Japanese businessman Wada (Masahiro Motoki- Gemini) is assigned to investigate a potentially lucrative vein of jade in a remote Chinese mountain village in the Yu Nan providence. His anxiety, a combination of his anxiousness to please with the assignment and being in a strange unfamiliar place, is compounded when a yakuza, Ujiie (Renji Ishibashi- The Sea is Watcing), tags along. Ujiie claims that Wada's company owes his organization money and that they are trying to keep the jade mine a secret so they can continue to stall the payoff. It is Ujiie's job to shadow Wada and see if the mine is as valuable as it is rumored to be.

After undertaking the arduous journey (which includes fragile minivans on muddy back roads, torrential downpours, losing all of their luggage, a night spent eating some hallucinogenic mushrooms, and traveling across raging waters on a small raft pulled by turtles) with their guide, Mr. Shen (Mako), the duo find themselves briefly stranded in the remote village. There, the elder, shellshocked, Ujiie instantly warms to the idyllic lifestyle. Wada curiously unravels a village fable involving the ability for people to fly. As their time draws closer to leave, each has been won over by this calm paradise, and the question is raised whether this paradise will be ruined by the inevitable progress from the jade mine.

Based on a novel by Mako Shiina, Bird People in China has touches of the fanciful, but remains more grounded than its title may have you think. It is much more a magical realism vein. The fantasy is right there in the uncharted location, a remote barely touched land, and how it contrasts with an increasingly urban world. Though there are places like it that still exist, it feels unreal in this day and age. The film puts you in that same pace as a Werner Herzog film, particularly the likes of Fitcarraldo, where civilization barely makes a dent against the raw natural order.

While this sort of tale of man and nature may sound a little too rudimentary on the surface, Miike manages to invest the film with enchantment, heart, and only one, well handled, preachy scene near the end that argues the pros and cons of modernization. By the finale, it does make a fair assessment and doesn't espouse to either side, but it does suggest that places like the village will be magical for those that are openly seeking it out and that, with some hope and a little magic, a balance could be found between the worlds.

The DVD: Artsmagic

Picture: Anamorphic Widescreen. The color and sharpness are a bit muted and soft, however this transfer is certainly far superior to the other versions that were floating around. The print is clean and general details appear to be in good shape. Contrast gets a little weak in the darker scenes, suggesting more a problem with the actual low light photography than the transfer. Unfortunately, as is often the case with wrangling a decent quality import, the transfer isn't quite as striking as the cinematography deserves. Still, most fans should be relatively pleased.

Sound: This isn't a very dynamic mix and the sound elements arent entirely cohesive. Again, this is a source problem rather than a transfer problem. the dialogue slightly weaker and rougher sounding than the bassy fx track, and the music lays on a different plane, filling out the rest. While it isn't a great mix, doesn't hurt the film very much. In comparison to the dialogue an effect might come across too loud every now and then, but that is the only big complaint.

Extras: Bio/Filmographies— Original trailer.— Promo Material gallery— "Anne Laurie" song lyrics and info. This is a song prominently featured in the film, and this extras gives some detials about it.— Previews for Miike's "Black Society" trilogy— Commentary by "Agitator: The Cinema of Takashi Miike" author Tom Mes. Mes should be familiar by now to Miike fans who have purchased other Miike/Artsmagic titles. Informative, but it does have a dryness and repetition if you've listened to his other Miike commentaries.--- Takashi Miike Interview (17:19). Good interview covering all the bases of how he got involved in the project, from casting, filming (with Miiike stating it felt like a fever dream), and so forth.

Conclusion: Wonderful film, full of humor, heart, winning characters, and a beguiling setting. The transfer is certainly fair enough to make this worthy of a purchase- okay image and sound with some very worthwhile extras.