Eureka's Masters of Cinema unearths EARLY HOU HSIAO-HSIEN (review)

 Before he was voted "Director of the Decade" by a Village Voice and Film Comment poll in the nineties, director Hsiao-Hsien Hou was a hired gun developing his craft through formulaic studio fare and quickly finding his voice, and Eureka's Masters of Cinema collection Early Hou Hsiao-Hsien illustrates the through-line from a fluffy yet technically-nuanced treatment of a romantic comedy to a more episodic and psychologically ambiguous vision.

REVIEW LINK: Masters of Cinema/Eureka Video (UK) Region B Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

EARLY HOU HSIAO-HSIEN Blu-ray specs:

• Disc One:
• Cute Girl (1980):
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.35:1 widescreen
• Mandarin LPCM 2.0 mono
• Optional English subtitles
• The Green, Green Grass of Home (1982):
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.35:1 widescreen
• Mandarin LPCM 2.0 mono
• Optional English subtitles
• Disc Two:
• The Boys from Kengfuei (1983):
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.85:1 widescreen
• Mandarin LPCM 2.0 mono
• Optional English subtitles
• "Happy New Year" video essay on "Cute Girl"
• "A Sweet Little Village" video essay on "The Green Green Grass of Home"
• "I'm Still There" video essay on "The Boys from Kengfuei"
• Limited Edition O-card with the first pressing of 2,000 copies
• Essay booklet by Glenn Kenny