Nomad + My Heart Is That Eternal Rose: Limited Edition – Radiance Films (Blu-ray)
Theatrical Release Dates: Hong Kong, 1982 (Nomad), Hong Kong, 1989 (My Heart Is That Eternal Rose)
Director: Patrick Tam (Both Films)
Cast: Leslie Cheung, Pat Ha, Kent Tong, Cecilia Yip, Yip Ha-lei, Yung Sai-Kit (Nomad), Kenny Bee, Joey Wong, Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Chan Wai-Man, Cheung Tat-ming, Gam Lui, Kwan Hoi-Shan, Chia-Hui Liu (Gordon Liu), Ng Man-tat (My Heart Is That Eternal Rose)
Release Date: February 24th, 2025
Approximate Running Times: 96 Minutes 42 Seconds (Nomad), 90 Minutes 58 Seconds (My Heart Is That Eternal Rose)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Nomad), 1.78:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (My Heart Is That Eternal Rose)
Rating: 15,18 (UK)
Sound: LPCM Mono Cantonese (Both Films), LPCM Mono Mandarin (My Heart Is That Eternal Rose)
Subtitles: English (Both Films)
Region Coding: Region B
Retail Price: £24.99 (UK)
"In Nomad two couples, equal parts rich and working class, bond and experience the frolics of youth. The arrival of a Red Army deserter brings violence and disruption prompting incredible plot twists and inspired set-pieces.
My Heart is That Eternal Rose finds Tam in the more familiar Heroic Bloodshed genre. A young couple are torn apart by a botched Triad job that forces Rick to relocate to the Philippines and Lap to become a gangster’s moll. Six years later they meet again but their reunion only reignites the danger that drove them apart." - synopsis provided by the distributor
Video: 3.5/5 (Nomad), 5/5 (My Heart is That Eternal Rose)
Here’s the information provided about Nomad's transfer, "Nomad was restored in 4K resolution by Mei Ah, a process overseen by director Patrick Tam. In the process of the restoration, Tam also re-edited the film to match his initial vision, as it was heavily censored on release, resulting in this 'Director's Cut'. The master was supplied as a high-definition file, and grading was carried out by Radiance Films.
The master for Nomad contains numerous instances of digital noise reduction (DNR) and similiar digital artifacts, which have resulted in the artificial removal of film grain, fine detail and textures, among other issues. Every effort was made to minimize the effect of these techniques, but some sequences throughout the film are still affected."
Nomad comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.
Disc Size: 42.5 GB
Feature: 25.2 GB
The information provided about the transfer gives you a clear idea of what to expect. That said, color saturation is very good, and compression is solid.
Here’s the information provided about My Heart Is That Eternal Rose's transfer, "My Heart Is That Eternal Rose was restored in 2K resolution by Mei Ah, and was scanned from the original 35mm color negative. The master was supplied to Radiance Films as a high-definition file, and grading was carried out by Radiance Films."
My Heart Is That Eternal Rose comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.
Disc Size: 39.6 GB
Feature: 28 GB
Though this release from Radiance Films uses the same source Kani used, Radiance did their own color grading. That said, the source looks excellent.
Audio: 5/5 (DTS-HD Mono Cantonese - My Heart Is That Eternal Rose), 4.5/5 (DTS-HD Mono Mandarin), 4.25/5 (DTS-HD Mono Cantonese - Nomad)
Nomad comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in Cantonese with removable English subtitles. The audio sounds clean, clear, and balanced, and range-wise, things sound very good.
My Heart Is That Eternal Rose comes with two audio options, a LPCM mono mix in Cantonese and a LPCM mono mix in Mandarin. The audio, like the video, is comparable to Kani’s release. Both audio tracks sound clean, clear, balanced, and robust when they should. The Cantonese language track is the stronger of these two audio tracks. Included are removable English subtitles for the Cantonese language track.
Extras:
Extras on the disc with Nomad include an interview with Nomad producer Dennis Yu (12 minutes 20 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with assistant director Stanley Kwan (7 minutes 55 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with film critic Tony Rayns (37 minutes 56 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), and an episode from CID Season 1, Episode 3 titled Two Teddy Girls (50 minutes 35 seconds, LPCM mono Cantonese with removable English subtitles),
Extras on the disc with My Heart Is That Eternal Rose include a theatrical trailer for My Heart Is That Eternal Rose (1 minute 45 seconds, LPCM mono with English and Cantonese text), an interview with producer John Sham (9 minutes 3 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a visual essay by author David Desser titled Patrick Tam: Forgotten New Wave Auteur (16 minutes 59 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with Frank Djeng for My Heart Is That Eternal Rose, and an episode from CID Season 1, Episode 14 titled Dawn Noon Dusk Night (50 minutes 24 seconds, LPCM mono Cantonese with removable English subtitles).
Other extras include reversible cover art, removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings and a 36-page booklet (limited to 3000 copies) cast & crew information for both films, an essay titled Two Tales of One City written by Kambole Campbell, an archival career-spanning interview with Patrick Tam by Arnaud Lanuque, and information about the transfers.
Summary:
Patrick Tam directed Nomad and My Heart Is That Eternal Rose. He is also known for directing The sword, Love Massacre and After this our Exile. Besides directing, he worked as an editor on these films: Days of Being Wild, Ashes of Time, and Election. Christopher Doyle, one of the two cinematographers who worked on My Heart Is That Eternal Rose, is known for his numerous collaborations with Wong Kar-wai.
Nomad: Two couples with partners from different worlds, working class and wealthy, form an inseparable bond.
Though Hong Kong cinema is known for blending genres, the way in which things shift in Nomad is jarring. What starts off as a drama about a troubled youth who sleeps with another youth, causing trouble for his family, slowly transforms into a whimsical story about two couples enjoying life. One of the women's old boyfriends arrives and needs her help, interrupting their carefree life. His arrival forever changes the course of these two couples' lives as the finale takes on an especially dark turn. That said, though there is a looseness to the narrative, that is not to say that it does not always hold your attention.
From its opening moments, the narrative does a superb job building up the four main characters. These well-defined characters are further enhanced by exceptional performances from the four actors who portray them. Leslie Cheung (A Better Tomorrow) and Pat Ha (On the Run) portray cousins Louis and Kathy, who come from an affluent background, which allows them to live an extravagant lifestyle. Louis is effeminate and often plays a passive role in the story that unfolds, while Kathy is assertive, and her decisions often lead to trouble. Rounding out this foursome are Kent Tong (Police Story) and Cecilia Yip (Hong Kong 1941), who portray the two cousins' love interests who come from poverty.
As outstanding as the performances are, it is ultimately Patrick Tam’s direction that takes Nomad to another level. Patrick Tam, who was part of Hong Kong cinema’s new wave, has a distinctive style that sets him apart from his contemporaries. Besides infusing Hong Kong culture into his cinema, a film like Nomad is clearly influenced by the French New Wave, specifically the films of Jean-Luc Godard. Also, though his direction gives the actors the room they need to create, visually there are some stylish moments throughout Nomad. A few of these moments include two sex scenes, one of which takes place on a bus, and a bloody finale whose tonal shift is in contrast to all that came before it. Ultimately, Nomad is a one-of-a-kind cinema experience whose gut-punch finale stays with you.
My Heart Is That Eternal Rose: A woman named Lap has her life turned upside down in the aftermath of a crime boss’s son's death. Wanting to protect her father and boyfriend, who are blamed for the death, she makes a deal with another crime boss. Years later, a fateful event will bring her ex-boyfriend back into her life, giving her a chance to get back what she lost.
The opening moments do a superb job introducing the characters. Also, during the opening moments, there are a handful of moments that teeter between romance and comedy. That said, these moments are not representative of the rest of the narrative, which takes on a much darker and, at times, melancholy tone.
The shift in tone occurs when Lap's father agrees to do a favor for a crime boss who is an old friend; from there on out, there is a bleakness to the events that unfold. And though the plan to get the crime boss’s son out of mainland China appears to be on track, things quickly spiral out of control when one of the men helping Lap’s father gets greedy, and his actions lead to the death of the crime boss’s son. That said, the remainder of the narrative is a straight-up crime film like one has come to expect from late 1980s Hong Kong cinema.
At its core, it is Lap and her boyfriend Rick's love story that anchors My Heart Is That Eternal Rose. That said, the narrative very effectively introduces another man into the mix, a character named Cheung whose job is to protect Lap. Though Cheung’s relationship with Lap starts off as a protector, over time he develops romantic feelings. This forms a love triangle between these three characters, and instead of viewing Cheung as a rival, Rick forms his own close bond with him.
The cast is filled with faces that anyone familiar with 1970s and 80s Hong Kong cinema is sure to recognize. And when it comes to the performances, the entire cast is excellent. That said, the most memorable performance is Chia-Hui Liu (Gordon Liu), who is most known for the 36th Chamber films series. In My Heart Is That Eternal Rose, he portrays a crime boss’s deviant henchmen. Also, his character wears a ridiculous wig, which provides some unintentional humor. Despite his limited screen time, Chia-Hui Liu (Gordon Liu) takes full advantage by delivering what is easily the most mean-spirited one he has ever portrayed.
The strongest performances are Joey Wang (City Hunter) in the role of Lap and Kenny Bee (100 Ways to Murder Your Wife) in the role of Rick. Though both are tremendous on their own, their strong onscreen chemistry makes the moments they share even more potent. Also, the light moments that they share at the beginning of the narrative offer a perfect contrast to the turmoil that follows. Tony Leung Chiu-Wai’s (Bullet in the Head) portrayal of Cheung is another standout performance. Despite his character being one of the crime boss’s henchmen, he does not share their same enthusiasm for random acts of violence.
From a production standpoint, My Heart Is That Eternal Rose is a film where everything perfectly lines up. A well-constructed narrative moves at a good pace, the key moments are given ample time to resonate, and a carnage-filled heroic bloodshed finale provides an exemplary finale. Visually, My Heart Is That Eternal Rose delivers; the visuals do an exceptional job heightening the mood. Though My Heart Is That Eternal Rose was made during a time when crime and action films in Hong Kong were filled with wall-to-wall shootouts. The end result is a more drama-driven film that still retains the essence of a heroic bloodshed film.
Nomad and My Heart Is That Eternal Rose get a solid release from Radiance Films, highly recommended.
Written by Michael Den Boer
