heard many folks proclaim that this transfer is a washout, but I must disagree. The source print used by Crash Cinema is surely flawed, yet it stands up to the best releases from Tai Seng and World Video. I find this one superior to Ground Zero and Brentwood titles. THE BLAZING TEMPLE is a low budget studio film from 1976, and this transfer exhibits depth, clarity, and especially color. Anyone whose seen this on VHS should be ecstatic with this DVD. Joseph Kuo and his production team deserve praise for the big budget look of THE BLAZING TEMPLE. Even with the truncated cinematography, the production values all comes across in the image. Kuo also plays with the visual aspects of the film to manipulate the mood. At times the film gets dark to match the tone. The fight choreography is hampered somewhat by the cropping, but as mentioned the combat scenes are nothing special; it’s more like Jimmy Wang Yu style—brutal, but executed with no technique.
SOUND
The sound on Crash’s disc is Dolby Digital Mono 2.0. The frequency levels exhibit a broad range of highs and lows, and the sound is crisp and clear. There is no hiss, background noise, or other audio anomalies evident in the soundtrack. THE BLAZING TEMPLE is mainly dialog driven with the expected martial arts sound effects (such as kicks, chops, clanging staffs and swords, etc.). The English dialog is fairly dramatic and actually supports the tragic elements. THE BLAZING TEMPLE also boasts an original score by veteran HK composer Frankie Chen. The sound elements blend together equally for an overall pleasing acoustic experience that eclipses analog VHS tape.
FEATURES
CONCLUSION
THE BLAZING TEMPLE is a solid martial arts drama that incorporates many of the top talents in the genre. Though the film will never be held in the same high regard as the Kuo classics THE EIGHTEEN BRONZEMEN, BORN INVINCIBLE, or THE SEVEN GRANDMASTERS, THE BLAZING TEMPLE is an entertaining martial arts movie that doesn’t compromise the dark tone for the sake of comedy. I also get a big kick of seeing Kam Kong, Chang Yi, and other stars (who usually portray villains) as heroic characters. Overall, Crash Cinema’s THE BLAZING TEMPLE DVD is a mixed bag. It’s a worthy effort as far as the competition goes, but I don’t understand why Crash Cinema chose to release this (and THE EIGHT MASTERS) if they could not secure widescreen prints. THE BLAZING TEMPLE is available in widescreen as an import with English subtitles from Mei Ah for roughly the same price as Crash’s version. This leaves the consumer with a choice: Full Frame English Dub VS. Widescreen Subtitled. Which one will you choose? Though I personally prefer English dubbed, the cinematography and visual elements of THE BLAZING TEMPLE make me want to sacrifice the dubbing for widescreen. You gotta love Crash Cinema’s superior cover artwork, though. |
