Review of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (Superbit)

Introduction

I`ve been confused by some of the Oscar-winning films of recent times. In my mind there have been so many undeserving winners, and so many films that have been overlooked for the big prizes. How nice then to finally watch an Oscar-winning film that really deserved awards, and a film that should have won more than it got.

You must have heard of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon by now. It was whipping up a storm of hype at the beginning of 2001, with some cinemas clamouring to get hold of a copy, as it was originally only going to get a limited release. The film has been out on DVD for a couple of years in the various regions (and has sold bucketloads), and this is the second release, as part of the Columbia Tristar SuperBit range. This is the range where they dump extras in favour of improving picture and sound. For more info on SuperBit, go here:-

http://www.cthe.co.uk/superbit/

Video

We are presented with a new 2.35:1 anamorphic transfer. The original transfer on the original disc received mixed reviews. This looks like a new print as it looks better, but there is still some dust and dirt on the print, which is a shame as this is supposed to be a SuperBit title. Surely a few more hours with the clean up department would have been worth it?

It`s a bit better than the transfer on the original disc, but not enough to warrant the SuperBit name in my opinion. However you look at it, whilst being not quite perfect technically, it`s still very, very watchable, and there`s not much that should distract from your viewing pleasure.

And what viewing pleasure it is, with some utterly glorious cinematography, and locations (CGI, sets and real-life) which look fantastic. And then there`s the fight choreography by the master himself, Yuen Wo Ping. Some of it will really take your breath away. Remember that this is a fantasy story as you watch the amazing wire work - it`s not supposed to be real.

Audio

This time round we have a Mandarin dts soundtrack to bolster the audio options. The orignal DD5.1 soundtrack from the original disc is also here, but the new dts track just has that extra edge. I don`t think it`s enough for you to consider buying the disc though - it`s only a minor improvement on the DD5.1 of the original disc.

As before, there`s a nice wide soundstage, with action coming from all corners and subtle touches like knocks on doors. Tan Dun`s oscar-winning score (featuring the $3,000,000 cello of Yo-Yo Ma) is excellent, and adds so much to the film. As well as the cello playing, there is some brilliant percussive work which adds an extra dimension, particularly to some of the action scenes.

Features

A great film deserves great extras. But SuperBit DVDs don`t get any, so you`d better get the standard version instead. Maybe a new release will include extras on a separate disc at some point in the future.

Conclusion

So much praise has already been heaped on this film by so many (including me). But after sitting down to watch it you can really see why as it almost exceeds the hype. It is a brilliant film, with fantastic performances from the leads (both the established pairing, and the younger two leads), wonderful cinematography, excellent action scenes, and also some "often forgotten in modern films" character development. Once again it highlights the lack of justice at the Oscars, as it really should have won best film and best director for Ang Lee, as well as the others that it picked up.

As for the SuperBit DVD, the picture is an improvement over the original, but not massively. The sound is excellent again, and the dts is a slight improvement. But then we get to the extras - and there aren`t any. Those on the original disc were excellent, but here they are wiped out.

If you don`t own the film, and don`t care about extras, get this version as the picture and sound are slightly better. If you don`t own the film, and do care about extras, get the original version (with its interview, documentary and commentary track). If you already own the original version, I don`t see any reason to upgrade. The technical presentation on this disc is better, but it`s not enough for you to shell out again. Be happy with what you`ve got, you`re not missing out on an awful lot.

A must see film - the DVD you see it on is up to you.