Return to the 36th Chamber Blu-ray Screenshots (Patreon)

Video

Set partially in a dye factory, color is an essential plot device in Return to the 36th Chamber, and those primaries sing in this transfer. Brightness in the reds and blues look especially bold. Natural flesh tones thrive in this environment too.

Outside of odd grain patches during the opening credits, this master preserves the film stock intact. Grain stays light, resolved cleanly. The scan looks lower res than some 4K scans, but it's not an image without detail. Facial texture impresses when given the chance. Fuzzier cinematography tends to limit medium and long shots.

Hefty contrast clips in in the whitest parts of the screen, and dialed in black levels crush slightly. Both ends receive attention, if so much so there's information loss. However, Return to the 36th Chamber appears aggressively dynamic, certainly not faded in any way.

Audio

DTS-HD brings Cantonese, Mandarin, and the English dub to this disc. Dated, faded dialog and a score lacking in range are par. Return to 36th Chamber sounds no better or worse than others in the Shaw Brothers roster. Thankfully, the condition is sublime, minus hiss, popping, or drop outs.