Just watched my Special Extended Version and I'm ticked for not checking this thread first.

Packaging - The box is huge, but for no reason. It's nice, but why inflate the size of a package that will only hold one disc and a book that stays loose? Multiple discs I can understand, and if it was made to resemble one of the boxes that carried the swords, I could see that too. I'm baffled at the choice.

The watermark - If that full-color "face" logo doesn't yank you out of a scene when you're just getting into it, I don't know what does. The first time it came up, during the opening, I was stunned. I like how it's exactly half in the film, half out.

Subtitles - Honestly, I didn't expect the opening and closing info to be subtitled. I couldn't see how that was possible. Maybe it had something to do with the timing of the watermark, I dunno. It would have been nice to have added translations somewhere on the disc.

Maybe I'll watch the film without subtitles. I know the story, and I'd like to get into the it without interruption.

Sorry to b**** guys, but I'm feeling a little let down, especially after being so excited to get it. Again, my apologies.

-g

All that wasted space is a little disappointing, but I find that if you pull out the cardboard disc holder and fold down the tabs on the sides before you put it back, you will have enough space in the box to fit the theatrical cut of the movie in its original keepcase.

The R3 HK release is finally coming out on July 15.

Where did you see that?

www.DVDShelf.com (aka Layoyo) has a listing for the director's cut coming out 7/15

I wonder if it's going to be worth it after all this time and all these other releases. It's only $10 at DVDShelf and it's got DTS, but I think I'll wait to hear some reviews before I buy this.

I just know it's going to be from the same lousy transfer as the mainland China release.

The German Premium Edition has a very nice looking PQ of the DC.
Although it has no English subtitles.

Personally, I thought the theatrical version was much better than the DC.
I'm not too worried about it......

yep : layoyo.com.hk (changed URL) has the extended cut coming out in HK soon... with english subtitles.

you wanted extended... !!

http://www1.cd-wow.com.hk/detail_res...uct_code=20301

EDKO is behind this edition.. so i think and hope that this is the edition we all have waited on..!

i have sent a mail to dvdbeaver.com and told them about this "new" edition and requested them to take this edition in for a rewiew and comparison. I guess most of you have read the comparison but i post a link anyway for those who want.The test well wort reading is here:

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDCompare9/hero.htm

nice good thing i waited on the extended

The extended edition is just a few extra (and in some case alternate) shots but no additional exposition, right? If so, what's the appeal?

Or am I totally mistaken?

It's a lot of extra shots. Almost every scene has extra shots or existing shots that run longer. But no, there is practically no new story content.

The appeal is just that people like the movie, and they'd like to see alternate versions of it, especially if some of the fight scenes go on longer (which they do).

I should have mine by Monday, if not sooner. I'll let y'all know how the pic quality is.

I will say personally, that the extended cut is inferior.....
I cant remember every instance, but I will say that all the new material
is pretty useless. Some extended fight scenes, but the new dialogue scenes
are a waste. It actually changed the story a bit.......

Don't get me wrong, Josh Z, I love this film. It's just that nothing I've heard of the extended cut was really blowing my skirt up, so to speak.

So how do the new dialogue scenes affect the story, manicsounds?

Here is the complete text of all of new dialogue in the extended cut, with time codes taken from the GDFace edition:

29:57
Nameless: Although they hadn’t spoken to each other in three years, they spied on each other. At midnight Broken Sword would peek into Flying Snow’s room. At 2 o’clock in the morning, she would spy on Broken Sword.
King: What strange behavior.
Nameless: I was surprised too. So I used Sky’s spear to get to them.

34:40
Broken Sword: Let me tell you. We’ve been together for three years.

37:10
Flying Snow: I just wanted you to care about me.

57:38
Broken Sword: What are you doing here?
Nameless: For what you once said.
Broken Sword: “I will fight the one who harms Flying Snow.”
Nameless: Please draw your sword.
Broken Sword: Thank you.

1:14:45
Broken Sword: I fell in love with her after our first fight.

1:23:30
Moon: This will be the last thing I can do for my master.
(Moon then proceeds to attack Nameless in a futile skirmish. Nameless quickly overcomes her.)
Nameless: Why did you want to do that?
Moon: I wanted to follow the example of my master and to persuade you with my life.
Nameless: You’re still young. Life is precious. If you must die, you should die for a greater cause. Be on your way. I will remember what should be remembered.

My recollection was that the cut scenes helped provide more character background, besides the longer action scenes. Whether one prefers the cut or director's version is personal preference, but how come no one yet has uttered the ubiquitous mantra of DVD collectors, "as the director intended"? Guess the principle only applies selectively. If people don't care about studio cuts, you're next favorite film might be next. So what about Kung Fu Hustle, which version, the original Blood and Turd version or US version? I haven't watched the Face version of Hero that's been sitting around yet, but I'll probably pickup the Edko DC eventually, too. Isn't it only about $12 anyway?

Which reminds me, a recent DVD review that I read of Stanley Kwan's Centre Stage/The Actress, the Maggie Cheung biopic complained that at 158 minutes, the film as too long and generally uninteresting. Fine, that's the reviewer's opinion. But left unmentioned is that this new release restores about 20-30 minutes of footage to the film missing from video since it's theatrical release and generally unavailable except on old unsubbed VHS tapes and the rare festival screening.


/rant off

I apologize for taking this thread off topic, but please indulge me for one post. This is th first I heard of the longer running time on Centre Stage. I have an older DVD. Are you referring to this more recent version? Because that's certainly reason to upgrade.

Firstly, despite this HK disc being labelled as a "Director's Cut", it is still highly questionable whether the 108 minute version of the movie is truly the director's preference. Rumor was that the true original director's cut was 120 minutes. Where this 108 minute version comes from is still a huge mystery. It may be an unfinished workprint. Until Zhang Yimou comes out and says something, we may never know.

Secondly, there are many cases where directors have allowed themselves to become too indulgent and need to be held in check by their producers and distributors. Comparing the 98 minute version to the 108 minute version, this is definitely a case where some artistic restrictions forced the filmmaker to re-evaluate his original strategy and tighten up the movie for the better.

Not sure what your link was pointing to, but, yes, the recent spring release is the restored version. It resurfaced at this year's HKIFF in April, the video release followed shortly after.
Here it is:
http://us.yesasia.com/en/PrdDept.asp...ection-videos/

See the asiandvdguide's database for two discussions of the various versions. I don't have the old DVD, just the 121 minute LD and the, as best as I can recall, the full unsubbed VHS tape.

True, admittedly, I lost track of the running time of the director's original version. Still, assuming the additional footage was partially related to the missing minutes, this version restores 10 of the missing 20 minutes, roughly speaking.

So, what is the actual running time of the GDFace Extended Edition 108 or 118 minutes? I still haven't opened my copy yet but I thought it was the full 118.

The original HK release of Hero looked like it was a PAL to NTSC conversion due to the ghosting present, so this Extended Version might be too. Worth bearing in mind when discussing and comparing runtimes.

The Edko disc was not a PAL-to-NTSC conversion. It runs at the exact same speed as the Korean, Japanese, and American NTSC DVDs, and if you've seen the Japanese disc you know that it is definitely a different transfer.

Oh I see. What's up with the ghosting then? Encoding errors?