Shanghai Triad (1995) DVD movie review

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HOME DVD Movie Reviews New Releases Upcoming Releases Special Offers & Discounts Specifications: - DVD-Video - Single-sided - Single layer - Region 1 - Run time: approx. 107 minutes - Subtitles: English, Spanish - Scene selection: static - Package: Keep case Video Features: - Anamorphic Widescreen - Aspect ratio: 1.85:1 widescreen Audio Features: - Chinese (Mandarin) Bonus Materials: - Theatrical trailers (4) - Talent files for director Zhang Yimou and Gong Li - Production notes (2 pages) Release Dates: Theatrical Release: 1995 DVD Release: 12/12/00 Review Date: 12/13/00 List price: $ 29.95 On-line price: $ 20.96 Pre-order price was: $ 19.99
	Shanghai Triad (1995) Foreign - Dialogue in Chinese (Mandarin) with English or Spanish subtitles
			Starring: Gong Li, Li Baotian, Li Xuejian, Sun Chun, Wang XiaoXiao, Fu Biao, Shu Chen, and Director: Zhang Yimou MPAA Rating: PG-13 Genre: Foreign - Drama Studio: Shanghai Film Studio (Columbia TriStar)
	Movie: B+ Video: A- Audio: B+ Extras: C- Summary: "Shanghai Triad" portrays the life of mistress Xiao JinBao living amidst the upheaval of Shanghai gangsters through the eyes of a country boy who is recently employed as her servant. Gong Li gives an exceptional performance as the Bijou to the "Godfather". This movie is really a drama with rich character studies, with amazingly little violence though it touches on the world of the Shanghai Mafia.
	The Story "Shanghai Triad" beautiful drama portraying the fate of a mistress living amidst the Mafia society, in which the Mafia gangs struggle to control the opium market. Arriving from the countryside, Shuisheng is introduced to the Mafia family by his Uncle Liu to work for Xiao Jinbao (Gong Li) who is enjoying herself as the Queen of Shanghai because the "Godfather" (Li Baotian) favors her. Shuisheng struggles to please his Xiao who is ambivalent about the new help. He is a simple boy, and at times is ignorant of the formalities required by the rich and ruthless. The story focuses on the fate of Xiao in seven days through the eyes of Shuisheng under the Mafia upheaval. On the first three days, he follows Xiao through somewhat of ordinary routines between encounters with the Mafia and the club where she sings and dances. That night, however, the "Godfather" and his men are attacked by the Fat Yu Mafia, and they relocate themselves to an island inhabited only by a widow and her daughter. Beneath Xiao's sophisticated exterior, she is a warm and lonely country girl. While on the island, she stumbles on and befriends the widow, Cuihua, and her daughter. For the next three days, the story thickens to a climatic ending. I won't so any more than that so you would enjoy the film to the extent the director intended. "Shanghai Triad" is a rich, beautiful drama performed exceptionally well by Gong Li and Li Baotian. The character studies are deep and satisfying in this drama. The stunningly beautiful cinematography won "best cinematography" awards from various critics circles. The film is the winner of the "Best Foreign Film" category from the National Board of Review. The Extras There are only a handful of extra material, which includes four theatrical trailers: "Shanghai Triad", "Bizet's Carmen", "Orlando", and "The Emperor And The Assassin" (all are foreign films). The talent files summarizes director Zhang Yimou's and Gong Li's film careers. The two-page production notes includes an interview with director Zhang Yimou on the making of Shanghai Triad, and his choice of the script and actors. Gong Li has worked with Zhang Yimou on several other films and her talents shine through her character in this beautifully told drama of betrayal. Video & Audio The image quality of this anamorphic widescreen DVD is very good. The colors are gorgeously displayed of the countryside on the island. The Dolby Surround is well balanced and effective. The soundtrack contains many well chosen orchestrated music throughout the movie that could have been greatly enhance if recorded in Dolby Digital 5.1. The dialogue is clear throughout this film. Recommendation "Shanghai Triad" is a drama of the fate of a mistress amidst the Mafia's vengeance and revenge. This movie is unlike many others about organized crime, it contains amazingly little violence as it is more of a drama and offers rich character studies. Buy the "Shanghai Triad" DVD at: Support this site: buy through our links.
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