The Cutting Room Floor: Lost, Censored & Deleted Bruce Lee Movie Scenes (Article)

[Kevin Chan]

On 9/20/2023 at 7:46 PM, DragonClaws said:

 

 

Thanks to @WarriorBloodCrest, for sharing the following information posted online by Bruce Lee Historian & Martial Artist  Steve Kerridge.

- "Steve Kerridge claims he has uncovered even more from that scene and other stuff pertaining to The Big Boss." - warriorbloodcrest

https://www.facebook.com/steve.kerridge.63/posts/pfbid0YT99U7pmXTemHPh7R72z1CM7Zj1LS99dvuLwwCqegaHmu9tzTN8NoTbLxyVtzoEhl

£185, ouch that's too much for me right now even though of course I'm super interested in this. Hopefully some nice souls will tell us some of the secrets mentioned in this book.

[WarriorBloodCrest]

On 9/22/2023 at 7:22 PM, Kevin Chan said:

£185, ouch that's too much for me right now even though of course I'm super interested in this. Hopefully some nice souls will tell us some of the secrets mentioned in this book.

As of today it's now sold out. Let's hope the 100 copies won't be held up exclusively by hoaders/scalpers, as it's been all too common with "Bruce Lee collectible" circles.

[DragonClaws]

 

Does anyone think Enter the Dragon had some audio censorship, to tone down the impact of the violence. In the same way the MPAA softened a neck break, from one of Bill Wallace's fights featured in AForce of One (1979). Which had a neck break sound effect removed from the audio track, so it could be R-Rated. The cavern sequence in ETD, was far more violent than that movie as a whole. Apart from using optical zooming, did the MPAA request any audio changes back in 1973?

 

[Drunksnake]

30 minutes ago, DragonClaws said:

 

Does anyone think Enter the Dragon had some audio censorship, to tone down the impact of the violence. In the same way the MPAA softened a neck break, from one of Bill Wallace's fights featured in AForce of One (1979). Which had a neck break sound effect removed from the audio track, so it could be R-Rated. The cavern sequence in ETD, was far more violent than that movie as a whole. Apart from using optical zooming, did the MPAA request any audio changes back in (1973)?.

 

As far as I know just the last blow (off camera) to Bolo by John Saxon was cut.

 

 

[DragonClaws]

 

Fans have viewed stills of Bob Walls character grabbing Mr Lee's leg during there screen fight, but no footage has been released until now. Rightfully this has been given a thread of its own, but I wanted to post the trailer here too.

 

 

[Drunksnake]

23 hours ago, DragonClaws said:

 

Fans have viewed stills of Bob Walls character grabbing Mr Lee's leg during there screen fight, but no footage has been released until now. Rightfully this has been given a thread of its own, but I wanted to post the trailer here too.

 

 

Where is the thread? Link please 🙏 

[PandaPawPaw]

2 hours ago, Drunksnake said:

Where is the thread? Link please 🙏 

 

[DragonClaws]

 

One thing I noticed about The Big Boss ice factory interior fight, when I first saw the movie in Widescreen on a U.K T.V channel. Is that you can see, one of the Thai stuntmen in a long dark blue shirt. Reacting to the saw in the head shot, with a shocked look on his face. Covering his mouth with his hand, with a disgusted look on his face. It's just a blink and you’ll miss it moment. Look to the far left of the screen, when Bruce Lee's character is about to Kick Peter Chan's thug character out of the building.

 

Edited October 18, 2023 by DragonClaws

[starschwar]

8 hours ago, DragonClaws said:

 

One thing I noticed about The Big Boss ice factory interior fight, when I first saw the movie in Widescreen on a U.K T.V channel. Is that you can see, one of the Thai stuntmen in a long dark blue shirt. Reacting to the saw in the head shot, with a shocked look on his face. Covering his mouth with his hand, with a disgusted look on his face. It's just a blink and you’ll miss it moment. Look to the far left of the screen, when Bruce Lee's character is about to Kick Peter Chan's thug character out of the building.

 

You cannot blame the guy.  He just witnessed a discontinuity in space-time.  Becoming physically ill is perhaps the most mild reaction one could expect to becoming aware of the anomaly.

[DragonClaws]

14 hours ago, starschwar said:

You cannot blame the guy.  He just witnessed a discontinuity in space-time.  Becoming physically ill is perhaps the most mild reaction one could expect to becoming aware of the anomaly.

 

LMAO, there have been a few photos around showing the icee factory thugs reacting to the shot. But they are not taken from that particular image/screen grab. Thanks for sharing those two screen captures.

[PandaPawPaw]

20 hours ago, starschwar said:

You cannot blame the guy.  He just witnessed a discontinuity in space-time.  Becoming physically ill is perhaps the most mild reaction one could expect to becoming aware of the anomaly.

Is that tattoo on Peter Chan legit?

[DragonClaws]

16 hours ago, PandaPawPaw said:

Is that tattoo on Peter Chan legit?

 

From what little Ive read about the man, I would say its the real thing.

[ShawAngela]

I still feel that there are some missing scenes in The Big Boss. From what I remember I have seen when I watched the longest version from Arrow, in my opinion, there is something wrong with the two carts scene.

We see Bruce and James Tien walking and quietly talking, then, there are the villains who arrive from both sides of the road with the two carts. Bruce and James jump to avoid the carts and... that's all : we don't see the other guys anymore, while one should expect that they attack the two cousins, and we don't see these latter fight either, so, what was the point shooting this scene if nothing was intended to happen in the scenario ??!!

[PandaPawPaw]

3 minutes ago, ShawAngela said:

I still feel that there are some missing scenes in The Big Boss. From what I remember I have seen when I watched the longest version from Arrow, in my opinion, there is something wrong with the two carts scene.

We see Bruce and James Tien walking and quietly talking, then, there are the villains who arrive from both sides of the road with the two carts. Bruce and James jump to avoid the carts and... that's all : we don't see the other guys anymore, while one should expect that they attack the two cousins, and we don't see these latter fight either, so, what was the point shooting this scene if nothing was intended to happen in the scenario ??!!

Maybe just poor editing. Heck the bigger budgeted ETD has some worse editing that TBB.

@4.07s

@2.51s

[PandaPawPaw]

I was wondering what format the Henry Wong footage was shot on and would it of had sound?

Edited October 22, 2023 by PandaPawPaw

[Drunksnake]

7 hours ago, PandaPawPaw said:

I was wondering what format the Henry Wong footage was shot on and would it of had sound?

It has sound, you can hear it on the featurette. 16mm probably for behind the scenes filming but could be 35mm.

[DragonClaws]

On 10/21/2023 at 10:07 AM, ShawAngela said:

We see Bruce and James Tien walking and quietly talking, then, there are the villains who arrive from both sides of the road with the two carts. Bruce and James jump to avoid the carts and... that's all : we don't see the other guys anymore, while one should expect that they attack the two cousins, and we don't see these latter fight either, so, what was the point shooting this scene if nothing was intended to happen in the scenario ??!!

 

They filmed this scene, and some other extra footage at Wader Studios in Hong Kong after they left thailand. It might have been added in as an after thought?, or maybe they planned to film that scene from the start?. Ist odd, that they never had a follow up of James Tien and Bruce Lee's character getting even. Its clear that the first director had a different version of the tory in his head, to the one Lo Wie had when he took over on directing duties.

 

[DragonClaws]

 

 

[PandaPawPaw]

18 hours ago, DragonClaws said:

 

 

I'm surprised by the censoring. They should of just edited those bits out instead of going all Japanese on it.

[Omni Dragon]

On 11/4/2023 at 4:40 PM, PandaPawPaw said:

I'm surprised by the censoring. They should of just edited those bits out instead of going all Japanese on it.

Perhaps they wanted to have the narration play in full, but also not have it taken down by Youtube.

[PandaPawPaw]

11 hours ago, Omni Dragon said:

Perhaps they wanted to have the narration play in full, but also not have it taken down by Youtube.

Youtube is weird. Lots of shit on there and they don't bat an eye lid.

[DragonClaws]

17 hours ago, Omni Dragon said:

Perhaps they wanted to have the narration play in full, but also not have it taken down by Youtube.

 

On 11/4/2023 at 9:40 AM, PandaPawPaw said:

I'm surprised by the censoring. They should of just edited those bits out instead of going all Japanese on it.

 

Odd that you can view the Manderin trailer on their site UNCUT with no issues, was there slightly more from the brothel scene in the Turkish trailer?.

 

[Omni Dragon]

2 hours ago, DragonClaws said:

Odd that you can view the Manderin trailer on their site UNCUT with no issues, was there slightly more from the brothel scene in the Turkish trailer?.

Are you referring to this upload?:

If so, they were uploaded 15 years apart, so perhaps their being more cautious nowadays? The Turkish trailer seems to be exactly the same as the early English language (export?) trailer but with a few seconds missing at the start and end, and obviously has the Turkish narration and dubbing. The 2 brothel scenes have exactly the same running time of 13 seconds and 6 seconds in both of the trailers

[DragonClaws]

14 hours ago, Omni Dragon said:

If so, they were uploaded 15 years apart, so perhaps their being more cautious nowadays? The Turkish trailer seems to be exactly the same as the early English language (export?) trailer but with a few seconds missing at the start and end, and obviously has the Turkish narration and dubbing. The 2 brothel scenes have exactly the same running time of 13 seconds and 6 seconds in both of the trailers

 

That makes sense to me, though the Turkish trailer uses an alternative English txt/font used for some sequences in the Turkish trailer.

[DragonClaws]

 

Anyone here buy Darren Chua & Steve Kerridges Making of The Big Boss book?, the price was a bit steep for my budget. I wonder how their material on the missing Big Boss scene compares with Brandon Bentley's essay on the same subject?, featured on the recent Arrow Bruce Lee releases.