Story Synopsis:
This Chinese opera is a romantic and poetic love story about a ghost returning to Earth to find her true love, who risks all to bring her back to life and marry her. The couple encounters many obstacles, including parental opposition, invading Mongol hordes and bungling comic servants. This abridged version of the epic masterpiece from the 16th century dramatist Tang Xianzu reveals a rich tapestry that includes dance, acrobatics, stilt-walking, puppetry, recitation, pageantry, and martial arts. (TL)
DVD Picture:
The anamorphically enhanced 1.78:1 DVD exhibits bold, vibrant colors that are well balanced, with accurate fleshtones and deep, pure blacks. The costumes and make-up are nicely detailed, though shots of the full stage can seem slightly smeared. There are occasional aliasing problems and shimmering noticed in finer details. Edge enhancement is also detected at times. Still the performance is entertaining. (Suzanne Hodges)
Soundtrack:
The Dolby
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