The Big Boss (partially lost original Mandarin cut of martial arts film; 1971): Difference between revisions
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'''''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:// | '''''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://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3107050/bruce-lees-big-boss-film-made-martial-arts-legend-even-if South China Morning Post article on Bruce Lee's role in ''The Big Boss''.] Retrieved 22 Nov '23</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 Polly, Matthew. “The Legend.” Bruce Lee: A Life, SIMON SCHUSTER, 2018, pp. 478–478.] Retrieved 19 Nov '22</ref> | ||
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,<ref>[http://bruceleelives.co.uk/missingboss.html Blog post on the missing scenes.] Retrieved 26 Apr '19</ref> and are mentioned in full detail on Wikipedia. The original cut was seen in Chinese cinema clubs from Britain back in June 1972.<ref>Fong, Leslie (28 April 1972). "Big Boss only at Chinese film clubs in Britain". The Straits Times.</ref> | 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,<ref>[http://bruceleelives.co.uk/missingboss.html Blog post on the missing scenes.] Retrieved 26 Apr '19</ref> and are mentioned in full detail on Wikipedia. The original cut was seen in Chinese cinema clubs from Britain back in June 1972.<ref>Fong, Leslie (28 April 1972). "Big Boss only at Chinese film clubs in Britain". The Straits Times.</ref> | ||
==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 announced that they were in possession of an extended Mandarin cut, featuring ten minutes of previously unreleased footage.<ref>[https://blu-ray.com/news/?id=32463 Blu-ray.com: Bruce Lee at Golden Harvest 4K Blu-ray] Retrieved 17 May '23</ref> | 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 an extended Mandarin cut, featuring ten minutes of previously unreleased footage.<ref>[https://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 this Mandarin cut of ''The Big Boss'', as well as a raw 1080p scan of the film elements used for the restoration. Though it has now been released, several scenes speculated to have appeared in the movie's premiere print or shown before cuts requested by theater owners or the first round of censors, such as the "saw in the head" and "cutting up of the cousins" scene, remain missing.<ref>[https://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://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> | 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 this Mandarin cut of ''The Big Boss'', as well as a raw 1080p scan of the film elements used for the restoration. Though it has now been released, several scenes speculated to have appeared in the movie's premiere print or shown before cuts requested by theater owners or the first round of censors, such as the "saw in the head" and "cutting up of the cousins" scene, remain missing.<ref>[https://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> A video essay called "The Not-Quite Biggest Boss," which talks more of these lost scenes, is included in the set as a bonus feature.<ref>[https://www.arrowfilms.com/4k/bruce-lee-at-golden-harvest-arrow-exclusive-limited-edition-4k-ultra-hd/14573848.html Arrow Films UK listing for ''Bruce Lee at Golden Harvest''.] Retrieved 22 Nov '23</ref> Prior to the set's release, the Mandarin cut was screened in several UK cinemas.<ref>[https://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== | ||
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Big_Boss Wikipedia page for the film.] | *[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Big_Boss Wikipedia page for the film.] | ||
*https://imdb.com/title/tt0067824/ | *[https://imdb.com/title/tt0067824/ IMDB page for the film.] | ||
== | ==References== | ||
{{reflist}} | {{reflist}} | ||
[[Category:Lost films|Big Boss (partially lost original Mandarin cut of martial arts film; 1971)]] | [[Category:Lost films|Big Boss (partially lost original Mandarin cut of martial arts film; 1971)]] | ||
[[Category:Partially lost media|Big Boss (partially lost original Mandarin cut of martial arts film; 1971)]] | [[Category:Partially lost media|Big Boss (partially lost original Mandarin cut of martial arts film; 1971)]] | ||
Revision as of 22:46, 22 November 2023
Original Hong Kong film poster.
Status: Partially Lost
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 an extended 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 this Mandarin cut of The Big Boss, as well as a raw 1080p scan of the film elements used for the restoration. Though it has now been released, several scenes speculated to have appeared in the movie's premiere print or shown before cuts requested by theater owners or the first round of censors, such as the "saw in the head" and "cutting up of the cousins" scene, remain missing.[6] A video essay called "The Not-Quite Biggest Boss," which talks more of these lost scenes, is included in the set as a bonus feature.[7] Prior to the set's release, the Mandarin cut was screened in several UK cinemas.[8]
External Links
References
- ↑ South China Morning Post article on Bruce Lee's role in The Big Boss. Retrieved 22 Nov '23
- ↑ Polly, Matthew. “The Legend.” Bruce Lee: A Life, SIMON SCHUSTER, 2018, pp. 478–478. Retrieved 19 Nov '22
- ↑ 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-ray Retrieved 17 May '23
- ↑ Bruce Lee at Golden Harvest 4K Blu-ray Review|AVForums. Retrieved 17 July '23
- ↑ Arrow Films UK listing for Bruce Lee at Golden Harvest. Retrieved 22 Nov '23
- ↑ Culture Calling: Bruce Lee Returns To The Big Screen in 4K Retrieved 10 June '23