John
01-09-2011, 06:48 AM
I've just sat down to my first time with Vengeance! (1970). Choreography was mostly by the numbers, with some interesting takes here and there. But the real attraction of this entry was the stylish cinematography; several rich compositions come to mind, such as the opening opera sequence. It's a clever bit of foreshadowing that really lingers and I completely didn't expect it from Chang Cheh. David Chiang is also a delight and it's good to just soak in his David Chiang-y-ness, yet the middle of the film still felt considerably less engaging. The soap opera antics of Chiang and his female interest get old really fast; her character doesn't really have a lot to offer besides eye candy. I'm beginning to suspect Chang Cheh's interactions with the fairer sex were not quite as informed as his brotherhood.
In terms of the DVD, I have overall better things to say about it than The Boxer from Shantung released by the same label; namely, I didn't find any of those weird ringing artifacts in the picture. This being a PAL disc, I am also happy to report there are no stereotypical ghosting issues here. On the other hand, I noticed the compression during darker scenes. Additionally, black levels and shadow detail were lacking; the end result is a very two dimensional presentation lacking in fine details.
Sound-wise, I only listened to the Mandarin audio with subtitles. It was pretty weak, but genuinely mono-sounding. The subtitles were white and borderless; I find these harder on the eyes than bordered yellow font, my personal favourite.
In terms of extras, there are the usual but welcome trailers and galleries in addition to bios (in German).
I got my hands on Vengeance! because I'd heard tell of its bloody combat and I've liked Chang Cheh classics such as The One-Armed Swordsman films and The Duel. Vengeance! does not approach the quality of these films, but it is an interesting aside that may or may not have a Chinese knockoff of Golgo 13 cast as a villain. MiB's disc does not descend to the depths of what I saw in The Boxer from Shantung. It is a world apart from the celluloid jewelry that's come to us from some of Dragon Dynasty and BCI/FUNimation's releases, but it's watchable and thankfully unmolested. Recommended for the Chang Cheh die-hards.:nerd:
In terms of the DVD, I have overall better things to say about it than The Boxer from Shantung released by the same label; namely, I didn't find any of those weird ringing artifacts in the picture. This being a PAL disc, I am also happy to report there are no stereotypical ghosting issues here. On the other hand, I noticed the compression during darker scenes. Additionally, black levels and shadow detail were lacking; the end result is a very two dimensional presentation lacking in fine details.
Sound-wise, I only listened to the Mandarin audio with subtitles. It was pretty weak, but genuinely mono-sounding. The subtitles were white and borderless; I find these harder on the eyes than bordered yellow font, my personal favourite.
In terms of extras, there are the usual but welcome trailers and galleries in addition to bios (in German).
I got my hands on Vengeance! because I'd heard tell of its bloody combat and I've liked Chang Cheh classics such as The One-Armed Swordsman films and The Duel. Vengeance! does not approach the quality of these films, but it is an interesting aside that may or may not have a Chinese knockoff of Golgo 13 cast as a villain. MiB's disc does not descend to the depths of what I saw in The Boxer from Shantung. It is a world apart from the celluloid jewelry that's come to us from some of Dragon Dynasty and BCI/FUNimation's releases, but it's watchable and thankfully unmolested. Recommended for the Chang Cheh die-hards.:nerd: