Member daisho2004 Posted September 10, 2008 Member Share Posted September 10, 2008 I don't want to jump off topic here but since your talking about "The Rape of Nanking" there was a movie made last year about it. In 1937, Japanese armed forces entered Nanking, China, and systematically raped and killed over 200,000 Chinese in one of human history's worst atrocities. Decades later, there's still bad blood and unresolved tensions. This wrenching documentary from Bill Guttentag and Dan Sturman combines harrowing archival footage, interviews with survivors (including contrite Japanese vets), and reenactments with actors Woody Harrelson, Stephen Dorff, Mariel Hemingway, and Jurgen Prochnow (as a Schindler-like member of the Nazi party), reading from the diaries of real-life heroic westerners who set up a safety zone in attempt to shelter the hundreds of thousands of refugees from the city. Though this element adds some much-needed hope for humanity, this is still a deeply upsetting documentary. It's very well made and should be considered required viewing, but be warned: some of the rarely-before-seen archival footage is truly graphic and disturbing. Based on the bestselling book, THE RAPE OF NANKING by Iris Chang, this documentary makes effective use of a quietly shattering Kronos Quartet score. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member The Dragon Posted September 10, 2008 Member Share Posted September 10, 2008 Interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member bamboo spear Posted September 10, 2008 Member Share Posted September 10, 2008 I picked up the Walmart one because I'm cheap and don't care about extras, but I'm looking forward to throwing it in this weekend. I can finally enjoy my favorite kung fu film the correct way, and rid myself of the old Miramax dub DVD I've suffered with for years! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WuxiaFan Posted September 10, 2008 Share Posted September 10, 2008 Maybe I've missed something here what with all this history and its relation to FIST OF LEGEND as I don't have time at the moment to peruse this entire thread, but FIST OF LEGEND never struck me as an historical drama so much as a straight up action movie. Maybe I should see it again but I don't recall it's need for existing to have anything to do with historical significance as to what happened during China's occupation. Jet Li beating the bad guys to a pulp was all I got from this. Simple good vs evil story. Awesome point, venoms5! Completely agree with you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Kung Foolery Posted September 10, 2008 Member Share Posted September 10, 2008 Unfortunatley they dont make their money off fans like us who want/care about those aspects. We make a very tiny section of the market. They make their money off averge-Joe's at Walmart who look for "Special Edition" DVD's w/DTS 6.1 audio (English) and Hi-def remastered video. Why is this so hard for people to understand!!?? Get it through your thick skulls, these DVD's are not produced to satisfy the wants and needs of people like us!! They will sell a hellova lot more DVD's with their version than if they put out one with the exact specs you listed. Its simple buisness people, and its still the Weinstein's (who are buisnessmen not fanboys!). This is not really correct reasoning. Average Joe isn't going to put it back on the shelf because it includes an original mono along with the 6.1, is he? Or said average Joe isn't going to put it back on the shelf because it includes the uncut version, is he? As long as that 6.1 is there. Drop the other stereo versions. NOBODY is buying it because of them. Put on the original mono. Make both the average Joes and us .000001% happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Morgoth Bauglir Posted September 10, 2008 Member Share Posted September 10, 2008 I snuck off from work today to get the 2-disc at Best Buy. I was so excited to see the special features, and I wasn't let down one bit. I was happy that Gordon Chan told that Billy chow story. I remember seeing another interview where he told it, and I wanted to hear that story again. All the other extras are awesome. I have to mention the Kurata Action School. I don't know how to explain it, but it was really cool to see Kurata watching all of his students practicing. That school is intense! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Mark Pollard Posted September 10, 2008 Member Share Posted September 10, 2008 REVIEW: FIST OF LEGEND (DVD - Dragon Dynasty): http://www.kungfucinema.com/?p=3013 REVIEW: FIST OF LEGEND (Revised): http://www.kungfucinema.com/?p=311 The Yasuaki Kurata interview is priceless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member GwaiLoMoFo Posted September 10, 2008 Member Share Posted September 10, 2008 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I snuck off from work today to get the 2-disc at Best Buy. I was so excited to see the special features, and I wasn't let down one bit. I was happy that Gordon Chan told that Billy chow story. I remember seeing another interview where he told it, and I wanted to hear that story again. All the other extras are awesome. I have to mention the Kurata Action School. I don't know how to explain it, but it was really cool to see Kurata watching all of his students practicing. That school is intense! Got mine today as well. I totally agree with you, the Gordon Chan and Kurata interviews were great. And the DVD looks freakin beautiful on my BIGscreen! I am extremely happy with this release! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Markgway Posted September 10, 2008 Share Posted September 10, 2008 Sorry for hi-jacking the thread with my politics. I just wanted to make a point about how filmmakers have a responsibility to the truth when dealing with real events but evidently got carried away. Didn't intend for it to become a full blown debate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Yi-Long Posted September 10, 2008 Share Posted September 10, 2008 Sorry for hi-jacking the thread with my politics. I just wanted to make a point about how filmmakers have a responsibility to the truth when dealing with real events but evidently got carried away. Didn't intend for it to become a full blown debate. I didnt mind the debate. This is about FOL set in a period when that stuff was going on. But although I know very well the evil that happened there, I dont think FOL is a lesser movie for not depicting that evil. It shows a japanese girl who has fallen for a chinese student, it shows a japanese master who fights for himself, and isnt interested in politics and war, and we see the depiction of pure evil in Billy Chow as the japanese general. You could say they COULD have depicted more of the gruesome stuff from that war, but that just wasnt the intention of the filmmakers, who I guess wanted to put that ugly past behind them and make a more 'balanced' movie. An entertaining movie. A kung fu flick. And the best kung fu flick out there. Not every movie has an obligation to be historically correct, unless it pretends to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Delirious Posted September 10, 2008 Member Share Posted September 10, 2008 I picked up a copy from local best buy, and you guys are right about the cover. Jet Li's face structure seems rather awkward, may be because of digital manipulation, Also the background white-ish color is weak. But the inside is just as good as any oak tree. You can judge a tree from its outside Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member thelastweaponmaster Posted September 10, 2008 Member Share Posted September 10, 2008 I haven't gotten the Fist of Legend yet as it appears that there appears to be some distribution problems up in Canada. However, I seem to remember that Bey had mentioned in his blog that they had recorded an interview with Billy Chow for the disc. However it doesn't look like it made it onto the disc, for whatever reason. Too bad, as that addition would had made the release more of an "Ultimate Edition", as opposed to the contributions from Ratner/Mitchell; especially since Billy Chow hasn't been included in any extras/interviews on previous DD releases (as far as I know). Still overall, I still appreciate the effort that DD and Bey are in making these quality releases. In the grand scheme of things, they are doing a lot more than any of the other studios/labels in promoting Asian cinema. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Cujo Jenkens Posted September 10, 2008 Member Share Posted September 10, 2008 Yesterday I went to Wal-Mart and purchased Fist Of Legend,and when I got home I noticed it said special collector's edition,had 1 disc,and said it had over 3 hours of bonus features.and i remembered that it was advertised as a 2 disc ultimate edition. I put the disc in and there was only a commentary,no deleted scenes,interviews or trailer gallery,like advertised. was there a mistake with the company? did anyone else have this Problem? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Markgway Posted September 11, 2008 Share Posted September 11, 2008 There was a thread warning about purchasing from Wal-Mart. They only stock the 1-discer. Get a refund. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Cujo Jenkens Posted September 11, 2008 Member Share Posted September 11, 2008 There was a thread warning about purchasing from Wal-Mart. They only stock the 1-discer. Get a refund. usually they have the 2 disc ultimate editions(like the protector,hard boiled,and flash point) ok thanks,I'll get a refund ,and maybe order it from hkflix or somewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WuxiaFan Posted September 11, 2008 Share Posted September 11, 2008 I just finished watching FOL and I have to say the newly remastered transfer is FABULOUS! It looks beautiful, pristine, sharp, and the colors are vibrant and crisp! I only intended to watch the beginning up to the karate school match, but I couldn't stop watching it! I also own the Ritek version and I love that version for the mere fact that it is uncut, but I don't like the imbedded subs and the Mandarin dub. The DD version also has EXCELLENT English subs! I also like the fact that when the Japanese are speaking, we hear them speaking in Japanese! We also hear Cantonese everywhere else in the film where we're supposed to, and we hear Mitsuko talking in Japenese to Chen who understands it, AND Funakoshi talking in Cantanese to Chen, like it supposed to be! It's awesome! DD got the languages right and they got they got the transfer right! Another note regarding the English subs--all of the translated names match the names in FEARLESS! So, you can watch FEARLESS [Director's cut] first, then watch this verison of FOL and the story will continue! It's freakin awesome! Now, I wish DD made this the uncut version, as the missing scene where Hou is smoking opium at the Dizzy Star really stands out to those of us who have the Ritek disc. I also miss the scene just prior to that when Chen is leaving Jing Wu with Mitsuko and even after being insulted because she's Japanese, she respectfully turns and bows before leaving. You have to see the entire scene to really get the impact, and then see the opium scene shortly after that to also get the full impact of what Hou is going through. My other gripe is the damn bird chirping during the Chen/Hou fight scene. I did notice it and I tried to ignore it, but I couldn't and it was extremely annoying! Agree with the general sentiment on that. Aside from that, this is an absolutely awesome must have disc set! Make sure you get the 2-Disc version. This compliments my Ritek uncut version. My hat's off to Bey Logan and DD! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member The Dragon Posted September 11, 2008 Member Share Posted September 11, 2008 I watched the damn thing. and I've got to say, I'm not impressed. This disc reminds me of the SPECIAL EDITION OF Hard Boiled, in which they simply rehashed the remastered Meh Ah disc for HB. Who does DD think they're fooling. Yes this disc is better than the dimension, however, the Dimension Eng. dub is retained . My old VHS has an awesome Eng. Dub, and it's uncut. I still say they dropped the ball after this long wait. The special features were good, but I'm not crapping my pants. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Markgway Posted September 11, 2008 Share Posted September 11, 2008 I also own the Ritek version and I love that version for the mere fact that it is uncut The Ritek isn't uncut, it's just an extended Taiwanese edit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WuxiaFan Posted September 11, 2008 Share Posted September 11, 2008 The Ritek isn't uncut, it's just an extended Taiwanese edit. I disagree. The scenes that Dimension/Miramax "cut" from the film resulted in an edited version. Ritek essentially didn't "cut" any scene from the film (except for 6 seconds) resulting in that version being "uncut". If there are "no cuts", it is "uncut." The Ritek disc is widely known as the uncut version of FOL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member reason108 Posted September 11, 2008 Member Share Posted September 11, 2008 This new DD release is just a remastering of the old Dimension dvd release. The two main differences are the different title card at the beginning and the edited ending. And, there is more grain in the picture though the look of it is really nice. The ending starts off the same where Chen Zhen fakes his death and they get into the car to ride off. But, it is the dialogue and freeze-frame ending of the Dimension and DD disc that is the problem. In the VHS version that I have, they state that they are off to fight the Japanese in Tungshan province. When the car drives off you get a scrawl that states that Jingwu Mun did not vanish and expanded into the Nang Yeung area. Then the film cuts back to the Jingwu school students running(exercising via Jet`s ideas), then cuts to ending title sequence. In the DD/Dimension version, Jet states that he is going back to be with the woman that he loves. Then, there is a short blurb about the style expanding to Singapore(DD/missing in Dimension version). Then, that cuts straight into the credits. I think that the translation used for this dvd is just a translation of the Dimension script, almost a dub down because he says that if he cant have a country then he will go live with the woman he loves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member HAZ Posted September 11, 2008 Member Share Posted September 11, 2008 This new DD release is just a remastering of the old Dimension dvd release. The two main differences are the different title card at the beginning and the edited ending. And, there is more grain in the picture though the look of it is really nice. The ending starts off the same where Chen Zhen fakes his death and they get into the car to ride off. But, it is the dialogue and freeze-frame ending of the Dimension and DD disc that is the problem. In the VHS version that I have, they state that they are off to fight the Japanese in Tungshan province. When the car drives off you get a scrawl that states that Jingwu Mun did not vanish and expanded into the Nang Yeung area. Then the film cuts back to the Jingwu school students running(exercising via Jet`s ideas), then cuts to ending title sequence. In the DD/Dimension version, Jet states that he is going back to be with the woman that he loves. Then, there is a short blurb about the style expanding to Singapore(DD/missing in Dimension version). Then, that cuts straight into the credits. I think that the translation used for this dvd is just a translation of the Dimension script, almost a dub down because he says that if he cant have a country then he will go live with the woman he loves. The French DVD has Jet driving off to be with his girlfriend, makes no mention of fighting in Tungshan or anything, fades to black, & then cuts to the the Jingwu students jogging. I've never seen the VHS & I don't remember if that's in the ritek version. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Markgway Posted September 11, 2008 Share Posted September 11, 2008 The Ritek isn't uncut, it's just an extended Taiwanese edit. I disagree. It's not my opinion. It's a fact. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member HAZ Posted September 11, 2008 Member Share Posted September 11, 2008 Here are some alternate subs to the film's ending. Don't know if they are the same as the VHS: - Is he dead? - Why does the police treat the Japs so friendly? - It's not their fault. They are all the same. - They are working together to bully the Chinese. - All they can do is bully the Chinese! - Chen Zhen was a real hero! - He beat all his enemies in the Nijiguchi Area. - It was fantastic! - Too bad he had to die at such a young age. - What is it? - Nothing. Keep on talking! - To imagine Cheung was the traitor. - He was so nice. - At least he was of use as Chens replacement body. - 5th Senior, were are we heading? - Which part of China would a battle with Japan take place first? - Tungshan Province. - Let's go there then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member GwaiLoMoFo Posted September 12, 2008 Member Share Posted September 12, 2008 Kurata and Jet's showdown is one of my all time favorite scenes. The action is amazing, but the verbal exchange before/during/after the fight is awsome. One of Kurata's finest moments imo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member chen lung Posted September 12, 2008 Member Share Posted September 12, 2008 My MIHK VHS has Chinese characters explaining the extension of Jing Mu to Nanyang province. Ritek's version was only labelled uncut (a slight misconception in order to boast about the release) because it has a few minutes worth more than the HK version, but it's essentially the Taiwanese version (aka 'roughcut' before being trimmed more for HK version back in 1994?). Both versions are unique. If you say the Ritek DVD has no distributor cuts of the Taiwanese print, then that's uncut. If you say the HKVideo DVD has no distributor cuts of the HK print, then that's uncut. Taiwanese cut = Ritek DVD. Hong Kong cut = HKVideo DVD (or MIHK VHS). Dimension cut = Dimension DVD and Dragon Dynasty DVD (the latter with abridged Cantonese/Mandarin tracks attached). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.