Shaw Brother BD's from T.V.P.

[panku]

On 6/5/2017 at 8:37 PM, massa_yoda said:

What movies did they do this for?  Like I said, I'm ignorant of these releases...

Here is a list of all the TVP releases, DVD and Blu-ray:

TVP1001 - Heroes Two / Tödlichen Fäuste der Shaolin, Die (DVD, Large Hardbox, 150)
TVP1002 -
TVP1003 - Shaolin Avengers / Shaolin - Die Rache mit der Todeshand (DVD, Large Hardbox, 150)
TVP1004 - Chinese Boxer, The / Wang Yu - Sein Schlag war tödlich (DVD, Large Hardbox, 150)
TVP1005 - Five Shaolin Masters / Gnadenlosen 5, Die (DVD, Large Hardbox, 150)
TVP1006 - Shaolin Temple / Tempel der Shaolin, Der (DVD, Large Hardbox, 150)
TVP1007R - Blood Brothers / Blutsbrüder des gelben Drachen, Die (DVD, Large Hardbox, 150)
TVP1008 - Magic Blade, The / Todesschlag der Stahlfinger, Der (DVD, Large Hardbox, 150)
TVP1009 - Savage Five / Wilden 5, Die (DVD, Large Hardbox, 150)
TVP1010 - Invincible Shaolin / Höllentor der Shaolin, Das (DVD, Large Hardbox, 150)
TVP1011 - Mad Monkey Kung Fu / Schlitzohr mit der Affentechnik, Das (DVD, Large Hardbox, 150)
TVP1012 - Disciples of Shaolin / Karato - Sein härtester Schlag (DVD, Large Hardbox, 150, Uncut)
TVP1013 - Crippled Avengers / Vier gnadenlose Rächer (DVD, Large Hardbox, 150)
TVP1014R - Seven Man Army / Unschlagbaren Sieben, Die (DVD, Large Hardbox, 150)
TVP1015 - Fatal Flying Guillotines / 4 stahlharte Fäuste (DVDx2, Large Hardbox, Uncut)
TVP1016 - Flying Guillotine / Fliegende Guillotine, Die (DVDx2, Large Hardbox, 100)
TVP1017 - Killer, The / Bande des gelben Drachen, Die (DVD, Large Hardbox, 100)

TVP1201 - Return of the Chinese Boxer / Todeslied des Shaolin, Das (DVD, Amaray)
TVP1202 - Master and the Kid, The / Gelbe Hölle des Shaolin, Die (DVD)

TVP1401 - New One Armed Swordsman, The / Schwert des gelben Tigers, Das (DVD, Yellow Amaray, Uncut)
TVP1402 - Shaolin Avengers / Shaolin - Die Rache mit der Todeshand (DVD, Yellow Amaray, Uncut)
TVP1403 - Savage Five / Wilden 5, Die (DVD, Yellow Amaray, Uncut)
TVP1404 - Five Shaolin Masters / Gnadenlosen 5, Die (DVD, Yellow Amaray, Uncut)
TVP1405 - Disciples of Shaolin / Karato - Sein härtester Schlag (DVD, Yellow Amaray, Uncut)
TVP1406 - Crippled Avengers / Vier gnadenlose Rächer (DVD, Yellow Amaray, Uncut)
TVP1407 - Seven Man Army / Unschlagbaren Sieben, Die (DVD, Yellow Amaray, Uncut)

TVP2001 - New One Armed Swordsman, The / Schwert des gelben Tigers, Das (Cover A) (DVD, Small Hardbox, 500)
TVP2002 - Heroes Two / Tödlichen Fäuste der Shaolin, Die (DVD, Small Hardbox, 500)
TVP2003 -
TVP2004 - Chinese Boxer, The / Wang Yu - Sein Schlag war tödlich (DVD, Small Hardbox, 500)
TVP2005 -
TVP2006 - Shaolin Temple / Tempel der Shaolin, Der (DVD, Small Hardbox, 500)
TVP2007 - Blood Brothers / Blutsbrüder des gelben Drachen, Die (DVD, Small Hardbox, 500)
TVP2008 - Magic Blade, The / Todesschlag der Stahlfinger, Der (DVD, Small Hardbox, 500)
TVP2009 -
TVP2010 - Invincible Shaolin / Höllentor der Shaolin, Das (DVD, Small Hardbox, 500)
TVP2011 - Mad Monkey Kung Fu / Schlitzohr mit der Affentechnik, Das (DVD, Small Hardbox, 500)
TVP2012 - Disciples of Shaolin / Karato - Sein härtester Schlag (DVD, Small Hardbox, 500, Uncut)
TVP2013 - Crippled Avengers / Vier gnadenlose Rächer (DVD, Small Hardbox, 500)
TVP2014 - Seven Man Army / Unschlagbaren Sieben, Die (DVD, Small Hardbox, 500)
TVP2015 - Fatal Flying Guillotines / 4 stahlharte Fäuste (DVDx2, Small Hardbox, Uncut)
TVP2016 - Flying Guillotine / Fliegende Guillotine, Die (DVDx2, Small Hardbox, ?)
TVP2017 - Killer, The / Bande des gelben Drachen, Die (DVD, Small Hardbox, ?)

TVP2101 - New One Armed Swordsman, The / Schwert des gelben Tigers, Das (Cover B ) (DVD, Small Hardbox, 500)
TVP2102 -
TVP2103 - Shaolin Avengers / Shaolin - Die Rache mit der Todeshand (DVD, Small Hardbox, 500)
TVP2104 -
TVP2105 - Five Shaolin Masters / Gnadenlosen 5, Die (Cover B ) (DVD, Small Hardbox, 500)
TVP2106 -
TVP2107 -
TVP2108 -
TVP2109 - Savage Five / Wilden 5, Die (Cover B ) (DVD, Small Hardbox, 500)

TVP3301 - New One Armed Swordsman, The / Schwert des gelben Tigers, Das (Blu-ray/DVD, Mediabook)
TVP3302 - Shaolin Avengers / Shaolin - Die Rache mit der Todeshand (Blu-ray/DVD, Mediabook)
TVP3303 - Savage Five / Wilden 5, Die (Blu-ray/DVD, Mediabook, Uncut)
TVP3304 - Five Shaolin Masters / Gnadenlosen 5, Die (Blu-ray/DVD, Mediabook, Uncut)
TVP3305 - Disciples of Shaolin / Karato - Sein härtester Schlag (Blu-ray/DVD, Mediabook, Uncut)
TVP3306 - Crippled Avengers / Vier gnadenlose Rächer (Blu-ray/DVD, Mediabook, Uncut)
TVP3307 - Seven Man Army / Unschlagbaren Sieben, Die (Blu-ray/DVD, Mediabook, Uncut)
TVP3308 - Fatal Flying Guillotines / 4 stahlharte Fäuste (Blu-ray/DVDx2, Mediabook, Uncut)
TVP3309 - Flying Guillotine / Fliegende Guillotine, Die (Cover A) (Blu-ray/DVDx2, Mediabook, 500)
TVP3310 - Flying Guillotine / Fliegende Guillotine, Die (Cover B ) (Blu-ray/DVDx2, Mediabook, 500)
TVP3311 - Killer, The / Bande des gelben Drachen, Die (Cover A) (DVD, Mediabook, 500)
TVP3312 - Killer, The / Bande des gelben Drachen, Die (Cover B ) (DVD, Mediabook, 500)
TVP3313 - Flying Guillotine / Fliegende Guillotine, Die (Cover C) (Blu-ray/DVDx2, Mediabook, 333)    
TVP3314 - One Armed Swordsman / Goldene Schwert des Königstigers, Das (Cover A) (Blu-ray/DVDx2, Mediabook, 500)
TVP3315 - One Armed Swordsman / Goldene Schwert des Königstigers, Das (Cover B ) (Blu-ray/DVDx2, Mediabook, 500)
TVP3316 - Killers on Wheels / Wilden Engel von Hongkong, Die (Cover A) (DVDx2, Mediabook, 500, Uncut)
TVP3317 - Killers on Wheels / Wilden Engel von Hongkong, Die (Cover B ) (DVDx2, Mediabook, 500, Uncut)
TVP3318 - Delightful Forest / König der Shaolin (Cover A) (Blu-ray/DVD, Mediabook, 333)
TVP3319 - Delightful Forest / König der Shaolin (Cover B ) (Blu-ray/DVD, Mediabook, 333)
TVP3320 - Delightful Forest / König der Shaolin (Cover C) (Blu-ray/DVD, Mediabook, 333)

TVP4101 - Master and the Kid, The / Gelbe Hölle des Shaolin, Die + Bonusfilm (DVDx2, Large Hardbox, 100)
TVP4102 - Return of the Chinese Boxer / Todeslied des Shaolin, Das + Bonusfilm (DVDx2, Large Hardbox, 100)

TVP4401KHB - Master and the Kid, The / Gelbe Hölle des Shaolin, Die + Bonusfilm (DVDx2, Small Hardbox, 400)
TVP4402 - Return of the Chinese Boxer / Todeslied des Shaolin, Das + Bonusfilm (DVDx2, Small Hardbox, 400)

TVP4501 - New One Armed Swordsman, The / Schwert des gelben Tigers, Das (Blu-ray, Slipcase, Uncut)
TVP4502 - Shaolin Avengers / Shaolin - Die Rache mit der Todeshand (Blu-ray, Slipcase, Uncut)
TVP4503 - Savage Five / Wilden 5, Die (Blu-ray, Slipcase, Uncut)
TVP4504 - Five Shaolin Masters / Gnadenlosen 5, Die (Blu-ray, Slipcase, Uncut)
TVP4505 - Disciples of Shaolin / Karato - Sein härtester Schlag (Blu-ray, Slipcase, Uncut)
TVP4506 - Crippled Avengers / Vier gnadenlose Rächer (Blu-ray, Slipcase, Uncut)
TVP4507 - Seven Man Army / Unschlagbaren Sieben, Die (Blu-ray, Slipcase, Uncut)
TVP4508 - Flying Guillotine / Fliegende Guillotine, Die (Blu-ray, Slipcase, Uncut, ?)

TVP8001 - New One Armed Swordsman, The / Schwert des gelben Tigers, Das (Blu-ray, Large Hardbox, 150)    
TVP8002 - Shaolin Avengers / Shaolin - Die Rache mit der Todeshand (Blu-ray, Large Hardbox, 400)

 

[reason108]

Thanks, again for all your hard work on compiling these lists!

[Tex Killer]

TVP wrote into fb today " 23.6.2017...RIP SHAW BROS.... " so end of contract I bet. That is not necessary bad thing, now they have more time to work with indie kung fu titles and those most likely come with english audio.

 

[ShawAngela]

Now that KungfuBob was drawing their covers !!! I hope that they'll still ask him to draw the covers for their other releases, it would be too bad for him to loose another " market "!!!!

[Tex Killer]

8 hours ago, ShawAngela said:

Now that KungfuBob was drawing their covers !!! I hope that they'll still ask him to draw the covers for their other releases, it would be too bad for him to loose another " market "!!!!

Bob is not completely without bread and salt from artworks, this is his recent cover to horror flick;

 

[panku]

5 hours ago, Tex Killer said:

TVP wrote into fb today " 23.6.2017...RIP SHAW BROS.... " so end of contract I bet. That is not necessary bad thing, now they have more time to work with indie kung fu titles and those most likely come with english audio.

 

They had previously mentioned Return of the One Armed Swordsman as a possible release, wonder what the status of that is now.

[reason108]

Damn! Probably the only company that got some Shaw releases right.

[KUNG FU BOB]

On 6/23/2017 at 4:50 AM, Tex Killer said:

TVP wrote into fb today " 23.6.2017...RIP SHAW BROS.... " so end of contract I bet. That is not necessary bad thing, now they have more time to work with indie kung fu titles and those most likely come with english audio.

 

 

On 6/23/2017 at 6:06 AM, ShawAngela said:

Now that KungfuBob was drawing their covers !!! I hope that they'll still ask him to draw the covers for their other releases, it would be too bad for him to loose another " market "!!!!

Hi brothers and sisters of Shaolin. Please forgive my lateness to responding here, but I have been super busy.

Regarding the "RIP SHAW BROTHERS" Facebook post: First I'd like to emphasize that the TVP- The Vengeance Pack label was created by die-hard Shaw Brothers (and kung fu cinema in general) fans with the intention of creating the very best releases of the films that would thrill other fans. After getting a bunch of their outstanding Mediabooks, I was not surprised to discover that there is tremendous passion put forth by the team creating them. So I was just as shocked by the above post as you guys were when you read it, and I messaged them for clarification. I was told that I could tell you the following- "Just tell (th)em we spoke and the big f***s killed the little fish and you will draw more stuff for us." He also expressed surprise that so many Americans read what he posts. Basically, after TVP treated each Shaw Brothers title with love and care, Celestial recently became less responsive to TVP's inquiries about licensing more titles, and showed that they really didn't care who bought their licenses or how slip-shod the products released were, as long as the "big" distributors had the money and bought multiple titles at once. As usual, big business celebrates the almighty dollar and is indifferent to artistic integrity. So many of the titles that TVP had planned on releasing in the future were snatched up by a company that saw that TVP were having success with the releases, and they will now toss them out on the market without any restored missing footage, extras, etc, as bare bones re-packaged releases. TVP also tried to get 3 more unreleased titles, like they'd done before with SACRED KNIVES OF VENGEANCE (1972, aka. THE KILLER) and KILLERS ON WHEELS (1976, aka. MADBOYS ON IN HONG KONG), but Celestial just didn't care. When they wanted to release something that Celestial hadn't ever bothered to restore (a popular title in Germany), they even told TVP to pay for the restoration themselves! So it was like having the rug violently pulled out from under them, and emotions were running high, hence the post.

The good news is that they still have a few exciting things coming, including a "Special Edition" release of THE ONE-ARMED SWORDSMAN which I have been tapped to create artwork for. I can't reveal any other titles right now, but I'm already involved in doing cover art for several other future TVP releases. I'm thrilled about this, and can tell you that they have treated me so well, considering me as "one of the team" and not just a hired hand. It's been a real pleasure working with them and I anticipate a long and fruitful working, as well as brotherly, relationship with them. Thanks to you all who expressed concern I was losing a cool gig. I appreciate the thoughts.

 

On 6/23/2017 at 6:11 AM, Tex Killer said:

Bob is not completely without bread and salt from artworks, this is his recent cover to horror flick;

 

Thanks @Tex Killer. Yes, I have been very lucky, and now have multiple companies that I work with on creating covers. I was a horror film fan before I even got into martial arts/kung fu cinema, so doing work for these types of titles is wonderful for me too.

Plus, I have a handful of loyal people that continue to call on me for their projects. Our very own @ShaOW!linDude has brought me on board for each of his martial arts novels (https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_13?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=scott+blasingame&sprefix=scott+blasing%2Caps%2C143&crid=2LR3PSTC2CFK6)

Stephen Biro of Unearthed Films has been hiring me to do work for him for probably longer than anyone else, including DVD, Blu-ray, poster, and book art. In recent years, he and his company have taken the extreme Japanese film series GUINEA PIG, and created the official AMERICAN GUINEA PIG film series, with each movie having a stand-alone story, only connected by their unapologetically bloody exploits. I've created artwork for each film released in the series so far, with the latest, THE SONG OF SOLOMON, being an "extreme EXORCIST" film with 100% authentic exorcism rituals and lots of unforgettable stuff splashing across the screen. https://www.facebook.com/UnearthedFilms/

I consider myself very lucky that I get to do what I love for a living (despite it not being the most reliable/sound way to pay the bills ), and to be a part of other creative people's visions, and helping to catch the public's eye or please collectors with my work.

 

On 6/23/2017 at 10:55 AM, panku said:

They had previously mentioned Return of the One Armed Swordsman as a possible release, wonder what the status of that is now.

Hmmm... can you really keep a one-armed swordsman down? We'll have to wait and see. But my instincts say "No, you can't."

 

On 6/24/2017 at 6:14 AM, reason108 said:

Damn! Probably the only company that got some Shaw releases right.

They definitely nailed it!

One more thing... A lot of people are complaining about this, getting angry at TVP for it, and I want to set the record straight... TVP are NOT ALLOWED to include English subtitles nor English dubs on their releases any more. They would if they could, and they did when they were allowed. They could lose their licenses for titles and be fined if they were to include them. This is stipulated by Celestial in their contract, and is done so that Celestial can sell to more international markets. Why would 88 Films license a title that TVP has already released with English friendly content? They probably wouldn't. Keep in mind- TVP is a German company that creates releases for Germany. They wanted their Blu-rays to be the best, most comprehensive releases they could be, so they included English subs and dubs on their early releases to make as many fans happy as they could. But after other companies complained about it, Celestial changed their contract to say they were no longer allowed to do it. Believe me, I am as bummed out about this as anyone. But those are (sadly) the facts.

[saltysam]

I have all the original english-friendly TVP mediabooks but no way will i knowingly buy a release with no english sub options (not too bothered about a dub) a shame really. i find it odd that Celestial don't care yet stipulate such tight constraints to TVP, lets be honest even if these films had english options on them the average joe in the uk will wait for 88 films £14.99 release rather than shell out £40 plus for these mediabooks,which are only appealing to the true collector with a bit of dosh. Also odd that the new company releasing cheap Shaw discs are seemingly allowed to put english subs on when TVP cannot.

[KUNG FU BOB]

On 7/3/2017 at 1:42 PM, saltysam said:

I have all the original english-friendly TVP mediabooks but no way will i knowingly buy a release with no english sub options (not too bothered about a dub) a shame really. i find it odd that Celestial don't care yet stipulate such tight constraints to TVP, lets be honest even if these films had english options on them the average joe in the uk will wait for 88 films £14.99 release rather than shell out £40 plus for these mediabooks,which are only appealing to the true collector with a bit of dosh. Also odd that the new company releasing cheap Shaw discs are seemingly allowed to put english subs on when TVP cannot.

@saltysam, to clarify, I said that that Celestial doesn't care about "the quality of a company's (TVP in this case) releases"... but they DO care about making money from any party willing to buy the licenses.

Also, this new company is also NOT ALLOWED to include English subs/dubs for their releases. I never said they would be putting them out as English friendly releases.

From what I understand, the German company WVG was not supposed to be releasing their Blu-rays as English friendly, and when Celestial discovered it, they put an end to it. Hence starting with HUMAN LANTERNS they ceased including English subs/dubs.

 

[Tex Killer]

9 hours ago, KUNG FU BOB said:

 

 

From what I understand, the German company WVG was not supposed to be releasing their Blu-rays as English friendly, and when Celestial discovered it, they put an end to it. Hence starting with HUMAN LANTERNS they ceased including English subs/dubs.

 

That might not be case.... http://www.bluray-disc.de/blu-ray-filme/das-schwert-der-gelben-tigerin-shaw-brothers-special-edition-blu-ray-disc

Come drink with me is listed with english subs(hopefully info is correct). There is another possibility that they are allowed to use english subs for certain titles but Human Lanterns was blocked by other company who plans to release it. That would then be 88...

[reason108]

9 hours ago, KUNG FU BOB said:

@saltysam, to clarify, I said that that Celestial doesn't care about "the quality of a company's (TVP in this case) releases"... but they DO care about making money from any party willing to buy the licenses.

Also, this new company is also NOT ALLOWED to include English subs/dubs for their releases. I never said they would be putting them out as English friendly releases.

From what I understand, the German company WVG was not supposed to be releasing their Blu-rays as English friendly, and when Celestial discovered it, they put an end to it. Hence starting with HUMAN LANTERNS they ceased including English subs/dubs.

 

 

3 hours ago, Tex Killer said:

That might not be case.... http://www.bluray-disc.de/blu-ray-filme/das-schwert-der-gelben-tigerin-shaw-brothers-special-edition-blu-ray-disc

Come drink with me is listed with english subs(hopefully info is correct). There is another possibility that they are allowed to use english subs for certain titles but Human Lanterns was blocked by other company who plans to release it. That would then be 88...

Well, the bastards should have only caught it after Human Lanterns was released! But, I hope Tex is correct that they will allow WVG to use English subs on any releases that 88 aren't interested in.

[Tex Killer]

3 minutes ago, reason108 said:

 

Well, the bastards should have only caught it after Human Lanterns was released! But, I hope Tex is correct that they will allow WVG to use English subs on any releases that 88 aren't interested in.

Lion vs lion was listed on another platform with english subs http://shop.dtm.at/product_info.php?products_id=64996 but have to wait and see what final situation will be...

These "budget" releases shift more units globally than for real connoisseurs TVP discs so maybe it was worth paying extra for subs or who knows what the hell their deal with Celestial is...

[reason108]

6 minutes ago, Tex Killer said:

Lion vs lion was listed on another platform with english subs http://shop.dtm.at/product_info.php?products_id=64996 but have to wait and see what final situation will be...

These "budget" releases shift more units globally than for real connoisseurs TVP discs so maybe it was worth paying extra for subs or who knows what the hell their deal with Celestial is...

Yeah I have no idea of course. I pre-ordered these latest titles, so I hope they have English subs. But, at this cheap cost, I'm not complaining. There are probably 60 or so Shaws movies that I want on blu-ray. So, that is some funds. I really don't want to be stuck with iTunes releases as the only HD version of these films.    

[KUNG FU BOB]

On 7/6/2017 at 0:13 AM, Tex Killer said:

That might not be case.... http://www.bluray-disc.de/blu-ray-filme/das-schwert-der-gelben-tigerin-shaw-brothers-special-edition-blu-ray-disc

Come drink with me is listed with english subs(hopefully info is correct). There is another possibility that they are allowed to use english subs for certain titles but Human Lanterns was blocked by other company who plans to release it. That would then be 88...

From the info I have, that is not the case. They are either in breach of contract or the info on the site is incorrect. For yours and other fans' sake I hope that it does have subs.

 

On 7/6/2017 at 4:08 AM, reason108 said:

 

Well, the bastards should have only caught it after Human Lanterns was released! But, I hope Tex is correct that they will allow WVG to use English subs on any releases that 88 aren't interested in.

I hear that. It would've been nice to have an English friendly release of HUMAN LANTERNS on Blu-ray.

 

On 7/6/2017 at 4:15 AM, Tex Killer said:

Lion vs lion was listed on another platform with english subs http://shop.dtm.at/product_info.php?products_id=64996 but have to wait and see what final situation will be...

These "budget" releases shift more units globally than for real connoisseurs TVP discs so maybe it was worth paying extra for subs or who knows what the hell their deal with Celestial is...

Again, they are either in breach of contract or the info is incorrect. As I said above, fans may get lucky if these companies ignore the restraints of their contracts and include them anyway, but TVP has stated quite emphatically that they are not going to ignore the legally binding stipulations of their contracts. They are not a fly-by-night, unprofessional company that does whatever they like, and even if they were, they'd risk jeopardizing their current licenses with any foolhardy nonsense. Though it's now impossible on the Shaw titles, they are able to purchase global rights for releases of titles from other companies. So I'm happy to say that their next three (non Shaw) releases are all English friendly.

To further clarify... TVP cannot put English subs or dubs on their releases (nor are any other German companies). There is NOT an option to "pay extra" for the right to include them. They absolutely inquired about that. The answer was "no". Same goes for the Shaw Brothers releases put out by Japanese and French companies- they are not given the option, nor allowed to make their releases "English friendly." Only English speaking countries are allowed to include English subs and dubs now. Purchasing "global release rights" are not being permitted as an option to companies buying the licenses for Shaw Brothers titles. This is Celestial's way of being able to sell the title licenses to more markets.

I know this is not what any of the English speaking fans want to hear (and I feel exactly the same way ), but these are the facts. Since I have the information I definitely wanted to let you all know the facts, and I don't think I can be any clearer. No matter how much we may want it, no matter how we ask the question, or stomp our feet and scream about it (you know who you are) it doesn't change anything. The answer is simply no.

[Tex Killer]

8 hours ago, KUNG FU BOB said:

 It would've been nice to have an English friendly release of HUMAN LANTERNS on Blu-ray.

 

That is still not impossibility one day, it would fit into 88 catalogy better than typical kung fu or swordplay flick..Well whether upcoming WVG blues include english subs or not, personally it`s not big deal right now. None of the titles announced atm are in heavy weight Shaw class, except perhaps savage 5 but I have tvp..Superior stuff has already come out(vengeance, soul of the sword and chinese boxer) and saves effort from buying "only" ok movies 2nd time if they lack subs...Someone like reason108 would be lot more happy upgrading his dvds to br

[reason108]

16 hours ago, KUNG FU BOB said:

From the info I have, that is not the case. They are either in breach of contract or the info on the site is incorrect. For yours and other fans' sake I hope that it does have subs.

 

I hear that. It would've been nice to have an English friendly release of HUMAN LANTERNS on Blu-ray.

 

Again, they are either in breach of contract or the info is incorrect. As I said above, fans may get lucky if these companies ignore the restraints of their contracts and include them anyway, but TVP has stated quite emphatically that they are not going to ignore the legally binding stipulations of their contracts. They are not a fly-by-night, unprofessional company that does whatever they like, and even if they were, they'd risk jeopardizing their current licenses with any foolhardy nonsense. Though it's now impossible on the Shaw titles, they are able to purchase global rights for releases of titles from other companies. So I'm happy to say that their next three (non Shaw) releases are all English friendly.

To further clarify... TVP cannot put English subs or dubs on their releases (nor are any other German companies). There is NOT an option to "pay extra" for the right to include them. They absolutely inquired about that. The answer was "no". Same goes for the Shaw Brothers releases put out by Japanese and French companies- they are not given the option, nor allowed to make their releases "English friendly." Only English speaking countries are allowed to include English subs and dubs now. Purchasing "global release rights" are not being permitted as an option to companies buying the licenses for Shaw Brothers titles. This is Celestial's way of being able to sell the title licenses to more markets.

I know this is not what any of the English speaking fans want to hear (and I feel exactly the same way ), but these are the facts. Since I have the information I definitely wanted to let you all know the facts, and I don't think I can be any clearer. No matter how much we may want it, no matter how we ask the question, or stomp our feet and scream about it (you know who you are) it doesn't change anything. The answer is simply no.

 

Well, other than IVL, I would imagine. ? 

 

 

 

15 hours ago, Tex Killer said:

That is still not impossibility one day, it would fit into 88 catalogy better than typical kung fu or swordplay flick..Well whether upcoming WVG blues include english subs or not, personally it`s not big deal right now. None of the titles announced atm are in heavy weight Shaw class, except perhaps savage 5 but I have tvp..Superior stuff has already come out(vengeance, soul of the sword and chinese boxer) and saves effort from buying "only" ok movies 2nd time if they lack subs...Someone like reason108 would be lot more happy upgrading his dvds to br

 

? I would have never upgraded if the PQ on those old Region 3 DVD' s was better quality. But, I think that blu-ray is something that I have fallen in love with. But, I think we are getting close to the limitations of film's resolution. Honestly, I never had plans to get into blu-ray at first. It took me a while to warm up to having to re-buy everything. Well, not everything....

But, as we (the fans of Kung fu films) know, blu-ray really has not lived up to its potential. Sadly, I can't always say it is a replacement of, instead, more of a companion to DVD.

I think I've come to a point in my life where I need to step back from all the madness of crappy transfers, etc and focus on other things in my life. Yeah, I am still going to be getting blu-rays but not stressing so much about it. Just been burnt recently by  expensive releases with crappy HK transfers. Too much money spent on trying to chase the best version of something. So, only will be getting some Shaws or some Jackie Chan films if they get a 4K master release. And, if I don't have to spend so much money on it then that is even better.

 

[Tex Killer]

While this perhaps belong to other topic but as subtitles are discussed here, this is pic from backcover of "shadow whip". English subtitles mentioned, would be possible few websites were provided incorrect info but to bluray cover has mistake, not likely. So it`s getting more certain they do not respect contract with IVL..What in this scenario is weird if they released human lanterns without subs because celestial did not allow those so, why started doing subs again then...

[KUNG FU BOB]

On 7/7/2017 at 0:57 PM, Tex Killer said:

That is still not impossibility one day, it would fit into 88 catalogy better than typical kung fu or swordplay flick..Well whether upcoming WVG blues include english subs or not, personally it`s not big deal right now. None of the titles announced atm are in heavy weight Shaw class, except perhaps savage 5 but I have tvp..Superior stuff has already come out(vengeance, soul of the sword and chinese boxer) and saves effort from buying "only" ok movies 2nd time if they lack subs...Someone like reason108 would be lot more happy upgrading his dvds to br

That would be nice. HUMAN LANTERNS is one I really love.

 

7 hours ago, reason108 said:

 

Well, other than IVL, I would imagine. ? 

 

 

 

 

? I would have never upgraded if the PQ on those old Region 3 DVD' s was better quality. But, I think that blu-ray is something that I have fallen in love with. But, I think we are getting close to the limitations of film's resolution. Honestly, I never had plans to get into blu-ray at first. It took me a while to warm up to having to re-buy everything. Well, not everything....

But, as we (the fans of Kung fu films) know, blu-ray really has not lived up to its potential. Sadly, I can't always say it is a replacement of, instead, more of a companion to DVD.

I think I've come to a point in my life where I need to step back from all the madness of crappy transfers, etc and focus on other things in my life. Yeah, I am still going to be getting blu-rays but not stressing so much about it. Just been burnt recently by  expensive releases with crappy HK transfers. Too much money spent on trying to chase the best version of something. So, only will be getting some Shaws or some Jackie Chan films if they get a 4K master release. And, if I don't have to spend so much money on it then that is even better.

 

Oh yeah- good point @reason108! Their Blu-ray releases of the 36TH CHAMBER films and BOXER FROM SHANGTUNG had all the English options.

Yes, it is a shame that the Blu-ray format is often not utilized to its fullest. Like you I was very reluctant to get any Blu-rays. I had already been through VHS to laser disc, laser to DVD... The only reasons I broke down were, first, seeing a TV in Best Buy playing a Blu-ray of Peter Jackson's KING KONG stopped me dead in my tracks. It was a jungle scene and it looked so amazing as though you were looking out a magic window in the middle of the store and seeing outdoors. But still, I walked away. Then my wife got me a PS3 as a gift for either my birthday or Christmas, and it came with a free Blu-ray... that's how they get ya! And it worked. Man, it was stunning!

Why manufacturer's will include two versions (theatrical and unrated versions for instance) on one BD at a lower bitrate than utilizing the ability to create one branching version of the film at double the bitrate is beyond me! This is one of the things they lauded BD's for being capable of doing.

As far as any question goes about older films only ever capable of looking "just so good", and upgrading from DVD to BD being a waste... that's not the case. When my friend Tom gifted me SEVEN SAMURAI (1954) on BD, despite being thrilled, I hardly expected much difference from the Criterion DVD I already had. Wrong! Wow, what a difference! But even more surprising was the BD for the 1933 KING KONG (the movie is 83 years old at this point). Not only did it far surpass the DVD in clarity and detail, but it was mind-blowingly clear. It's one of my favorite films, watched it at least 100 times since I was a kid, and I was actually seeing things in the image I'd never seen before.

It could be fairly argued, I think, that in some cases DVD even surpasses the optimum clarity for which many Hong Kong films are best seen. Due to time and budgetary constraints, things were often created that were good enough to pass as the filmmakers often thought they'd only be seen briefly in a movie theater, and not re-watched countless times on a digital medium screened on a 64' TV. Questionable FX opticals, paper mache creatures, and lots and lots of wires often went unnoticed theatrically, but are frequently glaringly apparent on DVD and even more so on BD. Especially in early '90s wuxia-pan films, the seams are blatantly showing. However, I still want the classics on BD. Seeing the depth of expression on Gordon Liu's face as he witnesses the Manchu's evil and the sacrifice of his fellow man in hopes of freedom... priceless!

 

1 hour ago, Tex Killer said:

While this perhaps belong to other topic but as subtitles are discussed here, this is pic from backcover of "shadow whip". English subtitles mentioned, would be possible few websites were provided incorrect info but to bluray cover has mistake, not likely. So it`s getting more certain they do not respect contract with IVL..What in this scenario is weird if they released human lanterns without subs because celestial did not allow those so, why started doing subs again then...

I know that there is often a big gap between cover graphics being made and printed, and the release of the actual product. I've had deadlines to deliver art for a cover, which needed to be sent to the graphics people then on to the printer, but the product comes out 6 months later. It's possible these were approved and sent to the printer before they realized they couldn't include the English subs. A release on BD requires dealing with multiple companies, and a lot of companies just aren't that careful either. Though some places will do them all, others only print the sleeves, a second company provides the cases, another does the disc pressings... there's a lot of room for error (as we all know!). Just this week I got my copy of a Blu-ray set that I did the cover for, and saw that my credit was missing from the back cover. I mentioned it to the company as this (along with word of mouth) is important for me to get more work. If someone likes the art and looks on the back for the artist's name, if it's not there (unless it's REALLY phenomenal) it's more likely they'll forget about it rather than contacting the company to find out who did it. My contact was shocked and expressed her regret that it wasn't included, but immediately forwarded me the e-mail she had sent to the graphics department, which DID include my credit. How many times have we seen the back covers list Cantonese audio, only to discover it was Mandarin instead?

As I said before, for fan's sake, I hope they do have the subs. But I would proceed with caution as far as pre-orders go.

[Tex Killer]

8 hours ago, KUNG FU BOB said:

 

 

I know that there is often a big gap between cover graphics being made and printed, and the release of the actual product. I've had deadlines to deliver art for a cover, which needed to be sent to the graphics people then on to the printer, but the product comes out 6 months later. It's possible these were approved and sent to the printer before they realized they couldn't include the English subs.

You are likely right on that, although they shouldn`t sent samples of covers with wrong info to webshops. Returns likely will be made by those who makes purchases assuming items have english subs which they probably don`t. Going to pick lion vs lion anyway, no reason ever to watch full movie again but action scenes deserve random revisits.

[panku]

TVP Facebook has posted some promo images for the upcoming Blu ray of Return of the One Armed Swordsman which will include a Bey Logan commentary and an interview with Jimmy Wang Yu

[De Ming Li]

Are the DVD releases of these Shaw films from TVP better than the original IVL ones? My understanding is that TVP almost always go the extra mile and restore missing footage to create as complete a presentation as possible, the BLOOD BROTHERS dvd being a good example with scenes not seen on the IVL disc being present in their version. Also, the picture and sound tracks should be top notch as well?

[KUNG FU BOB]

On 7/8/2017 at 2:26 PM, Tex Killer said:

You are likely right on that, although they shouldn`t sent samples of covers with wrong info to webshops. Returns likely will be made by those who makes purchases assuming items have english subs which they probably don`t. Going to pick lion vs lion anyway, no reason ever to watch full movie again but action scenes deserve random revisits.

For readers browsing through the thread without reading all of the above, this speculation is in regards to the WVG releases, not TVP... Yes, for sure. That's just the most basic quality control stuff. But once something like that IS missed, and the covers are all printed, it's highly unlikely they would re-print all of that. Regardless of what should happen in a perfect world.

Arrow Films just made a text error in their DOBERMAN COP booklet that omitted the names of the top four leads from the cast. Marc Walkow, the gentleman responsible for producing the special features for the release posted about it on Face Book (I'll link to it in the appropriate thread). It happens frequently to releases worldwide. During the heyday of DVDs I noticed that on a lot of the major studio releases the running times were incorrect.

That being said, claiming an English friendly release that isn't- this is a mistake that would most likely lead to me making a return on most purchases.

 

On 7/13/2017 at 11:23 AM, panku said:

TVP Facebook has posted some promo images for the upcoming Blu ray of Return of the One Armed Swordsman which will include a Bey Logan commentary and an interview with Jimmy Wang Yu

I am happy to announce that I am doing the cover art for their RETURN OF THE ONE-ARMED SWORDSMAN release.

 

2 hours ago, De Ming Li said:

Are the DVD releases of these Shaw films from TVP better than the original IVL ones? My understanding is that TVP almost always go the extra mile and restore missing footage to create as complete a presentation as possible, the BLOOD BROTHERS dvd being a good example with scenes not seen on the IVL disc being present in their version. Also, the picture and sound tracks should be top notch as well?

Yes!

I thought the IVL DVD of NEW ONE-ARMED SWORDSMAN looked fine, and only wanted the TVP Blu-ray release for the extra footage, English dub and packaging. But once I put it in the player I was stunned at the visual/audio upgrade. Big difference!

I have not picked up their BLOOD BROTHERS release @De Ming Li, and didn't know that this one also contains additional footage. Thanks for the heads up; I'll have to get it.

[bobostilllives]

just who are these english speaking companies that plan to release shaws with dubs ? other than 88 that is.   thanks.

[reason108]

On 7/15/2017 at 4:37 PM, bobostilllives said:

just who are these english speaking companies that plan to release shaws with dubs ? other than 88 that is.   thanks.

 

Yeah, a mystery at this point. Makes me wonder if El Rey have any intentions to get into the home video market? Celestial should have tried to cash in with blu-ray releases as El Rey were releasing their Shaws line-ups. If they had not been so focused on only licensing then we could have had some great blu-rays by now. Otherwise, we have lost out to home recording and iTunes.