Actually to give Winstar a plug they sell the Hou films NOW to institutions
with Public Performance Rights

Jessica Rosner
kino

> From: Lang Thompson <[log in to unmask]>
> Reply-To: Film and TV Studies Discussion List <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: Sun, 8 Oct 2000 20:44:56 -0400
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Asian Films
>
>> Secondly, I'm very impressed with the work of Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao
>> Hsien, but, although many of his more recent films are touring around, they
>> have not been released on video. I've seen A TIME TO LIVE AND A TIME TO DIE
>> and DUST IN THE WIND (and FLOWERS OF SHANGHAI and GOODBYE SOUTH GOODBYE in
>> the theater). Are there other ones that should be out?
>
> All the Hou films in Winstar's travelling exhibition will be released on
> tape/DVD by Fox Lorber probably late next summer.  They haven't actually
> been scheduled yet but an executive at the label did confirm the release.
> There are always possibilities if you can't wait.  "Flowers of Shanghai" is
> available on an import DVD from Hong Kong (or maybe Japan as I've also
> heard); it's region one which means it works in North American machines but
> the only drawback is that it was made from a PAL master and is therefore
> slightly time-compressed.  (The subs are also a bit hard to read.)
> Everything else back to "The Sandwich Man" has appeared in various formats:
> Australia's wonderful SBS channel, Taiwanese laserdisc (now OP) for "City
> of Sadness," Japanese VCD for "Daughter of the Nile," broadcasts on the BBC
> and ARTE; you'd have to hook up with a trader/collector for these except
> that the VCDs can be ordered from several online companies.  (Assayas'
> documentary on Hou called "HHH" has recently turned up on VCD as well.)
> Occasionally some of these can be found in Chinese video stores but they're
> not always subtitled.  And if anybody has tapes of Hou films *before* "The
> Sandwich Man" please let me know.
>
>
>> Also, people have recommended the work of Edward Yang (also Taiwanese), but
>> I don't think anything he has is on video. Any recommendations on where/how
>> to find his work?
>
> Roughly the same answer as above.  Available in the US are "The Terrorist"
> (aka "The Terrorizer" and various other spellings) but the quality isn't
> too hot, and "That Day on the Beach" which I haven't seen.  I know somebody
> who ordered both from Amazon but you can probably get them from Facets
> (which also does rent by mail).  All Yang's other films are available from
> collectors as well.
>
> Tsai Ming-liang is another Taiwanese director worth checking out.
>
>
>> Finally, BRIDE WITH THE WHITE HAIR was particularly striking in its visuals.
>> Are there other movies that seem equally filled with visual fireworks? Or by
>> the same director?
>
> If you mean "Bride"'s style in general, it shares many elements of that
> with other HK films, especially supernatural ones.  Try "Bride"'s sequel,
> "A Chinese Ghost Story" (esp the first one but parts two and three are also
> worth seeing), "Peking Opera Blues" (or other Tsui Hark films like "The
> Blade" or "Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain"), "Mr. Vampire" and
> "Rouge."  HK action films can be just as stylish but it's with many of
> these supernatural films that you get extreme camera movements and tilts,
> strange lighting effects, accelerated editing and lots of smoke to disguise
> the cheap sets.  Of course if visual fireworks is what you're after, don't
> pass up anything by Wong Kar-Wai.  "Fallen Angels" is my favorite but the
> avant-garde martial arts "Ashes of Time" is certainly an eye-opener.
> Unfortunately his weakest film "Chungking Express" is also the easiest one
> to find in the US because of its release by Tarrantino's Rolling Thunder.
>
>
>
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Screen-L is sponsored by the Telecommunication & Film Dept., the
University of Alabama: http://www.tcf.ua.edu