Grandmasters: Scorsese/Wong

Two titans of modern cinema talking for 20 minutes is my version of an opulent dessert. What I would do for a series of these such interviews in the style of Hitchcock/Truffaut (get the book or listen to the twelve hours of raw audio).

Originally posted by Deadline, they include one of my favorite bits of trivia about Wong Kar-wai's The Grandmaster: it was shot on film.

...he knew the end was near and his digital career would soon begin when Fuji sent him the last film stock during the long shoot accompanied by a letter that said it would be the last shipment. No more film.

It's a shame that the US home video release of the film does not include the longer, superior Hong Kong cut.

THE GRANDMASTER Blu-ray: US/International Cut Only

A freshly arrived press release confirms that the re-dated US Blu-ray for Wong Kar-wai's The Grandmaster does not include the longer Hong Kong cut. In an age of declining physical media purchasing, I think this is a big mistake (as usual with Asian releases) on the Weinstein Company's part.

...special features include THE GRANDMASTER: From Ip Man to Bruce Lee, A Conversation with Shannon Lee (Daughter of Bruce Lee), THE GRANDMASTER: According to RZA and Behind the Scenes footage.

Those extras don't make me feel like I'm missing anything by having imported the Hong Kong disc. If they send me a copy, I'll cover it here, but I can't convince myself to shell out for this one.

I prefer the longer version by a wide margin, but according to a conversation I had with Wong at San Diego Comic-Con in 2013, the US re-edit was done with his direct involvement, and he likes it. Contrary to the alarmism of others, I like that there are two cuts the director is happy with, since it's the musical equivalent of a remix.

THE GRANDMASTER Trailer

The Hong Kong cut of Wong Kar-wai's newest movie runs 130 minutes. The original title is The Grandmasters. This "international" version is 115 minutes and only drops the "s" at the end of the title.

I have an import Blu-ray on its way so that I can watch the intended edit first.

This feels like the good old days, when Harvey Weinstein was re-editing and re-titling Asian martial arts movies for no real good reason, not to mention putting extremely didactic english voiceover on top of the trailer. This newest telling of the Ip Man story starring Tony Leung hits US cinemas on 23 August.