Like Hong Sang-soo’s Night and Day, The Good, the Bad & the Weird might still be doing the festival circuit, hence the delay.
One film that had a lot of people talking when it screened at PIFF, Crush and Blush (produced by Park Chan-wook) is available for pre-order.
Also, Taxi Blues, the 2005 documentary which came out recently, is not only the best Korean doc I’ve seen, it’s also one of the best Korean films I’ve seen recently, period. A review published on a French website a while ago, which asserts that only viewers who’ve lived in Seoul will “get it”, is total bulls#%@.
I’m not expecting any immediate response, but I wrote the World Cinema Foundation the other day asking if the restoration of Kim Ki-young’s The Housemaid is nearing completion.
Given the distinct lack of fanciful editions from Korea as as of late (granted few films deserve it) I think everyone is expecting something pretty special from The Good.. do wish the hint of a pre-order would show up already all the same.
i’ve heard from users ont eh empire forum that is for common for there to be very little lead time for their dvd’s (ie the time between announcement adn release)
that said i reckon it should be pretty soon that we’ll hear suming. U.K cinema release date coming up in a couple of weeks
Actually, The Good, the Bad and the Weird has been available for some time now in Korea - but only at video rental stores and DVD rooms. But most Koreans have already downloaded it off the internet…
I was just going from recent history. Both Sympathy for Lady Vengeance and The Host had summer releases in Korea and their DVD’s were available around Christmas of the same year. Just seems odd that there hasn’t been any word yet.
I’m very much hoping for a magnet locking super-box edition of this one along the lines of King and Clown, The Duelist, etc. of GOOD, BAD, WEIRD. I’ll wait, the film isn’t quite a masterpiece or anything, but a lot of fun with a few insightful things on South Korean history and attitude buried below the goofy mayhem.
For those who haven’t already seen it (shame on you!), Im Sang-soo’s The President’s Last Bang is being released in the UK uncut and uncensored. This is one of my “top ten” must-see Korean DVDs. Still no word as yet when (and if) the Korean R3 will be released.
For those who haven’t already seen it (shame on you!), Im Sang-soo’s The President’s Last Bang is being released in the UK uncut and uncensored. This is one of my “top ten” must-see Korean DVDs. Still no word as yet when (and if) the Korean R3 will be released.
I have the US release, but the uncut one only adds a little bit of documentary footage, is that correct?
I have the US release, but the uncut one only adds a little bit of documentary footage, is that correct?
Zombeaner, the high court’s reversal of the 2005 ruling is not only a victory for freedom of speech, it’s also vital to the director’s vision of the film. Off the top of my head, I could name half-a-dozen or so films whose impact would be severely lessened by removing a couple of minutes at the beginning or at the end, or anywhere for that matter. According to Darcy over at koreanfilm.org, in a review of The President’s Last Bang,
[t]he footage—clips of anti-government protests shown at the film’s opening, and images from Park’s funeral that accompany the end credits—were important to the overall work, and the four minutes of black screen which appear in their place leave the audience with an altogether different viewing experience.
And further on, he asserts that
...in fairness to the director the documentary footage that is meant to be screened over the end credits does pack a complex emotional punch. Without it, the film’s ending is emotionally monotone.
What the censorship amounts to is sheer butchery of the most daring and original film by one of Korea’s most gifted filmmakers. At the end of his review, Darcy notes that, unlike decisions by the ratings board, the court order applied not only to the film’s domestic release, but internationally as well. I for one will definitely be picking up the uncensored version, either from the UK or from Korea, when it becomes available.
I have the US release, but the uncut one only adds a little bit of documentary footage, is that correct?
Zombeaner, the high court’s reversal of the 2005 ruling is not only a victory for freedom of speech, it’s also vital to the director’s vision of the film. Off the top of my head, I could name half-a-dozen or so films whose impact would be severely lessened by removing a couple of minutes at the beginning or at the end, or anywhere for that matter. According to Darcy over at koreanfilm.org, in a review of The President’s Last Bang,
[t]he footage—clips of anti-government protests shown at the film’s opening, and images from Park’s funeral that accompany the end credits—were important to the overall work, and the four minutes of black screen which appear in their place leave the audience with an altogether different viewing experience.
And further on, he asserts that
...in fairness to the director the documentary footage that is meant to be screened over the end credits does pack a complex emotional punch. Without it, the film’s ending is emotionally monotone.
What the censorship amounts to is sheer butchery of the most daring and original film by one of Korea’s most gifted filmmakers. At the end of his review, Darcy notes that, unlike decisions by the ratings board, the court order applied not only to the film’s domestic release, but internationally as well. I for one will definitely be picking up the uncensored version, either from the UK or from Korea, when it becomes available.
I wasn’t trying to discount the importance of the cut footage, I was really just asking if it is the news footage that is reinserted or if there is more. I’ve owned 3 different copies of this film, and when the UK edition becomes available, I’ll surely pick it up.
I have the US release, but the uncut one only adds a little bit of documentary footage, is that correct?
Zombeaner, the high court’s reversal of the 2005 ruling is not only a victory for freedom of speech, it’s also vital to the director’s vision of the film. Off the top of my head, I could name half-a-dozen or so films whose impact would be severely lessened by removing a couple of minutes at the beginning or at the end, or anywhere for that matter. According to Darcy over at koreanfilm.org, in a review of The President’s Last Bang,
[t]he footage—clips of anti-government protests shown at the film’s opening, and images from Park’s funeral that accompany the end credits—were important to the overall work, and the four minutes of black screen which appear in their place leave the audience with an altogether different viewing experience.
And further on, he asserts that
...in fairness to the director the documentary footage that is meant to be screened over the end credits does pack a complex emotional punch. Without it, the film’s ending is emotionally monotone.
What the censorship amounts to is sheer butchery of the most daring and original film by one of Korea’s most gifted filmmakers. At the end of his review, Darcy notes that, unlike decisions by the ratings board, the court order applied not only to the film’s domestic release, but internationally as well. I for one will definitely be picking up the uncensored version, either from the UK or from Korea, when it becomes available.
I wasn’t trying to discount the importance of the cut footage, I was really just asking if it is the news footage that is reinserted or if there is more. I’ve owned 3 different copies of this film, and when the UK edition becomes available, I’ll surely pick it up.
Zombeaner, sorry if I misunderstood, but the way you phrased your comment, “the uncut one only adds a little bit of documentary footage, is that correct?” certainly seems to trivialize the effect those few minutes have on the film’s impact, and which Im Sang-soo fought tooth-and-nail to include. In fact, the 2005 decision was politically motivated, and had nothing whatsoever to do with “protecting the public”, who, Park Chun-hee’s son claimed, would not be able to distinguish between fact and fiction. The August 2006 ruling overturning the verdict affects not only Im’s film, but all Korean directors, who will hopefully be unhindered by frivolous and costly lawsuits regarding the depiction of historical figures. The Third Window release features an interview with the director.
only £9 on amazon.co.uk, think this is going to be a definate buy come February.
bit off topic but i wonder at the likelihood at Third Window becoming a replacement for Tartan? i hope so…
richCie, Yeah, I went ahead and pre-ordered the UK DVD, it’s not likely that the Korean R3 edition (whenever it is released), will be this inexpensive, and the region 3 version won’t have English subs on the director commentary track, either. Two more interesting titles will be coming out from Korea in a couple of weeks: Heartbreak Library (그 남자의 책 198쪽) (2008), and My Friend and his Wife (나의 친구, 그의 아내) (2006).
I have been watching ‘Paul Blart: Mall Cop’ funny movie trailers since two months and when released I was not able to go to the theater. So thinking of getting a dvd, otherwise I enjoy watching movies at theaters. And moreover I haven’t watched comedy movies since many days…...
3 disc digipack with the Korean and International versions of the film. It says it is English subbed, which would be typical. I’ve seen release dates of March 5 and March 11. I’m ordering as soon as I get home tonight!
