My problem with the new Drunken Master DVD...

[ssbomberman]

So Columbia Tristar has been rereleasing all the old Jackie Chan films on DVD. And so far they have been great--widescreen and with an original Chinese track. So I picked up the original DM tonight at Wal-Mart--popped it in and much to my surprise--the Chinese track is a mix of English and Chinese--it's the strangest thing I've ever seen--one minute they're talking in Chinese the next in English.

I even took it back and picked up another copy--but it's the same. So if you're looking for the film in it's original version--this doesn't quite cut it, but otherwise the picture quality is superb and I highly recommend the film--it's a fine example of kung fu at its best.

If anyone else has picked it up, let me know if you have the same problem. I sent an e-mail to the company to find out if other have complained about it...

[lee vicious]

You're talking about the real Drunken Master 1 right??
<not Legend of Drunken Master, right>
Either way I dont own it. I love the look and feel of those early Martial Arts flix...but prefer the high speed wire workings of the late 80s and 90s. Chans fight scenes in the original were pretty blaze though, I must admit.

way off topic but...

Am I crazy, or did I hear that Chow Yun fat, Jackie Chan and Jet Li were all working on the same film??/

[mollipen]

Are there any decent versions of Drunken Master 2 out there on DVD that have English subtitles? I know a few versions from Hong Kong exist with English subs exist, but I'm not sure of the quality on any of them. I'm not about to get the English dub only screwed up US release (LoDM).

[ssbomberman]

I only know one Drunken Master 2 DVD w/English subtitles but it isn't available through stores such as Yesasia--I've only seen it on Ebay and it isn't made by a legit HK company like Mei Ah or China Star or anything like that. The best version I have been able to find of the movie is VHS. It's the Taiseng version, uncut, and is letterboxed and subtitled. The quality is outstanding. Of course there's a decent quality official VCD, but they can only look so good.

Even though Chan is such an interational star, it is very hard to find original versions of his later films with English subtitles on DVD. If you havea Laserdisc player, there is a great version of the original cut of Drunken Master 2, and many of his other films. but no DVDs of Rumble or First Strike--it's a shame.

Anyway, I was actually impressed with the quality of the U.S. version of the Legend of Drunken Master--I actually am glad they cut the "controversial" final scene, as it added nothing to the film.

[ssbomberman]

Originally posted by lee vicious
You're talking about the real Drunken Master 1 right??
<not Legend of Drunken Master, right>
Either way I dont own it. I love the look and feel of those early Martial Arts flix...but prefer the high speed wire workings of the late 80s and 90s. Chans fight scenes in the original were pretty blaze though, I must admit.

way off topic but...

Am I crazy, or did I hear that Chow Yun fat, Jackie Chan and Jet Li were all working on the same film??/

Yup, the original. I think a lot of the films of that time period--Shaw Brothers, etc. were very boring because of the set rythms of the fights. You could almost count along as they fought in a very robotic way. Jackie Chan really changed all that because of his natural rhythm. Add to it that the original Drunken Master has a huge cast of talent--it had 5 fight choregraphers, including Yuen Wo Ping and Corey Yuen Kwai (who has directed a lot of HK films and works with Jet Li a lot). I think this is one of the finest early kung fu films ever made.

I also heard that the three might team up, though I don't know how that would work. I know Jet Li is finishing up Hero--a film that is going to be huge and has a ton of talent involved. And Jackie is doing a bunch of films--Highbinders and Shanghai Knights (the sequel to Shanghai Noon). He's also doing one with Steven Spielberg.

I don't really know that the three could work together--I think Jet and Jackie might clash a bit--Chan seems to run the show when he does a movie. I think Chow would probably go along with it, though.

[The Ampersand]

Originally posted by ssbomberman
Anyway, I was actually impressed with the quality of the U.S. version of the Legend of Drunken Master--I actually am glad they cut the "controversial" final scene, as it added nothing to the film.

Maybe I'm opening a whole can of worms here, but what was this "controverisal" final scene?

I've seen LoDM, and a poor-quality version of DM2, and I didn't notice any difference.

[ssbomberman]

Originally posted by The Ampersand


Maybe I'm opening a whole can of worms here, but what was this "controverisal" final scene?

I've seen LoDM, and a poor-quality version of DM2, and I didn't notice any difference.

In the final scene, after they pose for a picture, Jackie is scene at his home dancing around like a retarded person--to parody the effects of the industrial alcohol he drank in the final fight. It's really nothing major or that controversial at all, but it is a little odd for a Jackie Chan ending and a lot of people talk about it as a "controversial" ending and it was one of the few scenes cut from the Legend of Drunken Master.