| Universe presents the movie in an aspect ratio of 2.38:1 approximately, with anamorphic enhancement. Some sections look a bit soft but on the whole the transfer is pleasing in regards to colours and sharpness.
Audio options are Cantonese (Kelly Lin speaks most of her dialogue in Mandarin however) Dolby Digital 5.1 and Mandarin Dolby Digital 5.1 but as I'm not equipped with such a system, my assessment of this disc aspect will be left off this review.
Aside from a minor error or two, the English subtitles are coherent. Traditional and simplified Chinese subtitles are also included.
Universe wisely chose to add English subtitles (albeit permanent ones) to the extra features so we can properly examine the various materials at hand. Starting with the Making Of (2 minutes), despite the short running time Johnnie To manages to elaborate well on the character of Kelly Lin and what to expect of the film.
Interviews has sessions with Johnnie To (7 minutes, 23 seconds, Simon Yam (13 minutes, 6 seconds), Kelly Lin (4 minutes, 26 seconds) and Gordon Lam (8 minutes, 35 seconds). To is his usual informative self, talking of the fondness he has for the buildings in Hong Kong, the memories they represent and why they are part of the inspiration for the film. There's also good notes on shooting the finale where he mentions the direct influence French cinema had in addition to the fact that he wanted it to be a musical number!
Simon Yam echoes the intentions of capturing memories via buildings, especially so via his own photography. Furthermore, there's mentions of the difficulties of shooting without a script, shooting sporadically but the advantages of having the chance to witness events on the streets and more on the themes of the film in this informative sitdown. Kelly Lin talks of maintaining a character over such a long period of shooting while also sharing well-informed praise on her director and co-star Yam. Gordon spends a little too much time discussing what goes on in the movie but has some fun stories to share about the male cast all riding one bike on multiple occasions in the film.
Gala Premiere (4 minutes, 13 seconds) is the usual calculated, corny gathering that the cast & crew try to endure (especially an always super-energetic announcer grates but Simon demonstrating his skills with the razor in his mouth is amusing). Press Conference (9 minutes, 9 seconds) rolls on along the same lines but a press junket is what it is. A duty for the film. A 20 image strong Photo Gallery and the trailer finishes the disc. |