Happy Together: HK 10th Anniversary Edition

 

This is the 10th Anniversary Edition of Happy Together, which was released in Hong Kong in 2006. In my opinion it's the biggest collection of WKW goodies ever released. It contains 2 DVDs (main feature and the documentary Buenos Aires Zero Degree), 1 CD (soundtrack), the Iguazu Waterfall lamp (as seen in the movie), boxershorts, 2 posters, some postcards and a certificate wich guarantees you the limitation of this edition. Well, I'll start off with a negativ aspect: This edition doesn't seem limited at all. I bought it four years after it was released. Officially, this edition is limited to 2046 copies... and each certificate should contain the number of the copy you got. Mine says "0000". And no, I'm not the only one! Nevertheless, this edition is a beautiful thing to own.

It comes in a very robust, thick cardboard box... Which is really big. And it looks so good! When you open it, this is what you get:

 

The insides of the box show great collages of pictures from the movie

 

Let's discuss the discs first, as they are probably the most important thing about this edition. Well, the main feature looks almost exactly the same as on the Kino International Special Edition DVD from 2004. It's the same remaster - unfortunately, a new remastered version was released in 2009 - and it looks so much better. I wrote a blog about the differences in April, so check that out if you want to.
The second disc contains the documentary about the movie and it contains lots of deleted scenes, interview clips and so on. It's a pity that this is presented in letterboxed format only and the image quality isn't the best either. But then again, today, we still haven't got a better version.
The soundtrack on the third disc is remastered and also has a slight tracklist alteration compared to the original one. On the original soundtrack, we got 2 tracks which feature the song "3 Amigos" (7min). This new one contains one track only (1,5min) and it also sounds very different. I guess it was taken from the actual movie soundtrack - we can even hear the protagonists speaking! And there is lots of echo on this track... It creates a nice atmosphere, but I miss the original versions. Generally, the remastered tracks seem to have more base than on the original versions.
I should point out that the cover design of all the discs is extremely beautiful, these are the front covers:

The Iguazu Waterfall lamp looks exactly like the one in the movie and it might look a bit cheesy, but actually, I don't care. Just turn it on and listen to the soundtrack... Creates a great atmosphere.

Then there are the postcards and the posters. These are postcards for Buenos Aires Zero Degree actually. I guess they could have looked better, but they're okay. The posters are folded, which is sad, but they couldn't have stored it in a different way. Therefore, this is fine. One poster is a reprint of the Cannes poster from 1997 and the red one is the 10th Anniversary one.

Last but not least: The boxershorts. I wore them once and they were pretty comfortable. Although they're too multicolored for my taste, I really like them.

This 10th Anniversary Edition is worth the money, given that you are a fan of the movie. The only thing that's missing is a little photobook, I would have really enjoyed that. And despite the transfer of the movie being dated (the bonus features make up for it) I higly recommend this set. (Get a newer DVD / BD of the main feature afterwards, of course.)