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Shawscope Vol. 2 Blu-ray Box (US edition) |
Comparison between the Celestial version (HD) and the original version (SD), both included on the UK/US Blu-ray from Arrow Video.
Several other master errors/"framecuts" with a duration of less than 1 sec each were not listed in the report.
My Young Auntie by Lau Kar-leung is a highlight for many Shaw fans. In this case, Arrow unfortunately also only has the HD version restored by Celestial to offer. As with Martial Arts of Shaolin, there is also an SD version as a bonus, but it is of rather poor quality. The difference in running time is comparatively small:
Minus the Celestial note at the end, the SD version is 01:28 min longer. Some fights just don't seem as choppy in this version as they often do with the framecuts. During a few shots there is even 1 sec or more longer missing in the Celestial version. However, no shot is completely missing, so overall you can still live quite well with the HD version. It also looks better by far than the obviously VHS-sourced, horribly darkened SD bonus version. Note: Both the Hong Kong DVD from IVL (in PAL speed), the French DVD from Wild Side (in PAL) and the US DVD from Dragon Dynasty (in NTSC) of course only contain the slightly shorter Celestial version. In this case, the film without framecuts was probably really only released earlier on VHS.
After about 3.5 minutes, the credits diverge. The SD bonus version is obviously based on an English export master.
10:59 / 11:13-11:15 Before the henchmen attack again, a recording begins much earlier. 1.9 sec
12:13 / 12:30-12:31 Something is lost here during the scene transition. 1 sec
54:20 / 55:08-55:09 The shot with the record player in the front of the frame, which then zooms to the dance in the background, starts a bit earlier. 1 sec
88:48 / 89:57-89:58 After the slow-motion fall, a shot in combat here goes on a bit longer. However, the SD master also has an ugly jump cut here. Presumably, this was also present in the Celestial raw scan, so the scene was simply cut off a bit earlier. 1 sec
115:53 / 117:20-117:21 Both version have a noticeable jump cut in the close-up of the two wedged hands. However, this starts much earlier in the Celestial Master. The movement might seem a bit less jerky this way (but it still is without question). 0.6 sec
The end credits differ. Only the HD master also mentions Celestial after this. Celestial version 5 sec longer
Here are a few comparison pictures from the film. Unfortunately, the quality of the SD version is extremely bad. Many details simply sink into uniform black and e.g. abdominal muscles are lost in blurry pixels.
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