Product Details

• Actors: Qi Shu, Chen Chang, Fang Mei, Su-jen Liao, Mei Di
• Directors: Hsiao-hsien Hou
• Writers: Hsiao-hsien Hou, T'ien-wen Chu
• Producers: Ching-Song Liao, Gilles Ciment, Hua-fu Chang, Wen-Ying Huang
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Silent, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: Chinese (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: Ifc
• DVD Release Date: September 26, 2006
• Run Time: 120 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000GBEWPC
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #15,438 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Three Times" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

THREE TIMES - DVD Movie

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Three Times, July 30, 2007

By 

John Farr - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Three Times (DVD)

The brilliance of Hou's magnificently gorgeous meditation on love and longing, of course, is the conceit of using the same two actors in each sequence. And you couldn't ask for better performers than Chang and Shu, who are captivating regardless of the age they're portraying, particularly in the nostalgic, near-wordless "A Time for Love" segment, steeped in a sultry `60s atmosphere. Hou's other brilliant stroke is to make the next part, which unfolds in a brothel during the Japanese occupation of Taiwan, a short silent film, with hypnotic music and title cards. Taken as a whole, "Three Times" is nothing short of a rapturous, romantic masterpiece--in triplicate.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More exciting than Goodbye Dragon Inn..., December 30, 2008

By 

E. J. Liu - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Three Times (DVD)

Three Times is quickly becoming my favorite film, with each viewing I find a new favorite segment. At first it was the third, then the first, now the middle....and those were five viewings ago. In addition to picking a favorite segment, another difficult task is coming up with an overarching theme that connects the three pieces aside from the same two main characters. As a Taiwanese American, I'm partial to Hou's films, but I admit that they are not always easy to understand, or appreciate. Ultimately, it comes down to if the movie strikes a cord with you. For me it did, but I can understand why for some it is only less boring than watching paint dry.

There are so many wonderful moments in the film for me that I can easily fall in love with this film without having to cohere the three different stories. Whether it is the familiar roadsigns that distinguish the drab, nondescript little towns from one another on Chang's quest to find Shu in "A Time for Love," which remind me so much of my own frantic drives on the highway in anticipation of seeing a loved one, or the heartbreaking piano score that picks up its pace as Shu ponders the lamentable fate the little girl is about to enter in "A Time for Freedom," which can be heard on the trailer for the film on youtube by the way, this film immerses and tugs at you surreptitiously and from all directions.

The more I watch the film, the more I struggle to find Hou's message for this film. Is he trying to say that love is eternal, unapologetic and transcends time or that it is cruel, ever-changing and subject to interpretation? This film merits repeated viewing. Give it a chance, and another one, perhaps a third, and decide for yourself. Dare I say it, you don't have to be a fan of Hou's aestheticism and narrative style to enjoy this film.

17 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Foreign Film Of 2006, January 21, 2007

By 

Jen - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Three Times (DVD)

I can understand that without certain historical knowledge and an understanding of the current culture of Taiwan, the second and the third piece could be somewhat difficult to related. But the first story is absolutely a masterpiece. It contains minimum plot (if you would call it a plot), minimum dialogue (no more than 10 words in each conversation), yet it makes you fall in love with the characters. Is it possible to blame the critics for calling it anything other than "magic"?