Full credits to X at http://twitchfilm.net/archives/003044.html

DISC 2

Although you've seen them already on Twitch, the menu designs deserve a mention. They are stunningly beautiful, their style in line with the film.

01 LA DOLCE VITA 달콤한 인생
In the 6 years I've been buying Korean DVDs, this is perhaps one of the finest featurettes I've ever come across. Basically all the major cast members talk personally about what those great fleeting moments of happiness were for them. This not only connects the actors themselves with the film's main theme, but brings them closer to the viewers, in a way no honest interview will ever do.
- Self Interview [1'03"]
Introduction by Kim Ji-Woon.
- Lee Byung-Heon [4'03"]
Lee feels strange doing a self camera interview. His life was full of small choices and big choices, but life continued to go on regardless of that. But if he had to say which choices influenced his life forever, he'd pick two. First goes back 10 years ago, when his mother's friends advised him to give acting a shot. The other more recent, a day before 9/11 he was in Boston, and decided to leave a day earlier, canceling his flight with one of the two planes that made history. That kind of destiny, those choices changed his life forever.
- Kim Young-Cheol [3'05"]
Kim says sweet moments in life are short, but he still thinks this is a sweet period of his life. Sitting alone, 12:30 in the morning is sweet. Talking with people, sharing ideas, working together, making good memories is always a sweet time for him.
- Shin Min-Ah [1'59"]
Shin feels she learned a lot shooting this film. Learned to have confidence in herself, which will surely help her in the future. Help to think more, feel more, take one step at a time.
- Kim Roi-Ha [5'14"]
At home, in his bedroom, Kim shows photos from his past, reminisces about his beginning as a sculptor, a theater actor. He says his happiest time was working part time jobs, having fun with his friends carefree, enjoying life.
- Hwang Jung-Min [2'23"]
Hwang mentions how Waikiki Brothers changed his life as an actor. After stopping his theater work for personal reasons, he was about to move abroad to start a business, and then the audition for Im Soon-Rye's film came.
This is wonderful, very special. As honest as you can get, and even if it's short, I wish they'd extended it to crew members and Director Kim.

02 MAKING OF A BITTERSWEET LIFE [25'36"]
Commentary From Director OR Crew (On/Off)

Basically a simple Making Of featurette with two separate commentary tracks from Director Kim and Crew Members. They show the usual steps of filming, from rehearsal to costume fitting, from camera test to the first day of shooting, and so on. Some interesting info is given by Kim and the crew members, but it's mostly all material that will be talked about later, or was discussed about in the commentaries. There's a nice working atmosphere between cast & crew. I love how Lee Byung-Heon runs to the monitor before he even takes off all the mud from his face. Good stuff.

03 STYLE OF A BITTERSWEET LIFE
This is just great, similar in tone with the huge documentary on the President's Last Bang DVD, but more in depth and divided into sections.
-Art [12'53"]
Art Director Ryu Sung-Hee talked about how the noir style influenced their choices. The most important thing was the use of colours. Take the Sky Lounge and its red, black and green tones, its catwalk like "light carpet" which was perfect for a final confrontation. She then went on talking about the single sets. The Sky Lounge, Hee-Soo's house, the Weapon Dealer's refuge, and the place where Sun-Woo gets abducted. They all do this while showing 3D Models, photos, and clips from said locations.
Main focus on building Hee-Soo's house was that of a person far removed from the usual femme fatale in Film Noir. The use of that natural, light green, giving a feminine touch to the room, all the small and unique props showing she's a woman who traveled a lot, and someone who could adapt to new things, change easily and move on. As for that small hangar where Sun-Woo was abducted, the main thought was building something that would help action. Again in Weapon Dealer's room, the biggest attention went to create an atmosphere that you couldn't get used to, with purple sofas next to dirty furniture. For Ryu, the most difficult set to make was the Sky Lounge, for its complexity and level of detail.
-Music [7'57"]
Dalparan and Jang Young-Gyu talk about the kind of music Director Kim wanted, then go on discussing single pieces from the soundtrack, adding the reason why they made changes, and why that particular piece was used in a scene.
-Action [13'50"]
Jung Doo-Hong introduces the action in the film. He says that while the action scenes in noir film are usually wild and spectacular, since this is a relatively new genre for Korea, they followed the basics. They shot some rehearsal at the fighting school with a handheld camera, showing it to the Director later (a common practice for Jung). He made the kind of action that was most comfortable to shoot, the kind of movements he would make if he was in that situation, stressing the essential. He talks about his three favorite scenes, the best being the last one in the Sky Lounge, which felt like an orchestra playing music to him. He compliments Lee Byung-Heon for his hard work, saying he's a fast learner, with a lot of ambition and will to improve, the right body and athleticism. He also talks about his relationship with Kim Ji-Woon, this being the second time they work together after The Foul King. He says at first he felt uncomfortable, with Kim acting a sort of mother role, letting him do what he wanted, not scolding him when he made mistakes, understanding what Jung wanted to do. But he was really happy working with him in the film, it was one of the best experiences in his career.
-Sound [4'37"]
Sound Supervisor Choi Tae-Young talks about the realism of the sound design, compared to Hollywood. He talks about how they had to recreate every sound with foley effects, and then went on to discuss the advantage of Dolby Digital EX in dealing with surround sound..
-Gun Smith [8'47"]
A very fascinating summary of every gun used in the film by Camarms's Lee Seung-Ryong, the Weapons Supervisor. First weapon is the APS Stechkin, used by the Weapon dealers, using special bullets, popular with the Russian Mafia. Moving onto the Smith & Wesson N60 Revolver, very famous in America, able to fill 5 bullets, a firearm used in many gangster or police films. Then The Smith & Wesson used by Eric at the end, very similar to the N60 but longer and heavier, with capacity for a bullet more. The AK47S, perhaps the most famous firearm in Cinema. Cheap to buy, used today by Guerrilla forces in Afghanistan and Iraq (and pretty much everyone fighting the US). Lee says the AK74S was more famous back in the 80s, but now the 47 version is the most used. And finally the Styre SPP, an Austrian gun used by special forces, in spite of its looks very light.
-Special Art [4'52"]
Kwak Tae-Young talks about the realistic yet not too over the top special makeup effects and prosthetics in the film. They show the pipe used to hit Sun-Woo's arm and the prosthetics for it, along with the fingers after he gets hit. The blood on Kang's hand in the bathtub, and the phone battery scene.
-Special Effect [4'56"]
Lee Hee-Kyung talks about the special effects in the film, and Kim's interest about the matter. They used lots of blood, explosives and air pumps, the work on the bodies hit by bullets, and the way the glass tiles exploded in the Sky Lounge scene.
-CG [10'17"]
Finally Je Gal-Seung talks about the VFX work in the film, the Inferno Artist Park Shi-Hwan about the special wind effects and the texture mapping added to the "fake" bricks when the car breaks the wall. Senior Animator Eom Tae-Young talks about the 3D Animation CG, used mostly for wounds. The VFX Artists again talk about the special blood CG wounds on the hands, and the CG on the final Sky Lounge scene.

04 말해 봐요! 저한테 왜 그랬어요 (Tell Me! Why Did You Do That To Me?) [21'22"]
Perhaps the most hilarious featurette of the DVD. Basically a general "mea culpa" where someone asks another crew members (usually to the director) why did he do something. You have Lee Byung-Heon asking director Kim why he made him wear that kind of tuxedo and sunglasses in Poster, why they made a prosthetic doll of Oh Dal-Soo for one of the scenes, Production Designer/Art Director Ryu Sung-Hee even asked Kim why he sent one of her team to brings some props from a sex shop, was he embarrassed about that?
Perhaps the most important question is from Jung Doo-Hong. Why did he make that shadow boxing scene at the end? Kim says to show that essentially Sun-Woo was fighting himself more than anyone else, and to show the happiest, sweetest moments in his life. Quite fun, I don't think I've ever seen a feature like this on a DVD.

05 DELETED AND ALTERNATE SCENES [23'27"]
WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS!
Commentary (on/off) by Director Kim Ji-Woon, Director of Photography Kim Ji-Yong, Art Director Ryu Sung-Hee, Kim Young-Cheol, Lee Byung Heon

S#1A alternate, Kim Ji-Woon
This was in the Music Video. It's a tracking shot of a car following what looks to be Sun-Woo. Kim says he cut it because it was too cliched.
Cuts to the scene where the waiter asks Sun-Woo to come downstairs.
S#12, Kim Ji-Woon
This was the first day of shooting at the NamjiDo Golf Course in Seoul. Sun-Woo and Boss Kang are there, when the phone rings. Kim says he cut it off because the weather didn't create the right look on the background. Cuts to the waiter walking in the Korean restaurant.
S#13, Kim Young-Cheol/Lee Byung-Heon
Continuation of the scene at the restaurant. Boss Kang shows a photo of Hee-Soo (the same he looks at later in the film), and Sun-Woo looks even more inept dealing with issues like this.
S#16, Ryu Sung-Hee/Lee Byung-Heon
Inside Hee-Soo's house, after eating the candy, Sun-Woo picks up one of those Russian Dolls and messes it up trying to put everything together. Hee-Soo comes out of the shower, tries a few pairs of shoes and goes back to her bedroom.
S#20, Kim Ji-Woon/Lee Byung-Heon
This opens a few moments before the scene where Sun-Woo stares at Hee-Soo dancing. It shows two girls next to him looking strange. Kim thought the whole thing was too awkward.
S#29, Kim Ji-Woon
The scene where Baek gets one of his lackeys to pick up the phone. It continues with him singing.
S#30, Kim Ji-Woon, Lee Byung-Heon
Sun-Woo talks with the chef and takes care of other things. Then a woman walks in the Sky Lounge and he looks at her. This cuts to the scene where he walks toward Hee-Soo before turning around. Kim wanted to show to what extent his work went, and how every time he looked at a woman from behind, he thought it might have been Hee-Soo.
S#33, Kim Ji-Woon
Sun-Woo is alone at home, playing an old videogame with a gun (looked like an Atari ST or Amiga? Maybe a Commodore 64). Connects to the message on the answering machine Hee-Soo sends him. Kim wanted to show how lonely Sun-Woo was. He cut it because of its length but liked it anyway.
S#50, Kim Ji-Woon
Sun-Woo is in the garage, angry after his confrontation with Oh, he starts beating on a nearby car. Kim cut it because it had a similar feeling to a scene that was close to it.
S#52, Kim Ji-Woon
Sun-Woo is fighting with Hee-Soo inside her house. She asks if he did that because of the guy. He tells her he didn't care about him. She asks the important questions: "Then, was it about me?" Sun-Woo stares at her for seconds, says no and then walks away. This was an important scene for Kim, but decided to cut it anyway.
S#55, Kim Ji-Woon
Boss Kang coming back from the airport, and inside the car. Kim cut it because it had too much of a Matrix feeling.
S#57, Kim Ji-Woon
Right after the scene where Kang gives the gift to Hee-Soo. She throws it at the mirror.
S#60, Kim Ji-Woon
Sun-Woo wakes up after Oh and his gang of Filipinos attack him. They realize he woke up, and hit him again. Kim wanted to show the contrast between the luxurious Sky Lounge and the lugubrious place he was at now.
S#72, Kim Ji-Woon, Kim Young-Cheol, Lee Byung-Heon
Kang is in bed with his wife. He gets up to have a drink and meets Sun-Woo in the hallway. They start fighting and Kang grabs a golf club. Sun-Woo leaves.
Kim said that instead of showing the predictable charismatic image you find in Bosses from other gangster or noir films, but wanted to bring them down to a personal level. Kim mentions how the 6 Iron he takes fits him even more since that's his favorite club.
S#83, Kim Ji-Young, Kim Ji-Woon, Lee Byung-Heon
Right after the shooting at the weapon dealer's place, Sun-Woo quietly stares. A phone call comes and he quickly leaves the place. Kim wanted to show Sun-Woo was even contemplating suicide, but the call woke him up.
S#88, Kim Ji-Woon
Moon picks up the phone and heads out. Kim cut it because of timing issues.
S#102, Kim Ji-Woon
Sun-Woo touches his wounded body in the toilet. He calls Hee-Soo, telling her if he can make it she'll get another call. While he thought it was an important scene (present in the Theatrical cut), he thought it was too awkward to put something that was essentially predicting his death before it even happens. It looked too much like the last famous words you tell the woman you love, so he took it off.
S#110B alternate, Kim Ji-Woon
This would be the last call he makes to Hee-Soo. Kim says he wasn't supposed to shoot it, but took a chance anyway.

06 달콤한 인생의 대한 진실 (THE TRUTH ABOUT A BITTERSWEET LIFE) [17:17]
WARNING: SPOILERS
This is the DVDPrime discussion that was reported about a while ago. Kim basically sat down with some DVDPrime members to discuss about the film, and it was an interesting debate. Kim opens talking about the main theme of the film, his desire to make a fun story. To show that while life is short, those fleeting, precious moments that change a person's life are beautiful and sweet. He wanted to do that through the elements of film noir. Just like The Quiet Family, the title hints at the core of the film. He also talks about how the end cannot really be interpreted as a dream, but more like as a flashback of his happiest moments, his meeting with Hee-Soo and that feeling before working for Kang. Reading the script, Hwang Jung-Min commented that it would have been cool if it was all a dream, starting from the cello practice scene, where the focus is behind Lee's face. Kim and the DVDPrime members continued talking about whatever they didn't like about the film, and what they hoped to see in Kim's future films. This was obviously edited and much longer (reports said 2 hours, although I find that hard to believe), but they did get some very interesting Q&A in, so it was a worthy discussion.

07 A BITTERSWEET LIFE IN CANNES [7'40"]
An interesting clip from the Cannes Film Festival, showing the crew's arrival in France, their walking the red carpet before the film's screening, and more. Producer Lee Yoo-Jin chimes in saying she felt it was an honour to be invited to Cannes, even if Out of Competition. They worried a lot, before going to Cannes, how European audiences would react to the film, but was relieved they laughed at the funny scenes, and accepted the film with great warmth, giving it a very long applause. A few interviews follow (I guess with critics, whose face I can't recognize). The first critic talks (English with Korean subs) about the quiet introspection and James Dean like appearance of Lee Byung-Heon. The french critic (French with Korean subs) loved how Lee conveyed his cold exterior while deep inside he was consumed by rage. Back when he looked at the first images of the film on the Net, he felt a strong resemblance to Alain Delon, the same magnetism, and he thinks that's also a kind of tribute to Melville and the French noir of the 70s Kim wanted to make. He goes on saying Lee might become the next International star, and Kim's film will succeed because anyone can identify with those themes. Lee continues highlighting the good reaction the press showed, especially in terms of artistic merit, the film's visual appeal and its sound design. Kim Ji-Woon jokes at the Q&A with the press that his film is like Melville meets Kill Bill. Shin and Lee conclude talking about their experience. The segment ends with Kim thinking Cannes is a bonus for him. What he really wanted to do was make something Koreans would like, but he's proud Cannes invited him. In the future, he'll try to make even better films. A nice little clip.

08 SWEET SLEEP [3'30"]
Ending credits roll with images of the cast sleeping on one of the three screens, Hwang Jung-Min singing (quite well!) on another, the credits rolling on the third. A nice touch.

09 EPK [6'50"]
- Music Video (Directed by Lee Byung-Heon) [2'50"]
달콤한 인생 (Sweet Life) by (양파) Yangpa. It mixes scenes from the film with other unused scenes. Although I've never been a huge Yangpa fan, this song fits well with the images. Lee seems to have pretty good talent for directing Music Videos. After Yoo Ji-Tae doing short films, do we have another director in the making?
- Teaser Trailer [1'30"]
Just great. Simple, to the point, summarizing the film's main selling points without spoiling too much. The voiceover from the film is effectively used.
- Theatrical Trailer [2'00"]
Again emphasizing the 저한테 왜 그랬어요? 말해 봐요 (Why did you do that to me? Tell me) line from the film. I love the big dramatic score starting with the violent scenes.
Mixes violence and grace with great panache. Top notch. I like the line at the end after the release date :의리없는 정쟁이 시작한다 (The war without loyalty starts...)
- TV Spot [30"]
Strictly focused on the cast under the beats of Dalparan and Jang Young-Gyu's score. OK.

OVERALL
I don't know if it's because he's lucky or in love with the format, but Kim's films on DVD always end up amongst my favourites. Be it the shorts and interesting extra features on The Quiet Family DVD, the great extras on The Foul King (in an era where extra features in Korean DVD were a rarity) or the beauty that is the A Tale of Two Sisters DVD. This is no different. The film is amazing, the extras top quality, the presentation excellent. The brave amongst you will wait for the mammoth 11,000 Yen Japanese release, but anyone else can do with this, and never regret that decision. This is a truly great DVD, amongst the best of the year.