(aka "Jing wu ying xiong" or "Fist of Legend")
directed by Gordon Chan
Hong Kong 1994
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Being a neophyte in the martial arts genre, I took the advice of some experts who say "that you will not see more exciting martial arts fighting in any film". "Fist of Legend" is often considered the jewel in the crown of this brand of Asian acrobatic action films with little doubt why! I thoroughly enjoyed this film so much I am ranking it in my most watched DVD listing! All the dynamic superlatives of physical singularity, honor, purity, strength and respect apply - if playfully exaggerated. Jet Li is a multiple WUSHU (sanctioned martial arts) world champion in many areas and he does have an undeniable screen presence. Although an early 'western exposed' film for him, in "Fist of Legend" he has honed the bridge of athletic prowess to meld with cinematic charisma quite adeptly. Personally, these films do have an appeal for me. Not unlike an old western - the good and evil are easily identifiable and the legendary "fast gun" is replaced with extensively choreographed leaps and kicks, which "Fist of Legend" is overflowing with. Although they don't appear choreographed - perhaps that is their appeal. The story is a classic one that has its roots in Chinese history -- the defeat of Master Huo at the hands of the invading Japanese. Chen Zhen (Li), is in a race to save his master's honor and his own pride. The IMdb comments ring loudly:
'Best pure Kung Fu scenes EVER.'
Watching this film is probably as fun a way to spend a rainy Sunday afternoon as I can imagine. As the pinnacle of its genre, I must give it  out
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Posters
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Theatrical Release: February 5th, 1994 - Hong Kong
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
Comparison:
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Mei Ah ( 2 VCDs ) - Region 0 - NTSC vs. Dimension Home Video - Region 1- NTSC vs. Dragon Dynasty Ultimate 2-disc - Region 1 - NTSC |
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1) Mei Ah (VCD) - Region 0 - NTSC - LEFT2) Dragon Dynasty (Weinstein) Two-Disc Ultimate Edition - Region 1 - NTSC MIDDLE 3) Dimension Home Video - Region 1- NTSC - RIGHT
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| Distribution |
Mei Ah Laser Disc company Region 1 - NTSC |
Weinstein - Dragon Dynasty Region 1 - NTSC |
Dimension Home Video Region 1 - NTSC |
| Runtime | 1st VCD - 59:10 + 2nd: 42:51 = 1:42:01 | 1:43:04 | 1:43:08 |
| Video |
1.74:1
Original Aspect Ratio |
1.78:1
Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 8.7 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s |
1.83:1
Original Aspect Ratio |
| Audio | Cantonese (Dolby Digital 1.0) | Cantonese or Mandarin (Dolby 2.0), DUB: English 5.1 |
English (Dubbed) (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround) |
| Subtitles | English, Simplified Chinese (ingrained) | English (SDH), English, Spanish, none | English for the hearing impaired, and none |
| Features |
Release Information: Studio: Mei Ah Laser Disc Company Aspect Ratio:
Edition Details:
Chapters: none
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Release Information: Studio: Dragon Dynasty (Wienstein) Aspect Ratio:
Disc 2 DVD Release Date: September 2nd, 2008 Keep Case Chapters: 24 |
Release Information: Studio: Dimension Home Video Aspect Ratio: |
| Comments: |
ADDITION: Dragon Dynasty - Region 1 - NTSC October 08': Well, it only took 8 1/2 years! Short comment: the Dragon Dynasty is far in advance of both these previous releases... by a country mile.
It offers a reasonable, although not perfect, image transfer (some noise is
present). Original Cantonese audio option
(as usual in no way does the English DUB match the English subtitles).
Tons of extras including another stellar commentary from Bey Logan and a second
disc with 5
interviews and an equal number of deleted scenes. An easy choice - Dragon Dynasty continues to bring us superior
examples of the best this genre has to offer. I love this film and am so very
glad to have revisited it in such an improved, and more theatrically accurate,
digital presentation. For fans of Jet Li (touted as his best work) or the Wushu
this is a no-brainer. Thanks Dragon Dynasty!
ON THE OLD SD VS. THE VCD: Well, quite a mess. I strive
at obtain some of my favorite films on DVD in their original format.
Correct aspect ratio, correct audio, maybe some extras if possible. This
film has squeaked onto the list, BUT there is no correct version out
there! The Region 1 Dimension Home obviously has a better image than the
Mei Ah 2 VCDs,
but it is dubbed into English with no other audio option. The original
audio format of this film is in Cantonese. I'm sure most of you know the
importance of original spoken audio for the inflections, tone etc. of
the dialogue . There is a French DVD in original Cantonese, but only
French subtitles. Regarding the images, when we compare sometimes we can
see the deficiencies (cropping etc. ) in the better version, but here
the VCD is cropped (left edge), washed out and brightness boosted. The
dual Chinese and English subtitles are burned in. I think the Home
Dimension looks to have some vertical squeezing as faces can appear to
be quite "scrunched" at times, but the colors are obviously superior, if
overly red (look at skin tones!) as is the sharpness. No Extras on
either. Hopefully someone will take Fist of Legend, highly
regarded as the best martial arts film ever, and give it a respectful
proper treatment to DVD. Soon.
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Recommended Reading in Chinese/Hong Kong/Taiwanese Cinema (CLICK COVERS or TITLES for more information)
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Memoirs from the Beijing Film Academy
by Zhen Ni, Chris Berry, Ni Zhen |
Chinese Films in Focus: 25 New Takes by Chris Berry |
China into Film: Frames of Reference in Contemporary
Chinese Cinema (Envisioning Asia) by Jerome Silbergeld |
New Chinese Cinemas
by Nick Browne |
Once Upon a Time in China : A Guide to Hong Kong,
Taiwanese, and Mainland Chinese Cinema by Jeff Yang |
Chinese Film Theory by George S. Semsel |
Women Through the Lens: Gender and Nation in a
Century of Chinese Cinema by Shuqin Cui |
Tsai Ming-Liang by Tsai Ming-Liang |
Check out more in "The Library"
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1) Mei Ah (VCD) - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP 2) Dragon Dynasty (Weinstein) Two-Disc Ultimate Edition - Region 1 - NTSC MIDDLE 3) Dimension Home Video - Region 1- NTSC - BOTTOM
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(Mei Ah (VCD) - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP vs. Dimension Home Video - Region 1- NTSC - BOTTOM)
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1) Mei Ah (VCD) - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP 2) Dragon Dynasty (Weinstein) Two-Disc Ultimate Edition - Region 1 - NTSC MIDDLE 3) Dimension Home Video - Region 1- NTSC - BOTTOM
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1) Mei Ah (VCD) - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP 2) Dragon Dynasty (Weinstein) Two-Disc Ultimate Edition - Region 1 - NTSC MIDDLE 3) Dimension Home Video - Region 1- NTSC - BOTTOM
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1) Mei Ah (VCD) - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP 2) Dragon Dynasty (Weinstein) Two-Disc Ultimate Edition - Region 1 - NTSC MIDDLE 3) Dimension Home Video - Region 1- NTSC - BOTTOM
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1) Mei Ah (VCD) - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP 2) Dragon Dynasty (Weinstein) Two-Disc Ultimate Edition - Region 1 - NTSC MIDDLE 3) Dimension Home Video - Region 1- NTSC - BOTTOM
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Report Card:
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Image: |
Dragon Dynasty |
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Sound: |
Dragon Dynasty |
| Extras: | Dragon Dynasty |
| Menu: | Dragon Dynasty |
| DVD Box Covers |
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| Distribution |
Mei Ah Laser Disc company Region 1 - NTSC |
Weinstein - Dragon Dynasty Region 1 - NTSC |
Dimension Home Video Region 1 - NTSC |
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