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(aka "Jing wu ying xiong" or "Fist of Legend")
directed by Gordon Chan
Hong Kong 1994
The
4K UHD of Fist of Legend is reviewed / compared HERE
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A stunning reinvention of Bruce Lees timeless 1972 classic, Fist of Fury, Fist of Legend delivers scene upon scene of intense and magnificently composed martial arts action, and is now considered by many to be the greatest Kung Fu movie of all time! In the most electrifying performance of his celebrated career, international superstar, Jet Li, plays Chen Zhen - the matchless number-one student of Chinas preeminent Kung Fu master, Fok Yun-gap. Upon returning home to Shanghai after a period of study abroad, he discovers that his homeland has been devastated by a brutal Japanese occupation, and that his once proud martial arts academy has fallen into disarray following the untimely demise of his beloved Master - allegedly in a challenge match with a member of the Japanese Black Dragon Clan. Disgusted by the official verdict on his teachers death, Chen embarks on a heroic and uncompromising one-man quest to uncover the true killer and restore dignity to his fallen people-a journey that will bring him into deadly confrontation with Japans most formidable fighters. Fist of Legend is a brilliant martial arts masterpiece that has been awarded iconic status by fans and critics worldwide. *** 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.'
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Posters
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Theatrical Release: February 5th, 1994 - Hong Kong
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
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More Shaw Brothers-Martial Arts-Wushu or related films on Blu-ray reviewed (click review buttons to also see comparisons where applicable): |
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Comparison:
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Mei Ah ( 2 VCDs ) - Region 0 - NTSC vs. Dragon Dynasty Ultimate 2-disc - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Dimension Home Video - Region 1- NTSC vs. Dragon Dynasty - Region FREE Blu-ray |
| Box Covers |
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Coming to 4K UHD by 88 Films in the UK
in May 2024:
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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 |
Vivendi - Dragon Dynasty Region FREE - Blu-ray |
| Runtime | 1st VCD - 59:10 + 2nd: 42:51 = 1:42:01 | 1:43:04 | 1:43:08 | 1:43:16.064 |
| 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 |
Disc Size: 35,470,780,534 bytes Feature Size: 27,105,386,496 bytes Average Bitrate: 31.94 MbpsDual-layered Blu-ray MPEG-4 AVC Video 1080P |
| Audio | Cantonese (Dolby Digital 1.0) | Cantonese or Mandarin (Dolby 2.0), DUB: English 5.1 |
English (Dubbed) (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround) |
Dolby Digital Audio English 640 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 640
kbps / DN -4dB Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -4dB Dolby Digital Audio Chinese 224 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 224 kbps / DN -4dB Dolby Digital Audio Chinese 224 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 224 kbps / DN -4dB |
| Subtitles | English, Simplified Chinese (ingrained) | English (SDH), English, Spanish, none | English for the hearing impaired, and none | English (SDH), English, Spanish, 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 (Weinstein) Aspect Ratio:
Disc 2 DVD Release Date: September 2nd, 2008 Keep Case Chapters: 24 |
Release Information: Studio: Dimension Home Video Aspect Ratio: |
Release Information: Studio: Dragon Dynasty (Weinstein)
Disc Size: 35,470,780,534 bytes Feature Size: 27,105,386,496 bytes Average Bitrate: 31.94 MbpsDual-layered Blu-ray MPEG-4 AVC Video 1080P Edition Details: • Commentary Hong Kong cinema expert Bey Logan • The Man Behind The Legend: Interview with director Gordon Chan (35:34) • Brother In Arms: Interview with Chin Siu-hou (23:19) • The Way Of The Warrior (29:40) • The School For Hard Knocks (26:31) • A Look at Fist Of Legend (9.35) • 5 Deleted Scenes (5:08) • Theatrical trailer Blu-ray Release Date: April 20th, 2010 Standard Blu-ray Case Chapters: 24 |
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The 4K UHD of Fist of Legend is reviewed / compared HERE NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc. ADDITION: Dragon Dynasty - Region FREE' Blu-ray - April 2010: I suppose we should consider it a victory that the Vivendi/Weinstein/Dragon Dynasty Blu-ray is progressive unlike the 1080i (interlaced) transfers they have recently put out (The 36th Chamber of Shaolin and The Killer). This is dual-layered with a decent bitrate and it does look better - although also thin at times. Edge-enhancement isn't the culprit as far as I can tell. What can occasionally appear like grain also has a tendency to look noisy and uneven but all facets of visual appeal do improve - from richer colors, deeper blacks and there is even some depth in some scenes. Unfortunately, the higher resolution also brings out the light surface scratches to more prominence (see last large capture) than was noted on the Dragon Dynasty DVD although I suspect the source to be the same. Bottom line is the image quality has improved - more than I was anticipating. But that is it for the improvement. No lossless audio (same Cantonese DD track) and the extras are simply duplicated from the 2008 2-disc DVD but now they are all accessible from the one Blu-ray disc. I should note the subtitle translation appears précised at times (see sample below - he never says he is from the "Black Dragon Clan"). In fact, in my testing it matches the English DUB! We will continue exploring this issue but it looks like these are DUB-titles and, for many, this is a catastrophic mistake. My Momitsu has identified it as being a region FREE disc playable on Blu-ray machines worldwide. This is one of my favorite martial arts films but the improved visual presentation may not be enough of an enticement for those to upgrade who already own the 2008 DVD - where audio and extras have not been bettered and the subtitles précised. I'll admit I'm happy about the progressive transfer but the package limitations leave me ambivalent to recommend. **** ADDITION: Dragon Dynasty - Region 1 - NTSC DVD - 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"
DVD Menus
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Disc 2
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Mei Ah (VCD) - Region 0 - NTSC - LEFT vs. Dimension Home Video - Region 1- NTSC - MIDDLE vs. Dragon Dynasty (Weinstein) - Region FREE - Blu-ray RIGHT
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CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
Screen Captures
Subtitle Sample
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1) Mei Ah (VCD) - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP 2) Dragon Dynasty (Weinstein) Two-Disc Ultimate Edition - Region 1 - NTSC SECOND 3) Dimension Home Video - Region 1- NTSC - THIRD4) Dragon Dynasty (Weinstein) - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM
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Screen Captures
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1) Mei Ah (VCD) - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP 2) Dragon Dynasty (Weinstein) Two-Disc Ultimate Edition - Region 1 - NTSC SECOND 3) Dimension Home Video - Region 1- NTSC - THIRD4) Dragon Dynasty (Weinstein) - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM
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1) Mei Ah (VCD) - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP 2) Dragon Dynasty (Weinstein) Two-Disc Ultimate Edition - Region 1 - NTSC SECOND 3) Dimension Home Video - Region 1- NTSC - THIRD4) Dragon Dynasty (Weinstein) - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM
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1) Mei Ah (VCD) - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP 2) Dragon Dynasty (Weinstein) Two-Disc Ultimate Edition - Region 1 - NTSC SECOND 3) Dimension Home Video - Region 1- NTSC - THIRD4) Dragon Dynasty (Weinstein) - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM
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1) Mei Ah (VCD) - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP 2) Dragon Dynasty (Weinstein) Two-Disc Ultimate Edition - Region 1 - NTSC SECOND 3) Dimension Home Video - Region 1- NTSC - THIRD4) Dragon Dynasty (Weinstein) - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM
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1) Mei Ah (VCD) - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP 2) Dragon Dynasty (Weinstein) Two-Disc Ultimate Edition - Region 1 - NTSC SECOND 3) Dimension Home Video - Region 1- NTSC - THIRD4) Dragon Dynasty (Weinstein) - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM
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1) Mei Ah (VCD) - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP 2) Dragon Dynasty (Weinstein) Two-Disc Ultimate Edition - Region 1 - NTSC SECOND 3) Dimension Home Video - Region 1- NTSC - THIRD4) Dragon Dynasty (Weinstein) - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM
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1) Mei Ah (VCD) - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP 2) Dragon Dynasty (Weinstein) Two-Disc Ultimate Edition - Region 1 - NTSC SECOND 3) Dimension Home Video - Region 1- NTSC - THIRD4) Dragon Dynasty (Weinstein) - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM
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More Blu-ray captures
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Noticeable scratches
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| Box Covers |
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Coming to 4K UHD by 88 Films in the UK
in May 2024:
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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 |
Vivendi - Dragon Dynasty Region FREE - Blu-ray |
Report Card:
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Image: |
Dragon Dynasty Blu-ray |
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Sound: |
Dragon DynastyBlu-ray |
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Extras: |
Dragon Dynastys |
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More Shaw Brothers-Martial Arts-Wushu or related films on Blu-ray reviewed (click review buttons to also see comparisons where applicable): |
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| 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 |
Vivendi - Dragon Dynasty Region FREE - Blu-ray |
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Gary Tooze
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Many Thanks...