KING OF BEGGARS (1992)
Limited Edition Blu-ray
Label: Eureka Entertainment
Region Code: A,B
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 100 minutes 51 Seconds
Audio: Cantonese or English-dub PCM 2.0 Dual-Mono with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1)
Director: Gordon Chan
Cast: Stephen Chow, Sharla Cheung, Man-Tat Ng, Norman Chu, Wai Lam, Chung Wang, Wai Yee Chan, Pak-Cheung Chan, Lawrence Cheng, Matthew Wong, Peter Lai, King-Tan Yuen, Cheung-Yan Yuen, Mi Yang
Synopsis from Eureka Entertainment Blu-ray: At the dawn of the 1990s, following a decade in which Hong Kong martial arts cinema was dominated by Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung, a new superstar emerged: Stephen Chow. Chow rose to fame as the star of both the Fight Back to School and Royal Tramp series and King of Beggars - a comedic take on the story of famed martial artist and folk hero So Chan, which helped pave the way for Shaolin Soccer and Kung Fu Hustle.
So, Chan (Chow) is a naturally gifted martial artist - but lazy, unmotivated and spoiled by his wealthy parents. He is forced to make something of himself when he falls in love with Yu Shang (Sharla Cheung), a prostitute who agrees to marry him on one condition: that he enters and wins the upcoming imperial martial arts tournament. So Chan only hopes to win Yu Shang's hand in marriage, but entering the competition soon leads him to become embroiled in a bitter feud between the famed Beggar Clan and a corrupt government official, Chiu Mo-kei (Norman Chiu).
A beloved character previously played by the likes of Yuen Siu-tien, Lau Kar-leung, Philip Kwok, Chow Yun-fat and Gordon Liu, So Chan - popularly known as Beggar So - was a legendary master of drunken boxing who lived during the late Qing dynasty, vividly brought to life in King of Beggars by a star on the rise in Stephen Chow. Eureka Classics is proud to present the film on Blu-ray for the first time outside of Asia.
Audio/Video: King of Beggars (1992) gets a region A/B friendly Blu-ray from Eureka Entertainment in 1080p HD framed in 1.85:1 widescreen. This is advertised as a new 2K restoration with no mention of the source elements, regardless I thought it looked might impressive. Grain is tight-knit and well-resolved, clarity and depth are pleasing, and the period colors are vibrant and well-saturated. Blacl levels and skin tones are also very nice looking. Audio comes by way of original Cantonese and English-dub PCM 2.0 dual-mono with optional English subtitles. If your foreign language adverse or just hate reading subtitles the English-dub is just okay, nothing great, the original Cantonese is the way to go here though, more impactful and nuanced for sure.
Onto the disc extras, we get a typically astute new Audio Commentary by East Asian cinema expert Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival) that dives into the director the cast and crew, noting the directorial style and Stephen Chows comedic performance and martial arts skills, offering plenty of historical notes along the way which I always appreciate it. Next is the 18-min Beggars and Tramps – new interview with director Gordon Chan, and a 30-min So Chan and Stephen Chow – new video essay by East Asian cinema scholar Gary Bettinson, co-editor of The Cinema of Stephen Chow. The limited Edition of 2000 edition is a single-disc release that arrives in an oversized keepcase with a 2-sided non-reversible wrap featuring the original artwork, plus we get a Limited Edition O-card Slipcase featuring new artwork by Sam Gilbey, inside there is a 20-Page Limited Edition Booklet featuring new writing on King of Beggars and director Gordon Chan by Andy Willis, as well as cast and crew credits, notes about the viewing experience, and release credits.
Special Features:
- 1080p HD presentation on Blu-ray from a new 2K restoration
- Cantonese audio (original stereo presentation)
- Optional English dub
- Optional English subtitles, newly translated for this release
- New audio commentary with East Asian cinema expert Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival)
- Beggars and Tramps – new interview with director Gordon Chan (17:59)
- So Chan and Stephen Chow – new video essay by East Asian cinema scholar Gary Bettinson, co-editor of The Cinema of Stephen Chow (30:39)
- Limited edition of 2,000 copies
- Limited edition O-card slipcase featuring new artwork by Sam Gilbey
- 20-Page Limited edition booklet featuring new writing on King of Beggars and director Gordon Chan by Andy Willis
Screenshots from the Eureka Entertainment Blu-ray:
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