Tai Chi Master (Yuen Wo-ping, 1993)

Region 1 Genius Products (USA)
NTSC, 1.85:1 16x9 enhanced
96 minutes
Audio: DD 5.1 Cantonese Chinese, DD 2.0 mono Cantonese Chinese, DD 5.1 English
Subtitles: Optional English, English SDH, Spanish
Extras: audio commentary by Bey Logan; Interview With Chin Siu Ho; The Birthplace of Tai Chi; Meditations on the Master; Twin Warriors; home-video trailer

Released: 29 July 2008
keepcase

Harvey and Bob Weinstein imported numerous Asian and European movies to the U.S. during their time at Miramax under Disney’s aegis. The good news was that Americans got to see a lot of interesting fare. The bad news was that the Weinsteins cut out a lot of material without consulting the original moviemakers. Thus, the brothers became known as Harvey and Bob “Scissorhands”, though Harvey usually got the brunt of the attacks since he’s usually more visible than Bob.

The Weinsteins have been making amends for their past sins. They are now in the habit of supporting “director’s cuts” (such as the three-hour version of Cinema Paradiso), and instead of butchering martial-arts movies with new titles and dubs-only audio, the Dragon Dynasty line is presenting movies as intact as possible. Furthermore, the Weinsteins are going the extra mile of creating new extras to enhance viewers’ understanding of Asian fare.

Tai Chi Master is the latest “rehabilitation”. The movie was released by Disney and Dimension as Twin Warriors, suffering the aforementioned indignities like many other titles. This is the first domestic release with the movie’s full running time and original Cantonese mono mix.

In Tai Chi Master, Jet Li plays one of two monks who are expelled from their temple because they’ve been learning martial-arts on the sly rather than under official tutelage. Jet Li remains faithful to a monk’s ways (vegetarian diet, abstinence, avoidance of violence, etc.), though his friend decides to indulge in meat, women, and power-mongering in a bid to rid himself of poverty for good. Jet Li joins forces with Michelle Yeoh to defeat his one-time companion. The enemy is much stronger than Jet Li, so he devises Tai Ji Quan, a method that turns an opponent’s force against him.

There was a time when I enjoyed movies with well-choreographed fights and little else, but those days have passed. I now like movies that offer thought-provoking ideas or stories. Tai Chi Master certainly has amazing stunts, but the actions sequences eventually blur into one another.

Video:
Although Tai Chi Master was released in 1993, it looks like it was made during the 1970s or 1980s. The 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen image is dirty, damaged, and faded. It looks little better a Hong-Kong disc of this movie that I used to have. Due to the problems with the source print, sharpness and detail are understandably lacking. Mosquito noise abounds.

Audio:
You can view the movie with its original mono track (DD 2.0 mono Cantonese Chinese) or with a boosted DD 5.1 Cantonese Chinese re-mix, though the 5.1 isn’t much different from the mono. Dialogue is muffled, and there’s little separation. Bass response is also flat.

You can also watch the movie with a DD 5.1 English dub. Optional English, English SDH, and Spanish subtitles support the audio.

Extras:
Once again, Bey Logan provided an excellent audio commentary. He may not have an advanced academic degree like the fellows who contribute commentaries to Criterion’s DVDs, but his in-depth research and knowledge about genre films is no less impressive when compared to any other “expert”.

Next up is an interview with Chin Siu Ho, who played the movie’s villain.

“The Birthplace of Tai Chi: On Location in Chen Village” is a brief excursion to the town that is purported to be where Tai Ji Quan was developed.

You also get two gaseous featurettes with director Brett Ratner and critic Elvis Mitchell talking about Yuen Wo-ping, Jet Li, and Michelle Yeoh. Ratner and Mitchell don’t have much of substance to say, and they’re even illogical and incomprehensible at times.

Finally, you also get the home-video trailer that was created for the movie’s U.S. bow as Twin Warriors.

--Miscellaneous--
An insert advertises other Dragon Dynasty DVDs.