Visible Secret: Limited Edition – Radiance Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Hong Kong, 2001
Director: Ann Hui
Writer: Abe Kwong
Cast: Eason Chan, Shu Qi, Anthony Chau-Sang Wong, Sam Lee, James Wong, Yiu-Cheung Lai, Kara Wai, Tony Liu, Tat-Ming Cheung, Jo Kuk

Release Date: October 23rd, 2023 (UK), October 24th, 2023 (USA)
Approximate running time: 102 Minutes 48 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: 15 (UK), NR (USA)
Sound: DTS-HD 5.1 Cantonese
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: £16.99 (UK), $34.95 (USA)

"Instantly infatuated by enigmatic amnesiac June (Shu Qi, Millennium Mambo) who has the ability to see spirits, Peter is swept into a world where he has one foot in the past, one in the present, and somehow has to figure out which is which." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, “Visible Secret was transferred in High-Definition by Media Asia and supplied to Radiance Films as a digital file."

Visible Secret comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 35.6 GB

Feature: 29 GB

The source used for this transfer is in excellent shape. Flesh tones look healthy, colors are nicely saturated, image clarity and black levels are strong, and compression is solid. That said, this is another solid encode from Fidelity in Motion.

Audio: 4.5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in Cantonese with removable English subtitles. The audio is in excellent shape, the dialog always comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced and robust when it should.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a theatrical trailer (1 minute 34 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo with Cantonese and English text), an archival making-of documentary featuring interviews with the cast and crew and behind-the-scenes footage (14 minutes 26 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Cantonese with removable English subtitles), a conversation between Ann Hui and NYAFF director Ken Smith who was also on set for the original shoot (13 minutes 48 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a visual essay by film critic and programmer Alexandra Heller-Nicholas (14 minutes 15 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), reversible cover art, removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings and a 28-page booklet (single pressing of 2500 copies) with cast & crew information, an essay titled Visible Secret and the Look of Hong Kong Horror written by Gary Bettinson, an essay titled New Millennium, Old Ghosts written by Dylan Cheung, and information about the transfer.

Summary:

Directed by Ann Hui, whose other notable films are The Secret, The Spooky Bunch, Boat People, and Song of the Exile.

The narrative revolves around a man who becomes infatuated with a woman who sees ghosts.

Hong Kong cinema has long been known for genre mixing, with some scenes falling into multiple different genres. Case in point: Visible Secret, a film that has romance, comedy, and the supernatural. With the latter playing a prominent role in the story at hand.

Visible Secret grabs you with a jaw-dropping sequence where a man waiting for a tram is decapitated. From there, his headless boy gets up and walks down the street before finally collapsing. Besides being jarring, this opening sequence also holds the key to why the things that are happening happen.

As good as the performances are, it is its two leads, Eason Chan (Naked Ambition) in the role of Peter Wong Choi, a hairdresser who falls in love with a woman he met at a disco, and Shu Qi (So Close) in the role of June, aka Wong Siu-kam, a woman who claims to have a third eye that allows her to see ghosts, that stand out the most. Another thing that helps their performances is their onscreen chemistry.

From a production standpoint, there is no area where Visible Secret does not excel. The premise is superbly realized, and the narrative does a phenomenal job building momentum towards a twist finale that reveals a ‘visible secret’ that was always out in the open. Also, there are several well-executed jump scares and stylish visuals that often employ odd angles to enhance the mood. Ultimately, Visible Secret is a well-crafted film that is a very satisfying mix of romance, humor and horror.

Visible Secret gets an excellent release from Radiance Films that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and insightful extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer