Yi Yi – A One and a Two

(Yi Yi – A One and a Two)



by Edward Yang

Japan / Taiwan 2000





(click to enlarge)



Director:
Edward Yang
Associate Producer:
Shinya Kawai, Osamu Kunota, Naoko Tsukeda, Wei-yen Yu
Production Companies:
1+2 Seisaku Iinkai Presentation / Atom Films Production / Omega Project / Pony Canyon
Screenplay:
Edward Yang
Cinematographer:
Wei-Han Yang (Colour, 1.78:1)
Editor:
Bo-Wen Chen
Music Score:
Kai-Li Peng
Production Design:
Yu Weiyen
Sound:
Du-Che Tu
Cast:
Nien-Jen Wu (N.J.), Elaine Jin (Min-Min), Issey Ogata (Ota), Kelly Lee (Ting-Ting), Jonathan Chang (Yang-Yang), Hsi-Sheng Chen (Ah-Di), Su-Yun Ko (Sherry), Michael Tao, Shu-shen Hsiao (Hsiao Yen), Adrian Lin (Li-Li), Pang Chang Yu (Fatty), Ru-Yun Tang (Min-Min's Mother), Shu-Yuan Hsu, Hsin-Yi Tseng (Yun-Yun)
Runtime:
173 min
Premiere:
14 May 2000 (Cannes Film Festival)
Awards:
Cannes Film Festival 2000 Best Director: Edward Yang
French Syndicate of Cinema Critics 2001 Critics Award Best Foreign Film
Fribourg International Film Festival 2001 Grand Prix
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 2000 Netpac Award
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards 2000 LAFCA Award Best Foreign Film
National Society of Film Critics Awards, USA 2001 NSFC Award Best Film
New York Film Critics Circle Awards 2000 NYFCC Award Best Foreign Language Film
Vancouver International Film Festival 2000 Chief Dan George Humanitarian Award



"Funny, sometimes shocking, always poignant, Yi Yi is a masterpiece by one of the towering figures of world cinema."
Jonathan Crow, All-Movie Guide

"Yang ... shows more humor and warmth in Yi Yi than in most of his other pictures. ... Yet the undertow of tragic separateness between the characters in Yi Yi may be even more pronounced than the divisions in his other features - a separateness the comedy may momentarily distract us from without ever diminishing."
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

"Sans en avoir l'air, Yang creuse en profondeur. Il scanne les espoirs de ses personnages, leurs évolutions et leurs doutes, surtout leurs doutes; et ce réalisateur a une manière très personnelle de filmer ce doute. Il le matérialise en filmant le reflet dans une vitre de ses personnages en proie à ce questionnement existentiel qui ronge chacun d'entre eux."
Romain André, Cadrage




Film Reviews | DVD Reviews





Fox Lorber NTSC Region 0 vs. ICA Projects PAL Region 2 vs. Starmax NTSC Region 0

Thanks to yentown and dvdbeaver for the shots and comments of the Starmax transfer





Distribution:
Fox Lorber / Wellspring
Region 0 (North America)
ICA Projects / Manga Films
Region 2 (UK)
Starmax
Region 0 (Korea)
Runtime:
173:05 min 166:11 min (+ 4% PAL Speedup = 173 min) 173 min
Video:
1.78:1/16:9 Anamorphic WideScreen
Average Bitrate: 5.84 mb/s
NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s
Very heavy and distracting encoding jitters, artifacts and pulsations! Very likely a video source
See for a detail comparison
1.73:1/16:9 Anamorphic WideScreen
Average Bitrate: 5.58 mb/s
PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s
Encoding is somewhat better, but not perfect. Transfer seems to made from a video source
1.85:1/16:9 Anamorphic WideScreen
Average Bitrate:
NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s
By far the best transfer, it seems to be the only one that was made from a digital master source. Less clipping on both top and bottom of the grayscale, much more natural detail, sharper (although there is visible edge enhancement), more natural colors
Audio:
Hokkien, Mandarin and English Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Audio Commentary Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
The Audio Commentaries on the Fox and ICA discs are not identical
Hokkien, Mandarin and English Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Audio Commentary Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Mandarin Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Subtitles:
English (removable) English (compulsory) English, Korean (removable)
Features:
• Audio Commentary by writer/director Edward Yang
• Theatrical Trailer (1.85:1/16:9, 01:51 min)
• Filmographies: Wu Nien-Jen, Elaine Jin, Edward Yang
• Production Credits
• Weblinks
• Audio Commentary by writer/director Edward Yang in conversation with Tony Ryans
• Extensive cast and crew biographies
• Stills gallery
• Original theatrical poster
• Theatrical Trailer (1.33:1, 03:55 min)
• Other ICA Releases: The Kingdom (1.33:1, 00:31 min), Kandahar (1.85:1/4:3, 01:44 min)
• 3 Trailers
• About The Film
• Cast & Filmmaker Information
DVD Release Date: 8 May 2001
Keep Case
Chapters: 24
DVD Encoding: NTSC Region 0
SS-DL/DVD-9
DVD Release Date: 24 June 2002
Keep Case
Chapters: 24
DVD Encoding: PAL Region 2
SS-DL/DVD-9
DVD Release Date:
Keep Case
Chapters:
DVD Encoding: NTSC Region 0
SS-DL/DVD-9

Also available from TV1 Vidéo in France. 1.78:1/16:9 / Languages: Mandarin DD 2.0 SR • Français DD 2.0 SR / Subtitles: Français / Suppl.: A propos d'Edward Yang • Interview with the director • Theatrical Trailer



Frame 1: Menu
(FoxLorber left, ICA right, Starmax below)




Frame 2
(FoxLorber left, ICA right, Starmax below)




Frame 3
(FoxLorber left, ICA right, Starmax below)




Frame 4
(FoxLorber left, ICA right, Starmax below)




Frame 5
(FoxLorber left, ICA right, Starmax below)




Frame 6
(FoxLorber left, ICA right, Starmax below)




Very heavy and distracting encoding jitters, jumping straight edges,
artifacts and pulsations on the FoxLorber transfer.
Notice the blurred contours of the running boy.
Or the smeary, lacking definition in the moving, pulsating foilage.
Click to enlarge to original NTSC frame size 851x479


Slightly better encoding, but still many artifacts on the ICA Projects transfer.
And notice the strong moiré in the moving foilage indicating a composite, non-anamorphic source.
Click to enlarge to original PAL frame size 1024x576


Starmax R0 offers by far the best transfer, it seems to be the only one of the three tested
that was made from a digital master source. Less clipping on both top and bottom of the grayscale,
much more natural detail, sharper (although there is visible edge enhancement), more natural colors
Click to enlarge to original NTSC frame size 853x480


FoxLorber R0
ICA Projects R2
Starmax R0





Average Bitrate Region 1:
5.84 mb/s


Average Bitrate Region 2:
5.58 mb/s






Disclaimer by

This is a strictly non-professional and non-commercial DVD review. Don't expect industry reference work!

All ChiaroScuro captures are taken under MacOS X.2 using VideoLAN and Snapz ProX. For further methodological remarks see DVDBeaver (click on "Methodology"): "We are not a lab and are doing a good a job as our time and energy permits. Thank you for understanding."






Last update: 4 Sep 2002