Shanghai Blues – Film Movement Classics (UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: Hong Kong, 1984
Director: Tsui Hark
Writers: Chan Koon-Chung, Szeto Cheuk-Hon, Raymond To
Cast: Kenny Bee, Sylvia Chang, Sally Yeh, Tin Cing, Loletta Lee

Release Date: March 24th, 2026
Approximate Running Time: 105 Minutes 25 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / HDR10
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Mandarin/Shanghainese
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region Free (4K UHD), Region A (Blu-ray)
Retail Price: $49.98

"In 1937, after the Second Sino-Japanese War breaks out, a soldier and a young woman have an awkward meet-cute in darkness under a bridge as they seek refuge during a bomb raid. Although they can’t see each other’s faces, they promise to meet again after the dust settles. Ten years later the soldier, now a burgeoning songwriter and tuba player in a marching band, is back in town desperately searching for his would-be soulmate. As fate would have it, they end up living in the same building unbeknownst to each other. Through a series of mishaps he mistakes her new ingénue roommate for his love interest and wacky love triangle hijinks ensue." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5 (4K UHD), 4/5 (Blu-ray)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "The 4K restoration of Shanghai Blues was supervised from the original negative by Tsui Hark with L’Immagine Ritrovata."

Shanghai Blues comes on a 66 GB dual layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 58.6 GB

Feature: 57.8 GB

The source is in excellent shape, free of any damage or debris. Flesh tones look healthy, colors look correct, image clarity and black levels are strong, and there are no issues with compression. That said, there are moments where there appears to be some digital filtering of the image.

Shanghai Blues comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 38.1 GB

Feature: 27.8 GB

This Blu-ray uses the same master that is used for the 4K UHD disc.

Audio: 4/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in Mandarin and Shanghainese. There are also some dialogue exchanges in French, English, and Cantonese. Although the audio is clean and clear throughout, the music often feels noticeably louder than the dialogue. Included are removable English subtitles for all dialogue except for English.

Extras:

Extras on the 4K UHD disc include an audio commentary with Hong Kong film expert Frank Djeng.

Extras on the Blu-ray disc include a restoration trailer (1 minute 45 seconds, DTS-HD mono Mandarin/Shanghainese with non-removable English subtitles), an interview with director Tsui Hark (26 minutes, DTS-HD stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with film coordinator O Sing Pui (19 minutes 12 seconds, DTS-HD stereo Cantonese with removable English subtitles), and an audio commentary with Frank Djeng.

Other extras include a 16-page booklet with cast & crew information and an essay titled Song, Music, Love, and the Promise of a Happy Ending: Tsui Hark’s Shanghai Blues written by John Charles.

Summary:

Tsui Hark directed Shanghai Blues. He’s known for Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain, Peking Opera Blues, Once Upon a Time in China, The Banquet, Twin Dragons, and Time and Tide. Besides directing, he’s also produced these notable films: A Better Tomorrow, A Better Tomorrow II, A Chinese Ghost Story, The Killer, Iron Monkey, Burning Paradise, and Black Mask.

Two strangers seeking shelter during an air raid agree to meet under that same bridge 10 years later.

For those watching Shanghai Blues, like myself for the first time, be forewarned that the version currently available has been altered from its original theatrical release. There are two major changes; the first of these is a newly recorded multilingual soundtrack that replaced the original Cantonese-language track, and the other is the removal of a scene where a character is in blackface. Although I have only seen this revised version of Shanghai Blues, I can see how these changes affect the end result and not always in a positive way.

The name Tsui Hark is synonymous with Hong Kong cinema of the 1980s and 1990s, and anyone familiar with films from these eras knows him. By the time Tsui Hark made Shanghai Blues, he had already directed six films in a wide range of genres with mixed success. Unable to make the films he desired, Tsui Hark founded the production company Film Workshop, and for its first project, he created Shanghai Blues, a film that would firmly establish the core elements present in all of his future directed and produced films.

Shanghai Blues, an ambitious film set in the 1930s and 1940s, showcases a period setting. Its opening setup takes place during the beginning of the Second Sino-Japanese War, and what unfolds is an impressive air raid sequence that realistically pulls off this moment. The rest of the narrative takes place 10 years later, and it follows a trio of characters who become intertwined in a love triangle.

While the films of Tsui Hark are known for their exemplary action choreography and big set pieces, Shanghai Blues is an intimate character-driven melodrama that very effectively employs humor. When it comes to the performances, especially the three leads—Kenny Bee (Millionaires' Express), Sylvia Chang (Immortal Story), and Sally Yeh (The Killer)—they are all outstanding. There is an incredible chemistry between Sylvia Chang's and Sally Yeh’s characters, and any moments that they share are among the most memorable.

Although the narrative begins with a poignant moment between two star-crossed lovers, whose romance culminates in a bittersweet finale, Shanghai Blues truly shines in its humorous moments. Most of the humor in the film arises from characters placed in exaggerated situations, often relying more on physical actions than on dialogue. Even in its altered form, Shanghai Blues continues to be a highly entertaining film that evokes both laughter and heartfelt moments.

The absence of the original version in this release is unfortunate. That said, Film Movement Classics' Shanghai Blues release is only recommended for Tsui Hark completists.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

 

Written by Michael Den Boer