|
|
|
The Quiet Family
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray ALL - Australia - Umbrella Entertainment Review written by and copyright: James-Masaki Ryan (16th April 2025). |
|
The Film
 "The Quiet Family" <조용한 가족> (1998) The Kang family consists of father Dae-goo (played by Park In-hwan), mother Soon-rye (played by Na Moon-hee), their young adult son Young-min (played by Song Kang-ho), their teenage daughters Mina (played by Go Ho-kyung) and Misoo (played by Lee Yoon-seong), plus Dae-goo’s younger brother Chang-goo (played by Choi Min-sik). The family moved out of the city to take care of a lodge in the mountains, to rent out rooms for hikers and tourists. The business venture is not easy for the inexperienced family, as the nearest main road is still under construction and the hikers are passing the inn with barely a glance. Their first customer is a lone man (played by Gi Ju-bong) who ends up committing suicide in the middle of the night by stabbing himself. The parents think that if the police investigate and word spreads of the incident, their inn will never receive any customers, so they decide to bury the body and clean all traces of his stay. Their next customers are a young couple (played by Choi Chul-ho and Shin Young-ae), but again they kill themselves in a double suicide by pills in the middle of the night. Again, the family decide to dispose of the bodies like the lonely man. As if it were fate against them, the more patrons that come and stay at their inn, the higher the body count due to incidents and accidents… Filmmaker Kim Jee-woon is one of the most acclaimed directors to emerge from the South Korean new wave, with his films receiving domestic and international attention with works such as the psychological family horror “A Tale of Two Sisters”, the Hong Kong noir inspired “A Bittersweet Life”, the brutal serial killer tale “I Saw the Devil”, and the western inspired “The Good, the Bad, the Weird”. But his career in filmmaking started a few years earlier, with 1998’s “The Quiet Family”, a blend of comedy and horror that took elements from Alfred Hitchcock, The Coen Brothers, and Ealing Studios for something that was uniquely different from the country’s ailing filmmaking business. South Korea has become a powerhouse for film, television, music, and all of pop culture as seen for the last twenty years, but in the 1990s, their stamp on entertainment on the international market was barely a scratch, with only a few examples of works getting international recognition, which was on the critical side rather than the masses. During the decade in which Hollywood and other imports were dominating the country’s cinemas, it was a struggle for studios in which their output was becoming smaller as demand was moving towards imports. Kim Jee-woon had experience in writing for the stage and had one credit in film as an assistant director on the 1994 film “The Young Lover”, but a major break came in 1997 when he submitted his script for “The Quiet Family” for a screenwriting competition in Cine21 magazine, taking first place. The script was picked up by Myung Films, a production company still in its infancy with only two films to their credit so far. But they took a risk by financing the unorthodox script and having the screenwriter make his debut as the director of the feature. Even at this early stage in Kim’s career, there are some trademarks to his style that can be found. The film starts and plays like a standard family comedy with the relationships of the characters coming to light. The father who feels inadequate, questioning if he made the right choice to move his entire family away. The headstrong mother who is foul mouthed and not afraid of anything. The oldest son who is a little boy trapped in a grown man’s body with his immature nature. The older daughter who is starting to become interested in the opposite sex. The younger daughter who could care less about the mountain life and is glued to the TV set. Plus the bumbling uncle that tags along for the ride. Their arguments, their banter, their laughs, and their frustrations are all wonderfully portrayed, but once the dead bodies pile up, it changes the dynamics all around. Interestingly, the daughters are the ones for the most part left out of the situations, with the parents, the uncle, and the son being the ones in on the family secret, until much later in the story. In addition, the story is kept fresh as it is not just the same happenings again and again, as the reasons the bodies pile up at the inn are differing each time. At first it is a suicide by a lonely man. Then it is a double suicide (attempt) for a young couple. There is an accidental fall from a would-be rapist, a hitman accidentally killing the wrong target, as well as the hitman himself getting hit in the end, plus an elderly man’s fall from the second floor. The family does see an elderly woman at the start of the story as she rambles mostly incoherently warning about the area, but was it all an omen or a series of coincidences for the numerous deaths? The story plays for laughs, with even the bloodier scenes being funny with the reactions of the family members being so over the top from the supposedly macho men. While the cast get their praise with the comedy, one of the most important elements of the film is the location itself. The inn was not a standing location, but one that was built on the mountain specifically for the production. The two story set seems to be aged but was made to look slightly vintage with its interiors by the production designers. In addition, the dark wallpaper with the intricate designs were also made for the production, and if anyone were to compare scenes from “A Tale of Two Sisters” and “The Quiet Family”, visually the sets have many common elements. The inn is like a character from a haunted house story, and the production team did a fantastic job in the creation of the set, which was also constructed for practical purposes like wall removal and lighting control for specific scenes. Another notable but not particularly great element is the soundtrack. The film starts with “Tres Delinquentes”, the late 90s hip hop song by Delinquent Habits. The film ends with the 1960s bubble gum pop song “I Think I Love You” by The Partridge Family. There are also tracks by Stray Cats, Love and Rockets, and Harry Nilsson that play in the background. The music choices are all over the place, like a random dig through the record shop and placing them throughout the film, each coming from differing genres and differing decades. Interestingly all are English songs (with some Spanish lyrics in “Tres Delinquentes”) and no Korean songs at all included. The random choices seemingly have an absurd quality to heighten the comedy aspect, rather than having eerie horror soundtrack cues, but the choices are puzzling. Though I personally love music from many genres and the songs themselves are interesting choices, they don’t always fit the film entirely. The film was released theatrically in South Korean on April 25th, 1998. It was a fair hit, with about 350,000 tickets sold to place it as the 6th in the ranking of tickets sold for south Korean films that year. But in comparison, it is by far out of the top ten films of the year in South Korea if international films were included, as eight of the top ten films that year were Hollywood productions. Kim received a lot of critical praise, as well as some attention abroad as it won the Best Film Award at the Fantasporto International Film Festival, Best Film and Best Director at the Málaga International Week of Fantastic Cinema. At home, the film was nominated for Best New Director, Best Editing, and Best Supporting Actress for Na Moon-hee at the Grand Bell Awards. In addition, Cine21, the magazine that gave Kim the grand opportunity, ranked it as the fifth best film of the year. It went on to be not only influential in terms of cult filmmaking and South Korean filmmakers, but also for remakes and imitations. It was loosely remade in Japanese by filmmaker Miike Takashi as "The Happiness of the Katakuris" in 2001 adding musical elements and more absurd weirdness for further cult acclaim. It was also made into three Indian films, with "Yaamirukka Bayamey" and "Namo Bhootatma" both in 2014 and "Next Nuvve" in 2017, each being slightly different but sharing the same stem. "The Quiet Family" was released on DVD in Australia by Madman, and now for its Blu-ray release, it comes from Umbrella Entertainment. Note this is a region ALL Blu-ray
Video
Umbrella Entertainment presents the film in the 1.78:1 aspect ratio in 1080p AVC MPEG-4. This isn’t a new transfer but comes from an existing HD master, which has some problems to discuss. The transfer comes from a film source, but very little effort was put into remastering or restoring the film, if any at all. The aspect ratio is slightly off as well, being in 1.78:1, the HD standard rather than in 1.85:1 as it was originally projected theatrically. There are many noticeable speckles and debris throughout the film, which becomes more noticeable during dark scenes as small write dots appear. There is also some light telecine wobble to the image, more noticeable in start and end of reels. Colors are on the darker side, and while they are stable throughout, the image lacks depth and detail. Finally there are some minor instances of color fluctuation, but it is not overtly noticeable compared to other issues. It seems the same HD master was also used for the South Korean and French Blu-ray releases. Of all of Kim’s films, this being the oldest is the one that desperately needs a full restoration. Maybe some day in the future, as his films “A Tale of Two Sisters” and “A Bittersweet Life” did receive 4K restorations (though they both had issues with the restoration image quality). The film's runtime is 98:46.
Audio
Korean DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Korean DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo There are lossless 5.1 and 2.0 options for the film in the original Korean language, Fortunately the audio is much better in presentation compared to the image. For the 5.1 track, dialogue is always centered and is clear. The surrounding channels are used for effects and music, and are never overpowering, being well balanced against the dialogue. There are no issues with dropout, hiss, crackle, or other damage to the audio tracks for a satisfying though not particularly immersive experience. There are optional English subtitles for the main feature in a white font. They are well timed and easy to read. There was an instance in which the word “Spy” was mistakenly written as “Soy”, so be aware when they mention the “North Korean Soy”, it is clearly an error.
Extras
(1) Audio commentary by director Kim Jee-woon and actor Song Kang-ho This vintage commentary has Kim and Song recalling about the production. Discussed are about the visual designs such as the difficulty finding wallpaper for the inn, the casting of new a number of new actors, the balance between comedy and horror, the naming the characters, the character motivations, and more. It is a laugh filled commentary with the two of them pointing out many of the absurdities within the film. The subtitles are not the best translation. There are occasional spelling errors, grammar mistakes, and portions in which there are no subtitles to accompany their conversation. The subtitle script seems to be carried over from the old translation from the DVD releases from two decades ago, and it is unfortunate they were not retranslated, as they feel very inadequate. This is not the only extra with subpar subtitle translation quality, which will be noted below. Note the commentary was originally recorded for the 2003 South Korean DVD release. in Korean Dolby Digital 2.0 with optional English subtitles (2) Audio commentary with Pierce Conran and James Marsh This new and exclusive commentary has critics Conran and Marsh together discussing about the film as well as the cast and crew. Talked about are the visual style set by Kim that would continue in his career, the comedy elements and the political subtext, similarities to other western features, the South Korean film industry at the time and its relative unknown status in world cinema, South Korean social norms, information on the cast and crew including their subsequent works, the use of non-Korean songs for the soundtrack, and more. They point out not only the positive elements but some of the questionable elements that do not quite work as well for a well rounded commentary with a lot of information. in English Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles Interviews with producers and actors (39:54) This vintage selection of interviews were conducted about five years after the film's release for its DVD release. First is an interview with Song Kang-ho interviewing Kim Jee-woon on the film's technical aspects especially the pacing and rhythm, and discussing their relationship for two films together (which the number would subsequently grow to five features so far). The second interview is Kim interviewing Choi Min-sik during the filming of the international breakthrough "Oldboy", in which he talks about his character, recalling the script, and working with the other actors. The third is with Kim interviewing Song about his character in the film and his experience. Finally, there is a dual interview with Go Ho-kyung and Lee Yoon-seong recalling their experience playing Mina and Misoo respectively, from the audition process to their favorite scenes and more. The interviews include burned-in English subtitles that seem to be a direct port of the old US/UK DVDs which had some poor translations, bad grammar, and spelling errors all around. It is understandable, but there are clear errors such as Song referring to Kim as the "producer" rather than the director, pronouns being switched by mistake, repeated words, sentences being untranslated, and more. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 1.33:1, in Korean Dolby Digital 2.0 with burned-in English subtitles "Coming Out" 2000 short film by Kim Jee-woon (47:00) Hyun-joo (played by Ku Hye-ju) has a terrible confession to make. She tells her brother Jae-min (played by Shin Ha-kyun) and his girlfriend Ji-eun (played by Jang I-ji) that she is in fact a vampire. Though they are not quick to believe her, she demonstrates her lust for blood and talks about her secret life as well as debunking the usual myths that surround vampire lore. This short film by Kim was an early exercise in digital filmmaking and distribution - shot on a digital camera and broadcast via the Internet. It was shot entirely on a Canon XL-1, which was the same camera that was used for most of the production of "28 Days Later" in 2002, with a small cast and crew that mixed found footage and reenactments to tell a supposed "true" story of Korean vampires. The short here is upscaled from a standard definition source but it doesn't seem to be the original source but rather from the UK DVD from two decades ago. The subtitles are of similar quality to the above interviews with bad grammar, spelling errors, and mistranslations. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 1.56:1, in Korean Dolby Digital 2.0 with burned-in English subtitles "Making Of" featurette (6:46) This vintage featurette looks at the inn itself, with the filmmakers deciding to actually build the location rather than finding an existing place, from the model design to the practical choices made for the filming. Again, this upscaled featurette from the DVD era has burned-in English subtitles of poor quality like the extras above. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 1.33:1, in Korean Dolby Digital 2.0 with burned-in English subtitles Music Video #1 (3:37) The first music video features "Ubangi Stomp" by The Stray Cats with scenes taken from the film itself. There are issues of analog tape error occurring, though the sound is on the fair side. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 1.70:1, Music/English Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles Music Video #2 (2:15) The second music video features "Tres Delinquentes" by Delinquent Habits, again with scenes from the film itself playing with the music. The picture quality is like the above music video, though in a slightly different aspect ratio and without any noticeable errors, though it is obvious it is taken from an analog source. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 1.78:1, Music/English/Spanish Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles Storyboard Comparisons (4:03) Presented here are two scenes - one with the awakening of the supposed corpse and the second with Young-min killing the man with the shovel. The black and white storyboards play in the top left of the screen while the finished film plays at the bottom right. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 1.33:1, in Korean Dolby Digital 2.0 with burned-in English subtitles "Original Soundtrack" featurette (5:42) This vintage featurette has interview clips with composer Cho Yong-wook who talks about the song choices made for the soundtrack and about the songs themselves, covering "Tres Delinquentes", "Ubangi Stomp", "Jump into the Fire", and "I Think I Love You". And like the above extras, poor quality English subtitle translations carried over from the DVD era. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 1.33:1, in Korean Dolby Digital 2.0 with burned-in English subtitles Theatrical Trailer #1 (2:38) This original South Korean trailer features the song “Ubangi Stomp” by Stray Cats and features various dialogue moments to focus on the comedy and horror aspects. The trailer has also been embedded below. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 1.70:1, in Korean Dolby Digital 2.0 with optional English subtitles Theatrical Trailer #2 (1:30) This original trailer features both “Tres Delinquentes” by Delinquent Habits and “I Think I Love You” by The Partridge Family, without any dialogue, but again focusing on both the comedy and horror, most likely for an international audience, as it shows the title in both Korean and English at the end. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 1.85:1, in Dolby Digital 2.0 The film was first released on DVD in South Korea in 2003, which included the commentary, the interviews, featurettes, the music videos, storyboard comparison, trailers, and the "Coming Out" short. The short featured an optional commentary by Kim. The film was later released in the US and the UK by Tai Seng, wit the UK release having mostly the same extras as the South Korean release, except for the short film's commentary. The US release had fewer extras than the UK release for some reason. In Australia, Madman released the film on DVD, which had the interviews with Kim and Choi, the storyboard comparisons, and a gallery. On Blu-ray, it was first released in South Korea in 2017 (full specs TBC) by Nova Media, which carried over all the extras from the South Korean DVD, including the short film's commentary. It was released in France in 2024 on Blu-ray by Spectrum, which had the Kim/Song commentary, the interviews and featurettes, the storyboards, the trailer, plus an exclusive interview with French filmmaker Antoine Coppola. Trailers for the remakes: "The Happiness of the Katakuris" "Yaamirukka Bayamey" "Namo Bhootatma" "Next Nuvve"
Packaging
The disc is packaged in a clear keep case with reversible artwork. The only difference is the opposite side is missing the Australian M rating logos. The inlay mistakenly states the disc is region B only as it is in fact region ALL. In addition it mistakenly states the aspect ratio as 1.85:1 when it is in 1.78:1. Also, the packaging mistakenly states the 2.0 track as being "dual mono" while it is stereo, and the inlay also states the runtime as 78 minutes when it is 99 minutes. It is also available with a limited edition slipcover with a new design by Colin Murdoch, exclusively at the Umbrella Web Shop. It is also available in a Collector's Edition exclusively at the Umbrella Web Shop, limited to 1000 copies which also includes: - Rigid slipcase - Limited edition slipcover - 48 page book featuring essays from Hayley Scanlon and Bastian Meiresonne, behind-the-scenes, experiences and art Custom art rigid slipcase by Colin Murdoch - 8 artcards - A3 reversible poster The bopklet starts with a synopsis and a brief (but slightly out of date) biography of Kim Jee-woon. The first essay is "The Last Stands: Kim Jee-woon's The Quiet Family" by Bastian Meiresonne which looks at South Korean cinema at the time of the film's release, information on the film's producers, about Kim and his influences, and the hidden social and political themes. There seems to be an error in the printing as a portion of the essay seems to be missing in the "part 4" section. Next there is "Sage Houses, Quiet Families" by Hayley Scanlon on the film's themes. There is also conceptual artwork and notes from Colin Murdoch on the new designs made for this Blu-ray release. There are also numerous stills from the film within the booklet. The artcards are printed on thick cards with stills from the film. The poster has two variations of the original South Korean theatrical designs. The poster is folded and held in the keep case. The keep case with the slipcover, artcards, and book are held in the rigid slipcase. 
Overall
"The Quiet Family" is a fun mix of comedy and horror that showed that first time director Kim Jee-woon would be a name to watch. Umbrella Entertainment's Blu-ray comes with a subpar transfer due to the film's HD master not being remastered or restored, and while there is a good selection of vintage and new extras, it's also unfortunate that the subtitles for the old extras are the badly translated DVD era subtitles and have not been redone. While it is easy to recommend the film, it deserves a better presentation.
|
|||||
|