Import Corner: Bruce Lee at Golden Harvest (Arrow Video) 4K Blu-ray Review + Packaging Shots

At long last, we get Bruce Lee in 4K and Arrow Video has gone above and beyond with this set with each film being presented in multiple versions along with tons of special features. This is the set to end all Bruce Lee sets.

Studio: Arrow Video
Release Date: October 30th, 1971 (The Big Boss) (theatrical) / March 22nd, 1972 (Fist of Fury) (theatrical) / December 30th, 1972 (The Way of the Dragon) (Theatrical) / August 19th, 1972 (Enter the Dragon) (theatrical) / June 23rd, 1978 (Game of Death) (theatrical) / March 21st, 1981 (Game of Death II) (theatrical)
Run Time: 1 hour 40 minutes 17 seconds (The Big Boss), 1 hour 40 minutes 27 seconds (The Big Boss) (English Export Cut), 1 hour 39 minutes 53 seconds (The Big Boss) (US Theatrical Cut), 1 hour 50 minutes 55 seconds (The Big Boss) (Mandarin Cut) / 1 hour 49 minutes 12 seconds (The Big Boss) (Mandarin Cut Unrestored) / 1 hour 46 minutes 32 seconds (Fist of Fury), 1 hour 46 minutes 17 seconds (Fist of Fury) (English Export Cut) / 1 hour 39 minutes 23 seconds (The Way of the Dragon), 1 hour 40 minutes 17 seconds (The Way of the Dragon) (Japanese cut) / 1 hour 42 minutes 33 seconds (Enter the Dragon) / 1 hour 41 minutes 7 seconds (Game of Death), 1 hour 39 minutes 55 seconds (Game of Death) (Japanese version), 1 hour 32 minutes 23 seconds (Game of Death) (Cantonese version), 1 hour 30 minutes 12 seconds (Game of Death) (Mandarin version), 1 hour 29 minutes 36 seconds (Game of Death) (Chinese version) / 3 hours 43 minutes 5 seconds (The Final Game of Death) / 1 hour 35 minutes 59 seconds (Game of Death II) (international version), 1 hour 26 minutes 38 seconds (Game of Death II) (Hong Kong version), 1 hour 12 minutes 15 seconds (Game of Death II) (Koren version), 1 hour 34 minutes 47 seconds (Game of Death II) (US version) / 1 hour 25 minutes 40 seconds (Bruce Lee: The Man and the Legend) / 1 hour 29 minutes 8 seconds (Bruce Lee: The Legend), 1 hour 23 minutes 56 seconds (Bruce Lee: The Legend) (alternate video version)
Region Code: Region Free (4K discs) / B (locked) (2K discs)

Disc Count: 10 (5 4K BD, 5 BD)
Picture: 2160p (2.35:1 aspect ratio) (The Big Boss, Fist of Fury, The Way of the Dragon, Game of Death) / 1080p (2.35:1 aspect ratio) (Enter the Dragon, Game of Death (alternate versions), Game of Death II), (Bruce Lee: The Man and the Legend) / 1080p (1.78:1 aspect ratio) (Bruce Lee: The Legend)
Sound: Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0, English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0, English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 (Japanese mix), Cantanoese DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 (The Big Boss), Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 (The Big Boss) (Mandarin Cut) (both versions) / Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0, English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0, Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 (Fist of Fury, The Way of the Dragon) / English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 (Game of Death), Canotnese DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 (Game of Death) (Cantonese version), Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 (Game of Death) (Mandarin version) / English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0, English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 (Japanese mix) (Game of Death II) (international version), Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0, Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0, English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 (Game of Death II) (Hong Kong version) Korean Dolby Digital 1.0 (Game of Death II) (Korean version), English Dolby Digital 1.0 (Game of Death II) (US version) / English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 (Bruce Lee: The Man and the Legend), Bruce Lee: The Legend), English Dolby Digital 1.0 (Bruce Lee: The Legend) (Alternate video version)
Subtitles: English (1 for Mandarin audio 1 for English audio) (The Big Boss, Fist of Fury, The Way of the Dragon) / English (Game of Death) /
Slipcover: No
Digital Copy: No
Starring: Bruce Lee, Maria Yi, James Tien, Han Ying-chieh (The Big Boss) / Bruce Lee, Nora Miao, Riki Hashimoto (Fist of Fury) / Bruce Lee, Nora Miao, Paul Wei, Huang Chung-hsin, Tony Liu, Unicorn Chan, Chuck Norris, Malisa Longo, Robert Wall, Hwang In-shik, Jon T. Benn (The Way of the Dragon) / Bruce Lee, John Saxon, Ahna Capri, Bob Wall, Shih Kien, Jim Kelly (Enter the Dragon) / Bruce Lee, Gig Young, Dean Jagger, Colleen Camp, Kim Tai-jong, Yuen Biao, Robert Wall, Hugh O'Brian, Dan Inosanto, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Game of Death) / Bruce Lee, Tong Lung, Huong Cheng Li, Roy Chiao, To Wai Wo, Hoi Sang Lee (Game of Death II)
Written by Lo Wei (The Big Boss, Fist of Fury) / Bruce Lee (The Way of the Dragon) / Michael Allin (Enter the Dragon) / Jan Spears and Bruce Lee (Game of Death) / Ting Chak-luen, Ho Ting-sing (Game of Death II)
Directed by Lo Wei (The Big Boss, Fist of Fury) / Bruce Lee (The Way of the Dragon) / Robert Clouse (Enter the Dragon) / Bruce Lee and Robert Clouse (Game of Death) / Ng See-yuen (Game of Death II)
Rating: BBFC: 15 (strong violence, bloody images, nudity, sexual threat) (The Big Boss), (infrequent strong violence, nudity) (Fist of Fury), (strong violence) (The Way of the Dragon), (strong violence, bloody images, suicide references), (strong violence, sexual threat, nudity, sex references) (Enter the Dragon) (Game of Death), (strong violence) (Game of Death II), (strong violence) (Bruce Lee: The Legend) / BBFC: 18 (Contains strong violence and glamourisation of weapons) (Bruce Lee: The Man and the Legend)

NOTE: I do not have the capabilities to capture screenshots from 4K discs so I am not able to include any screenshots from those discs. I also did not include any screenshots from the 2K discs as I felt it would only be half of the discs in the set. I am hopeful that I will be able to capture 4K screenshots in the future.

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Poster

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What's It About?

Cheng is a city boy who moves with his cousins to work at an ice factory. He does this with a family promise never to get involved in any fight. However, when members of his family begin disappearing after meeting the management of the factor, the resulting mystery and pressures force him to break that vow and take on the villainy of the Big Boss. (The Big Boss)

Returning to Shanghai to marry his fiancée, Chen Zhen (Bruce Lee) a student of renowned martial arts teacher Huo Yuanjia, discovers his sifu has died. During the funeral, members of a local Japanese dojo show up and insult the Chinese students. The bullying continues, with Chen fighting back, but when he discovers the truth - that his teacher was poisoned on the orders of the dojo's master - he sets off on a doomed mission of revenge. (Fist of Fury)

Tang Lung arrives in Rome to help his cousins in the restaurant business. They are being pressured to sell their property to the syndicate, who will stop at nothing to get what they want. When Tang arrives he poses a new threat to the syndicate, and they are unable to defeat him. The syndicate boss hires the best Japanese and European martial artists to fight Tang, but he easily finishes them off. The American martial artist Colt is hired and has a showdown with Tang in Rome's famous Colosseum. (The Way of the Dragon)

Enter the Dragon revolves around 3 main characters; Lee, a man recruited by an agency to investigate a tournament hosted by Han, since they believe he has an Opium trade there. Roper and Williams are former army buddies since Vietnam and they enter the tournament due to different problems that they have. It's a deadly tournament they will enter on an island. (Enter the Dragon)

Bruce Lee plays Billy Lo, a HongKong based movie actor, who is a box office draw. His girlfriend, Ann Morris is a singer who is also climbing to the top. Now it seems the syndicate wants Billy and Ann to join their "management firm". But Billy knows that they will be treated like property, so he refuses and tells her to do the same. So they try to "encourage" him to join but he still refuses. He would be advised that they will not stop, so he must stop them, permanently. He is even more hesitant to do that but when an attempt on his life is made, he fakes his death and alters his appearance, and decides to go after the syndicate; taking them out one at a time. (Game of Death)

While investigating his friend Chin Ku's (Hwang Jang Lee) death, martial artist Billy Lo (Bruce Lee) is killed. His younger brother, Bobby Lo (Kim Tai Chung), investigates both deaths. His search takes him to Japan, where he befriends Lewis (Roy Horan), master of the Castle Of Death. But when Lewis is brutally murdered, Bobby must investigate the mysterious Fan Yu temple, where he must enter an underground pagoda and face off with the most terrifying of enemies (Game of Death II)

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Video/Audio

THE BIG BOSS (all versions), FIST OF FURY (all versions), THE WAY OF THE DRAGON (all versions), and GAME OF DEATH (international and Japanese versions) have been restored and remastered in 4K while GAME OF DEATH (Chinese, Cantonese, and Mandarin versions), GAME OF DEATH II (all versions) have been restored and remastered in 2K. ENTER THE DRAGON is the only film in the set that has not received any kind of restoration as it is being released on 4K blu-ray from Warner Brothers in the coming month. All of these restorations are beautiful and show us that a little love and care can make something that was long thought to be low budget and crude into something really special. THE BIG BOSS and FIST OF FURY are the best of the bunch with a clarity that I never thought I would see with these films. Colors feel natural and skin tones are true to their source. Whites aren't blown out and blacks are inky deep with no crush to be seen. Detail is high as well with everything from clothing to hair benefiting greatly.

THE WAY OF THE DRAGON has always looked soft and this edition is no different. Detail isn't nearly as high as the previous two films and clarity is good but not great. Colors are good with the HDR balancing everything nicely. While this isn't the best looking film in the world (or this set) this transfer is not bad. It's quite good given the source material.

ENTER THE DRAGON looks good but it's an older transfer so take with that what you will. I am not going to talk about it because it is basically an obsolete transfer as the 4K blu-ray releases soon.

GAME OF DEATH looks really good here with nice deep blacks and colors that look better than ever. Detail is nice here and the film retains that film like look wonderfully. There are plenty of times where older film scenes are used or there are opticals like the cutout of Bruce Lee's head placed on top of another actor's head that stick out even more in 4K but that is ok because that is how they are supposed to look.

Having been stuck with SD transfers (upscales) of GAME OF DEATH II, the new 2K restoration found in this set feels soo good to watch. Now, keep in mind that this film has never looked good but it looks much better than it ever has. Detail is ok and colors seem to blow out from time to time. There are times where dirt and debris show up but I never had a problem with it as it blended an authenticity to the transfer. There are other versions of the film found on the disc that feature SD inserts and those look really rough.

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Extras/Packaging

Disc 1: The Big Boss

Commentaries:

Commentary by David Desser
Commentary by Brandon Bently

Alternate Versions:

English Export Cut (1h 40m, 4K, 2.35:1) A newly assembled reconstruction of the original export cut prepared for international audiences, including a completely different English dub. As the audio for some scenes is lost, the film will occasionally switch to subtitled Mandarin and back again. Some scenes also feature burnt-in subtitles as these were the best quality film elements that could be accessed for this release. The Audio is unrestored, and contains some intermittent dropouts, as per the original score. This version features English SDH.
U.S. Theatrical Cut (1h 39m, 4K, 2.35:1) A newly assembled reconstruction of the edit released to American cinemas as Fists of Fury in 1973. Some scenes feature burnt-in subtitles that were not part of the original release, as these were the best quality film elements that could be accessed for this release. It can be played with the original English dub or the English dub with the Japanese mix. English SDH is also included.

Return to Thailand (41m 58s, HD, 1.78:1) A brand new featurette produced and presented by Matt Routledge, returning to the original locations in Pak Chong and Bangkok, Thailand, where The Big Boss was filmed

Deleted and Extended Scenes (18m 13s, HD, 2.35:1) Unseen for decades and considered lost, this additional footage has been scanned from the last-known surviving 35mm spring in the world of the original Mandarin-language theatrical release. Presented in Mandarin with English subtitles. Plays with optional commentary by Brandon Bently

The Not-Quite Biggest Boss (8m 25s, HD, 1.78:1/2.35:1) A new video essay by Brandon Bently, looking at the deleted scenes still sadly lost to time, including the infamous "saw-in-the-head" kill.

Archive Interviews:

Lau Wing (44m 41s, SD, 1.78:1) in Cantonese with English subtitles
Tung Wai (2m 45s, SD, 1.33:1) in Cantonese with English subtitles

Bruce Lee vs Peter Thomas (2m 27s, SD, 1.78:1) This brief video essay from 2013, written by Gerd Naumann and narrated by Brandon Bently, looks at the composer of The Big Boss' second music score, originally written for the German theatrical release and subsequently used in the English-language versions

Alternate Credits Sequence:

Japanese Release Credits (1974) (1m 41s, HD, 2.35:1)
US Theatrical Re-Release (1978) (1m 33s, HD, 2.35:1) I love seeing old studio logos.
Alternate English Credits (1m 45s, HD, 2.35:1)

Trailer Gallery:

HK Theatrical Trailer (Mandarin) (3m 48s, SD, 2.35:1) in Mandarin with English subtitles
HK Theatrical Trailer (English) (2m 50s, HD, 2.35:1)
UK Theatrical Trailer (1m 47s, HD, 2.35:1)
UK Super 8 Trailer (4m 8s, HD, 2.20:1)
US Theatrical Trailer (1m 35s, HD, 2.35:1)
US TV Spots (1m 16s, HD, 1.33:1) two spots.
HK Re-Release Trailer (Cantonese) (2m 25s, HD, 2.35:1)
Before The Big Boss (5m 59s, HD, 1.33:1) Here we have two trailers, one for The Green Hornet and the other for Marlowe, which were shows Lee died. These trailers were made after The Big Boss was a smash hit.
The Big Boss Part II (3m 40s, HD, 2.35:1)

Image Galleries:

Publicity Stills and Lobby Cards
Behind the Scenes
Posters and Video Art

Disc 2: The Big Boss: The Mandarin Cut

When you press play on the main feature on this disc, you are treated to the following explanation:

Over ten minutes of additional footage from the last-known surviving 35mm print of the original Mandarin-language version have been reintegrated to the 4K version of the film. Some visual defects remain due to the condition of this rare material, such as splices, on-screen dirt, and burnt-in subtitles. We hope these do not affect your enjoyment of this important piece of action cinema history, restored to its extended glory.

Axis of English: The Hong Kong Dubs (29m 18s, HD, 2.35:1) A new video essay written and narrated by Will Offutt, examines the voice actors responsible for dubbing the original export cut of The Big Boss (and subsequently Fist of Fury and The Way of the Dragon) into English

The Mandarin Cut: Unrestored (1h 49m, HD, 2.35:1) Presented in its unrestored, "grindhouse" glory, the raw scan of the last-known surviving 35mm print of the original Mandarin-language version released in Hong Kong cinemas in 1971. In Mandarin with English subtitles.

Disc 3: Fist of Fury

Commentaries:

Commentary by Jonathan Clements
Commentary by Brandon Bently

English Export Cut (1h 46m, 4K, 2.35:1) available with optional English SDH

Legend of the Dragon with Tony Rayns (1h 21m, HD, 1.78:1) A detailed look at the life and career of Bruce Lee by film historian and critic Tony Rayns, starting with Lee's early days as a child actor in Hong Kong and eventual return as an adult, as well as the fallout from Lee's death and his enduring legacy.

Visions of Fury (35m 20s, HD, 1.78:1) A new featurette looking at Bruce Lee's collaboration with director Lo Wei and cinematographer Chris Chen during the making of The Big Boss and Fist of Fury, featuring interviews with Golden Harvest producer Andre Morgan and martial arts experts Michael Worth, Frank Djeng, John Kreng, Andy Cheng, and Bruce Willow

New Fist, Part Two Fist (7m 33s, HD, 1.78:1) A video essay by Brandon Bently looking at the competing sequels to Fist of Fury filmed simultaneously in 1976: New Fist of Fury (directed by Lo Wei) and Fist of Fury Part Two

Archive Interviews:

Nora Miao (16m 57s, SD, 1.78:1) in Cantonese with English subtitles
Riki Hashimoto (11m 45s, SD, 1.78:1) in Japanese with English subtitles
Jun Katsumura (12m 13s, SD, 1.78:1) in Japanese with English subtitles
Yuen Wah (9m 50s, SD, 1.78:1) in Cantonese with English subtitles

US Opening Credits (2m 32s, HD, 2.35:1)

Trailer Gallery:

HK Theatrical Trailer (Mandarin) (4m 21s, SD, 2.35:1) uses music from 2001: A Space Odyssey. In Mandarin with English subtitles
HK Theatrical Trailer (Cantonese) (4m 21s, SD, 2.35:1) in Cantonese with English subtitles. Same trailer as above
HK Theatrical Trailer (English) 4m 20s, SD, 2.35:1) Same trailer as the previous two.
US Theatrical Trailer (1m 51s, HD, 1.78:1)
US TV Spot (32s, HD, 1.33:1)
UK Radio Spot (33s)
Chen Zhen Trailer Reel (16m 46s, HD) features New Fist of Fury, Fist of Fury Part Two, Fist of Fury III, Fist of Legend (Jet Li), Fist of Fury (Donnie Yen), Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen, Fist of Legend

Image Galleries:

Publicity Stills and Lobby Cards (128 images)
Behind the Scenes (20 images)
Posters and Video Art (18 images)

Disc 4: The Way of the Dragon

When you press play you are given the option to play the film as it was shown in Hong Kong theaters or to play it with English closing credits. The main film is the same.

Commentaries:

Commentary by Frank Djeng and Michael Worth
Commentary by Brandon Bently

Alternate Japanese Version (1h. 40, 4K, 2.35:1) The version of the film originally released in Japan features a unique intro and outro featuring the song "The Way of Life: by Mike Remedios, as well as a slightly modified English mono soundtrack. Available with English SDH

The Way of the Camera (51m 32s, HD, 1.78:1) A new documentary looking at Lee's filmmaking and fighting method in The Way of the Dragon, featuring interviews with Golden Harvest producer Andre Morgan, martial arts experts Michael Worth, Jon Kreng, Andy Cheng, Frank Djeng, David Yeung, Peter Cunningham, film historian Courtney Joyner and. actors Piet (Peter Schweer, Jon Benn and John Saxon

Meet the Italian Beauty (26m 18s, HD, 1.78:1) In a brand new interview for Arrow Video, the "Italian beauty" Malisa Longo recalls how she and her husband Riccardo Billi came to work on The Way of the Dragon when it was partly filmed in Rome in 1972. In Italian with English subtitles

The Scottish Soldier Meets the Dragon (18m 30s, HD, 1.78:1) In this new interview, filmed by Andrew Stanton and World of Martial Arts magazine, former soldier John Younng recalls a memorable day spent observing Bruce Lee on the set of The Way of the Dragon

Scene Commentary with Piet Schweer (18m 28s, HD, 2.35:1)A new interview with "thug" Piet Schweer conducted by Michael Worth in 2022, recorded over his scenes from the film.

Archive Interviews:

Introduction by Robert Lee (1m 1s, SD, 1.78:1)
Jon Benn (21m 42s, SD, 1.78:1)
Hwang In-sik (15m 23s, SD, 1.78:1)
Bob Wall (33m 35s, SD, 1.78:1)
Chaplin Chang (25m 26s, SD, 1.78:1)
Louis Sit (11m 8s, SD, 1.78:1)

Alternate Credits Sequences:

Textless Opening Credits (1m 55s, HD, 2.35:1)
English Export Credits (1m 58s, SD, 2.35:1)
US Theatrical Release (1974) (2m 18s, HD, 2.35:1)
US Theatrical Re-Release (1980) (2m 12s, SD, 2.35:1)

Trailer Gallery:

HK Theatrical Trailer (Mandarin) (4m 9s, SD, 2.35:1)
HK Re-Release Trailer (English) (4m 26s, HD, 2.35:1)
US Theatrical Trailer (2m 12s, HD, 1.78:1)
US TV Spots (1m 37s, HD, 1.33:1) 2 spots
UK Theatrical Teaser (41s, HD, 2.35:1)
UK Theatrical Trailer (2m 41s, SD, 2.35:1)
UK TV Spot (9s, HD, 1.78:1)
UK Radio Spot (32s)
Bruceploitation Trailers (11m 46s, HD, various) includes The Dragon Lives, The Black Dragon's Revenge, Call Me Dragon, The Three Avengers, Golden Dragon, Silver Snake, The Young Dragon

Image Galleries:

Publicity Stills (224 images)
Behind the Scenes (20 images)
Posters and Video Art (14 images)

Disc 5: Enter the Dragon

Commentary by Paul Heller

Behind the Scenes: No Way as Way (26m 28s, HD, 1.78:1) We get the likes of Sugar Ray Lenard, George Takei, and the Lees talking about Bruce Lee and his philosophies and they have applied to their lives.

Behind the Scenes: The Return to Han's Island (10m 25s, HD, 1.78:1) John Little narrates a piece about the locations used in the film and how they look, then and now.

Behind the Scenes: Wing Chun: The Art That Introduced Kung Fu to Bruce Lee (20m 2s, HD, 1.78:1) Wing Chun masters David Peterson, Ip Chiun, Sam Kwok, and Danny Xuan give us a history of the style and how it has been used in media since.

Behind the Scenes: Blood and Steel: The Making of Enter the Dragon (30m 15s, SD, 1.85:1, 4x3) This is an older making of that first appeared on the 2004 2-Disc Special Edition DVD. It is a pretty damn good making of that features a lot of people who worked on the film as well as people who knew Bruce.

Short Feature: Bruce Lee: In His Own Words (19m 22s, SD, 1.33:1) Here we have a collection of clips from films that Lee worked on along with behind the scenes footage, with "narration" from Lee, taken from an interview he gave.

Behind the Scenes: Linda Lee Cadwell Interview Gallery:

Love and Kung Fu (47s, SD, 1.33:1)
Into Hollywood Through the Back Door (26s, SD, 1.33:1)
Bringing the Classroom to the Camera (2m 12s, SD, 1.33:1)
The Real Bruce (1m 23s, SD, 1.33:1)
Mental Self-Defense (59s, SD, 1.33:1)
Enter the Dream (52s, SD, 1.33:1)
Planting the Seed: Growing a Film (2m 31s, SD, 1.33:1)
Incidents on Set (5m 2s, SD, 1.33:1)
Setting the New Standard (43s, SD, 1.33:1)
Bruce's Influence on His Family (1m 34s, SD, 1.33:1)

Short Feature: 1973 Featurette (7m 41s, SD, 1.33:1)

Behind the Scenes: Backyard Workout with Bruce (1m 55s, SD, 1.33:1)

Bonus Feature: Curse of the Dragon (1h 27m, SD, 1.33:1)

Theatrical Trailers:

Mysterious Island (3m 37s, SD, 1.85:1, 4x3)
Champion of Champions (1m 14s, SD, 1.85:1, 4x3)
The Deadly 3 (1m 41s, SD, 1.85:1, 4x3)
Island Fortress (2m 57s, SD, 1.33:1)

TV Spots:

Roper, Williams, and Lee (34s, SD, 1.33:1)
The Deadly 3 (1m 4s, SD, 1.33:1)
The Island of Han (1m 4s, SD, 1.33:1)
Review Spot (1m 4s, SD, 1.33:1)
Champion of Champions (1m 4s, SD, 1.33:1)
Fury is Back (34s, SD, 1.33:1)
The Crown Prince of Combat (34s, SD, 1.33:1)

Disc 6: Game of Death

Commentary by Brandon Bently and Mike Leeder

Alternate Japanese Version () Though mostly identical to the main international cut, the version of Game of Death released in Japanese cinemas has an alternate edit of the Ji Han-jae fight and some changes to the soundtrack, including "original" Bruce Lee fighting noises. You can play the film with or just the alternate fight scene.

With alternate fight scene (1h 39m, 4K, 2.35:1)
Just the alternate fight scene (2m 20s, HD, 2.35:1)

Interview with Colleen Camp (12m 54s, HD, 1.78:1) Newly filmed for Arrow Video in 2023, co-star Colleen Camp ("Ann") looks back at her experiences working on the film.

Deleted and Alternate Scenes: The Cantonese and Mandarin-language versions of the film released in Asian territories by Golden Harvest featured several differences to the international cut, including different credits, endings, and additional footage. Some scenes are from standard-definition sources, the only ones available for this release. All scenes are either in Mandarin or Cantonese.

Alt. Opening Credits (Cant.) (2m 16s, HD, 2.35:1)
Alt. Opening Credits (Mand.) (2m 16s, HD, 2.35:1)
Greenhouse Fight (4m 46s, HD, 2.35:1)
Death Threat (22s, HD, 2.35:1)
Alt. Fight with Ji Han-jae (Cant.) (3m 15s, SD, 2.35:1)
Return to the Boat (32s, HD, 2.35:1)
Alt. Fights with Inosanto and Han-Jae (Mand.) (4m 32s, HD, 2.35:1)
Alt. Cantonese Ending (1m 38s, SD, 2.35:1)
Alt. Mandarin Ending (1m 37s, SD, 2.35:1)

Archive Interviews:

Fight Among Equals with Dan Inosanto (36m 47s, SD, 1.78:1) This archive interview with co-star Dan Inosanto, looking back on his friendship with Bruce Lee, was produced in 2006.
Game of Death Revisited with Bob Wall (28m 48s, SD, 1.78:1) This archive interview with co-star Bob Wall was filmed in 2013 by Mike Leeder for Shout! Factory. A word of warning in advance: Bob was a teller of tall tales.

Behind the Scene Footage (4m 10s, HD, 1.78:1) A clip from the 1984 documentary Bruce Lee: The Legend, featuring footage and interviews shot on the set of Game of Death by Golden Harvest staffer Russell Cawthorne in 1977.

Pre-Production Sales Featurette (6m 52, HD, 2.35:1) This short featurette was produced by Golden Harvest in 1976 to drum up interest in Game of Death from overseas distributors, hyping up the studio's efforts to revive the project. The original audio is lost; instead, you will hear Michael Worth discussing the featurette's origins with co-producer Andre Morgan, recorded in 2022.

Fight Scene Dailies (1m 27s, HD, 2.35:1) Some brief outtakes from the parking lot fight, directed by Sammo Hung in 1977. These are silent.

Locations Then and Now (7m 28s, HD, 1.78:1) This footage revisiting the Hong Kong and Macau locations for Game of Death was filmed by Mike Leeder for Shout! Factory in 2013.

Trailer Gallery:

HK Theatrical Trailer (3m 31s, HD, 2.35:1)
International Trailer (2m 22s, HD, 2.35:1)
US Theatrical Trailer (2m 18s, HD, 1.85:1)
US TV Spot (25s, SD, 1.33:1)
UK Radio Spot (30s)
Bruceploitation Trailers 14m 44s, HD, various) includes The Game of Death!, Goodbye, Bruce Lee: His Last Game of Death, The King of Kung Fu, Dynamo, The Silent Flute
Robert Clouse at Golden Harvest (10m 17s, HD, various) includes Enter the Dragon, The Big Brawl, Deadly Eyes, China O'Brien

Image Galleries:

Publicity Stills and Lobby Cards (68 images)
Behind the Scenes (14 images)
Posters and Video Art (16 images)

Disc 7: Game of Death (Alternate Versions)

Interview with Cassanova Wong (17m 4s, SD, 1.78:1) An archive interview from 2001 with actor Cassanova Wong, who features in the greenhouse fight (directed by Sammo Hung) in the Chinese-language versions of Game of Death. in Korean with English subtitles.

Alternate Cantonese Version (1h 32m, HD, 2.35:1) Reportedly the version originally released in Hong Kong cinemas, this cut of the film places the Ji Hae-jae fight at a much earlier point in the film (with a unique scene prefacing it) and features the happier "ferry" ending. Some material featured is taken from standard-definition sources, the best available for this reconstruction. In Cantonese with English subtitles

Alternate Mandarin Version (1h 30m, HD, 2.35:1) This version of the film, released in Tawain, features different opening credits, an alternate edit of the Dan Inosanto fight, the reinstatement of the Ji Han-jae fight near the end, and the happier "ferry" ending. Some material featured is taken from standard-definition sources, the best available for this reconstruction. In Mandarin with English subtitles.

The Hong Kong Connection (18m 30s, SD, 1.78:1) An archive featurette from 2003, interviewing Sammo Hung, Donnie Yen, and Jacky Cheung on Bruce Lee's enduring legacy.

Bruce Lee Remembered (7m 34s, SD, 1.33:1) An archive featurette interviewing Sammo Hung, Simon Yam, Wong Jing, Flora Cheong-Leen, Clarence Fok, and Rocky Lai about Lee's impact on the Hong Kong film industry.

Legacy of the Dragon (48m 50s, SD, 1.78:1) An archive documentary on Lee's life from 2001, featuring interviews with Russell Cawthorne, Sammo Hung, Dan Inosanto, Taky Kimura, George Lazenby, Joe Lewis, and Andre Morgan.

Dragon Rising (8m 26s, SD, 1.33:1) Bruce Lee appears in an early screen test, filmed in 1965.

The Grandmaster and the Dragon (54m 42s, SD, 1.78:1) An archive interview from 2009 with Grandmaster William Cheung, who recollects growing up with Bruce Lee in Hong Kong.

Archive Interviews:

This archive interviews with Lee's friends, family, colleagues, and admirers, all filmed during the 2000s, offer illuminating perspectives into his amazing life.

Robert Lee (19m 25s, SD, 1.78:1)
Phoebe Lee (11m 36s, SD, 1.78:1)
Pat Johnson (28m 22s, SD, 1.78:1)
George Lee (16m 16s, SD, 1.78:1)
Gene Lebell (13m 53s, SD, 1.78:1)
Van Williams (33m 55s, SD, 1.78:1)
Joe Torrenueva (7m 47s, SD, 1.78:1)
Linda Palmer (10m 35s, SD, 1.78:1)
Fred Weintraub (15m 54s, SD, 1.78:1)
Tom Kuhn (11m 19s, SD, 1.78:1)
Paul Heller (16m 28s, SD, 1.78:1)
Jeff Imada (21m 13s, SD, 1.78:1)
James Lew (17m 25s, SD, 1.78:1)

Disc 8: The Final Game of Death (Game of Death Bonus Disc)

When play is pressed we are greeted with the following message:

To just watch the new reconstruction of Bruce Lee's The Game of Death, skip ahead to Chapter 8, titled "Life After Death"

Play All
Introduction / Chapter One: The Rules of the Game
Chapter Two: The Hall of the Unknown
Chapter Three: The Hall of the Tiger
Chapter Four: The Hall of the Dragon
Chapter Five: End Game
Chapter Six: The New Territories
Chapter Seven: Game Over
Chapter Eight: Life After Death / The Game of Death
Epilogue / End Credits

Game of Death Revisited (39m 10s, SD, 2.35:1) An earlier assembly of Lee's footage, originally produced in 2000 for the Japanese film Bruce Lee in G.O.D., directed by Toshi Ohgushi and Toshikazu Ôgushhi, Dan Inosanto dubs his own voice in this version.

Super 8 Nunchaku Demonstration (9m 31s, HD, 1.33:1) This demonstration of the nunchaku by Dan Inosanto was filmed on Super 8 in 1974. There is no sound.

Interview with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (2m 6s, HD, 2.35:1) This brief interview with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, discussing his participation in The Game of Death, was filmed in the mid-1970s.

Frames of Fury (5m 59s, HD, 2.35:1) The stray frames seen between each camera set-up, giving a candid glimpse of the cast and crew relaxing on set, are the closest we will ever get to behind-the-scenes footage from The Game of Death.

Image Galleries:

The Hall of the Unknown (28 images)
The Hall of the Tiger (298 images)
The Hall of the Dragon (233 images)
The New Territories (20 images)

Disc 9: Game of Death II

Commentary by Frank Djeng and Michael Worth

Interview with Roy Horan (23m 59s, SD, 1.78:1) An archive interview from 2001 with actor and producer Roy Horan.

Alternate Korean Version (1h 12m, HD, 2.35:1) The Korean cut of the film, released in 1980 as The Tower of Death, removes almost all of Bruce Lee and features a radically different plot structure and some exclusive footage not seen in the other versions.

Alternate US Video Version (1h 34m, HD, 2.35:1) The original US VHS edition of Game of Death II used a different version that replaced the majority of the Enter the Dragon outtakes with alternative shots of Bruce from other films. This has been recreated in HD, especially for this release.

Alternate End Credits (6m 7s, HD, 2.35:1)

Trailer Gallery:

Early Promo Trailer (Telecine) (5m 16s, SD, 2.35:1)
Early Promo Trailer (Reconstruction) (5m 16s, HD, 2.35:1)
HK Theatrical Trailer (Cantonese) (4m 10s, HD, 2.35:1)
HK Theatrical Trailer (English) (2m 4s, HD, 2.35:1)
Bruceploitation Trailer Reel (25m 41s, SD, various)

Image Gallery (34 images)

Disc 10: Bruce Lee: The Man and The Legend / Bruce Lee: The Legend

The Legend: Alternate Video Version (1h 23m, SD, 1.33:1) This alternate cut of The Legend, copyrighted 1983 and featuring some different footage to the more common 1984 version, was released on VHS in select territories.

A Tour of Golden Harvest Studios (7m 13s, SD, 1.33:1) Filmed by Bruce Lee historian Andrew Stanton in the early-1990s, a brief guided tour of the former Golden Harvest studios conducted by Russell Cawthorne, the writer of Bruce Lee: The Legend

Enter the Dragon: Alternate HK Credits (2m 17s, HD, 2.35:1) The animated opening credits for the Mandarin-language version of Enter the Dragon released in Asia by Golden Harvest, much more similar in style to the opening credits of Lee's previous films.

Theatrical Trailers:

The Man and the Legend (2m 24s, SD, 2.20:1)
The Legend (2m 6s, SD, 1.33:1)

Image Gallery (9 images)

This set is MASSIVE and HEAVY. The box dimensions are close to those of Second Sight's gorgeous DAWN OF THE DEAD blu-ray set from 2020. The artwork on the outer box features artwork from Tony Stella and is beautiful. The box splits in half horizontally which reveals the contents on the inside. Each disc gets it's own digipack with artwork from Mr. Stella. We get two discs for THE BIG BOSS, one disc each for FIST OF FURY, THE WAY OF THE DRAGON, ENTER THE DRAGON, GAME OF DEATH II, and BRUCE LEE: THE MAN & THE LEGEND and THREE DISCS (!!!) for GAME OF DEATH. The ENTER THE DRAGON does not feature new art as Warner Brothers did not want Arrow to do so as WB is releasing the film on 4K blu-ray and they don't want the confusion. Inside each of the digipaks is the film's original Hong Kong movie posters. I do wish that Arrow had put the poster art on the front of the digipak but at least they included it in the packaging.

There is also a 200-page, hardcover book featuring writings from Walter Chaw, Henry Blyth, Andrew Stanton, Dylan Cheung, David West, and James Flower along with information about the restorations done for each film. There are "ten glossy photos of Lee in action", 24 lobby card reproductions, and a double-sided poster featuring classic poster designs for THE BIG BOSS and THE WAY OF THE DRAGON.

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Overall

Having all of Bruce Lee's films in one collection isn't anything new. What is new is the love and attention to detail that has been put into this set. Every film in this set, with the exception being ENTER THE DRAGON, has at least one additional version outside of the main version with THE BIG BOSS and GAME OF DEATH having the most versions. Each film gets at least one commentary track and these tracks are all bangers. There are a shit ton of interviews, both new and old, and they give us a much better understanding of the films along with Lee himself. Arrow Video, along with the many behind the scenes people, recreated some of the long lost versions of the films in this set and this has to be praised more. The fact that we have five different versions of GAME OF DEATH blows my mind. We also have the 3 hour plus THE FINAL GAME OF DEATH which contains all of the footage that Lee shot back in the day, restored in 2K and it is a massive sit through but worth it. I loved the featurette on the English dubbing as well as the 80 minute long look at Lee's life and career by Tony Rayns, who is just the best. While there are a few things missing like A WARRIOR'S JOURNEY along with a few special features from various releases, but just about everything is here and it is sooooooo good. This is a must own for Bruce Lee fans as well as those who are trying to get into Lee. This will be on my list of the Best Releases of 2023. It will more than likely be in the top three.

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Packaging