The good folks over at Tartan Asia Extreme are back and will be releasing The Matrimony within the R1 universe next month, in both Bluray and DVD formats. This slice of Chinese horror comes from mainland director Teng Hua-Tao who looks to unleash an atmosphere of Alfred Hitchcock covered with a very traditional Chinese ghost story. Set in Shanghai circa 1930, The Matrimony features Leon Lai as a man reeling from the recent death of his former lover. We then watch as his mother marries him off into a new relationship that is ultimately devoid of love because of his grief. His new wife however won’t let Lai simply mope around forever and she desperately wishes for the two to consummate their relationship. Eventually she is visited by the ghost of Lai’s former lover who promises to help the new wife as long as she can overtake her physical form in order to have a final fling with Leon Lai. When Lai’s character finally starts to warm up to his new wife though, his former lover’s ghost starts to feel rather jealous. I can promise you nothing good will come of that!The DVD and Bluray will be released on July 26th and became available for pre-order today! The discs look like they will feature some cast interviews, behind the scenes footage and a selection of trailers. If you want to know more, read-on after the break for the official press release!
ASIA EXTREME IS BACK!
THE MATRIMONY
ON DVD AND BLU-RAY™ JULY 26
“The pic spins an elegant, sometimes sensuous web of tangled emotions
…an exercise in high style.”
– Variety
“A gothic tale that is as terrifying as it is captivating.”
– Jason Brooks, Tribeca Film Festival
“Well made, and manages to deliver…The Matrimony succeeds at being prettier and more elegant…than your standard ghost film.”
– LoveHKFilm.com
LOS ANGELES (June 27, 2011) — Reminiscent of the Alfred Hitchcock classic REBECCA, but with a decidedly Chinese supernatural twist, THE MATRIMONY is the third feature film from Mainland Chinese director Teng Hua-Tao. Released by Palisades Tartan, under its Asia Extreme label, THE MATRIMONY will land on shelves nationwide on July 26th on Blu-ray™ for $24.98 SRP and DVD for $19.98 SRP.
“We are the true home for Asia Extreme releases and will continue to selectively add films under that moniker to our brand,” said Soumya Sriraman, President/CEO, Palisades Tartan Films. “We are pleased to deliver another collectible title to fans of this genre.”
SYNOPSIS:
Set in a beautifully recreated 1930’s Shanghai, Junchu (Leon Lai) has fallen into a profound state of depression after witnessing his girlfriend’s tragic death on the day he was set to propose. Unable to forget Manli, and living in a tortured state of denial and guilt, Junchun’s domineering mother decides to marry him off to Sansan (Rene Liu), a beautiful young woman who she believes will lift her son’s spirits. The marriage starts off loveless and unconsummated, but Sansan is determined to win his love. One day the ghost of Manli, still pining for her former lover appears to Sansan. The two quickly strike a deal; Manli will help the new bride, but only if she can temporarily enter Sansan’s body so that she can reconnect physically with her former lover one last time. The plan goes too well and as Junchu begins to fall in love with Sansan, Manli turns from friendly and helpful to jealous and vengeful.
THE MATRIMONY stars Leon Lai Ming, who began his career as a pop singer and is known as one of the “Four Heavenly Kings,” the nickname given to Leon, Aaron Kwok, Jacky Cheung and Andy Lau (some of the biggest performers in Hong Kong’s music scene). Leon has starred in over 40 films. His costar Rene Liu is an award winning actress who can also be seen in Palisades Tartan Video’s A WORLD WITHOUT THIEVES.
ABOUT PALISADES TARTAN
Palisades Tartan has emerged as one of the premier distributors of independent and arthouse cinema in North America and the UK and has been on the forefront of consumer trends. Straddling both continents, their film line-up boasts an impressive repertoire in the UK including the Ingmar Bergman library and Wong Kar Wai’s 2046 and IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE. In North America, apart from many favorites such as Michael Winterbottom’s 9 SONGS and Carlos Reygadas’s SILENT LIGHT, the library is anchored by Park Chan-wook’s Cannes jury prize winner, OLDBOY, the film that famously introduced the Western World to the Asia Extreme brand.
Tartan Films was originally founded in 1984 in the UK and is credited with bringing Asian Extreme film to the West as well as some of the most compelling art house films of the last quarter century. In May 2008, Palisades Pictures acquired Tartan Films US library assets and two months later, acquired a majority of Tartan Films UK’s film library assets. The new company Palisades Tartan has operations both nationally and internationally.
Palisades Tartan will continue to expand an already distinctive and provocative slate of films by focusing on quality film acquisitions, thus significantly increasing the size of their overall library in both territories. Palisades Pictures and its parent company Palisades Media Corp is a prestigious financier of print & advertising for the independent film market. Together with its affiliate, Palisades Media Asset Fund, Palisades has securitized and financed more than 550 films. www.PalisadesTartan.com