[Request] The films of Wong Kar Wai - original mixes

[Yarp]

There's a mono track for Fallen Angels on the 98 VHS. I need to re-rip it though but can probably dig it out this week.

[axeyou]

I brought the JP BD of Happy Together last year.

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p...count=1881

I assume the caps you posted there are from the JP theatrical cut instead of the previous digital restoration?

And according to BR, only the JP theatrical cut features a 2.0 track on the 2012 release. Is that accurate? Interestingly, the 2014 reissue seems to drop the theatrical cut, but add a 2.0 track to the restored version (see image of back cover). I wonder if that 2.0 is just a downmix.

Btw if you are still looking for Chungking Express, RuTracker has the OOP original Criterion BD.

There's a mono track for Fallen Angels on the 98 VHS. I need to re-rip it though but can probably dig it out this week.

Thank you, Yarp!!

[axeyou]

By the way, do we know whether Chungking Express's original mix was mono or stereo? There doesn't seem to be a consensus that I can find. For example, BR post.

As for previous releases:
- All the LDs are mono, according to LDDB.
- Some older DVDs are mono, while others are stereo, according to DVDCompare.

I guess mono would make sense, considering that:
- Chungking Express was released in 1994.
- Both 1995's Fallen Angels (production started before Chungking) and 1997's Happy Together were still mono mixes.

I can try picking up a JP LD for this one. There's also a US LD available on LDDB for $25.

[NeonBible]

By the way, do we know whether Chungking Express's original mix was mono or stereo? There doesn't seem to be a consensus that I can find. For example, BR post.

Very good point. Of course stereo was in full swing at that point (and 5.1 to some extent), but mid 90s HK movie? Mono highly possible.

IMDB states 4-Track Stereo & Dolby SR but as always, pinch of salt.

[axeyou]

I found some additional evidence supporting mono being the OG in Chungking.

Here's an interview on a Taiwanese site with sound editor / re-recording mixer Duu-Chih Tu who worked on restoring Chungking Express:

「有些現在做數位修復，會重做聲音，像之前幫王家衛做《重慶森林》（1994）、《墮落天使》（1995）等等，如果要從單聲道做成 5.1 聲道，就要重做聲音。」而這次《少年吔，安啦！》的 4K 修復，從杜比立體聲再升級成 5.1 聲道，杜篤之表示，杜比立體聲原本就已經素材完備，升級成 5.1 聲道的工序並不太複雜，這次的聲音修復並沒有再重新做聲音，都是用當初的原版音效。

Roughly translated, emphasis mine and [bracketed] are my notes:

“With some of the digital restorations today, we need to re-do the audio, e.g. when I helped Wong Kar Wai with Chungking Express (1994), Fallen Angels (1995), etc., if we wanted to mix a 5.1 from a mono source, we needed to re-do the audio.” [The wording is vague here, but I think by "re-do the audio" he meant remixing and/or possibly inserting new effects.]

[In comparison] However, when it comes to the recent 4K restoration of Dust of Angels, where they were upgrading from Dolby Stereo to 5.1, Duu-Chih Tu stated, the original Dolby Stereo track already had all the necessary source material, so upgrading it to 5.1 wasn't too complicated. They didn't need to re-do the audio on this restoration. Instead, they used all the original sound effects.

In other news, on the JP LDs: unfortunately, it doesn't look like my friend would be able to pick them up for me this time. With holiday shipping they won't arrive until he leaves.

[wongfeihung]

I think All Wong's films were mono until 2000's In the Mood for Love, which was released in Dolby Digital 5.1

[The Aluminum Falcon]

Does anyone have more details on In the Mood for Love's various home video mixes? I know it's been mentioned the 5.1 is original, but has it been consistently original?

I've got the old 1st UK Tartan DVD and Mei Ah DVD if it's of use.

[axeyou]

Chungking Express: I didn't get to obtain an LD with the OG mix, but here's a sync & pitch-correction of remixes that's still worth sharing:

It's been mentioned elsewhere in passing: the 4K resto's audio is entirely in the wrong pitch.

The dead giveaway is near the end of story 1, when the first cop's pager beeps. Here's a short A/B: original 2008 Criterion BD, followed by the 4K resto: https://voca.ro/1aQALbhHm9OP

Cross-referencing Faye Wong's Dreams reveals that the 2008 version is correct.

Pager spectrogram (2008 CC on the left vs Koch UHD on the right):



Apart from this, there are also differences in the mix itself. The most noticeable one is the iconic shot where Tony Leung drinks his coffee in slow motion / step printing. The 2008 BD follows the film's "international cut" and doesn't feature background music, while the 4K resto follows the "HK cut" by cuing Faye Wong's Dreams. This does shift the focus of the shot (personally I prefer the HK version). Here's a side-by-side comparison (with other differences) I found on another forum (private video on Vimeo, can't embed here):

Code:

https://vimeo.com/537320640/cdd5a248b6

I made a sync from the 2008 Criterion (audio & commentary) to the Koch UHD a while back, and also pitch-corrected the UHD's audio (IIRC pitch down by 4%) to preserve the two mixes. Happy to share all three tracks via DM.

Tony Rayns' commentary is especially worth listening to.