Center Stage (1991)
阮玲玉
Drama, Romance, History • 2h 35m
Director: Stanley Kwan Kam-Pang
Cast: Maggie Cheung, Tony Leung Ka-fai, Ronald Chin Han, Carina Lau, Lawrence Ng Kai-Wah, Cecilia Yip Tung, Waise Lee Chi-Hung, Paul Chang Chung, Maryanna Yip, Hsiao Hsiang, Fu Chong, Cheng Xiaohua, Xiao Rongsheng, Shen Ye, Sun Dongguang, Zheng Dali, Dai Tian, Wang Qi'er, Shen Yu, Tang Weiqian, Xue Guoping, Han Jun, Shi Yiqiang, Jin Renpei, Zhou Jie, Ni Yihua, Xu Xing, Wu Jing, Fu Hengzhi, Jin Xiaoqiang, Yao Maozong, Wang Hui, Claude Monges, Carrie Lanese, Zhu Qimin, Cheng Hong, Zhang Xiaomin, Wu Huibiao, Hu Ronghua, Zheng Lieqiong, Wang Shimin, Zhang Runqiu, Zhang Bo, Huang Daliang, Zhu Guangping, Yumiko Cheng Hei-Yi, Stanley Kwan Kam-Pang, Chen Yanyan, Li Lili
Best English-friendly release
Updated 4 months ago
Best video release
Pick your poison: USA Film Movement Blu-ray (two scenes cut / censored & slight Ritrovata yellow tint) or UK 88 Films Blu-ray (DNR). nic’s review
About the film
Based on the tragic true story of China's first prima donna of the silver screen, Ruan Lingyu, chronicling her rise to fame as a movie actress in Shanghai during the 1930s.
- Alternative Titles
- The New China Woman
Director: Lam Nai-choi
88 Films UK or Vinegar Syndrome US Blu-ray (preference)
Different color gradings, 88 Films disc is encoded by FiM but Vinegar Syndrome encode (by Marcus Johnson) is more than robust
Vinegar Syndrome potentially has better audio than 88 Films, due to VinSyn possibly having EQ'd the audio mix after Fortune Star scanned the track in a way that makes it sound too hot, whereas 88 left it alone without addressing that issue. However, no direct comparisons exist
Director: Iain Softley
Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)
Both 88 Films and Germany Capelight are superior to the Shout! Factory in HDR10 but their FEL layer may even things out. Objectively, the Capelight looks best as they avoided the chroma blocking that’s visible in 88’s disc but they in turn included an Atmos mix. I have the Shout! Factory, love how it looks and the 4K transfer is spectacular. https://slow.pics/c/vPmFQSAH
Shout! Factory has the exclusive The Beauty of the Baud and the You Can't Stop Us All featurettes.
Germany Filmjuwelen 4K Blu-ray is disappointing with AI upscaling
Director: Michael Mann
Director: James Wong
UK 88 Films 4K Blu-ray in November encoded by FiM
Director: Deran Sarafian
Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)
MVD 4K Blu-ray beautiful remaster but with frame rate skips (encoding error)
Directors: Brian Taylor & Mark Neveldine
UK 88 Films 4K Blu-ray in November
88 Films and Vinegar Syndrome have different extras
Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab) · slow.pics (opens in a new tab)
UK 88 Films 4K Blu-ray See caps
DE Nameless 4K Blu-ray is an extremely poor AI upscale. See caps
More Drama on Blu-ray
Director: Robert Altman
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)
Cinematrographe's HDR grading is overcooked, which is a known VinSyn tendency. Additionally, their booklet mis-credits the encode to FiM.
YMMV, but for some, the included BD encoded by Marcus Johnson—ironically may make for a more pleasing experience.
Director: Roman Polanski
Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)
UK 4K teased by 88 Films https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?p=24252379
Carlotta France 4K Blu-ray > Vinegar Syndrome 4K Blu-ray (better encode on Carlotta without any low-pass filtering, more extras and English subtitles on Vinegar Syndrome)
Director: John Woo
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)
Arrow has a different grade and a better encode than the Shout! Factory, though the difference in either is not major. Imprint release, which leaves Shout! Factory's master and subtitles as is, is encoded by FiM. https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=24473097&postcount=56
Original mix: Shout! Factory 4K Blu-ray
Alternate mix: Scanbox Nordic PAL DVD
Surround remix: HK Video France 4K Blu-ray (5.0)
Original mix: Shout! Factory 4K Blu-ray (similar to Criterion LaserDisc, but less distorted)
Alternate mix: Scanbox Nordic PAL DVD
Surround remix: HK Video France 4K Blu-ray (5.0)
Arrow used the alternate mix, but with extra filtering and lowered dynamic range. The alternate mix has much better fidelity.
Imprint presumably used the Shout! Factory original mix and left it as is, though no official confirmation.
Director: Richard Brooks
4K restoration from Original Camera Negative
Director: Vincent Sherman
4K restoration from Original Camera Negative
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
Arrow 4K Blu-ray > Criterion 4K Blu-ray > Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray
1991 Orion LaserDisc vs 2024 Arrow 4K Blu-ray
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