Bruce Lee/Martial Arts Fans REJOICE!!!!

[L.J.]

Great tip Wooch, I'll be picking this one up. Nice price too. I'm so lazy , I'll have to read your entire review tomorrow.

[L.J.]

Great tip Wooch, I'll be picking this one up. Nice price too. I'm so lazy , I'll have to read your entire review tomorrow.

Now I can say, great review Wooch. Too tired to read it last night. I may pick this baby up tomorrow. My dad was a big fan, so naturally I'm right behind him. It's been awhile since I've seen any of the films so this is going to be a real treat.

[Woochifer]

Now I can say, great review Wooch. Too tired to read it last night. I may pick this baby up tomorrow. My dad was a big fan, so naturally I'm right behind him. It's been awhile since I've seen any of the films so this is going to be a real treat.

Cleaned up video and multiple language options -- this is the first time that Bruce Lee's films have been available in this form for American audiences. It's a huge deal for Lee's fans, and for all of the hype that usually accompanies anything "new and improved," this is one case where I wish that Fox Video had gone all out with the marketing!

As it is, the slip case doesn't even tell you that the original Cantonese and Mandarin language tracks were included! I mean, Fox FINALLY got it right with this set, but they didn't bother to tell anyone. They left it up to fans and review sites to get the word out. I've already got four of you on board to purchase this crown jewel, and I ain't gettin' a cut!

BTW, I looked up some other discussion threads on this set, and it seems that the Mandarin tracks are the original theatrical release tracks. People on those boards don't seem to remember whether the movies were released in Cantonese during their original theatrical runs. I remember watching these films in Cantonese in the late-70s, but have no idea how recently those soundtracks were done.

[L.J.]

Cleaned up video and multiple language options -- this is the first time that Bruce Lee's films have been available in this form for American audiences. It's a huge deal for Lee's fans, and for all of the hype that usually accompanies anything "new and improved," this is one case where I wish that Fox Video had gone all out with the marketing!

As it is, the slip case doesn't even tell you that the original Cantonese and Mandarin language tracks were included! I mean, Fox FINALLY got it right with this set, but they didn't bother to tell anyone. They left it up to fans and review sites to get the word out. I've already got four of you on board to purchase this crown jewel, and I ain't gettin' a cut!

BTW, I looked up some other discussion threads on this set, and it seems that the Mandarin tracks are the original theatrical release tracks. People on those boards don't seem to remember whether the movies were released in Cantonese during their original theatrical runs. I remember watching these films in Cantonese in the late-70s, but have no idea how recently those soundtracks were done.

Thanks Wooch! I picked this up today for $34.99. I'll have to have my dad over now. I've only seen Lee's films with english voice overs, so this is gonna be a real treat. I'm confused though, should I be playing the Cantonese or Mandarin track

[Woochifer]

Thanks Wooch! I picked this up today for $34.99. I'll have to have my dad over now. I've only seen Lee's films with english voice overs, so this is gonna be a real treat. I'm confused though, should I be playing the Cantonese or Mandarin track

Ordinarily with Hong Kong films, the Cantonese tracks would be the way to go, because Cantonese is the dominant Chinese dialect in Hong Kong. Now that I've been reading some other message board chats about this DVD set, I'm not so sure whether the Cantonese soundtrack is the actual original track! I know that some of the Shaw Brothers movies (famous for classics like Master of the Flying Guillotine, but not all of their movies were martial arts pics) were done in Mandarin during that era, so it's very possible that the original theatrical soundtrack was in Mandarin. I know that Cantonese soundtracks had been created by the late-70s because I originally saw Bruce Lee's movies in theaters playing in Cantonese. The only question is whether these Cantonese soundtracks were done before or after his death.

Apparently, Bruce Lee was not a native Mandarin speaker, so he would have had to lipsync his way through the dialog if the movies were originally done in Mandarin. So, the likeliest soundtrack to have Bruce Lee's voice on it is the Cantonese track. And from what I can tell, the Cantonese soundtracks have either got a very good Lee impressionist doing the dubbing, or it's Bruce Lee himself. On two of the three Mandarin tracks, it does not sound like Lee's voice.

Keep in mind that Hong Kong movies are normally filmed silent, with the dialog and sound effects looped in during post production. This is because the soundstages are in the middle of a dense city (the densest in the world actually), and it's very hard to isolate large backdrops from urban noises. So, in essence, these HK films are dubbed, but it just looks and sounds a lot worse in English because it's usually VERY poorly done. Between Mandarin and Cantonese, both of them use the same written language (and generally have the same number of syllables), so at least the lip movements will match even if the pronunciations and inflections are completely different.

For martial arts pics, I tend to think that the more jagged and rough sounding Cantonese dialect is more appropriate to the situation! Either way though, the Cantonese or Mandarin track will do a better job of capturing the mood of the scene than the English tracks do. The LA Times did a really interesting article on the decline of Cantonese in the U.S. and overseas. The article describes the Cantonese dialect as sounding like people are fighting all the time because of its rough edge and wilder use of slang, profanity, and metaphors.

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedi...312,full.story

[L.J.]

Ordinarily with Hong Kong films, the Cantonese tracks would be the way to go, because Cantonese is the dominant Chinese dialect in Hong Kong. Now that I've been reading some other message board chats about this DVD set, I'm not so sure whether the Cantonese soundtrack is the actual original track! I know that some of the Shaw Brothers movies (famous for classics like Master of the Flying Guillotine, but not all of their movies were martial arts pics) were done in Mandarin during that era, so it's very possible that the original theatrical soundtrack was in Mandarin. I know that Cantonese soundtracks had been created by the late-70s because I originally saw Bruce Lee's movies in theaters playing in Cantonese. The only question is whether these Cantonese soundtracks were done before or after his death.

Apparently, Bruce Lee was not a native Mandarin speaker, so he would have had to lipsync his way through the dialog if the movies were originally done in Mandarin. So, the likeliest soundtrack to have Bruce Lee's voice on it is the Cantonese track. And from what I can tell, the Cantonese soundtracks have either got a very good Lee impressionist doing the dubbing, or it's Bruce Lee himself. On two of the three Mandarin tracks, it does not sound like Lee's voice.

Keep in mind that Hong Kong movies are normally filmed silent, with the dialog and sound effects looped in during post production. This is because the soundstages are in the middle of a dense city (the densest in the world actually), and it's very hard to isolate large backdrops from urban noises. So, in essence, these HK films are dubbed, but it just looks and sounds a lot worse in English because it's usually VERY poorly done. Between Mandarin and Cantonese, both of them use the same written language (and generally have the same number of syllables), so at least the lip movements will match even if the pronunciations and inflections are completely different.

For martial arts pics, I tend to think that the more jagged and rough sounding Cantonese dialect is more appropriate to the situation! Either way though, the Cantonese or Mandarin track will do a better job of capturing the mood of the scene than the English tracks do. The LA Times did a really interesting article on the decline of Cantonese in the U.S. and overseas. The article describes the Cantonese dialect as sounding like people are fighting all the time because of its rough edge and wilder use of slang, profanity, and metaphors.

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedi...312,full.story

Very interesting stuff Wooch! Thanks for the history lesson. I learn something new here everyday. So I'll start with Cantonese and try out the Mandarin later on. I got my brother all hyped up about this also. So that's five now. Maybe you should be looking for a small cut. A thank you card perhaps

[L.J.]

Hey Wooch,

I started off last night with The Big Boss. I toggled back and forth between the Cantonese and Mandarin track most of the movie. The tone of Lee's voice just seemed to fit on the Cantonese track, but seemed a little deep and out of place on the Mandarin. There also seemed to be some scenes that were just out of sync, no matter which track. All in all it was enjoyable and I look foward to the rest. I noticed that all the tracks, English included had a faint hiss in the background. Did you notice this as well?