Digitally remastered films hit theaters
A scene from “Once Upon a Time in America” / Courtesy of Prain Global
By Baek Byung-yeul
One of the recent trends in the local film industry is re-releasing of digitally re-mastered films.
Last week, two films long gone from public memory, were shown as digitally re-mastered versions at local theaters. They were Italian film master Sergio Leone’s 1984 film “Once Upon a Time in America” and the 1990 Hong Kong film “A Chinese Ghost Story II,” which starred the late Leslie Cheung.
The rerelease of “Once Upon a Time in America,” which chronicles the elusive story of a pair of gangsters in New York, played by Robert De Niro and James Woods, offers something special to theater goers as the film features 22 minutes of additional footage.
Also, the digital version of “A Chinese Ghost Story II” will be good news to Korean fans who still cannot let go of the late Cheung, who leapt to his death from a hotel in Hong Kong on April 1, 2003. Cheung, a Hong Kong’s super star both in singing and film found fame here with his breakthrough as the macho hero of John Woo's 1986 action flick, "A Better Tomorrow.”
In the film, Cheung features as a young tax collector who falls for a ghost played by Joey Wong. The inaugural series of “A Chinese Ghost Story” trilogy was already a hit the local screens last month.
A scene from “The Great Dictator” / Courtesy of Atnine Film
The digitally re-touched version of Charlie Chaplin’s 1940 film “The Great Dictator,” in which Chaplin mocked the Nazis will also hit the theaters Thursday.
Known as the English filmmaker’s first true talking picture, Chaplin takes two roles ― the cruel yet clownish “Tomainian” dictator and a Jewish barber.
Another digitally re-touched film that waits for screening is the Taiwanese film “Secret.”
The film depicts a love story between high school teens, and was first released here in some 30 theaters specialized in indie films in 2008 and garnered more than 100,000 viewers. Taiwanese super star Jay Chou directed and took a starring role.
Experts in the film industry say this trend will continue as the publication rights for films usually last up to 10 years.
“Re-releasing of digitally re-touched films is appealing for both audiences and distributors. As the films give a chance to glimpse those forgotten films once again while film companies are allowed to sell the films not only to local theaters but also to the home-video market such as pay TV.”