The Big Boss (partially lost original Mandarin cut of martial arts film; 1971): Difference between revisions
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Double - U (talk | contribs) (Found. Arrow's Bruce Lee boxset, which includes this cut, has been officially released.) |
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{{ | {{InfoboxFound | ||
|title=<center>The Big Boss (Mandarin cut)</center> | |title=<center>The Big Boss (Mandarin cut)</center> | ||
|image=TheBigBossposter.jpg | |image=TheBigBossposter.jpg | ||
|imagecaption=Original Hong Kong film poster. | |imagecaption=Original Hong Kong film poster. | ||
|status=<span style="color: | |status=<span style="color:green;">'''Found'''</span> | ||
|datefound=17 Jul 2023 | |||
|foundby=Arrow Video | |||
}} | }} | ||
'''''The Big Boss''''' is a 1971 martial arts film starring Bruce Lee. This film is often credited as Lee's break-out film, earning him international acclaim for his strong performance.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20151208142724/http://newempressmagazine.com/2012/04/in-review-the-big-boss-on-dvd/</ref> The film grossed nearly $50,000,000 worldwide against a tight budget of $100,000 making it was the highest-grossing Hong Kong film up until Lee's next film, Fist of Fury (1972).<ref>https://books.google.com/books?id=5bGWDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA478</ref> | '''''The Big Boss''''' is a 1971 martial arts film starring Bruce Lee. This film is often credited as Lee's break-out film, earning him international acclaim for his strong performance.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20151208142724/http://newempressmagazine.com/2012/04/in-review-the-big-boss-on-dvd/</ref> The film grossed nearly $50,000,000 worldwide against a tight budget of $100,000 making it was the highest-grossing Hong Kong film up until Lee's next film, Fist of Fury (1972).<ref>https://books.google.com/books?id=5bGWDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA478</ref> | ||
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==Status== | ==Status== | ||
Some of these clips have been recovered from trailers of the film, while others believe the Mandarin cut to be in the possession of collectors, though this has not been confirmed. In 2004, a low-budget DVD company called ''Video Asia'' announced ''The Big Boss: The Version You've Never Seen!'' This was widely speculated to be the Mandarin cut of the film. However, the DVD release was ultimately cancelled, likely due to copyright issues from Orange Sky Golden Harvest, the film's distributor. In 2023, Arrow Video | Some of these clips have been recovered from trailers of the film, while others believe the Mandarin cut to be in the possession of collectors, though this has not been confirmed. In 2004, a low-budget DVD company called ''Video Asia'' announced ''The Big Boss: The Version You've Never Seen!'' This was widely speculated to be the Mandarin cut of the film. However, the DVD release was ultimately cancelled, likely due to copyright issues from Orange Sky Golden Harvest, the film's distributor. In 2023, Arrow Video announced that they were in possession of the original Mandarin cut, featuring ten minutes of previously unreleased footage.<ref>[https://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=32463 Blu-ray.com: Bruce Lee at Golden Harvest 4K Blu-ray]Retrieved 17 May '23</ref> In July 2023, Arrow released a 4K UHD/Blu-ray boxset covering Bruce Lee's films at Golden Harvest, which includes a 4K restoration of the Mandarin cut of ''The Big Boss'', as well as a raw 1080P scan of the film elements used for the restoration. While the full Mandarin cut has now been released, some scenes which were cut prior to the film's initial release, such as the infamous "saw in the head" scene, remain missing.<ref>[https://www.avforums.com/reviews/bruce-lee-at-golden-harvest-4k-blu-ray-review.20955/ Bruce Lee at Golden Harvest 4K Blu-ray Review | AVForums]Retrieved 17 July '23</ref> Prior to the set's release, the Mandarin cut was screened in several UK cinemas.<ref>[https://www.culturecalling.com/uk/film/features/bruce-lee-returns-to-the-big-screen-in-4k Culture Calling: Bruce Lee Returns To The Big Screen in 4K]Retrieved 10 June '23</ref> | ||
==External Links== | ==External Links== | ||
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{{reflist}} | {{reflist}} | ||
[[Category: | [[Category:Found media]] | ||
[[Category: | [[Category:Found films]] | ||
Revision as of 23:43, 16 July 2023
Original Hong Kong film poster.
Status: Found
Date found: 17 Jul 2023
Found by: Arrow Video
The Big Boss is a 1971 martial arts film starring Bruce Lee. This film is often credited as Lee's break-out film, earning him international acclaim for his strong performance.[1] The film grossed nearly $50,000,000 worldwide against a tight budget of $100,000 making it was the highest-grossing Hong Kong film up until Lee's next film, Fist of Fury (1972).[2]
The original release included scenes that were removed during the "1972 Hong Kong Censorship Crackdown." The removed scenes were noteworthy for their violent content, including mutilation and gore,[3] and are mentioned in full detail on Wikipedia. The original cut was seen in Chinese cinema clubs from Britain back in June 1972.[4]
Status
Some of these clips have been recovered from trailers of the film, while others believe the Mandarin cut to be in the possession of collectors, though this has not been confirmed. In 2004, a low-budget DVD company called Video Asia announced The Big Boss: The Version You've Never Seen! This was widely speculated to be the Mandarin cut of the film. However, the DVD release was ultimately cancelled, likely due to copyright issues from Orange Sky Golden Harvest, the film's distributor. In 2023, Arrow Video announced that they were in possession of the original Mandarin cut, featuring ten minutes of previously unreleased footage.[5] In July 2023, Arrow released a 4K UHD/Blu-ray boxset covering Bruce Lee's films at Golden Harvest, which includes a 4K restoration of the Mandarin cut of The Big Boss, as well as a raw 1080P scan of the film elements used for the restoration. While the full Mandarin cut has now been released, some scenes which were cut prior to the film's initial release, such as the infamous "saw in the head" scene, remain missing.[6] Prior to the set's release, the Mandarin cut was screened in several UK cinemas.[7]
External Links
- Wikipedia page for the film. Retrieved 27 Mar '19
- https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067824/
Reference
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20151208142724/http://newempressmagazine.com/2012/04/in-review-the-big-boss-on-dvd/
- ↑ https://books.google.com/books?id=5bGWDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA478
- ↑ Blog post on the missing scenes. Retrieved 26 Apr '19
- ↑ Fong, Leslie (28 April 1972). "Big Boss only at Chinese film clubs in Britain". The Straits Times.
- ↑ Blu-ray.com: Bruce Lee at Golden Harvest 4K Blu-rayRetrieved 17 May '23
- ↑ Bruce Lee at Golden Harvest 4K Blu-ray Review | AVForumsRetrieved 17 July '23
- ↑ Culture Calling: Bruce Lee Returns To The Big Screen in 4KRetrieved 10 June '23