Suzhou River: Limited Edition – Radiance Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Germany/China, 2000
Director: Lou Ye
Writer: Lou Ye
Cast: Jia Hongsheng, Zhou Xun, Zhang Ming Fong, Hua Zhongkai, Nai An, Yao Anlian

Release Date: April 29th, 2024 (UK)
Approximate running time: 82 Minutes 44 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: 15 (UK)
Sound: DTS-HD 5.1 Mandarin
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region B
Retail Price: £14.99 (UK)

"A videographer narrates the story of Mardar, a small-time crook who delivers packages without asking questions, until he is tasked with delivering Moudan, the daughter of a shady smuggler. After a failed kidnapping attempt sees Moudan disappear and Mardar imprisoned, Mardar returns to the Suzhou River to look for Moudan. Instead, he discovers Meimei, a woman who looks identical to his long-lost love, and also happens to be the subject of our videographer narrator’s obsession." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, “Suzhou River was restored in 4K from the original 16mm A-Bnegative of the image from the laboratory Koplerwerk Babelsberg. The film was scanned by Screenshot AG Berlin, digital restoration removing instances of dirt and debris was performed at the Post-Republic and color-graded by Moritz Peters. Titles were rebuilt by Mieke Ulfig."

Suzhou River comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 31.7 GB

Feature: 23.1 GB

Though some minor source imperfections remain, there is an occasional line on the right side of the frame that is fortunately not present throughout. That said, I have no doubt that this transfer is as good as this film will ever look. Flesh tones are healthy, colors look correct, image clarity, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image always looks organic.

Audio: 5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in Mandarin with removable English subtitles. The audio sounds excellent, the dialog always comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and the score and ambient sounds are well-represented.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a theatrical trailer (1 minute 43 seconds, LPCM stereo Mandarin with non-removable English subtitles), a short film documentary portrait by director Lou Ye of his home city titled In Shanghai (16 minutes 10 seconds, LPCM stereo Mandarin with removable English subtitles), an interview with film critic and programmer Tony Rayns (32 minutes 38 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), reversible cover art, removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings and a 40-page booklet (limited to 3000 copies) cast & crew information, an essay titled Anatomy of a Fall: The Cinematic Building Blocks of Suzhou River written by Josh Slater-Williams, an essay titled In Shanghai (Zai Shangai) written by Tony Rayns, archival interview with Lou Ye by Frank Garbarz and Gregory Valens, an archival interview with producer Philippe Bober by Wang Muyan, information about the restoration and transfer notes.

Summary:

The narrative revolves around a small-time crook who works as a delivery driver. Though he usually delivers packages, one day a criminal hires him to drive his daughter home. Shortly thereafter, he falls in love with the girl. Along the way, he becomes entangled in a kidnapping scheme to extort money from her father. In the aftermath of the kidnapping, the girl jumps into the Suzhou River and disappears. Years later, he encounters a woman who looks exactly like the woman who jumped into the river.

After watching Suzhou River, the most obvious point of reference is Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo. Also, outside of both films being films about obsession that feature doppelgangers, there is nothing else that connects them. The divide between these two films is no clearer than how drastically different each of these films is when it comes to their resolutions.

Though the narrative is a story about three characters: Mardar, the delivery driver; Moudan, the woman he loved; and Meimei, her lookalike, none of these characters are the protagonist, at least in a conventional sense. The protagonist is a videographer who knows these characters and retells their tragic story.

The videographer's character is reflected in the Suzhou River's appearance, as he captures a large portion of the narrative through his camera lens. The handheld and unsteady camera work enhances the documentary-style vibe of the events that unfold. That said, the camera eye does a phenomenal job letting the performances take center stage.

Though there are a few minor characters, when it comes to the performances, it is Jia Hongsheng in the role of Mardar and Zhou Xun in the dual roles of Moudan and Meimei that carry this film. Convincingly portraying two characters is not an easy task, and Zhou Xun does an amazing job creating two distinctly different characters.

From a production standpoint, Suzhou River is a perfect example of do-it-yourself cinema. Despite its unconventional narrative, it is easy to digest, and its bittersweet finale lingers in your mind. Also, composer Jörg Lemberg's Bernard Herrmann-like score flawlessly captures the mood. Ultimately, Suzhou River is a well-made film about obsession that often exceeds the sum of its parts.

Suzhou River 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