THE LOOT: Joysales VS. Wa print (screenshots)

[Daigoro]

THE LOOT Joysales VS. Wa ... Let the battle begin.

Although the Joysales color scheme is refined and has been corrected (compared to the slightly tinged Wa print), the Wa print holds
a single but most factor-able thing in it's favor. The Wa print is not cut. I am not speaking of run-times, the Joysales print is cut
(cropped) both vertically and horizontally as well. Although from the screenshots both seem to be true in a true 16x9 (1:85:1), the
WA print is actually letter-boxed. It is only for the sake of *side*by*side* comparisons that i have them displayed alike. Although
the joysales print appears to be superior, in actuality when you take into account how much it has been cropped the winner is Wa.
Furthermore, the Wa print's color is not so off as to be uncorrectable. A few other quick notes. Joysales Print has both original
Mandarin and a Cantonese audio selection i have not seen before. The Wa print has the original Mandarin audio, but for the record
it also has a slight echo. The subtitles: The subtitles in the joysales print are ok, almost any script can be strengthened with a
careful choice of words so there is room for improvement. Wa subtitles are decent but at times seem auto-translated (see screens).


Joysales
http://i498.photobucket.com/albums/rr347/Flashlegsrare/js--m.jpg
WA (Print)
http://i498.photobucket.com/albums/rr347/Flashlegsrare/wa-m.jpg




Joysales (fortune star)
http://i498.photobucket.com/albums/rr347/Flashlegsrare/loot-js-02.jpg

WA
http://i498.photobucket.com/albums/rr347/Flashlegsrare/loot-wa-02.jpg



Joysales (fortune star)
http://i498.photobucket.com/albums/rr347/Flashlegsrare/loot-js-04.jpg

WA
http://i498.photobucket.com/albums/rr347/Flashlegsrare/loot-wa-04.jpg

Joysales (fortune star)
http://i498.photobucket.com/albums/rr347/Flashlegsrare/loot-js-05.jpg

WA
http://i498.photobucket.com/albums/rr347/Flashlegsrare/loot-wa-05.jpg

Joysales (fortune star)
http://i498.photobucket.com/albums/rr347/Flashlegsrare/loot-js-06.jpg

WA
http://i498.photobucket.com/albums/rr347/Flashlegsrare/loot-wa-06.jpg

Joysales (fortune star)
http://i498.photobucket.com/albums/rr347/Flashlegsrare/loot-js-07.jpg

WA
http://i498.photobucket.com/albums/rr347/Flashlegsrare/loot-wa-07.jpg

Joysales (fortune star)
http://i498.photobucket.com/albums/rr347/Flashlegsrare/loot-js-08.jpg

WA
http://i498.photobucket.com/albums/rr347/Flashlegsrare/loot-wa-08.jpg

Joysales (fortune star)
http://i498.photobucket.com/albums/rr347/Flashlegsrare/loot-js-09.jpg

WA
http://i498.photobucket.com/albums/rr347/Flashlegsrare/loot-wa-09.jpg

Joysales (fortune star)
http://i498.photobucket.com/albums/rr347/Flashlegsrare/loot-js-10.jpg

WA
http://i498.photobucket.com/albums/rr347/Flashlegsrare/loot-wa-10.jpg

Joysales (fortune star)
http://i498.photobucket.com/albums/rr347/Flashlegsrare/loot-js-11.jpg

Wa
http://i498.photobucket.com/albums/rr347/Flashlegsrare/loot-wa-11.jpg

[The Dragon]

... I love the Joy Sales (Fortune Star's) subs a lot more! :wink:

[Markgway]

The Fortune Star print is superior... shame about the cropping.

A couple of additional points:

1. The OAR is 2.35 as shown in those caps not 1.85.
2. The original language is Cantonese not Mandarin.

[BaronK]

Isn't the WA one the one with that seeeerious echo? Believe that it's mandarin as well, yes?

[Daigoro]

The Mandarin audio track on the WA release is the original. You can tell on the Cantonese track that it is not David Chiang or
anyone else's real voice. I also disagree that the Joysales print is superior. The release may have been, but the Wa print has
the most potential as i have shown clearly below. It took me a while to do this, but i wanted to be able to back up the claim.
I agree. The aspect ratio is 2.35, not 1:85:1. (right click view image for full size).

http://i498.photobucket.com/albums/rr347/Flashlegsrare/a-comparectreasure.jpg

http://i498.photobucket.com/albums/rr347/Flashlegsrare/a-comparebtreasure.jpg

http://i498.photobucket.com/albums/rr347/Flashlegsrare/a-compareatreasure.jpg

[Markgway]

I can only base my opinion on what was released not a print's potential. How many here are going to reauthor their discs with corrections? As it stands - cropping aside - the Joy Sales print looks a touch better.

The Loot is a Cantonese film. Did anyone do their own voice work on the Mandarin dub? That's unusual but I suppose not unprecedented.

[kaleyboy]

Cantonese film, but most films of the day were made in mandarin, and the cantonese track was the dub, with mandarin being the original audio. But that's in general - I don't know if it was the case for The Loot.

[thundered mantis]

In the caps, cropping aside, the FS looks better I´d say, bot both on my telly and projector, the WA looks better (just viewing experience, not throughly comparation).

[Markgway]

By 1980 when The Loot was released most HK films were Cantonese and this is no exception.

Lo Wei drifted between HK and Taiwanese, Cantonese and Mandarin films throughout the 70s and 80s.

[HAZ]

The joy sales print looks too dark.

[kungfusamurai]

What I wanna know is what is 'bitch power'? :)

I won't be double dipping for the Joysales version. The WA is adequate, even though it probably has that horrible echo on the audio they liked putting on their DVDs.

I'll wait for a blu-ray release before reinvesting in it.

KFS

[The Running Man]

What I wanna know is what is 'bitch power'? :)

Yeah I know. :biggrin: I haven't seen the movie in a while but apparently "bitch" was meant as "female dog" and "powder" was meant instead of "power".

Before anything, Diagoro you are wrong my friend. The Loot is a Cantonese film. It was a Hong Kong film made in 1980 by Eric Tsang and written by Wong Ying. That's a pretty strong "Cantonese" stamp right there.

Now your description of the subs is inappropriate. You write that Joysales subs are "okay" and that the WA subs are "decent". That doesn't really sound like much of a difference from your description but one look at those screen shots with the subs paints a different picture. Truth is, while the Joy Sales subs would benefit from a look over, it is a big improvement on the original subs which were on the WA DVD.

I started a thread asking about the Soulblade DVD sometime back over here (http://www.kungfucinema.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9367&highlight=Loot).

Diagoro, will you be also comparing the video with the UK DVD as well?

[Daigoro]

The Running man if you are right then Joysales (http://www.hkflix.com/xq/asp/filmID.546836/qx/details.htm) and Wa (http://www.hkflix.com/xq/asp/filmID.1122/qx/details.htm) are both wrong. They have both of those tracks listed as mandarin.
I am very familiar with David Chiangs and Lily's Li's real voice. The cantonese track is not them. My description for those subs
on the Wa / Joysales release is quite vague. I thought i would do as i did and let the screenshots speak for themselves. I must
add that at times, even though the Wa subtitles seemed the worst, that they were even more telling than the Joysales subtitles.
If you look at the screenshots you will see the translation has been extrapolated. I respect your view, thanks. I actually made
the comparison with you in mind and fulfilled my promise to compare the two in your original thread.

I happened to click that link today and i saw the screenshot of a version of the Loot, the distributor of which i am unable to
identify. Here are my findings, i was very surprised. It is probably common knowledge amongst devoted fans but The loot has
a english dub. It would be nice to make an Ultimate version containing all three tracks with the NEW print i made using the Wa
release. The last thing, the one that surprised me the most was when i found out the WA version and the Joysales version are
both cut by 20 minutes. I have no idea what scenes are cut. I have no idea where this print came from. If someone could help
to identify the distributor of the version below, that would be nice. I have no plans to compare the Soulblade print.

Who released the version below?
It is 20m longer (152:11) than the Wa (1:33:24) release or Joysales release!
http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/7215/clipboard01ll.jpg

[Markgway]

A dubbed version was released in the UK by Dragon DVD.

Never heard of a version lasting 112 min(!)

Cantonese trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8NFZM2sQAA&feature=player_embedded

[spannick]

English Dub is identical to the HK Prints content-wise.

[Daigoro]

I allowed that UNKNOWN version to run (alongside the Joysales print), there was NOTHING extra. Both copies in question did stop
at around 1:33:00. That UNKNOWN version still had around 19 minutes, and the film just stops. A final note, and probably my last
finding i will mention, is that the version of which i posted a screenshot up above is PAL. This leads me to lean towards believing it
could be the Dragon version. I was told it was.. and then someone told it was not. If anyone REALLY knows do tell, THANK YOU.

[Morgoth Bauglir]

So there isn't a 112 minute version? Or is there? I'm confused.

I just have the Joysales version. It has inspired me to become a famous assistant.

[Markgway]

So there isn't a 112 minute version? Or is there? I'm confused.

There isn't. Daigoro made a mistake.

[inframan]

I wan the Fortune Star just for the subs, that is hilarious.

I have a few WA dvd's that date back a few years, (OUATIC and Warriors Two) and that echo on the dub is really loud. Sounds like they recorded those dubs in a high school gym.