Happy Together (1997)
春光乍洩
Drama, Romance • 1h 36m
Overview
A gay couple from Hong Kong takes a trip to Argentina in search of a new beginning but instead begins drifting even further apart.
Director: Wong Kar-Wai
Director: Billy Wilder
Criterion 4K Blu-ray > Capelight/Kino Lorber which has heavy noise reduction and opening snare hit is missing, Capelight is slightly better encoded than Kino Lorber
Director: Billy Wilder
Criterion 4K Blu-ray > Capelight/Kino Lorber which has heavy noise reduction and opening snare hit is missing, Capelight is slightly better encoded than Kino Lorber
Directors: Gene Kelly & Stanley Donen
Directors: Gene Kelly & Stanley Donen
Director: Stanley Kubrick
US Cut: WB 4K Blu-ray
International Cut: Old 2007 Europe Blu-ray
Criterion Box Set
US Cut: WB 4K Blu-ray
International Cut: Old 2007 Europe Blu-ray
No Blu-ray or DVD release has presented the movie in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 for the US cut or 1.66:1 for the International cut.
The packaging on the back of the 4K Blu-ray incorrectly states it as 1.85:1 when the movie is actually 1.78:1 as is the original Blu-ray.
Director: Stanley Kubrick
US Cut: WB 4K Blu-ray
International Cut: Old 2007 Europe Blu-ray
Criterion Box Set
US Cut: WB 4K Blu-ray
International Cut: Old 2007 Europe Blu-ray
No Blu-ray or DVD release has presented the movie in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 for the US cut or 1.66:1 for the International cut.
The packaging on the back of the 4K Blu-ray incorrectly states it as 1.85:1 when the movie is actually 1.78:1 as is the original Blu-ray.
Director: Ridley Scott
Final Cut: WB 4K Blu-ray (Caveat: No Dolby Vision from Streaming)
Workprint: WB 30th Anniversary Blu-ray Set for a better AVC encode
Final Cut: WB 4K Blu-ray (Caveat: No Dolby Vision from Streaming)
Workprint: WB 30th Anniversary Blu-ray Set for a better AVC encode
1982 Theatrical Mix: Embassy Video releases, HD-DVD for the 70mm 6-track mix
International Cut Dolby Stereo: Criterion Collection LaserDisc, HD-DVD for the 70mm 6-track mix
1992 Director's Cut Dolby Stereo: WB CAV LaserDisc 2.0 PCM-best fidelity of any mix, HD-DVD for the 70mm 6-track mix
Workprint: WB 30th Anniversary Blu-ray Set DTS-HD MA 5.1
2007 Final Cut remix: Blu-ray Dolby TrueHD 5.1
WB 4K Blu-ray only has Final Cut and contains a bad Atmos remix with new sound effects. Original Final Cut mix was removed.
Director: Ridley Scott
Final Cut: WB 4K Blu-ray (Caveat: No Dolby Vision from Streaming)
Workprint: WB 30th Anniversary Blu-ray Set for a better AVC encode
Final Cut: WB 4K Blu-ray (Caveat: No Dolby Vision from Streaming)
Workprint: WB 30th Anniversary Blu-ray Set for a better AVC encode
1982 Theatrical Mix: Embassy Video releases, HD-DVD for the 70mm 6-track mix
International Cut Dolby Stereo: Criterion Collection LaserDisc, HD-DVD for the 70mm 6-track mix
1992 Director's Cut Dolby Stereo: WB CAV LaserDisc 2.0 PCM-best fidelity of any mix, HD-DVD for the 70mm 6-track mix
Workprint: WB 30th Anniversary Blu-ray Set DTS-HD MA 5.1
2007 Final Cut remix: Blu-ray Dolby TrueHD 5.1
WB 4K Blu-ray only has Final Cut and contains a bad Atmos remix with new sound effects. Original Final Cut mix was removed.
Director: Ingmar Bergman
Director: Ingmar Bergman
Director: John Ford
1988/1990 WB Hi-Fi VHS, crystal clear, albeit with some distortion in louder areas
The 4K Blu-ray reuses the same poor mastering used on the 2006 WB Blu-ray, only with a completely unnecessary bass cut and extra noise reduction.
Even putting resolution aside, the Warner Archive 4K Blu-ray has the best video. The old Blu-ray master and earlier DVD both had massive issues with colour.
That said, picture on the 4K Blu-ray isn't perfect, with strange posterized magenta glints and some instances of DNR: https://bsky.app/profile/dagscott.bsky.social/post/3leahavqi7k2l
Director: John Ford
1988/1990 WB Hi-Fi VHS, crystal clear, albeit with some distortion in louder areas
The 4K Blu-ray reuses the same poor mastering used on the 2006 WB Blu-ray, only with a completely unnecessary bass cut and extra noise reduction.
Even putting resolution aside, the Warner Archive 4K Blu-ray has the best video. The old Blu-ray master and earlier DVD both had massive issues with colour.
That said, picture on the 4K Blu-ray isn't perfect, with strange posterized magenta glints and some instances of DNR: https://bsky.app/profile/dagscott.bsky.social/post/3leahavqi7k2l
Director: Kenji Mizoguchi
Director: Kenji Mizoguchi
Director: Béla Tarr
Curzon 4K Blu-ray see caps
Director: Béla Tarr
Curzon 4K Blu-ray see caps
Director: Wong Kar-Wai
2010 US Kino Lorber or 2012 UK Artificial Eye
2017 JP Kadokawa Blu-ray has the best encoding out of all the older discs.
Kino Lorber and Artificial Eye Blu-ray use the same master, between the two the PQ on Kino's release is slightly better, but the difference is negligible.
The 4K restoration (Criterion, 4K etc) are cropped to 2.35:1, have revisionistic colour grading and other changes.
Caps: old master, old master vs 4K restoration
Wong Kar-Wai on the framing:
With Fallen Angels, I have changed the format to cinemascope, because it was originally what I had intended to release the film in. When we were cutting the film, we accidentally turned the Steenbeck on anamorphic instead of standard. I felt that the film looked much more interesting because it enhanced the distance of the characters on top of the extreme wide angle that we shot on. Back then, it was impossible to shoot a film in standard and release it in anamorphic. With this restoration, we have successfully fulfilled this wish.
Director: Wong Kar-Wai
2010 US Kino Lorber or 2012 UK Artificial Eye
2017 JP Kadokawa Blu-ray has the best encoding out of all the older discs.
Kino Lorber and Artificial Eye Blu-ray use the same master, between the two the PQ on Kino's release is slightly better, but the difference is negligible.
The 4K restoration (Criterion, 4K etc) are cropped to 2.35:1, have revisionistic colour grading and other changes.
Caps: old master, old master vs 4K restoration
Wong Kar-Wai on the framing:
With Fallen Angels, I have changed the format to cinemascope, because it was originally what I had intended to release the film in. When we were cutting the film, we accidentally turned the Steenbeck on anamorphic instead of standard. I felt that the film looked much more interesting because it enhanced the distance of the characters on top of the extreme wide angle that we shot on. Back then, it was impossible to shoot a film in standard and release it in anamorphic. With this restoration, we have successfully fulfilled this wish.
Director: Wong Kar-Wai
4K restoration: Koch Media DE 4K Blu-ray
Original digital master: Cannes 2006 Promo HD-DVD
4K remaster is cropped 2.35:1 from the original 2.55:1 presentation, and has significantly different color grading, as is the case with most WKW supervised restorations. Due to DNR the detail is sometimes lacklustre compared to the old master. CGI scenes appear to be rerendered. A sepia tinted scene was altered to be fully black and white.
Caps: Criterion US BD vs Cannes HD-DVD, HD-DVD vs KR BD vs DVDs vs US BD
Remixed 5.1: The Jokers FR 4K Blu-ray
Original 5.1: Cannes 2006 Promo HD-DVD
The remixed track has different front panning and little LFE use compared to the original.
HD-DVD is by far the best option for the original track, as DVDs and Korean BD suffer from noise gating, limiting and duplicated surrounds. Remixed tracks are all similar, but French disc has slightly better dynamics, particularly on the LFE channel.
The 2006 HD-DVD is a promotional release made in only 100 copies, handed out to VIPs at Cannes Film Festival. See this blog post for details. The same master can be found on KR BD, though it suffers from interlacing, blended frames and a gamma bug, as well as older DVD releases.
Director: Wong Kar-Wai
4K restoration: Koch Media DE 4K Blu-ray
Original digital master: Cannes 2006 Promo HD-DVD
4K remaster is cropped 2.35:1 from the original 2.55:1 presentation, and has significantly different color grading, as is the case with most WKW supervised restorations. Due to DNR the detail is sometimes lacklustre compared to the old master. CGI scenes appear to be rerendered. A sepia tinted scene was altered to be fully black and white.
Caps: Criterion US BD vs Cannes HD-DVD, HD-DVD vs KR BD vs DVDs vs US BD
Remixed 5.1: The Jokers FR 4K Blu-ray
Original 5.1: Cannes 2006 Promo HD-DVD
The remixed track has different front panning and little LFE use compared to the original.
HD-DVD is by far the best option for the original track, as DVDs and Korean BD suffer from noise gating, limiting and duplicated surrounds. Remixed tracks are all similar, but French disc has slightly better dynamics, particularly on the LFE channel.
The 2006 HD-DVD is a promotional release made in only 100 copies, handed out to VIPs at Cannes Film Festival. See this blog post for details. The same master can be found on KR BD, though it suffers from interlacing, blended frames and a gamma bug, as well as older DVD releases.
Director: Wong Kar-Wai
Criterion 4K Blu-ray has original SDR master while Plaion Germany and France has a subtle additional HDR-regrade. Either one is good depending on user preference.
Important to note, Criterion 4K Blu-ray still has different color timing from 2008 Criterion Blu-ray see https://caps-a-holic.com/c.php?go=1&a=0&d1=15680&d2=15679&s1=165346&s2=165329&i=10&l=0
Original mono is on the 1996 Japan DVD and 2005 Spain Boxset DVD. But 2008 Criterion Blu-ray’s 5.1 remix at least is in the correct pitch. All 5.1 tracks on later 4K-resto BDs have a raised pitch. Furthermore, the 2008 5.1 and 4K-resto 5.1 differ in content in the scene where Tony Leung drinks coffee in slow-mo, with the 2008 version having only background / ambient sound, while the 4K-resto version plays Faye Wong’s song. Note that it's quite easy to pitch correct the 4K-resto 5.1 to match the original pitch and only a delay adjustment is needed to sync.
Director: Wong Kar-Wai
Criterion 4K Blu-ray has original SDR master while Plaion Germany and France has a subtle additional HDR-regrade. Either one is good depending on user preference.
Important to note, Criterion 4K Blu-ray still has different color timing from 2008 Criterion Blu-ray see https://caps-a-holic.com/c.php?go=1&a=0&d1=15680&d2=15679&s1=165346&s2=165329&i=10&l=0
Original mono is on the 1996 Japan DVD and 2005 Spain Boxset DVD. But 2008 Criterion Blu-ray’s 5.1 remix at least is in the correct pitch. All 5.1 tracks on later 4K-resto BDs have a raised pitch. Furthermore, the 2008 5.1 and 4K-resto 5.1 differ in content in the scene where Tony Leung drinks coffee in slow-mo, with the 2008 version having only background / ambient sound, while the 4K-resto version plays Faye Wong’s song. Note that it's quite easy to pitch correct the 4K-resto 5.1 to match the original pitch and only a delay adjustment is needed to sync.
Director: Wong Kar-Wai
Director: Wong Kar-Wai
Director: Wong Kar-Wai
2012 Criterion Blu-ray, 4K Blu-ray unrecommended because of controversial colours, no HDR, minimal resolution uptick, and DNR master
2012 Criterion Blu-ray is the most accurate, but some may prefer the Criterion 4K Blu-ray
2002 Criterion DVD for original Dolby Digital 5.0 theatrical. The 4K Blu-ray 5.1 adds additional foley and effects.
Director: Wong Kar-Wai
2012 Criterion Blu-ray, 4K Blu-ray unrecommended because of controversial colours, no HDR, minimal resolution uptick, and DNR master
2012 Criterion Blu-ray is the most accurate, but some may prefer the Criterion 4K Blu-ray
2002 Criterion DVD for original Dolby Digital 5.0 theatrical. The 4K Blu-ray 5.1 adds additional foley and effects.
Director: Noah Baumbach
Director: Noah Baumbach
Director: Leo McCarey
Director: Leo McCarey
Director: Andrei Tarkovsky
Mosfilm official 4K Youtube Streaming
See comparison vs German Filmjuwelen 4K Blu-ray which is a 2K upscale of the previous restoration
Criterion/Artificial Eye Blu-ray are even older restoration than the Filmjuwelen 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray
Filmjuwelen 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray has incorrect pitch on the Russian audio see thread
Director: Andrei Tarkovsky
Mosfilm official 4K Youtube Streaming
See comparison vs German Filmjuwelen 4K Blu-ray which is a 2K upscale of the previous restoration
Criterion/Artificial Eye Blu-ray are even older restoration than the Filmjuwelen 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray
Filmjuwelen 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray has incorrect pitch on the Russian audio see thread
Criterion 4K Blu-ray scheduled for October 2026 release
1991 Orion LaserDisc vs 2024 Arrow 4K Blu-ray
Criterion 4K Blu-ray scheduled for October 2026 release
1991 Orion LaserDisc vs 2024 Arrow 4K Blu-ray
Director: Dušan Makavejev
Transgressive Visions German 4K Blu-ray
Director: Dušan Makavejev
Transgressive Visions German 4K Blu-ray
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