Arrow Video’s “Bruce Lee At Golden Harvest” Is A Limited Edition Set Worth Fighting For

We remember growing up watching Bruce Lee films and just being mesmerized by him, literally riveted to the screen. He is someone that the saying, “The Man, The Myth, The Legend” aptly applies.  Arrow Video has just set up a preorder for an incredible, 10-disc set that is THE definitive collection celebrating Bruce Lee’s enduring legacy and fruitful collaboration with Golden Harvest.  With incredible cover art and title treatments by Tony Stella and hours of extras, this is a must have for fans of a man who left a lasting legacy on film and life. Read all about it below.

When former child actor and Hollywood TV sidekick Bruce Lee returned to his native Hong Kong in 1971 to star in two films for fledgling company Golden Harvest, movie history was made thanks to one of the most iconic partnerships between star and studio that cinema has ever seen. In only a handful of films, Lee high-kicked his way into audiences’ imaginations forever, thanks to his blistering screen presence and his masterful ‘Jeet Kune Do’ fighting technique.

The first two starring vehicles for Lee, The Big Boss and Fist of Fury (both directed by Lo Wei), smashed all box office records in Hong Kong and made him the most famous face on the continent. Lee asserted his artistic independence by directing, writing and starring in The Way of the Dragon, arguably his most thrilling and personal film. Tragically, on the cusp of achieving the international stardom he had long strived for, Bruce Lee died suddenly in 1973, aged only 32. Not to be outdone by the tidal wave of ‘Bruceploitation’ films that followed, Golden Harvest completed two posthumous films using unreleased footage, 1978’s Game of Death and its 1981 sequel, as well as two official documentaries, the first of which hit cinemas only three months after Lee’s death. Today, five decades since his passing, Bruce Lee continues to be the most beloved and influential martial artist in the world.

 

This definitive collection, featuring fresh and exclusive 4K restorations by Arrow Video from the best available film materials, hours of brand new bonus features and previously unreleased footage – including the extended Mandarin Cut of The Big Boss, now ten minutes longer than any version ever released on video worldwide, and the never-before-seen ‘log fight’ from the original Game of Death shoot – is the ultimate tribute to Bruce Lee’s enduring legacy and fruitful collaboration with Golden Harvest.

LIMITED TEN-DISC BLU-RAY COLLECTION CONTENTS

  • Limited edition packaging featuring newly commissioned artwork by Tony Stella
  • 200-page hardbound book featuring new writing by Walter Chaw, Henry Blyth, Andrew Staton, Dylan Cheung, David West and James Flower
  • Twenty-four lobby card reproductions
  • Ten glossy photos of Lee in action
  • Reversible poster with vintage quad poster artwork

DISC ONE – THE BIG BOSS

  • High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation of the 99-minute 1983 version of The Big Boss, newly restored by Arrow Films from the original negative
  • Original newly restored lossless Mandarin, English and Cantonese mono audio
  • Two English mono options, the standard mix and a Japanese mix with alternate score
  • Newly translated English subtitles, plus optional subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing for the English dubs
  • Two brand new feature commentaries, one by David Desser and one by Brandon Bentley
  • Return to Thailand, a new documentary produced and presented by Matt Routledge exploring the original filming locations
  • Newly uncovered deleted and extended scenes, with optional commentary by Bentley
  • The Not-Quite-Biggest Boss, a video essay by Bentley investigating the scenes still lost, such as the ‘saw-in-the-head’ scene
  • Archive interviews with co-star Lau Wing and stuntman Tung Wai
  • Bruce Lee Vs. Peter Thomas, a short video essay about the music for the English version
  • Alternate credits sequences
  • Trailer gallery, including a ‘Before The Big Boss’ reel and the trailer for lost sequel The Big Boss Part II
  • Image gallery

DISC TWO – THE BIG BOSS: THE MANDARIN CUT

  • High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentations of three alternate versions of The Big Boss with lossless mono audio, newly restored by Arrow Films: the 110-min Mandarin Cut, with restored Mandarin mono; the 100-min English Export Cut, featuring a rare alternate English dub track (some scenes in Mandarin); and the 100-min US Theatrical Cut
  • Newly restored English subtitles for the Mandarin Cut
  • Subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing on both English cuts
  • Axis of English, a brand new video essay by Will Offutt profiling the English dubbing actors for The Big Boss, Fist of Fury and The Way of the Dragon
  • Unrestored raw scan of the Mandarin Cut

DISC THREE – FIST OF FURY

  • High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation, newly restored by Arrow Films from the original negative
  • Alternate ‘English Export Cut’ viewing option with different opening and closing credits, via seamless branching
  • Original newly restored Mandarin, English and Cantonese mono audio
  • Two English mono options, the standard mix and a Japanese mix with alternate music
  • Newly translated English subtitles, plus optional subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing on the English dubs
  • Two brand new feature commentaries, one by Jonathan Clements and one by Brandon Bentley
  • Legend of the Dragon, a newly filmed 80-minute overview of Lee’s life and career by film critic and historian Tony Rayns
  • Visions of Fury, a new featurette on Bruce Lee’s collaboration with Golden Harvest and Lo Wei, featuring interviews with co-producer Andre Morgan and martial arts experts Michael Worth, Frank Djeng, John Kreng, Andy Cheng and Bruce Willow
  • Archive interviews with co-stars Nora Miao, Riki Hashimoto, Jun Katsumura and Yuen Wah
  • Alternate credits sequence
  • Trailer gallery, including a Chen Zhen trailer reel
  • Image gallery

DISC FOUR – THE WAY OF THE DRAGON

  • High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentations, newly restored by Arrow Films from original film elements, of the Hong Kong Theatrical Cut and the Japanese Cut via seamless branching
  • Original newly restored lossless Mandarin, English and Cantonese mono audio on the Hong Kong Theatrical Cut
  • Alternate lossless English mono audio on the Japanese Cut
  • Optional newly translated English subtitles
  • Subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing on both English audio options
  • Two brand new feature commentaries, one by Frank Djeng & Michael Worth and one by Brandon Bentley
  • The Way of the Camera, a new documentary looking at Lee’s filmmaking and fighting method in his directorial debut, featuring interviews with Golden Harvest producer Andre Morgan, martial arts experts Michael Worth, Jon Kreng, Andy Cheng, Frank Djeng, David Yeung, film historian Courtney Joyner and actors Piet (Peter) Schweer, Jon Benn and John Saxon
  • Meet the Italian Beauty, a newly filmed interview with star Malisa Longo
  • The Scottish Soldier Meets the Dragon, a newly filmed interview with on-set observer John Young
  • Newly recorded select scene commentary by ‘thug’ actor Piet Schweer
  • Archive interviews with co-stars Jon Benn, Bob Wall and Hwang In-shik and production managers Chaplin Chang and Louis Sit
  • Trailer gallery, including a Bruceploitation trailer reel
  • Image gallery

DISC FIVE – ENTER THE DRAGON

  • 40th Anniversary Special Edition Blu-ray courtesy of Warner Home Video
  • High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation of the extended 1998 Special Edition of the film
  • 5.1 DTS-HD Surround English audio, plus additional audio options in Russian, Castilian, French, German, Italian, Polish and Latin Spanish
  • English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing, plus subtitles for other languages
  • Feature commentary by writer Michael Allin and producer Paul Heller
  • Featurettes: No Way As Way, Wing Chun: The Art that Introduced Kung Fu to Bruce Lee, Return to Han’s Island, Blood and Steel: The Making of ‘Enter the Dragon’, Bruce Lee: In His Own Words, Backyard Workout with Bruce
  • The Curse of the Dragon documentary
  • Interviews with Linda Lee Cadwell
  • 1973 archive featurette Hong Kong with ‘Enter the Dragon’
  • Theatrical trailers and TV spots

DISC SIX – GAME OF DEATH

  • High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentations, newly restored by Arrow Films from original film elements, of the international cut and the Japanese cut via seamless branching
  • Original newly restored English mono audio on both cuts
  • English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
  • Brand new feature commentary by Brandon Bentley & Mike Leeder
  • The Song I’m Singing Tomorrow, a newly filmed interview with star Colleen Camp
  • Deleted and extended scenes from the Chinese-language versions of the film, including two alternate endings (contains some standard-definition material)
  • Archive interviews with co-stars Dan Inosanto and Bob Wall
  • Behind-the-scenes footage as featured in Bruce Lee: The Legend
  • Rare pre-production sales featurette from 1976 with new commentary by Michael Worth and producer Andre Morgan
  • Fight scene dailies directed by Sammo Hung
  • Locations featurette from 2013
  • Trailer gallery, including Bruceploitation and ‘Robert Clouse at Golden Harvest’ trailer reels
  • Image gallery

DISC SEVEN – GAME OF DEATH: ALTERNATE VERSIONS

  • High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation of the Chinese version of the film
  • Original lossless Mandarin and Cantonese mono audio
  • Newly translated optional English subtitles
  • Archive interview with Casanova Wong from 2001 on his relationship with Sammo Hung, and Lee’s influence on him
  • Two alternate Cantonese and Mandarin versions of the film in High Definition via seamless branching, with different credits, ending and reinstated Ji Han-jae fight (contains some standard-definition material)
  • Archive featurettes on Lee’s life and impact: The Hong Kong Connection, Bruce Lee Remembered, Legacy of the Dragon, Dragon Rising and The Grandmaster & The Dragon, featuring interviews with Hung, Donnie Yen, William Cheung and many others
  • Archive interviews with Robert Lee, Phoebe Lee, Pat Johnson, George Lee, Gene LeBell, Van Williams, Joe Torrenueva, Jeff Imada, Linda Palmer, Fred Weintraub, Tom Kuhn, Paul Heller and James Lew

DISC EIGHT – GAME OF DEATH: BONUS DISC

  • The Final Game of Death, a brand new three-hour video essay by Arrow Films that incorporates a new 2K restoration of all two hours of Lee’s original dailies from a recently-discovered interpositive
  • Game of Death: Revisited, an earlier attempt to reconstruct Lee’s original vision from 2001
  • Super 8 footage from 1974 of Dan Inosanto demonstrating the nunchaku
  • Brief archival interview with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar from 1976
  • Image gallery

DISC NINE – GAME OF DEATH II

  • Brand new 2K restoration of the International Cut of the film titled Game of Death II by Arrow Films from original film elements
  • High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation of Game of Death II as well as the Hong Kong Theatrical Cut titled Tower of Death (contains some standard-definition material)
  • Original lossless English mono audio on Game of Death II
  • Original lossless Cantonese, Mandarin and English mono audio on Tower of Death
  • English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing on Game of Death II, and optional newly translated English subtitles on Tower of Death
  • Brand new feature commentary by Frank Djeng & Michael Worth, co-producers of Enter the Clones of Bruce
  • Archive interview with co-star Roy Horan
  • Alternate Korean version with unique footage, presented in High Definition with original lossless mono audio and newly translated English subtitles
  • Alternate US video version in High Definition with lossless English mono audio, via seamless branching
  • Alternate end credits sequence for Game of Death II
  • Trailer gallery
  • Image gallery

DISC TEN – DOCUMENTARIES

  • High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentations of Bruce Lee: The Man & The Legend (1973) and Bruce Lee: The Legend (1984)
  • Original lossless Mandarin mono audio for The Man & The Legend, and lossless English mono audio for both films
  • Newly translated optional English subtitles for The Man & The Legend, and subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing for both films
  • Alternate video version of The Legend, featuring different editing and credits (standard definition only)
  • Archive video of a tour of Golden Harvest Studios conducted in the mid-1990s by Russell Cawthorne, writer of Bruce Lee: The Legend
  • Alternate animated Hong Kong credits for Enter the Dragon
  • Trailers and image gallery for both films
Pre-order in the UK via Arrow: https://bit.ly/3oOCRpm
Pre-order in the UK via Amazon: https://amzn.to/41OVKXS
Pre-order in the UK via Zavvi: https://bit.ly/40Op8vU
Pre-order in the UK via hmv: https://bit.ly/3Hlp4Ns
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