Idea: Miramax Kung Fu Re-Edits?

Originally posted by: lint
Hey all, first time poster. Ive been reading through these forums and think it is great what all of you are doing to preserve and re-release films how they should have been.

This forum has got me wondering if anyone has undertaken re-editing any of Miramaxe's horrendous US releases of Jet Li's films or any of the other fantastic kung fu films they have purchased the release rights to?

You can read more of Miramaxes butcher jobs here:
An Open Letter to Miramax

Also here:
Appeal to Disney for Respectful Treatment of Asian films

Three films that deserve some special treatment in my opinion are Fist of Legend, Drunken Master 2 and the Once Upon A Time In China trilogy. These films have been edited, re-scored and re-dubbed into English. The miramax versions are terrible. The original soundtracks are beautifully done and the original language is essential (needless to say). The truth is, some pretty fantastic versions could be made using Miramaxe's prints (they did manage to obtain some very nice prints for mastering) and other releases original language tracks, soundtracks, subtitles, and missing scenes.

Has anyone undertaken a project like this for 'any' kung fu epic?

-lint

Originally posted by: lint
you certainly cant argue that any of the China prints are better for the most part

Originally posted by: lint
last time i checked Hong Kong was part of china.

Originally posted by: Harlock415
Well, certain Hong Kong releases are definitly better. I myself am a little dissapointed in the Fortune Star set of Chinese Ghost Story as it shows a lot of grain. If you want to de a restoration of Fist of legend, you will need the Laser Disc, since it has a Mandarin track and the proper Cantonese track (in which the Japanese speak japanese, the English speack English, etc) I do happen to have that from Tai Seng, for some readon, the LD is gold. I have no idea if that makes it better or not. The LD is also uncut.

George Lucas can learn a thing or too about film restoration from Celestial who is doing over 700 Shaw films:

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There are cerrain movies that are still not right. For instance Drunken master II -- even the Taiwanese DVD, is not correct. The aspect ratio is wrong, but it IS uncut. For the proper asspect ratio, you once again have to go to the LD. Upon a Time in China and America I believe was releaed also in the wrong aspect ratio.

It's a hard battle when the Asian studios are almost as bad. The deluxe R3 Bruce Lee Boxset has a re-dubbed Big Boss, with added Kyaas and Pink Floyd incidental music that were not in the older releases. The Game of Death 2 DVD is English only, odd considering I still have the original Chinese Tower of Death with Cantonese audio. My older copy of Fist of Fury has an extensive audio commentary by Bey Logan on it which is absent in the newly remastered one. I for one am not too fond of the addition of a DTS track to something as old as these.

The Killer and Hard Boiled are still out of print in the US and both of those had great audio commentaries by John Woo. Both those movies are still in print in asia in anamorphic prints which were not the case here in the US. They were letterboxed.

So yeah, I think there are indeed many projects that can be undertaken.

Originally posted by: Harlock415
I have SPL and my brother picked up "Killzone" I haven't compared the two yet, hopefully the only change ythey did was to the title. i know that it does have an audio commentary by Bey Logan and also the featuretes are in English.

Originally posted by: Harlock415
If you want to de a restoration of Fist of legend, you will need the Laser Disc, since it has a Mandarin track and the proper Cantonese track (in which the Japanese speak japanese, the English speack English, etc) I do happen to have that from Tai Seng, for some readon, the LD is gold. I have no idea if that makes it better or not. The LD is also uncut.