Import Week 2025, Day 3: Bright Star

Angel At My Table and The Piano may be her most famous films, but Bright Star is probably my favorite Jane Campion (to really call it, I'd have to go back and rewatch Portrait Of a Lady).  At the most basic level could be described as a John Keats biopic, but it's so much deeper than that.  It's also actually the story of Keats' fiancee rather than the poet himself.  It's also a rich exploration of Keats' work, poetry in general and a tragic romance, while still being quite sharp and witty.  There's a debate in-film about whether poetry should spark the head or the heart, this film does both.  I wasn't particularly familiar with any of the cast, but they're all pitch perfect, even the kids.  And as beautifully shot as this movie is, it's really the strikingly original soundtrack, which has some nice strings and stuff, but most notably features a full vocal choir performing these gently lyrical pieces of Mozart.

So like yesterday's post, this is another DVD-only release from Sony, who released this as a new release in 2010, and at least it's not entirely featureless (more on that below).  But it did come out on blu that same year in different parts of the world, including Australia, Germany and Norway.  I went with the Pathe disc from France because they gave it the fullest special edition.  They released it as both a BD and BD/ DVD combo-pack, plus a stand-alone DVD version and a single disc BD reissue in 2015.  I went with the combo-pack, so we can look at three versions today.

1) 2010 US Sony DVD; 2) 2010 FR Pathe DVD; 3) 2010 FR Pathe BD.

As is the norm for Import Week, these discs are using the same master for their transfers, so the biggest distinction between the two DVDs is just that the French one is PAL.  It's not the only distinction, though, as the Sony disc is 1.84:1, which Pathe corrects to 1.85:1 (the Sony has a basically imperceptible vertical stretch, which you'd only catch in a direct screenshot comparison like this).  But PQ-wise, the only real pertinent difference is the BD bumping the image up to HD.  It sharpens the picture and gives the edges cleaner lines.  This film sometimes has a softer look, which can disguise the benefits, but there are also a number of gorgeous, richly detailed wide shots that significantly benefit from the additional clarity.

The blu also bumps the 5.1 track up to DTS-HD, and the French discs both include a French dub in 5.1, also in DTS-HD on the blu.  The one downside is that Sony included optional English and English HoH subtitles, while the Pathe only has optional French ones.  French discs often have a bad (and deserved) rep for forced subs, but they're perfectly removable here; they don't even default to on.

Working With Jane

So again, the Sony isn't entirely bereft.  It has one deleted scene and three very short featurettes (ranging from two to three minutes each) which interview Campion.  Stitched together, that's a 7-minute interview with the director, which is better than nothing.  It also has a whole bunch of bonus trailers, but none for Bright Star itself.

Pathe, on the other hand, has a whole bunch more.  It has the same deleted scene as the Sony, plus another one.  And it has a really nicely-crafted half hour behind-the-scenes documentary entitled Working With Jane.  And it has three of Campion's early short films: A Girl's Own Story (1984), Passionless Moments (1983) and An Exercise in Discipline (1982), making this a bit of a treasure trove for Campion fans.  It also includes a photo gallery and the film's French-language trailer.  Plus it comes in a cool, purple case.  I think some also came in a slipcover, but AmazonFR didn't send one with mine.

Pathe doesn't include the three featurettes from the Sony, though.  So if you want to be a hardcore completist, you can pick up the US disc and pair 'em together for a fuller special edition.  But honestly, they're awfully short, so I'd only consider it if it was a cheap used copy.  Or if, like me, you already had the DVD and are just double-dipping to the blu as an upgrade.

Import Week 2025, Day 2: The Painted Veil

Today for Import Week, we turn our attentions to Germany.  And as promised, it's a title that's DVD-only here in the US, so if you want this film at all in HD, you have to import it.  I'm talking about Der Bunte Schleier, better known as 2006's The Painted Veil.

The Painted Veil is, of course, an adaptation of W. Somerset Maugham's 1925 novel of the same name.  This is actually the third time it's been brought to the silver screen, after 1957's The Seventh Sin starring George Sanders, and probably the most famous Painted Veil, the 1937 version starring Greta Garbo.  Both of those films took a bunch of liberties though, especially The Seventh Sin, which changes the period, setting and everything; while the '37 totally cops out on the novel's poignant ending.  So this latest adaptation is the go-to choice for a vibrant, fleshed-out telling of the original story.

It's also the only one not studio bound, shot on exotic - both beautiful and disturbing - location rather than flat Hollywood sets.  With its fluid camera and naturalistic performances, this is the first to marry some reality to the author's vision.  When a young London doctor finds his high society wife cheating on him, he decides to drag her along with him into an expedition into a small Chinese village suffering from a deadly Cholera epidemic, out of spite.  So if you're expecting your usual breathy period melodrama, be prepared for how bleak and hard this story goes.  They definitely do not dial down the cruelty and smallness that run through Ed Norton's character like most movies would.  Besides him and Naomi Watts, who you see on the cover there, this stars Liev Schreiber, Toby Jones and The Avengers' Diana Rigg, all of whom are bringing their A game to this project.  Also, fun fact: Sally Hawkins (Bring Her Back, The Shape of Water) appears in the closing credits, but not the film itself.  She must've gotten cut.  If we ever do get a US blu-ray release of this film, let's hope it includes deleted scenes.

But I'm not holding my breath.  So until such a time, let's look at the options we actually do have.  Warner Bros released this as a barebones new release DVD in 2007 and... that's the whole story, at least here in the US.  But Germany came to the rescue in 2009 with a proper blu-ray release from Ascot Elite Home Entertainment.  It even has a little something by way of special features.

2007 US Warner Bros DVD top; 2009 DE Ascot Elite BD bottom.

2007 US Warner Bros DVD left; 2009 DE Ascot Elite BD right.

Warner presents The Painted Veil in 2.39:1, which Ascot tweaks to 2.41:1.  There's no extra picture either way; the image is just a pinch wider on the BD.  Honestly, I'm not sure which is correct, and wouldn't be surprised if the ideal is actually 2.40:1.  And unsurprisingly, this appears to be the same master used for both transfers.  The color timing, framing, contrast levels etc are all identical.  But the jump from SD to HD alone counts for a lot of clarity, as you can see in our 600% close-ups above.  It's like removing a sheet of wax paper off the picture to see the clear image underneath.  Of course, the difference is a lot more subtle when you're not zoomed in, but it's still enough to notice on a good sized set.  Obviously, a fresh scan would be ideal; we really don't see any film grain on either disc.  But the Ascot is still a worthwhile upgrade.

Another benefit of the blu, naturally is the lossless audio.  Warner Bros and Ascot Elite share the same 5.1 mix, but it's in DTS-HD on the blu.  The blu also includes a 5.1 German dub in DTS-HD, which is pretty immaterial, but it does lead to its one shortcoming.  The DVD includes optional English subtitles, as well as Spanish and French.  But the BD only has German subs.  Fortunately, the film does have burnt-in English subtitles for the rare bits of Chinese dialogue on both discs.

And did I mention extras?  Yes, Warner Bros has nothing but the trailer and some bonus trailers.  Ascot also has the trailer, albeit dubbed into German, and some bonus trailers.  But it also has a collection of cast and crew interviews. The four leads and the director all provide your typical EPK Q&As on location, and then there's another brief chat with Norton and Watts together at a press junket.  It's all brief, somewhere between ten and fifteen minutes total; but it's a lot nicer to have than nothing.  But that's it, though.  Ascot's release also comes with reversible artwork so you can hide the big, mandated ratings logo, which is appreciated.

So there you have it: a maybe not spectacular, but still essential foreign release of an under-appreciated American film.  Settle in for several more of those as Import Week continues...

Import Week 2025, Day 1: Return To Seoul

Okay, gang, it's time for a new "Week:" Update Week 2025!  For starters, as you can see, we've got 2022's Return To Seoul, where the import blu is superior to the domestic release.  Every Day hereafter will go another step even further: each release is DVD-only here in the states, and only available on blu via import.  Of course, as always, this is written from my local US-centric point of view in regards to what constitutes an "import."  Depending on where you live, dear reader, you may instead be learning some ways you're better off than your American compatriots.  Either way, you're going to be looking at some lesser known, yet higher quality, releases of some great films, so let's get started.

Return To Seoul is the second, but really the international break-out, feature by Korean writer/ director Davy Chou.  Park Ji-min is a French citizen whose holiday gets diverted to her birth country of Korea, where she gets unexpectedly gets put on the path to finding the parents who put her up for adoption/ emigration as a baby.  What's great about this film, besides its luscious photography and incredible lead performance, is how militantly unsentimental it is.  This is the polar opposite of some sappy, Hallmark family drama, and the plot goes in some directions I can guarantee you won't predict unless you've had it spoiled for you.  Is it dark?  Yeah, but more to the point, it just stubbornly refuses to replace honesty with your typical Hollywood romanticism.  This is the rare movie with an ending that hits because it cut no emotional corners along the way.

So Sony Pictures Classics released this on DVD and blu in 2023.  I've just got the DVD for us today, because it was barebones and so undesirable.  I mean, I would've gotten the BD if that was all there was, but in the UK, Mubi released it just a couple months later as a nice, little special edition.  There's also a French 2-disc set, which looks enticing as it also includes Chou's debut, 2016's Diamond Island, but neither blu is English-friendly at all, so that's off the table.  But Mubi's in the UK, so it's perfectly English, right down to the packaging (I don't know why, but I see some people online get really hung up on that).

2023 US Sony DVD top; 2023 UK Mubi BD bottom.

This is a new release, so it was safe to expect the same DCP to be used as a master on every release of this, as we can see is the case between Sony and Mubi.  It was also shot digitally, so there's no questions of film scanning or grain hunting.  But you can definitely see the quality jump between SD and HD.  First of all, Sony is slightly horizontally pinched to 1.83:1, while Mubi has the exactly correct 1.85:1 aspect ratio.  But more critically is just the jump in resolution.  Chou's imagery is full of fine detail, which gets soft and distilled on the DVD.  Furthermore, the many underlit club and night scenes get hazy, where it's harder to discern facial expressions on the Sony.  So it's really worth spending that little bit extra for a blu.

Of course, it helps that both blus have the original 5.1 audio in DTS-HD.  The DVD is obviously lossy.  Mubi also throws in a 2.0 mix, also in DTS-HD.  Both discs include optional English subtitles, parsed out into three separate versions on the Mubi: full, HoH and only for the non-English dialogue.   Sony drops the third, but throws in French and Spanish subtitles for international viewers.  So all in all, I'd say that makes the Mubi slightly preferable for English-language viewers.

Cambodia 2099

But of course where it really shines is in the extras.  All Sony has is the trailer, and a collection of bonus trailers.  Though, to be fair, the trailer is curiously absent from the UK release.  But that's hardly competitive to what Mubi's got, starting with an on-camera interview with Chou.  He speaks in English, though there are still optional English subtitles as well.  Then there's his 2014 short film, Cambodia 2099.  Presented in 1.86:1 HD with removable subs, it's not as powerful a work as Return, but it's still rather good.  Finally, there's a behind-the-scenes look at the rehearsal for Ji-min's famous dance scene.  Interestingly, here her friends are also dancing, which they do not do in the final film.  Mubi also springs for the fancier packaging, including six art cards and a slipcover.

So sure, if you just want to watch the film, the US release will do just as well.  But fans who care will definitely want to spring for the Mubi. And if you're thinking of getting any of these international releases this Import Week, I'll just throw in a gentle reminder that you might want to do so before our president locks us ever deeper into our tariffed off fortress nation.