Tower of Death Korean version

[Omni Dragon]

On ‎4‎/‎19‎/‎2014 at 8:22 PM, Chinatown Kid said:

I forgot about how funny the British were about the chucks, did they ban the showing of other weapons like the knife or gun or tonfa? I mean why pick on the nunchucks exclusively?

James Ferman, the BBFC Secretary/Director from 1975 to 1999, seem to have a strange obsession against the nunchaku.

 

 

The video is an extract from an episode of the BBC series Timeshift, called: Dear Censor... The secret archive of the British Board of Film Classification. (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2076069/) 

Edited February 1, 2019 by Silver and Gold Dragon

[TheKungFuRobber]

16 hours ago, DragonClaws said:

 

Still waiting for a decent Blu-Ray release of the international cut, on Blu-Ray in the U.K. An official release, with the Korean/Hong Kong theatrical version's would be great. A poor quality version of the Korean print, was posted on YouTube in section's, I don't think it's on the site anymore?. Would be awsome if 88 Film's picked this up, and did some kind of release with Actor/Bruceploitation expert Micheal Worth involved.

 

Just how many versions are there on Blu-Ray?

 

The International Cut is really bad though, it's just a fight scene from Game of Death which was cut from the English version of the film and a bunch of other stupid crap edited in. I'd prefer just the Hong Kong version on Blu-Ray, with the Int cut included as a special feature.

[DragonClaws]

5 hours ago, TheKungFuRobber said:

The International Cut is really bad though, it's just a fight scene from Game of Death which was cut from the English version of the film and a bunch of other stupid crap edited in. I'd prefer just the Hong Kong version on Blu-Ray, with the Int cut included as a special feature.

 

Having the international print on VHS for year's, means, mean's thats the version I'm most familiar with. I'll always associate the 1978 Sammo Hung choreographed Kim Tai-Chung/Casanova Wong fight, as being part of the 1981 Golden Harvest BL swan song. It also had the cool end credits montage, removed from other releases.

 

 

10 hours ago, Silver and Gold Dragon said:

James Ferman, the BBFC Secretary/Director from 1975 to 1999, seem to have a strange obsession against the nunchaku.

 

Ferman and the BBFC, were not so obsessed with the weapon, when they first rated Fist of Fury and Enter The Dragon, the nunchaku footage was passed in early theatrical releases of those film's. Though they did make cut to other scenes of violence. When the weapon become popular with youth's in England, the police approached the Board, about dealing with the problem. The answer, the weapon was banned on screen, and all such scenes were cut, until around 2001.

[TheKungFuRobber]

Hilarious movie. Someone made a YouTube Poop of it, which I will link.

 

[sifu iron perm]

19 minutes ago, TheKungFuRobber said:

Hilarious movie. Someone made a YouTube Poop of it, which I will link.

 

This is absolutely NUTS in an entertaining way!

 

Thanks for the link. 

 

[RedPhoenix]

Thought some might be interested to see a copy of the Tower of Death Korean tape. This one comes from my VHS collection

 

Edited February 23, 2019 by RedPhoenix

[DragonClaws]

On 4/12/2014 at 5:52 PM, TheKungFuRobber said:

Hello KFC,

 

I have been looking everywhere for a subtitled Korean version of the film "Tower of Death". The Korean version omits as much of the Bruce Lee footage as possible, has more footage of Hwang Jang Lee and Kim Tai Jung and a different plot.

 

If anyone could find anything I would be extremely grateful, even just a link to 240p VHS transfer would be fine.

 

 

On the unlikley chance you may still be seeking this one out?, I think @DT-Nice1988 has up-loaded the Korean version to his YouTube channel?.

[Killer Meteor]

am I right that the Korean version takes us a good half hour to show the leading man's face, owing to the melding of the Bruce Lee and Kim Tai-Jong characters?

[TheKungFuRobber]

On 9/20/2019 at 7:59 PM, Killer Meteor said:

am I right that the Korean version takes us a good half hour to show the leading man's face, owing to the melding of the Bruce Lee and Kim Tai-Jong characters?

Yes. Being released in 1979, two years before the film's theatrical release in Hong Kong, the Korean cut was most likely a workprint which was hastily edited to remove the Bruce Lee footage, hench why it has poorer alternate versions of scenes especially near the end of the film. I think initially Golden Harvest wanted to have Kim Tai Chung play one Bruce Lee character but later decided that was a poor idea and instead decided to reshoot much of the film to have two seperate characters (Bruce Lee character gets killed off instead of his friend). Billy Lo is seen walking to the funeral with the Sherman Lam character in the completed HK version, despite him never having any relevance in the rest of the movie in the HK version. In the Korean version, the scene where Bobby arrives in Korea in the HK version and is driven by Sherman Lam plays immedietely before the funeral.  I'm glad they took this decision in the end. The Korean version is simply an interesting piece of history.

[DT-Nice1988]

Here you can watch it

https://youtu.be/QsjcLi8Kz_s

[sifu iron perm]

from reading the descriptions on the youtube page ^, the japanese version seems intriguing!

 

[Markgway]

On 2/4/2020 at 1:03 PM, DT-Nice1988 said:

Here you can watch it

https://youtu.be/QsjcLi8Kz_s

Thanks for the link. No amount of re-editing is going to make this a "good" movie but the Korean version is markedly superior (even without subs). Glad that they dropped the crass and confusing Bruceploitation angle (although they did leave in a few shots of the real Bruce that I wish they'd snipped). They even got rid of the movie's silliest scene - the "lion" attack! And you get used to Les Baxter's score from The Dunwich Horror. It's clear that the original concept was for Kim to play "Bruce" throughout the film and that this was ditched somewhere along the line... note how Kim fights like Bruce even when there's no reason for him to. Also, the set ups where Kim is dressed like Bruce (watching the film reel, entering the tower) would only make sense if he were still Bruce - the place where Enter's Nunchaku scene would have went is obvious. The final fight - which seems even longer here - is terrific. A 2.35:1 subbed version of this on disc would be most welcome. 

[Cognoscente]

On 2/13/2020 at 12:36 PM, Markgway said:

They even got rid of the movie's silliest scene - the "lion" attack!

Although the scene was laughable, I felt like it tied in with what Lewis said: "Kung Fu fighters should be fierce like a lion and swift like a peacock."

The challenge match between Lewis and the brothers was more unbelievable because the way that the challengers were dressed was so anachronistic.

[CastleOfDeath]

I have a theory Tower Of Death / GOD 2 started as GOD. 

There are many similarities between the two films in the first section, and it's all, in the HK print, much more well made than Clouse version. I believe that the first half was made to segue with Bruce Lee actual GOD footage, then it was discarded when Clouse came on board (with only one scene remaining in the HK cut). 

So this film was in parts made after GOD 78, but I think it started filming in 77 as GOD the actual film, then it was hijacked by Clouse. Also I'm certain Clouse comments on original footage not being good, was original footage shot for GOD 78 not by him, not the 72 footage.

What happened was, the film was already being made, but GH was unsure, they talked to Clouse. He got the footage viewed, and said he could do better. Then he conned GH and shot his crap film, then GH went back to Samo Hung to help salvage it.

Then, once GOD 78 cleared, GH had the idea to use the previous attempt as GOD 2 / TOD.

There's probably a mash-up to be made of this one and GOD 1, that would reconstitute what the original GOD could/should have been.

[Josh Baker]

2 hours ago, CastleOfDeath said:

I have a theory Tower Of Death / GOD 2 started as GOD. 

There are many similarities between the two films in the first section, and it's all, in the HK print, much more well made than Clouse version. I believe that the first half was made to segue with Bruce Lee actual GOD footage, then it was discarded when Clouse came on board (with only one scene remaining in the HK cut). 

So this film was in parts made after GOD 78, but I think it started filming in 77 as GOD the actual film, then it was hijacked by Clouse. Also I'm certain Clouse comments on original footage not being good, was original footage shot for GOD 78 not by him, not the 72 footage.

What happened was, the film was already being made, but GH was unsure, they talked to Clouse. He got the footage viewed, and said he could do better. Then he conned GH and shot his crap film, then GH went back to Samo Hung to help salvage it.

Then, once GOD 78 cleared, GH had the idea to use the previous attempt as GOD 2 / TOD.

There's probably a mash-up to be made of this one and GOD 1, that would reconstitute what the original GOD could/should have been.

You're just fuelling my desire to make more fan edits at this point! 😂

[CastleOfDeath]

LOL, another reason I think GOD 2 originally was partly shot in 1977 is where does the Enter the dragon footage comes from?

I'm not sure this question was ever investigated. To me ETD footage is Warner's property even if GH co-produced. It makes no sense that there are many scenes of it in TOD and not in the original GOD 78. Surely, that footage would have been used first.

So here's more theory, Raymond Chow wanted more Lee footage to finish The Game of Death, so he asked Clouse if he had any, and Clouse provided it. (I think the footage was archived at Warners, not GH). They hire Kim Tai-chung and start to shoot footage that matches what they have. That would be 1977.

So this is basically the first 30mn of TOD, which is very good at that in the HK edit, up to the point Billy friend is killed falling from the helicopter. I think at that point, the idea was Billy makes it sound like HE was killed instead his friend, hence the funeral scene. 

They shows Clouse what they had, and he said it was crap and probably too asian and not enough occidental. So they stopped shooting, and Clouse went off and wrote his new script, and got some money to make the film bigger (ie higher budget, international names like John Barry etc.) instead of just a HK film.

They shoot the film (GOD 78), but seeing the first edit, Chow decides it won't work, (Clearly Clouse was incapable of cleverly incorporating Bruce original footage with the doubles), and get Sammo Hung back to do reshoots fast.

Later, they decide to use the discarded version as the basis for TOD, and get Kim Tai-chung to shoot the rest. So they get about 30mn discarded originaly, and add all the other stuff.

So I think the original Game Of Death if Clouse would not have stepped in, was actually TOD first part, up to the copter fall and funeral. Then it probably was conceived to segue into what happens at this point in GOD 78, with Billy fighting the bikers, stealing the yellow costume, and there he goes for 40 mn fighting in the Pagoda with his aides. 

I'm not sure about the final fight (after Kareem), but I think for some reason that probably Bruce would have had a fight similar to the last fight in TOD, but fighting himself. (Thus Bruce Lee playing both roles with doubles). That seems to me the only ending that makes sense.

 

[sifu iron perm]

Anyone can help and share?

 

Need high resolution images from Tower of Death?

 

Thank you

[Cheer You On]

9 hours ago, CastleOfDeath said:

where does the Enter the dragon footage comes from?

Bey Logan had found outtakes of ETD in the Media Asia archive where he could tell from their lip movements that they were speaking Chinese. Fred Weintraub had no idea that there was an attempt to film a Chinese language version, and Clouse never mentioned it in his book. Perhaps this allowed for a technicality.
 

[CastleOfDeath]

Maybe they did try at first to shoot dual language, then let go due to time?

If the ETD footage in TOD was always in GH vaults, then it's even more of a slam dunk that they would try to get this stuff in Game Of Death to extend real BL presence in the film.

Remember that early poster in the GOD thread, that says "one hour already completed" (Which I can't locate right now). EDIT found it

It was made for Cannes film market may 1977.

Original GOD 72 footage is around 35mn, and the first half of TOD if about 35mn, which would make around one hour with a polished edit. So it means they might have already have one hour before Clouse stepped in, and as often happens when directors take over, he insisted to ditch almost everything to get full royalties and credits (ie the director as too shoot about 70% of the film) on the foreign releases. 

I don't have a lot of BL books, but I think that GOD started shooting in september 1977 with Clouse at the helm. So "one hour in the can" in may 1977 means that Raymond Chow already had started playing with different action directors to shoot 30mn of stuff that mix real Bruce Lee footage with new action scenes using Kim Tai-chung and doubles, and was planning on Clouse just filming 30/40mn to complete that and release the film in christmas 1977.

They had to delay by 3 months (HK release was in march 1978) because Clouse took over and ruined the whole intended film. Hence why some reshoots were made by Sammo once Chow saw the disaster Clouse had helmed.

Later, they use the leftovers of their original intent of GOD to launch Tower Of Death and complete it.

I think that Kim Tai-chung looks changes a bit in TOD once we get past the Bruce Lee burial scene, so it might explains a jump in the shooting timeline (77-79). Also, see the briefing scene in TOD, where they show footage projected, and Kim's face is still in the shadows which makes no sense as he is supposed to play himself by then.

I think that brief scene showed the New Territories video footage originally, to segue direct into Billy Lo 1972 scenes. (ie training scenes shot outdoors with Inosanto, Ji Han-jae)

TOD if often criticised for being a hodge podge of stuff, but I think this was baked into the film being an unfinished version of GOD, shot in 1977 that they completed later in 1979 to recoup some costs because, you know Mr Chow, he was a practical producer that didn't leave anything to waste.

The Korean cut as reported, might be a workprint version that they used as base to includes Bruce Lee close-ups in, which might explain why the US cut has different close-ups. (ie they used a different version of the close-ups for the US version for some reason).

I think the glass house fight, that is in the HK version of GOD, was not parts of the Sammo Hung reshoots, but was filmed for this early version of GOD, along with the first half hour of TOD. In the HK version of TOD, the scene happens at night, and the illusion it's Bruce Lee is near perfect.

Edited June 4, 2023 by CastleOfDeath

[Josh Baker]

3 hours ago, CastleOfDeath said:

Maybe they did try at first to shoot dual language, then let go due to time?

If the ETD footage in TOD was always in GH vaults, then it's even more of a slam dunk that they would try to get this stuff in Game Of Death to extend real BL presence in the film.

Remember that early poster in the GOD thread, that says "one hour already completed" (Which I can't locate right now). EDIT found it

It was made for Cannes film market may 1977.

Original GOD 72 footage is around 35mn, and the first half of TOD if about 35mn, which would make around one hour with a polished edit. So it means they might have already have one hour before Clouse stepped in, and as often happens when directors take over, he insisted to ditch almost everything to get full royalties and credits (ie the director as too shoot about 70% of the film) on the foreign releases. 

I don't have a lot of BL books, but I think that GOD started shooting in september 1977 with Clouse at the helm. So "one hour in the can" in may 1977 means that Raymond Chow already had started playing with different action directors to shoot 30mn of stuff that mix real Bruce Lee footage with new action scenes using Kim Tai-chung and doubles, and was planning on Clouse just filming 30/40mn to complete that and release the film in christmas 1977.

They had to delay by 3 months (HK release was in march 1978) because Clouse took over and ruined the whole intended film. Hence why some reshoots were made by Sammo once Chow saw the disaster Clouse had helmed.

Later, they use the leftovers of their original intent of GOD to launch Tower Of Death and complete it.

I think that Kim Tai-chung looks changes a bit in TOD once we get past the Bruce Lee burial scene, so it might explains a jump in the shooting timeline (77-79). Also, see the briefing scene in TOD, where they show footage projected, and Kim's face is still in the shadows which makes no sense as he is supposed to play himself by then.

I think that brief scene showed the New Territories video footage originally, to segue direct into Billy Lo 1972 scenes. (ie training scenes shot outdoors with Inosanto, Ji Han-jae)

TOD if often criticised for being a hodge podge of stuff, but I think this was baked into the film being an unfinished version of GOD, shot in 1977 that they completed later in 1979 to recoup some costs because, you know Mr Chow, he was a practical producer that didn't leave anything to waste.

The Korean cut as reported, might be a workprint version that they used as base to includes Bruce Lee close-ups in, which might explain why the US cut has different close-ups. (ie they used a different version of the close-ups for the US version for some reason).

I think the glass house fight, that is in the HK version of GOD, was not parts of the Sammo Hung reshoots, but was filmed for this early version of GOD, along with the first half hour of TOD. In the HK version of TOD, the scene happens at night, and the illusion it's Bruce Lee is near perfect.

Your theories make sense, my only query is about the Hwang Jang Lee character in TOD- how does he fit into all of this? 

Also do you think Ng See Yuen was hired to oversee the project in '77 or '79?

Edited June 4, 2023 by Josh Baker

[CastleOfDeath]

I think Ng See Yuen was only involved starting in 1979 when Chow decided to find a way to make money out of the discarded stuff.

Re: Hwang Jang Lee, I think it's probable that the first scene (before he dies) was shot two years prior to the last scene, as his appearance is somewhat, kinda... almost there but not so quite in the end scene.

So that would mean (mind you, it's just theory there), that they originally set him up as the "boss" fight on top of the pagoda. They either shot the last pagoda fight with him, or didn't and remade it in the new set in 1979. I think it's probable that they did, and that Clouse ruined the whole thing.

 

 

Edited June 4, 2023 by CastleOfDeath

[makone]

10 hours ago, CastleOfDeath said:

The Korean cut as reported, might be a workprint version that they used as base to includes Bruce Lee close-ups in, which might explain why the US cut has different close-ups. (ie they used a different version of the close-ups for the US version for some reason).

The reason they used different close ups in USA is because Golden Harvest doesn’t have the rights to Enter the Dragon footage outside of Asia.

I Don’t know why it wasn’t changed elsewhere.

 

[Cheer You On]

In Weintraub's book, he claimed that Raymond Chow made it clear that he would only agree to make ETD if he could control distribution in key territories. Weintraub gave a general example of how this works in the industry: "I'll give you Iceland, Finland and Norway, but I get Germany and Spain."

Perhaps this allowed for a loophole.

[Rno]

On 6/3/2023 at 8:07 PM, sifu iron perm said:

Anyone can help and share?

 

Need high resolution images from Tower of Death?

 

Thank you

Sure!

[Killer Meteor]

I like how they put the title in inverted commas, since there isn't really a Tower in the movie...