Miracles (Dubbed) [VHS]

MIRACLES
[Ji Ji]

(Hong Kong - 1989)

Aspect ratio: 2.39:1 (Technovision)
Theatrical soundtrack: Mono

Having accidentally become the leader of a criminal gang in 1930's Shanghai, a naive country bumpkin (Jackie Chan) helps an impoverished flower-seller (Gui Yalei) whose daughter (Gloria Yip Wan-yee) is due to pay a fleeting visit with her fiancé, both of whom believe Gui is a wealthy society figure with important political connections. Hilarious complications ensue...

Eager to dispel the notion that he was little more than an action star, Jackie Chan directed and co-wrote this sumptuous Hong Kong 'homage' to Frank Capra's POCKETFUL OF MIRACLES (1961), distinguished by its high profile cast and breathtaking cinematography by industry veteran Arthur Wong Ngok-tai. Beloved by HK movie fans worldwide, the film's mixture of period detail, balletic action (among the best of Chan's career), uproarious farce and slapstick comedy is undeniably entertaining, but it's also something of a mixed blessing. The emphasis on pratfalls and comic complications serves to dilute the basic storyline, and while it's hard not to be won over by the film's size and majesty, the narrative becomes bogged down in comedy at the expense of narrative momentum, and the running time is excessive.

But as spectacle, it's hard to beat: The late and much-lamented Anita Mui Yim-fong emerges from Chan's shadow to camp it up as an old-fashioned chanteuse (get a load of her Busby Berkeley-esque musical number!); the fight scenes are timed and filmed with jaw-dropping style and precision; and Wong's camera swoops and dives over some of the most eye-popping production design this side of a Hollywood blockbuster. Original Hong Kong-English title: MR CANTON AND LADY ROSE.

Hong Kong Legends' disc is impressive in some respects, and infuriating in others. Picture quality is stunning, with rock solid colours and an exceptional level of detail. Truly, the movie hasn't looked this good on home video either before or since, and there's no sign of the tell-tale cropping which has plagued HKL's output in the past. However, the soundtrack is an absolute disaster! Not content with discarding the original mono track for a 5.1 'upgrade', HKL have re-channelled many 'on-screen' sound effects into the surrounds, and buried most of the ambient effects (gunfire, explosions, kicks and punches) under what seems like a ton of cotton wool. As a consequence, all of the action scenes and musical numbers sound like they were recorded underwater! The dubbed English track is no better. Alongside Anchor Bay's equally dreadful 'remix' of SUSPIRIA on DVD (US and UK versions), this qualifies as one of the worst soundtracks from a major distributor this reviewer has ever heard. And aside from the fact that they ABSOLUTELY REFUSE to provide original mono tracks as an 'optional extra', HKL are usually pretty good at this sort of thing!! Picture quality on Columbia TriStar's recent US version (BLACK DRAGON) is reportedly inferior, but it DOES include the original mono track.

This remake of Frank Capra's 1961 film 'A Pocketful Of Miracles' sees Jackie Chan as a young man who has just arrived in 1930's Hong Kong and has all of his possessions taken away from him. Down on his luck, he encounters an old lady selling roses that claim to bring luck to those that buy them, and somehow becomes the boss of a gangster's gang after their existing boss dies. Not being fully accepted due to his kind-hearted nature, they accept his position after a demonstration of his fighting skills, and when he finds out that the flower seller has a serious plight, he attempts to change the ways of the gang to help her out.

Chan fans be warned; this is NOT an action movie, although it does contain four excellently-realised rucks and the usual painful Hong Kong stunts. This is mostly a gentle but palatable mix of comedy and romance. Don't let this put you off, though; Chan put his heart and soul into this movie (he also directed it), and it shows some stunning (by HK standards) camerawork (including a long tracking shot that follows Anita Mui through a hotel), and it really is a pleasant change for those who don't mind something a little bit different. The subtitled version reviewed here is also in WideScreen, so you get the full picture instead of missing out on about one third of the on-screen footage; plus this new version is also 21 minutes longer than the previous release in the UK.

"Miracles" is the movie in which Chan proves that not only is he the king of actioncomedy, but also a very skillful director and actor. This digitally remastered DVD is a masterpiece of picture and sound quality, and the fact that the film is produced in 1989 doesn't show. It's Chan's most beautiful, eyepopping film to date, with lengthy Scorsese inspired shots, and the fight scenes are marvelous! I cannot find the words to describe the end fight in the ropefactory, not to mention what happens in a restaurant. The budget must have been big, because this film sure looks very expensive. Hong Kong in the 1930s never looked better. Buy it NOW!