Guest Robert Ian Teller Posted May 25, 2007 Share Posted May 25, 2007 I've heard rumors of certain collectors keeping rare titles to themselves and not willing to trade with other collectors. Even going as far as to cover up it's existence. Is this true? It sounds bizarre. So what are these unknown/known titles? I imagine some of these films have since surfaced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest killer meteor Posted May 25, 2007 Share Posted May 25, 2007 I don't know about martial arts films but there was this rather eccentric film collector who owned the last surviving print of the 1910 version of Frankenstein and he went to obsessive lengths to stop the public from seeing it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest teako170 Posted May 25, 2007 Share Posted May 25, 2007 Maybe 10-20 years ago (maybe) but thanks to the net, its become much easier for the masses to have access to rare/odd films. I can't imagine anyone being that selfish but anything is possible. OK, I'd like to talk more on this topic but I got to finish watching Tiger Boy. Have a good one guys.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Linn1 Posted May 26, 2007 Member Share Posted May 26, 2007 this still happens. It's more or less old school collectors that are tired of having "paid their dues" by searching for years for certain titles, only to have newbies show up and buy them at Wal-mart. As for some of the titles, it's usually films that are out there, but in different versions ie original language, dubbed, widescreen, etc. Sometimes it's longer prints, sometimes it's films that no one has. They do leak out eventually, but it usually takes a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WHITETIGERNY Posted May 26, 2007 Share Posted May 26, 2007 That is not a rumor. It is a fact. A very long blog was written on this topic quite some time ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TanTao2 Posted May 26, 2007 Share Posted May 26, 2007 Yes. most old timers collectors DO... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest spannick Posted May 26, 2007 Share Posted May 26, 2007 the only ones i know being held back are 35mm Prints struck for personal Use on own Cost; understably, no? unless someone would pay to release that Print i would not give it out, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest silver hermit Posted May 26, 2007 Share Posted May 26, 2007 sad really, some bloke is gonna have a heart attack and untold rares will be lost when his family that thinks the films are trash throw them in the garbage.:x are you guys telling me that certin mans have had flicks for 20-30years and still refuse to let someone with equal love (possibly more) see them? what about the next generation? well grand pa needs to grow up i think. rant over Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Markgway Posted May 26, 2007 Share Posted May 26, 2007 Some hord, er, collectors need to get a life............. :rolleyes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest silver hermit Posted May 26, 2007 Share Posted May 26, 2007 thats harsh mark, maybe they should lighten up a bit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest chingdog Posted May 26, 2007 Share Posted May 26, 2007 I can tell you for a fact that some titles are held back for whatever reason. I am not going to name anyone but you can bet your bottom dollar that there are a few rares and different versions that people are holding on to..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dager in the cotton Posted May 26, 2007 Share Posted May 26, 2007 run run shaw holds back titles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Markgway Posted May 26, 2007 Share Posted May 26, 2007 Ah, go on Chingdog. Name names. Shame these people! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest teako170 Posted May 26, 2007 Share Posted May 26, 2007 run run shaw holds back titles Nail .... head .... HIT!!! :rollin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest teako170 Posted May 26, 2007 Share Posted May 26, 2007 Ah, go on Chingdog. Name names. Shame these people! I have my sources that some chap in Scotland is hording a bunch of David Chiang films - simply because he loves the man's smile. But to name names? Nono, not me. I don't want to take up residence in a janitor's closet of another apt bldg in order to get my favorite Chinese food delivered. :rolleyes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ninja Sinai Posted May 29, 2007 Share Posted May 29, 2007 In fact.. there are quite a few collectors who post here who I know have some super Rares.. but for whatever reason they wont give fellow fans the opportunity to relish in the wonderful joy in watching them. One reason may be that they may have paid some serious money for them and don’t want there hard cash wasted.. but I say.. they could release them in some sort and they will be given real respect from the fans for doing so.. look at Toby and FLK.. those guys deserve respect for putting out titles that would otherwise be unavailable to the fans. Rather then name which members have which titles.. Id thinks its better if I just told you what some of the rare titles are that some members on this forum have in their collection. Hopefully they’ll have the heart in letting fellow fans enjoy them. Here are the titles I know off: Showdown Aa The Cottonmill – English Dubbed Massacre Survivor – RARE! The Don Toby was planning to release this on Rarescope. Hopefully its still going ahead. Story Of Thirty-Six Killers – I would LOVE to watch this Rare!! One of the best titles for a kung fu movie EVER! The Magic Ring – ULTRA RARE!! Starring Chang Yi!! 7 Knights 7 Banners – ENGLISH DUBBED! Mystery Of Chess Boxing – WIDESCREEN SUBBED GLASS PRINT!! I had the joy of watching this at the cinema courtesy of Kermit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Dahnamics Posted May 29, 2007 Share Posted May 29, 2007 these guys are losers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rederror Posted May 30, 2007 Share Posted May 30, 2007 Do you have any examples of films that have yet to reach the kung fu fans due to this unwillingness? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ninja Sinai Posted May 31, 2007 Share Posted May 31, 2007 I think these fans need to follow in the footsteps of FLK or Toby. He travels the world looking for rares and when he finally tracks them down.. what does he do? Hold onto them for years and years and boast what he has in his private collection?? No, he releases them so fellow fans can enjoy them. This is why he is repected by the fans as is regarded as a Don! If it wanst for Toby we would never had seen rares like Snake Deadly Act and a ton of other titles. One forum member I will mention is zhunaid whos postes here on fandom. He has in his collection the following movies, some of them on reels! Showdown At The Cottonmill – English Dubbed!!!! The Magic Ring – ULTRA RARE!! starring Chang Yi. 7 Knights 7 Banners – ENGLISH DUBBED!!!! Now he can easily make them available for the fans as they would LOVE to see them. An pressing dvds is not even that expensive nowadays. So one has to ask why some collectors hold back titles???? If I somehow got hold of Tiger Boy for example, I would happily trade it with whoever wanted a copy. That way once its out there amongst the general collectors, copies of it would spread far and wide, and other fans would get to see and enjoy it, and then be able to discuss the movie with other fans from all over the world on forums. Isnt that whats it all about? Love for the genre! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Robert Ian Teller Posted May 31, 2007 Share Posted May 31, 2007 I believe zhunaid has stated in the past that some of the reels he has access to aren't in th best condition and that it's not really that inexpensive to convert reels to dvd. In fact it would be hard for him to make his money back on these transfers. But he has stated he has access to U-Matics and 1 inch masters. Not sure which rares he has in those formats. But it would be either to transfer those to dvd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest silver hermit Posted May 31, 2007 Share Posted May 31, 2007 zhunaid is a business man not a collector so he might not share the same feelings some have. but i don't see why he wouldn't sell the reels to someone with the cash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Kwok Choi Posted June 1, 2007 Share Posted June 1, 2007 Snake Deadly Act wasn't rare Toby and Rick Baker of the Eastern Heroes label at the time just didn't know that it had been out a couple of years earlier as Snake Fist Drunken Step (also its theatrical title in West Africa) released by Al Mansour Video in Dubai in a pristine full screen pan & scan version dubbed in english with Arabic subtitles.I brought this to their attention when Rick Baker was offering their Eastern Heroes shop at Shaftesbury Avenue as a bet to anyone who could provide any copy of this so called rarest of rares.They quicky did some research then stopped betting the shop. Again Magic Ring might be rare in the West but this is one movie that was as popular as ET.Almost anyone bothered to go to cinemas in my country of origin would have seen it umpteen times.This movie was re-released time and time again till it died completely at the box office. Note that " Kung Fu " movies were the mainstream blockbusters of so called " third world " (as if we live on 3 planets) or the more politically correct (who cares) delevoping countries so most or the " rares " of the West can be found in some shape or form all over Africa,The Carribean and The Middle East. Like myself Zhunaid hails from a background in cinemas and though we are not collectors in the true sense of the word,Zhunaid will sell the prints.He doesn't have a problem with that.He only telecines the prints or titles in good condition that are known to have some commercial value in the West.So feel free to contact him for copies of " rare " 35 mm prints. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Markgway Posted June 1, 2007 Share Posted June 1, 2007 I brought this to their attention when Rick Baker was offering their Eastern Heroes shop at Shaftesbury Avenue as a bet to anyone who could provide any copy of this so called rarest of rares.They quicky did some research then stopped betting the shop. Fool, if you'd gotten a copy you could have owned the shop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Kwok Choi Posted June 1, 2007 Share Posted June 1, 2007 I know gway and trust me I tried but the owners couldn't get me a copy at the time so I thought someone might beat me to it.I was gonna surprise Rick; instead I just let the cat out of the bag.I would have given them the shop back anyway because I considered them as buddies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Markgway Posted June 2, 2007 Share Posted June 2, 2007 I would've SOLD the shop back... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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