Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) ERA Through what can only be described as sheer luck, I was able to score one of the Region 3 CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON DVDs over the weekend. The disc streeted in Hong Kong on Thursday, I believe, and the Chinatown store I went to had it on Saturday. (Needless to say, I got the very last one in the store. They're unsure as to when they will be getting more in.) Having had the opportunity to only watch parts of the disc, I will say that this the best Hong Kong DVD I've seen so far. The disc is a Columbia/Tri-Star title, which means that it's of that studio's quality and it's a really nice transfer. Supplements include an English-language commentary by Ang Lee and James Schamus (with Mandarin subtitles), a photo file, a trailer and a 13 minute interview with Michelle Yeoh. (It should be noted that the disc is dual layered, to boot.) Yes, the disc is subtitled (same subtitles as the theatrical version, now in yellow and placed beneath the letterboxing) but perhaps the most, let's just say "interesting", feature is the 5.1 English soundtrack. Yep, if you were unaware, Columbia actually did spring for an English soundtrack and as you can expect, it's terrible. Terrible mostly because of the voice cast used (none of the original actors dub their own voices) and also in the changes made to the dialogue. I know people who have criticized the film because they thought that it was nothing more than a standard martial arts film, and if you watch it with the English soundtrack then you'd be right. But I think that possibly the best defense the film could have would be to switch from one soundtrack to another while watching it; you appreciate the sensibilities that Lee and the cast bring to the material all the more. According to The Digital Bits, the U.S. DVD (supposedly coming in early summer) will have even more supplements, so it's up to you if you want to spend the money now for something that may be even more loaded a few months down the road. But for obsessive fan who must have it NOW, or even those with the opportunity to get it while you can (which was the case here), I definately recommend it. Matthew Kiernan Back to The Asian DVD Guide