Upcoming English-friendly GERMAN DVDs & Blu-Rays

[KUNG FU BOB]

On 10/8/2018 at 8:04 AM, kevenzz said:

https://www.amazon.de/Shaolin-Kung-Fu-Vollstrecker-Gerechtigkeit-Mediabook/dp/B07H5VY3KT/

coming October 15th... there's 3 versions it seems…. most likely just different covers.

You are correct- it's the same content on each disc, just a choice of 3 different covers.

TVP did a hell of great job on restoring this film. It looks stunning. The scene where the hero practices catching real cobras while surrounded by over a dozen makes me squirm! I'm not afraid of snakes. But cobras? Um, no thanks!

[Tex Killer]

8 hours ago, TheFlyingPanda said:

Agree. Very nice indeed. I'm investing in only some movies as well. I know it must cost more to put all the effort in designing a mediabook, but I believe 19-25 euros should be the limit. 

yes,,would like retail version for 10€ more but I understand concept if these do not sell well limited mediabook is way to make at least some money instead of paying more for unlimited print licence.

[DragonClaws]

On 1/17/2019 at 7:12 PM, NoKUNGFUforYU said:

Wow, WTF happened to this movie? I mean it really was a classic in a sense. Fu Sheng was huge, had international appeal in terms of being set in HK and the USA, good fight scenes, good story (well, Boxer from Shantung for the 70's) and a strong box office at the time.

 

This is one title, I would have thought Celestial would have gone the extra mile with, I've been aware of its status for year's. We get some films released as SE's countless times, while other titles, lay around gathering dust.

 

 

VHS Preservation, Part 1: CHINATOWN KID (1977)

Link- https://briandanacamp.wordpress.com/2014/05/14/vhs-preservation-part-1-chinatown-kid-1977/

 

Edited January 20, 2019 by DragonClaws

[saltysam]

Hmm...things seem to have dried up on the German DVD front lately...not even seen any more Shaws announced for a while now 😩

[Killer Meteor]

Distributors always seem to burn out with Shaw titles, but the German releases were fairly widespread. There have hardly been any BD releases in the States, and none since 2014.

[saltysam]

i thought Spannick mentioned Koch had acquired some more Shaws, but they are taking their time appearing.

[TheFlyingPanda]

On 1/18/2019 at 6:16 PM, KUNG FU BOB said:

You are correct- it's the same content on each disc, just a choice of 3 different covers.

TVP did a hell of great job on restoring this film. It looks stunning. The scene where the hero practices catching real cobras while surrounded by over a dozen makes me squirm! I'm not afraid of snakes. But cobras? Um, no thanks!

Picked up a copy with your cover artwork Bob and yes the film looks great! A friend stopped by and saw it playing on my 65" HD TV and couldn't believe how good it looked after viewing countless VHS copies and bootleg DVDs for years. 

[reason108]

On 1/17/2019 at 12:12 PM, NoKUNGFUforYU said:

Wow, WTF happened to this movie? I mean it really was a classic in a sense. Fu Sheng was huge, had international appeal in terms of being set in HK and the USA, good fight scenes, good story (well, Boxer from Shantung for the 70's) and a strong box office at the time. Yet no one can come up with the version that everyone saw back then in the USA and Chinatown, just the corny Taiwanese version. And you can see the wound as they filmed both endings on the same day....meanwhile you can see some of the worst Bruce Le movies in pristine condition. Let me tell you, Le was considered the bottom of the barrel back then and Sheng was a big deal, at least with audiences that went to see these first run in Chinatown, Chinese and non Chinese. Bruce Le or Li, for that matter, was not selling a lot of tickets in Chinatown, ever. Someone probably has the negative in a basement, like a Tarantino, etc. Or maybe it just was a decision of keep one version and dispose of the rest....Oh well....

 

The rumor at one time was that the Shaws had shown or were preparing to have some of their titles “prepared” for television in the early 80’s perhaps. Word was that some films had to be edited for content. Word was that they went straight for the negative instead of editing a safety copy. Then when Celestial bought the catalog in the early 2000’s, they were not aware of the censorship. Now, I don’t know if there’s any truth to that story or not. It was one of those things posted in the forums around the time Celestial picked up the catalog. True or not, it would explain some of the haphazard editing of some of these titles from the way they would have been released theatrically. Now, add on top of that some of Celestial’s crappy “Restoration” work where sometimes parts were cut out of the negative if there was any kind of excessive damage. The Avenging Eagle is missing a whole minute now because of crap like that. 

You may have seen the video released a few years ago where some people trespassed onto the Shaw Brothers studio lot and found hundreds of reels of film just sitting out in the elements in deteriorating buildings. There were even film strips hanging up exposed to all kinds of weather. It was pretty f*ckn sad. 

I think the only hope is if someone has a 35mm theatrical print somewhere. Unless Celestial are sitting on a different print of it somewhere but they can’t be bothered to find it!

[saltysam]

Chinatown Kid isn't censored as such, it's just a different, shorter version of the film, with different scenes,ending etc

[saltysam]

On 12/22/2018 at 2:47 PM, Ronin said:

https://ssl.ofdb.de/view.php?page=fassung_vorab&fid=13992&vid=91338

Specs have been updated on this, now has an english dub. Is it any good, i'm not familiar with this one.

[saltysam]

Enter The Game Of Death blu ray is finally due for release on 29th March, choice of 3 mediabook covers. i'll likely get the one with Kung Fu Bob art 😊 they are up on Amazon.de but not available to order yet.

[Kwok Choi]

[Kwok Choi]

 

[Kwok Choi]

Does anyone have or knows where to get an English friendly version (either dubbed or subtitled) of this German DVD release ?

Die Rache Der Gelben Spinne (The Revenge of the Yellow Spider?) English title Death Duel of Kung fu aka The Snake The Eagle and the Fox in some regions.

Is the German DVD the only official 2.35.1 widescreen version available. I know some fans/collectors have added an English dub to their YouTube uploads in the various channels. Were they custom made ? because I doubt if the original German DVD release had English subtitles and an English dub.

 

[Kwok Choi]

[kevenzz]

it was on a very well known site which just shut down unfortunately.

[Kwok Choi]

Thanks my friend  but what I don't understand is why would a label, AVV in this case, take all the trouble to source and transfer/telecine a 35mm print of this popular film in the correct aspect ratio for that matter, the only widescreen 2.35.1 transfer that I am aware of, knowing very well that the English dub is available, and yet only release the film on DVD with a German soundtrack? What kind of business sense or marketing strategy is this?

[kevenzz]

there is another version with a different german title, which has English dub.

[Kwok Choi]

Thank you very much Kevenzz. This version is available on Amazon.de https://www.amazon.de/Death-Duel-of-Kung-Fu/dp/B000EZ7ZCC/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1553598986&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=das+todesduell+der+kung+fu. Much appreciated 😁

[spannick]

that German 2.35 Print was telecined Years ago for a TV Licence (it was show on German Station Tele5). AVV used a repack-DVD of a Cheap Movie Box, which were all German Audio only. so no, there's no official DVD with English Audio for the 2.35 Print.

[Kwok Choi]

Thanks Spannick I was expecting and waiting for your comments as I consider you an expert and the most knowledgeable KFF member on German Theatrical, Home Video and TV releases.

I just need some more insight and clarification from you if I may, there were earlier 4.3 full screen versions of this film from various sources, then I think the 1st "widescreen" version - 1.85 leterbox? I believe appeared between 2000 to 2006 from Prism, Eastern Heroes, Wu Tang Clan etc. AVV's sleeve says 2014 and DVD.COM's Das Todesduell Des Kung Fu says 2000 (printing error?) so is the DVD.COM version actually widescreen 2.35.1 ?

The vendor on Amazon.de seems to have approx 19 copies left, (possibly still in stock within the past two years but not OOP? ) so could this be the original aspect 2.35.1 version or just 1.85.1 widescreen? I am a bit confused due to the gap in the release dates between the 2 labels. Please help!

 

[Daxtreme]

anyone knows what happened to the release of Godfrey Ho's Lethal Panther by the Vengeance Pack? They announced it on Facebook and then radio silence

 

edit: sorry if this is classic forum and talking about modern movie but this thread is only in this forum

Edited March 27, 2019 by Daxtreme

[spannick]

6 hours ago, Kwok Choi said:

Thanks Spannick I was expecting and waiting for your comments as I consider you an expert and the most knowledgeable KFF member on German Theatrical, Home Video and TV releases.

I just need some more insight and clarification from you if I may, there were earlier 4.3 full screen versions of this film from various sources, then I think the 1st "widescreen" version - 1.85 leterbox? I believe appeared between 2000 to 2006 from Prism, Eastern Heroes, Wu Tang Clan etc. AVV's sleeve says 2014 and DVD.COM's Das Todesduell Des Kung Fu says 2000 (printing error?) so is the DVD.COM version actually widescreen 2.35.1 ?

The vendor on Amazon.de seems to have approx 19 copies left, (possibly still in stock within the past two years but not OOP? ) so could this be the original aspect 2.35.1 version or just 1.85.1 widescreen? I am a bit confused due to the gap in the release dates between the 2 labels. Please help!

 

to my Knowledge all DVD.com versions are the same, based on a German Print that starts in 2.35 but degrades to 1.78 after the Credits. (German Repack of that Disc also the same). and i also think the later 2.35 Version made for TV is based off that same 35mm Print but done from Scratch from original 35mm Source.

[kevenzz]

I just checked my dvd and it's the "custom" version made by thuglife. I don't have the original german disc but it's probably german audio only.

[Kwok Choi]

Thank you very much Kevenzz and Spannick for that screenshot and for more infomation. I have now ordered Das Todesduell Des Kung Fu . I also noticed that the running time is approxmately 85 mins compared to Die Rache Der Gelben Spinne which runs at 82 mins so we shall see. Once again thank you both for your help and expertise. Much appreciated  

Edited March 27, 2019 by Kwok Choi