Viva Erotica – Kani (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Hong Kong, 1996
Directors: Derek Yee, Lo Chi-Leung
Writers: Derek Yee, Lo Chi-Leung, Ka Man
Cast: Leslie Cheung, Karen Mok, Shu Qi, Law Kar-ying, Paul Chun, Elvis Tsui, Allen Ting, Sean Lau, Anthony Wong Chau-Sang, Peter Ngor, Teddy Chan, Vincent Kok 

Release Date: September 27th, 2022
Approximate Running Time: 99 Minutes 18 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Cantonese, DTS-HD Mono Mandarin
Subtitles: English, Chinese
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $39.98

"Beloved Hong Kong icon Leslie Cheung (Happy Together) stars as Sing, an ambitious out-of-work filmmaker with two flops to his name. When his producer secures funding for his next project from a freshly cleaned-up Triad financier, he is saddled with the sexy Taipei starlet Mango (Shu Qi). Tasked with being more "Wong Jing than Wong Kar-wai" and encouraged by his long-suffering girlfriend (pop diva Karen Mok), Sing gets to work on his first softcore film." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "This transfer of Viva Erotica originates from the original camera negative."

Viva Erotica comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 21.9 GB

Feature: 18.1 GB

The source looks excellent, flesh tones and colors look correct, image clarity, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image retains an organic look.

Audio: 4.5/5 (DTS-HD Mono Cantonese, DTS-HD Mono Mandarin)

This release comes with two audio tracks, a DTS-HD mono mix in Cantonese and a DTS-HD mono mix in Mandarin. Both audio tracks sound clean, clear, balanced, and robust when they should. Included are removable English subtitles for the Cantonese language track and a removable Chinese subtitle track.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an interview with director Lo Chi-leung (30 minutes 9 seconds, DTS-HD stereo Cantonese with non-removable English subtitles), an audio commentary with film scholar Brian Hu and journalist Ada Tseng of the podcast Saturday School, an embossed and spot gloss slipcover limited to 3,000 units, and a 12-page booklet with an essay titled Viva Erotica, Viva Leslie Cheung written by Ross Chen.

Summary:

A Cat-III film production company offers an opportunity for a director who is currently out of work to revive his career by directing one of their films. Reluctant to take on the film, the director searches for a compromise between artistic integrity and financial security.

Though Viva Erotica is a film within a film satire, what unfolds often veers into metacinema. Also, a lot of Viva Erotica is based on real events experienced by director Lo Chi-leung. Another area where Viva Erotica blurs the line between reality and fantasy are cameos by Hong Kong film industry people. There is even a character named after one of Viva Erotica’s directors.

When discussing a film like Viva Erotica, one should put into context the state of Hong Kong cinema. Two years before the British handover of Hong Kong to mainland China, Cat III films were the easiest to get funding for. And when it comes to exploring the state of Hong Kong cinema at that moment, Viva Erotica delivers in spades.

From its first moment, it is clear that Viva Erotica is a film that will keep you on your toes. In this opening moment, two lovers in an apartment passionately have sex, and as the moment evolves, the apartment is drenched by what appears to be rain. And when they reach a climax, the camera pulls back to reveal a film crew. This moment is a perfect example of the artificiality of filmmaking.

The most impressive aspect of Viva Erotica is its phenomenal cast, who are all excellent in their roles, especially Leslie Cheung (A Better Tomorrow) in the role of Sing, a filmmaker at a crossroads. He delivers a pitch-perfect performance of a conflicted artist on the verge of a nervous breakdown. When his character gets lost in a fantasy, his performance shines brightest.

Shu Qi's portrayal of Mango, a terrible actress with limited range, is worth noting. Her character is the girlfriend of a gangster who is financing the film, and she obviously got the part because she is very attractive. Also, it is difficult to intentionally portray bad acting in the same way someone deliberately sings bad. Anthony Wong Chau-Sang (Taxi Hunter) makes an appearance, portraying a director who is obviously meant to be Wong Jing.

Viva Erotica is a film that takes place in the world of Cat III cinema; it should not be a surprise that there is a lot of adult content. That said, most of the nudity comes from Shu Qi, who looks stunning throughout.

From a production standpoint, Viva Erotica is a film where everything perfectly falls into place. The narrative moves along briskly, and the humor never misses the mark. The most surprising aspect of Viva Erotica are the visuals. Ultimately, though Viva Erotica is a black comedy about filmmaking, it is also a heartfelt film about cinema.

Viva Erotica gets an excellent release from Kani that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and a trio of informative extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer