The Cub Tiger from Kwang Tung vs Master with Cracked Fingers (aka Snake Fist Fighter)

[drunkencrane44]

what do you think is the better film?

Edited April 4, 2020 by drunkencrane44

[ShawAngela]

Isn't it the same movie ?

[Killer Meteor]

Master with Cracked Fingers is a late 70s reissue with new scenes featuring Yuen Siu-Tien, Dean Shek and Kwan Young-Moon.

In fact, there are two versions of the reissue, as an alternate ALTERNATE ending was later shot! And there are two English dubs, one from Hong Kong and one from Europe.

[Tex Killer]

we even had master with cracked fingers on vhs..1st jackie chan movie I ever saw and can be first kung fu movie ever..even as liked ninja and karate before was thinking these fights are on different level..they use word karate in plot description . and to topic, master with cracked fingers is great action movie, sff is not.

Edited April 5, 2020 by Tex Killer

[sym8]

I have two versions of this film but I can’t remember what versions they are,don’t think I’ve ever tried to compare,will try and dig them out and give them a watch.

[TheKungFuRobber]

4 hours ago, ShawAngela said:

Isn't it the same movie ?

Master with Cracked Fingers is a cut-and-paste cash in which uses footage from Jackie Chan's first starring role The Cub Tiger from Kwang Tung. The other footage uses a double for Jackie Chan and actors who appeared in other Jackie Chan movies such as Dean Shek, Yuen Siu Tien and Chiang Kam. Both films were made by the same director, Chu Mu, but I can't say for certain if he was involved with the re-edited version. Both films were produced under the same independent studio, Soon Lee Film's Co. The latter version was made as a cash in on Drunken Master after the original film from 1971 was shelved, only having a very limited release in 1973 originally. The Master with Cracked Fingers version had a more extensive release.

The better of the two movies is The Cub Tiger from Kwangtung. It even has it's own score, composed by Peter Thomas. It's an interesting film. If you want to see it in HD though, the only way is to watch Master with Cracked Fingers which can be had on Blu Ray from Germany.

[Killer Meteor]

Chu Mu wasn't involved with Cub Tiger. He did the two Da Di films Jackie made around the same time - Police Woman and Not Scared to Die.

[TheKungFuRobber]

13 hours ago, Killer Meteor said:

Chu Mu wasn't involved with Cub Tiger. He did the two Da Di films Jackie made around the same time - Police Woman and Not Scared to Die.

I got names mixed up with Ngai Hoi-Fung.

Edited April 7, 2020 by TheKungFuRobber

[DrNgor]

On 4/5/2020 at 6:27 PM, Killer Meteor said:

Master with Cracked Fingers is a late 70s reissue with new scenes featuring Yuen Siu-Tien, Dean Shek and Kwan Young-Moon.

 

Does anyone know *who* is fighting against Kwan Yung-Moon at the end?

[Killer Meteor]

I read somewhere, must be back in 2004, that it was Yeh Fei-yang.

[DragonClaws]

On 8/17/2020 at 8:30 AM, DrNgor said:

Does anyone know *who* is fighting against Kwan Yung-Moon at the end?

 

Was it Shing Lung? or maybe Wang Dae-wi, both of whom played Jackie Chan clones in the late 70s/early 80's.

[DrNgor]

Here's a silly question: If you were to organize your collection chronologically, as I do, would your Snake Fist Fighter DVD go in the 1973 or 1979 section?

[TheKungFuRobber]

With the right makeup, Yeh Fei-yang could look a bit like Jackie Chan although slightly more baby faced. Then again, Jackie Chan was a teenager in Cub Tiger from Kwangtung (I beleive he was 17 at the time of filming and even then he choreographed the fights in the film, talk about young talent).

Cub Tiger from Kwangtung definitely deserves a proper remaster, it has a lot of overlooked merits including the Peter Thomas score and the part where Jackie develops his style from a monkey later in the film which possibly served as an inspiration in Snake in the Eagle's Shadow (you don't get to see any of the interesting stuff in the Master with Cracked Fingers 1979 re-shot movie unfortunately). You could definitely see his early potential in the film. Considering the negatives still exist for Master with Cracked Fingers and the print of Cub Tiger exists somewhere in Japan it's not impossible to happen, I just don't see enough interest unfortunately. If the negatives were kept in storage for Master with Cracked Fingers it is highly likely that the rest of the footage needed to remaster Cub Tiger exists anyway. It's not the greatest movie and suffers a lot of the cliches but is definitely a solid debut for Jackie.

 

[TheKungFuRobber]

52 minutes ago, DrNgor said:

Here's a silly question: If you were to organize your collection chronologically, as I do, would your Snake Fist Fighter DVD go in the 1973 or 1979 section?

1979 section. Master With Cracked Fingers is a seperate movie, it only uses about 40% of Cub Tiger from Kwangtung (39 minutes in total). Unfortunately IMDB doesn't see it this way and makes the year for Master with Cracked Fingers as 1973 even though Cub Tiger From Kwangtung has it's own page.

[DrNgor]

15 minutes ago, TheKungFuRobber said:

1979 section. Master With Cracked Fingers is a seperate movie, it only uses about 40% of Cub Tiger from Kwangtung (39 minutes in total). Unfortunately IMDB doesn't see it this way and makes the year for Master with Cracked Fingers as 1973 even though Cub Tiger From Kwangtung has it's own page.

Thanks for your insight! I didn't realize that it was so little. I thought it was closer to 70%, which means I need to go back and watch it again.

Edited August 28, 2020 by DrNgor

[Cognoscente]

On 4/5/2020 at 10:27 PM, Killer Meteor said:

Master with Cracked Fingers is a late 70s reissue with new scenes featuring Yuen Siu-Tien, Dean Shek and Kwan Young-Moon.

In fact, there are two versions of the reissue, as an alternate ALTERNATE ending was later shot! And there are two English dubs, one from Hong Kong and one from Europe.

What happened in the alternate ending?

[Killer Meteor]

1 hour ago, Cognoscente said:

What happened in the alternate ending?

The alternate ending is "Jackie" and Kwan Young-moon fighting at night-time, accompanied by music from Dawn of the Dead. Chiang Kam doesn't appear in this ending, and it's much less comedic.

[Cognoscente]

Thanks.

That ending reminds me of Kung Fu Zombie.

[WaverBoy]

I just watched this in craptastic quality widescreen on YouTube, the original uncut CUB TIGER FROM KWANG TUNG version. Even though the color is almost all drained away, even though it’s so pixelated and compressed and washed out you can barely tell what’s going on, even though the subtitles are nigh unreadable throughout, I really enjoyed it. This 1971 kung fu dramedy is a perfectly respectable starring debut for Jackie, unlike NEW FIST OF FURY released five years later, which I think is a quite entertaining old school kung fu film and is much better than its rep would suggest. But Jackie just isn’t the star, despite top billing; he’s a guest star. He’s definitely the star of CTFKT, and his character is pretty much the familiar likable charismatic comic one we’re all used to. Right from the start, at age seventeen. Why NFOF keeps getting cited as Jackie’s first starring film I’ll never know; I’m listening to the NFOF commentary right now, which posits that although Jackie had been in other films up to this point in supporting roles, NFOF is his first starring film. It simply isn’t, and wouldn’t be even if Jackie was actually the star of it. People keep forgetting about this extremely enjoyable fast-paced film, with damn fine choreography for a 1971 low-budgeter and quite a bit of acrobatics from Jackie as well. I have the German Blu on order and am greatly looking forward to watching this in HD, hopefully with some color and readable subtitles this time! I greatly hope 88 Films can get hold of this one somehow and give it the super deluxe treatment. This is a film ripe for rediscovery; a reassessment of its place within Jackie’s career is sorely needed.

As for THE MASTER WITH CRACKED FINGERS, it’s nice to have kicking around for curiosity value, but that’s about it.

Edited March 9, 2022 by WaverBoy

[tantao3-son of tantao2]

Cub Tiger From Kwan Tung was shot in 1973...

[TheKungFuRobber]

3 hours ago, tantao3-son of tantao2 said:

Cub Tiger From Kwan Tung was shot in 1973...

No it wasn't. It was filmed in 1971............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Edited March 9, 2022 by TheKungFuRobber

[tantao3-son of tantao2]

2 hours ago, TheKungFuRobber said:

No it wasn't. It was released in 1971............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

where?

[TheKungFuRobber]

40 minutes ago, tantao3-son of tantao2 said:

where?

it was filmed in 1971, and released in 1973.

[WaverBoy]

31 minutes ago, tantao3-son of tantao2 said:

where?

It was shot in 1971, but not released until 1973. It wasn’t shot in 1973.

[tantao3-son of tantao2]

1 minute ago, WaverBoy said:

It was shot in 1971, but not released until 1973. It wasn’t shot in 1973.

where does this info come from? do you have a primary source?