Customer Reviews

Once Upon A Time In China: The Best Of Chinese Film Music, Volume One

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I love the Once Upon a Time in China series, I love the Swordsman series, I love Jackie Chan's movies. But somehow this cd doesn't do it for me. The song selections are peculiarly slow, not at all the heart-pumping action-packed music of Hong Kong's most famous martial arts movies.

The best pieces are the selections from Once Upon a Time in China and The East is Red, but they're slower versions of the themes. It's as if someone bought the OUATIC soundtrack and chose only the slow songs off it to make a new compilation. Likewise, the selections from The East is Red don't even include the Hero of Heroes song that is the basic theme to the whole trilogy. If what you're looking for are the rousing themes from these movies, you'd better keep looking for the movie soundtracks.

If you want to feel the pulsating rhythm of a gloriously done Hong Kong movie, then this is the soundtrack to buy. The music is a great blend of percussion that makes you want to kick and punch something and tender string instrumentals for those tender moments. If you have seen the movie and are a fan of Hong Kong Martial Arts movies, then this is a must. Some of the best Chinese music artist do their finest.

It is a good instrumental version of theme from Jet Li's films. (I'm not sure if two versions are out or not, but there are no vocals as referenced in another review of this disk.) The other cuts are good, too. Nice mix. Hope there is a Volume Two.

Excellent chinese traditional tune in the film of Once A Upon A Time In China starring Jet Li this music track gets the rhythm of your heart going.

A very good CD! It's one of the best Soundtrack CD's I've ever heard. The shipping was very fast. Really good service.

"Once Upon a Time in China" is a fun compendium of soundtracks from Hong Kong action films. They're instrumentals. What's interesting, however, is that this goes for more quiet instrumentals than pulsing,heart-thumping music that would accompany Jackie Chan or Jet Li knocking out bad guys. It's more traditional-sounding than one would expect.

"Once upon a Time in China" has great selections like the exciting "Fighting Assassins","Desperate Battle","Out of luck hero" and "Night Attack." There are more romantic selections such as "Between love and hate" and "Aura of passion."

"Once upon a Time in China" is an accessible introduction to Chinese music.

The first half of the cd is excellent! Sensitive and modern Chinese music that's a pleasure to listen to. Not the usual solemn tones, some of these really move. The second half of the cd is canned and rather dull, but it's worth it just for the first part.

It has it all! This has Chinese vocals, but is great! The instruments flows smoothly into the vocals and give it a moving feeling. Never gets boring. Most people down here has heard it or has heard of it. Everybody just seems to want a copy! China Town is where I got it, and that is why I like it. It's Chinese!

This album is an instrumental version of the songs. However, it gives a good sampling of music from some of the better Chinese films out there. I personally like the Once Upon A Time In China songs; however, the other tracks are very good themselves. It is very soothing and relaxing music to listen or study to in my opinion.

The music is so much different from American film scores, that it's probably worth ordering. However, if you're familar with Hong Kong cinema, the glaring omission of at least ONE of John Woo's films is a real annoyance. The title indicates there may be future volumes. Let's hope at least "The Killer" or "Bullet in the Head" is included then.