Hong Kong Digital #157: Tai Chi II (Two versions)

Great Britain: 15
Hong Kong: II
Netherlands: 12
Ontario: AA
Singapore: PG

PRESENTATION

Tai Seng released a good no-frills, non-anamorphic NTSC disc of TAI CHI II a few years back. The image is sufficiently sharp and colorful, and the source material only suffers from minor wear. The mono audiotracks are a bit scratchy but no worse than one would expect from a low-budget independent production. Extras consist of video promo spots for this and five other Tai Seng DVD titles, plus bios/filmographies for Christy Chung, Jacky Wu, and Yuen Woo-ping.

Hong Kong Legends offers a deluxe PAL R2 special edition of the film under the new handle of TAI CHI BOXER. Gifted with 16:9 enhancement and a digitally restored transfer, the HKL disc is the better of the two though, as this was a fairly new production and Tai Seng's materials were in good shape to begin with, the differences are not as pronounced as usual. The image is a bit brighter, detail levels are somewhat higher, and no wear is evident. There is a tiny bit more at the sides, and a sliver less at the top and bottom compared to the US disc. Also, as is often the case with HKL titles, slight vertical compression is evident in direct comparison but it is not pronounced enough to cause a distraction. The audio is much cleaner and HKL's 5.1 remix effectively enhances the score and impact of the fight sequences. The front speakers offer a reasonably enveloping soundfield but the rear channels are mostly missing in action. The subtitles are a toss-up, with the US release better conveying some things, while the UK disc does a more thorough job with others. This is mostly noticeable during comedic sequences. Tai Seng's subtitles increase the accessibility of the humour, particularly during the hero's English lessons. A prime example: Jacky Wu's incredulous reaction upon learning that his mother's English name is "Diana"; he misinterprets it as Dai wan na, which is Cantonese for "big windpipe"! This joke is passed over in the UK release but, on the whole, HKL's subs are perfectly acceptable and do offer some subtleties that the American translation drops.

Christy Chung (left) and Darren Shahlavi (right).
Images courtesy Hong Kong Legends. Above pictures have ZOOM links, click on picture for larger images.

Bey Logan's commentary effectively covers all of the usual bases, providing good background on the principles behind and in front of the camera (though he incorrectly refers to Chi Chuen-hwa as "Chen Hua-chi"). Of particular interest is his detailed history of tai chi as both an exercise and a fighting discipline. Logan also interviews Christy Chung in a 23 minute supplement, where she relates her memories of the production, working with Stephen Chiau, Jet Li, and Jackie Chan, and her pictorial book (you also get 4 minutes of outtakes, including a stupid orgasm joke that only works because she is the one acting it out). Darren Shahlavi (40 minutes) quite eloquently discusses his early addiction to Bruce Lee movies and the subsequent decision to devote his time and energies to martial arts. He also provides a thorough overview of his film work, and discusses the challenges of working on HK movies and Yuen Woo-ping's strengths as choreographer. It is an informative talk and also includes some behind-the-scenes bits taken during production. Also included are two more minutes of on-set footage, a gallery of production photos, a small collection of Christy Chung pics, the HK trailer, and UK video promo spot (plus additional ones for other HKL titles). The layer change at 1:16:20 disrupts the commentary but is otherwise smooth.