Sound of Colors (Japan Version) DVD Region 2

Wai Ka-fai once stated in an interview that it was not at all easy to put Jimmy's illustrated novel onto the screen. When a simple story that you can finish reading in a quarter of an hour is to be made into a 90-minute movie, many producers and Jimmy himself understand that many more characters and storylines have to be added in order to make it work. The reviewer shares this view and believes that the production of Sound of Colors may be a much more difficult task than that of Turn Left Turn Right due to the simplicity of the original. In Jimmy's version, a blind girl and the wonderful journey she goes through in the subway is what the story is all about. It can therefore be imagined how flat it would be if what we got to watch in the entire movie is only this blind girl running around the city.

The movie then adds two more relationships and a bunch of other people to accompany the blind girl and the subway. The leading story takes place in Hong Kong and the supporting relationship between Chang Chen and Dong Jie begins in Taipei and Shanghai. On the Hong Kong side of the story, Zhang Hai-yue (played by Miriam Yeung) is a blind girl who turns a new romantic page of her life after meeting He Xu-ming (played by Tong Leung), an owner of a marriage bureau. Both of the stories actually carry the same theme that it is important to cherish the one you love. When love knocks at your door, go embrace it and be with the one you love so that you leave no regrets in your life.

Joe Ma Wai-ho, the director of Sound of Colors, has largely made his name on comedies, with Feel 100% and Love Undercover being two of his masterpieces. This time, with a script full of integrity, Joe Ma is successful in breathing some freshness into this touching romantic story. Unlike an unfaithful adaptation with artificial and absurd plot twists, like Turn Left Turn Right, Ma has endeavored to keep a plain yet colorful tone, which is the trademark of Jimmy, and his effort pays off well. Besides the director, the leading actress Miriam Yeung also impresses with her first-ever performance as a blind girl. Although there is still a lot of room for improvement in terms of her acting, Miriam should still get credit for having made a step forward out from her typical crack-up-and-laugh image. While the other actors like Tong Leung, Chang Chen and Dong Jie do not make a big impression, Fan Zhi-wei stands out in his role as an angel despite his relatively few scenes. He plays the role in a relaxing, easy and funny way, which makes him the most outstanding character in the movie.

Source: City Entertainment (Hong Kong)

Reviewer: Vincent

Translator: Holly