Synopsis:

The scene is 1930's China. Sung Dan Ping is a tremendously successful actor who has dreamed of building a theater to match the greatness he has lent to his craft. Once erected, his theater became the most extravagant and the most beautiful, China had ever seen. Packed night after night, Dan Ping hosted music and acting that equaled the theater's physical scale and beauty. While he loved his theater and his art, his heart belonged only, to the beautiful Yu Nan. The daughter of a wealthy businessman, she too longed for the days and nights when their love would know no bounds as they lived eternally in the life they built together. China in the 30's however was not that progressive and daughters of privilege could not determine their romantic destiny. Betrothed to the idiot son of a corrupt local official, Yu Nan's life was already mapped out and not in the direction that either she or Dan Ping had intended. Desperate to be together, Yu Nan set out to elope with Dan Ping. The evening of her planned union eith Dan Ping, her father got wind of her plans and had her maidservant's legs broken for assisting her and quickly married her off to her parentally arranged partner. To add further insult to injury, her intended's father had Dan Ping's theater set ablaze with her lover locked inside. With the apparent death of Dan Ping, and her life now in the hands of her new husband, Yu Nan could not give herself willingly; she would instead, only go through the motions of an unhappy wife, in an unwanted marriage. Fast forward 10 years and we find a new theater troupe taking occupancy of the remains of the Dan Ping's theater. Rumor has it that, both singing and music have been heard coming from the very bowels of the theater on every full moon. Unafraid and eager to make some money, the troupe presses on and in so doing ends up learning one of life's greatest lessons about love. Love, it appears, never dies and in this gothic, tragic story, Ronny Yu's visions on the subject are nothing less than thrilling.

Disc One

Audio/Video:

The audio for Disc One is in a very nicely rendered DD5.1 platform that is wholly unusual for Asian cinema. Ronny Yu however has a pattern of putting together the best elements for his films and this 5.1 audio platform is no surprise. There are two (2) audio commentary tracks. The first features Director Ronny Yu, and the Second, Cinematographer Peter Pau. An isolated track for the film's score is also included and is another added bonus for this great film. On the commentary front, While Pau's is intensely technical in it's scope, it lays out in previously unheard of volume, all the lengths to which Pau went to create the images seen onscreen. Largely echoed in the supplementary "Making Of" documentary found on Disc 2, his insights as to the look of the film are explained a great deal. For instance, the scenes inside the theater during the time of Dan Ping are rich and luxuriant in not only their tone but in their texture as well. However, on the outside of the theater and in then "present-day" China, the look is that of a washed out and largely brown and white, almost monochromatic, Beijing. Without the commentary, it would seem that the colors were lost in the transfer and the poor handling/storage of Asian cinematic titles. Through the commentary, we understand that it was an attempt to give the film a nostalgic feel and to further solidify its visual place in 1930's China. Director Ronny Yu's commentary dealt with his love of the story and his intent to make the film as powerful visually, as it is orally. By casting a Hong Kong superstar in the lead who not only sings but acts as well, and an incredibly talented and beautiful leading lady, Yu had a certain recipe for success. Unlike his commentary on The Bride with White Hair, he's very active and talks almost the whole way through the film. One of the more impressive elements identified in his commentary is that he was entrusted with $40 million Hong Kong dollars to make the film. Additionally, he filmed the movie entirely on location in Beijing. It offered incredible visual fare as well as the largest studio that he could get for the construction of the incredible sets seen in the feature. Both Commentary tracks were great and very well produced. The video does suffer from a fair degree of scratches and hairs, as well as grainy moments. The Brown and white exterior visuals can also tend to get on your nerves as they are "almost" in color. However, other than these issues, the widescreen visual image is pretty intense. The Phantom Lover offers some very impressive sights and on the whole the video easily falls within the "good" category.

Disc Two:

Extras:

There is a 25-minute making of feature entitled, "The Making of The Phantom Lover" that covers not only all of the items identified in the film's two commentary tracks but features interviews with the stars, Director, Cinematographer and set designer as well.

The bios for the actors bear mentioning as well. Usually, they are static and uninvolving. Here, they scroll with the score of the film playing and a large photo of the actor is placed in the upper right hand corner of the screen.

Lastly, there are trailers for several other Ronny Yu films including, the Bride with White Hair 1&2 as well as the feature.

Overall:

The Phantom Lover plays a lot like the Phantom of the Opera. It's a richly textured film that holds you in rapt attention from beginning to end. While I am no Ronny Yu expert, I have seen two of his other films (The Bride with White Hair 1&2)and they, along with this title, demonstrate just how polished Ronny Yu's work is, in providing a feast for both the eyes and ears. While certainly not perfect in it's digital presentation, its overall "good" production values and decent storyline go to make it worhty of your attention. In the simplest of commendations, it all boils down to this...I loved this movie and I believe you will two. Collector's Edition.