WSR Detailed LaserDisc Review

Prodigal Son, The
Genre:Action Adventure

Reviewed In Issue 30 Of Widescreen Review® Stars:
Yuen Biao, Lam Ching Ying, Frankie Chan, Sammo Hung & Wei Pai

WSR Review Scores
Picture Rating: 1.5
Sound Rating: 1
Download WSR Review
Reference Systems
Critics' Composite Score:
Internet Links

Supplementals

DVD General Information
(Studio/Distributor): Tai Seng Video
(Catalog Number): 56516
(MPAA Rating): Not Rated
(Retail Price): $39.98
(Running Time In Minutes): 93
(Color Type): Color
(Chaptered/Scene Access): Yes
(Closed Captioned): No
(Theatrical Release): 1982
(LD Release Date):
(THX® Digitally Mastered): No

Credits Information
(Director): Sammo Hung
(Screenplay/Written By): Sammo Hung & Barry Wong Bing-Yiu
(Story):
(Music): Frankie Chan & Philip Chan
(Director Of Photography):
(Production Designer):
(Visual Effects):
(Costume Designer):
(Editor):
(Supervising Sound Editors):
(Re-Recording Mixers):
(Executive Producers):
(Co-Producers):
(Producers):

DVD Picture Information
(Principal Photography):
(Theatrical Aspect Ratio): 2.35:1
(Measured LaserDisc Aspect Ratio):

DVD Sound Information
(DVD Soundtrack): Mono Sound
(Theatrical Sound): Optical Mono
(Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
(Remastered Dolby Digital): No
(Remastered DTS Digital Surround): No
(Additional Languages):

WSR Narrative Review
Story Synopsis:
Renowned for its masterful Wing Chun fight scenes, The Prodigal Son is called, by many, director Sammo Hung’s finest film. Yuen Biao stars as the title character, a young arrogant martial arts fighter who learns that his wealthy father has been paying others to lose to Yuen during fights. Determined to prove himself as a real fighter, Yuen undergoes extensive training in both the old and new way of the craft of Wing Chun. The Prodigal Son will surely please fans of the martial arts genre. Three theatrical trailers are included.

LaserDisc Picture:
The picture exhibits oversaturated, vibrant colors, lacking clarity and definition. There is an infestation of white haze that plagues color fidelity and sharpness. Blacks are weak and undefined and fleshtones are inconsistent throughout. Exteriors are a bit more natural, but still lack detail and definition and appear more subdued. Contrast and shadow delineation are poor throughout, because the overall picture is too bright. Subtitles are placed correctly and can be read on widescreen monitors. The aspect ratio is 2.40:1, and the transfer is noticeably off-center.

LaserDisc Soundtrack:
The soundtrack is undistinguished monaural that sounds manufactured, harsh and distorted.
(Surround Bass Below 50Hz): No
(Aggressive System Surround): No
(Intense 25Hz Bass): No
(Deep Bass Challenging): No
(Aggressive 0.1 LFE):
(Holosonic Soundfield): No
(Aggressive Split Surround): No
(Center Back Surround Imaging): No
(Directionalized Dialogue): No
Superb Sound Effects Recording Quality:
Superb Music Score Recording Quality:
Superb Special Visual Effects Quality:
Superb Color Fidelity:
Superb Cinematography:
Reference LaserDisc:
Collector Edition: