On the Occasion of Remembering the Turning Gate Sang-soo Hong

(aka "On the Occasion of Remembering the Turning Gate" or "Saenghwalui balgyeon" )

directed by Sang-soo Hong
South Korea 2002

"Even though it is difficult to be a human being... lets not turn into monsters, okay?"

I was given this DVD by a good friend who was aware of my general dislike for the other Sang-soo Hong film I have seen; "Virgin Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors". I don't recall why I didn't particularly like "Virgin...". It could have been my unfamiliarity with the style which appeared unformed in haphazard way, or it could have been I felt the black and white cinematography added just enough pretentiousness for me to dismiss it as unsubstantial. Regardless, I do remember thinking that the "artistic element" was rather forced.

I was immediately impressed by the DVD packaging of "On the Occasion of Remembering the Turning Gate" and when I popped it into my player was equally impressed by the image quality and sound of this production. Right away I began to feel as though I had seen this film before. Hong's style was influencing me that it was obviously not haphazard, but very deliberate and consistent. His narrative was purposely disjointed and un-culminating, almost anecdotal. It involved scenarios of a handsome male actor who is temporarily out of work and visiting a friend. The plot continued with interspersed, open-ended and interpretational vignettes based almost solely on relationships. It reminded me of Taiwanese director Ming-Liang Tsai's films to some degree with more being expressed in physical actions rather than stated openly by any of the undemonstrative characters. Also both directors use background music sparingly, if at all. The expressed tone featuring ' lack of communication' and failure to find true intimacy, is another strong theme of Tsai's. The title reference of "Turning gate" comes from a legend that seems to duplicate itself in the characters lifestyles. The film was nicely paced and kept my interest and although this type of story, or lack of, is not for everyone, I would recommend it to those more accustomed and open to form of narrative. I will seek out more of Hong's films as my negative attitude towards "Virgin..." has definitely turned the corner. Yes, I liked this film quite a lot. out of

Gary W. Tooze

Poster

Theatrical Release Date: March 22nd, 2002

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DVD Comparison:

iVision - Region 0 - NTSC vs. Tai Seng - Region 1- NTSC

(iVision - Region 0 - NTSC LEFT vs. Tai Seng - Region 1- NTSC RIGHT)

Covers	To rent:	Thinking of buying from YesAsia? CLICK HERE and use THIS UPDATED BEAVER PAGE to source their very best...
Distribution	iVision / Cinexus - NTSC - Region 0	Tai Seng Video - NTSC - Region 1
Runtime	1:55:36	1:55:36
Video	1.78:1.00 Letterboxed WideScreen / anamorphic Average Bitrate: 5.88 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s	1.75:1.00 Letterboxed WideScreen / anamorphic Average Bitrate: 5.88 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s
Bitrate: IVision
Bitrate: Tai Seng
Audio	Korean (Dolby Digital 5.1 ) , Korean (Dolby Digital 2.0 )	Korean (Dolby Digital 2.0), DUBs: Cantonese (Dolby Digital 2.0), Mandarin (Dolby Digital 2.0)
Subtitles	English, French, Korean and None	English, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese and None
Features	Release Information: Studio: IVision Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 1.85:1 Edition Details: • Audio Commentaries in Korean (no Eng subs) • Cast & Crew (4 static screens in Korean only) • Highlights of the film (non-anamorphic - no subs) (10:48) • Making Film (3:26) • Non-anamorphic widescreen Theatrical Trailer (1:32) (No Eng subs) • Photo Gallery (14 photos in a zooming slideshow - 1:09) DVD Release Date: February, 2003 Keep case inside handsome cardboard box Chapters: 8	Release Information: Studio: Tai Seng Video Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 1.75:1 Edition Details: • none DVD Release Date: November 29th, 2004 Transparent Keep case Chapters: 12

Comments:

ADDITION: Tai Seng - Region 1 - NTSC - Oct 05'

This release is the poor cousin to the out-of-print IVision edition that I feel quite lucky to own. The benefits of the Tai Seng are that it allows North American DVD players to view it (being region 1- NTSC - NOTE: IVision also can be played on standard NTSC players), has removable English subtitles (mostly error-free), is extremely reasonably priced and the quality is very tube-acceptable. Most every facet of the IVision is superior - color, sharpness, brightness - but the variance is acceptable, in my opinion, to nab the cheapo Tai Seng and view the marvelous film, especially if you have never seen it. The Tai Seng has 'combing' as it is not progressively transferred and it has no extras, but, in my view, for less than $10 it is a decent, if not stellar, purchase.

****

Strong anamorphic image quality. The colors are true and vibrant. I didn't notice any edge enhancement and this DVD looks to be progressively transferred. The English subs are excellent with no visible grammar or spelling mistakes and are shown on a bold white font with a black border. The sound is available as 5.1 and is excellent. The Extras are a better than standard, but the 3 audio commentaries are only in Korean with no English subtitles that I could find. This is a very good DVD! out of

Gary W. Tooze

DVD Menus

(iVision - Region 0 - NTSC LEFT vs. Tai Seng - Region 1- NTSC RIGHT)

Screen Captures

Subtitle sample