The Big Brawl...Battle Creek Brawl

[shukocarl1441996347]

Same film marketed under two titles. WHY?

[dionbrother]

BIG BRAWL was the Warner Bros. title, BATTLE CREEK BRAWL was the Golden Harvest international title.  What's funny is WB kept it off cable tv for four years, constantly sticking it to double bills with the likes of NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN in 1983.

[shukocarl1441996347]

2 hours ago, dionbrother said:

BIG BRAWL was the Warner Bros. title, BATTLE CREEK BRAWL was the Golden Harvest international title.  What's funny is WB kept it off cable tv for four years, constantly sticking it to double bills with the likes of NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN in 1983.

Cheers mate, often wondered why it kept appearing under two titles

[Killer Meteor]

I assume Battle Creek Crawl was the original title, THE BIG BRAWL sounds like an attempt to make people think of Bruce Lee.

[dionbrother]

4 hours ago, Killer Meteor said:

I assume Battle Creek Crawl was the original title, THE BIG BRAWL sounds like an attempt to make people think of Bruce Lee.

I have the Robert Clouse script and "Battle Creek Brawl" is typed out as the original title on the cover sheet. So your assumption is correct.

[starschwar]

22 hours ago, Killer Meteor said:

I assume Battle Creek Crawl was the original title, THE BIG BRAWL sounds like an attempt to make people think of Bruce Lee.

As in "The Big Boss"?  This is unlikely.  Until relatively recently (20 years, give or take) , that movie's title in the United States was "Fists of Fury," so the connection would not be at all obvious.

[Bruce]

18 hours ago, dionbrother said:

I have the Robert Clouse script and "Battle Creek Brawl" is typed out as the original title on the cover sheet. So your assumption is correct.

Just curious, how close is the finished movie to Clouse's  script? Any interesting and/or significant differences from script to screen? The Big Brawl (as I originally knew the title) certainly isn't one of my favorite Jackie Chan movies but it does have nostalgic value for me as the first Jackie movie I saw (in a theater, even, way back when, while living in the Philippines as a kid).

[shukocarl1441996347]

10 minutes ago, Bruce said:

Just curious, how close is the finished movie to Clouse's  script? Any interesting and/or significant differences from script to screen? The Big Brawl (as I originally knew the title) certainly isn't one of my favorite Jackie Chan movies but it does have nostalgic value for me as the first Jackie movie I saw (in a theater, even, way back when, while living in the Philippines as a kid).

It was the first Jackie film I ever saw too (ABC Lime Street. Liverpool), on it's original release. Loved it then and still love it today. It's the only Chan film I have in my collection. I know he doesn't like it at all, but for me it's just the perfect blend of light humour, nice fights, great cast and a little drama (the fight with Legetti). I'm NOT a Jackie fan as I find the humour doesn't tickle my funny bone. He  has made other fine films (The Foreigner was great) but I'm a big basher fan and like more drama.

[dionbrother]

1 hour ago, Bruce said:

Just curious, how close is the finished movie to Clouse's  script? Any interesting and/or significant differences from script to screen? The Big Brawl (as I originally knew the title) certainly isn't one of my favorite Jackie Chan movies but it does have nostalgic value for me as the first Jackie movie I saw (in a theater, even, way back when, while living in the Philippines as a kid).

It's very close to what was filmed except the entire subplot with Miss Wong and May was cut.  In the script, Jerry's brother marries the whore Miss Wong and Dominici("Pastore" in the script) the mobster marries May!  Joycelyne Lew said comedy scenes were filmed of her as Miss Wong screwing up Robert's dinner and housework but were all cut for time.  Biggest surprise was Clouse conceived every action scene.  All are detailed in the script.  Almost nothing was improvised by Jackie. 

[Bruce]

On 9/6/2024 at 5:04 PM, dionbrother said:

It's very close to what was filmed except the entire subplot with Miss Wong and May was cut.  In the script, Jerry's brother marries the whore Miss Wong and Dominici("Pastore" in the script) the mobster marries May!  Joycelyne Lew said comedy scenes were filmed of her as Miss Wong screwing up Robert's dinner and housework but were all cut for time.  Biggest surprise was Clouse conceived every action scene.  All are detailed in the script.  Almost nothing was improvised by Jackie. 

Thanks, I would have guessed there might've been more with those two female characters, maybe they thought the running time would've been too long with more of them? The storyline about the kidnapped bride to be was barely acknowledged at the end of the finished movie.