DrnknMstr2

Does anyone know if this will be the bloody original cut? Is there anything different from the first R1 release?

Randy Miller III

I'm stumped on my screener for the new "Axe-Kickin' Edition". It mentions "never-before seen footage from the Hong Kong version", yet the main feature is still rated R.

UPDATE: I assembled a short list of what was cut for the original release, and will compare it with this new one in my forthcoming review. I hope to have it up tomorrow morning.

UPDATE AGAIN: Here's the review. Enjoy!

DrnknMstr2

Woohoo!!!

BOUGHT!!!

Thanks for the info Randy.
Many thanks.
I was always bummed that the original R1 release was edited although it was R rated.
I am very siked for this coming Tuesday.

300 and an unedited KFH.

The Gods have smiled upon me!!

*cough*

Sorry.

Randy Miller III

You're quite welcome.

Yeah, I was pretty surprised at the "quietness" of this release.
Most studios go out of their way to shill bloodier double dips.

Nth Power

Thanks for the review! I was almost going to pick up the HK version, but with the R1 being uncut and having different extras as a plus, I'll go with that one.

Dr Mabuse

i have the chinese version of KFH... i've never seen the edited version...

i might pick this up for features...

zombeaner

If I already have the Korean Ultimate Edition, am I missing any special features aside from the English dub? I would like the dub, but I can live without it.

islandclaws

Great review. I was going to pass on this release but now knowing it's the HK cut, I'm all over it. Thanks for the comparisons.

Randy Miller III

Not familiar with the Korean Ultimate Edition, but all the new features are spelled out in my review (and as far as I know, they're exclusive to this release).

eXcentris

Hmmm... Since I reviewed the original edition and I also need to review this one, I was going to compare them for differences in content over the weekend but now that the work has already been done... Thanks Randy!

P.S. I will of course extend these thanks to Randy in my review. I woudn't want to be unethical or be accused of plagiarising or anything.

Randy Miller III

Not a problem. Glad the word will get out.

zombeaner

Reading the review, it looks like I need this one as well as my UE. Thanks!

The only bad thing is that the cover is goddamned terrible

tinlunlau

I think I will pass this release.
I don't like the fact that there are no Chinese subtitles, considering that some of the cast speak Mandarin and for native Cantonese speakers who aren't well skilled in the Mandarin dialect, it poses a bit of a problem here.

zombeaner

No offense, but since this is an American release, the fact that there are no Chinese subtitles seems rather irrelevant.

The Running Man

This was obviously a rushed edition as the extra content doesn't compare to the previous edition.

So unless you really want to have an "uncut" version of the movie (with differences so minor most would have to be pointed out for you to notice), then I'd say to stick with the previous edition.

tinlunlau

you're neglecting the fact that there are alot of chinese households in north america who don't have the privilege of region-free players. they're not even able to use region 3 dvd's to utilize the chinese subs. yet, sony does have releases that clearly have chinese subs on their region 1 release (like "Final Fantasy: Advent Children"). If Sony doesn't want their North American Chinese views to import, then they should include chinese subs on their region 1 releases of chinese-language movies.

The Running Man

Sony's history of subtitles on their releases is the most sloppy and inconsistent in the world.

All other companies the majority of the time have the same set of subtitles that can almost be guaranteed every time.

Sony is the only company where for one release they'll include only English and French, another one with those and Spanish, another with English, French, Korean, and Portuguese, another one with a total of 7 languages, and another with only English, etc...

And then it gets real funny where some two discs sets would have the film would have something like English, French, and Spanish but the second disc of features would only have the subtitles for the extras in English, French, Chinese, and Korean.

I don't know how situations like that even occur but I theorize that a monkeys might be invloved.

Josh Z

Subtitles are usually created based on the countries where the studio distributes the film. If the studio distributes the movie only in America and France, they'll only commmission English and French subtitles. If they distribute it in 30 different countries, they'll commission 30 sets of subtitles. The DVD will then include whatever subtitles they have available (barring contractual obligations that prevent them from including certain languages to avoid competition from another distributor).

I think people often forget that the creation of subtitles isn't an automatic process, where somebody in the studio just pushes a button that says SPANISH SUBTITLES and they instantly appear. A linguist has to be hired to actually translate the script, and then adapt it for the dialogue timing in the movie. That only happens when the studio has a compelling reason to do it.

The Running Man

Josh, who are you replying to?

Because you write like you are correcting someone and most of what you are writing simply supports the insaneness of Sony inconsistency with what subtitles they provide and to what counties they provide them.

And do you really believe people here don't know that a translator does subtitles? And what bearing does it have on what was written?

shacmasta

Crap, After reading the review, i'm kinda bummed I passed on it the other day.

Dr. Forrester

Cuts aside, the only thing about the US releases of Kung Fu Hustle that bugs me is the "Paris and Helen of Troy" subtitle. That's always annoyed me a bit for the following reason:

I actually had the chance to see Kung Fu Hustle in Shanghai about a week after it opened in the mainland. While the theater said it was a print that included english subs, it turns out that print was only for the release event they had (missed meeting Chow by six darn days!), and the new one was Mandarin dubbed only. I ended up staying to watch it, asking my gal to explain any plot points I couldn't pick up on. Turned out to be very few and imagining what was being said actually made the experience even more fun.

Anyhow, when the moment arrives when the Beast asks the couple for their names, after the landlord responded, the theater absolutely roared with laughter for a good 20 seconds. Confused, after the film ended, I asked her what had been so funny. Apparently, the landlord gave the names of a famous marial arts couple from martial arts fiction "Condor Hero", both of whom were legendary for their beauty as well as their skills. She later showed me some pics of different actors and actresses portraying the couple, and I got the joke.

While I can appreciate we in the West really don't have that many martial arts couples whose names could be plugged into the subtitles, "Paris and Helen of Troy" just seems to ring pretty false. Still, the funny experience I had just amplifies the usual compromises that go into subtitling.

Boba Fett

"What are you preparing to do..."

The Running Man

I understand where you are coming from, and in all other situations would agree with you, but here I think you are missing the point.

The original line is a joke. A joke that would only be understood if you are familiar with the culture. Chances are, most won't so the translator will pick something similar or akin to that in the culture of the language he is translating so that the joke can be preserved.

Interesting you mention this though since I was pointed out other things that are I find to be bothersome. Like at one point all Stephen Chow says to one of the people when he is challenging the crowd is, "Come out!" and the subtitles read, "Let's rumble!"

Still, the English dub is my prefered choice for this film. Truly a well made dub that surpasses the original.

Which by the way, going back to your example, has the actual names that the two characters give to Beast when he asks for their names.

Dr. Forrester

As I said in my post, I'm very much aware of the fact this is a joke that doesn't translate well. I can also appreciate that "Paris and Helen of Troy" is an attempt to capture at least the spirit (historical couple renowed for their beauty) of the joke. However, as someone who has had the culture significance of the original joke explained to him as well as experienced how well that joke plays to a Cantonese/Mandarin (the print I saw was dubbed in Mandarin) audience, my disappointment is more that a western audience missed out on one of the better jokes of the movie that isn't slapstick.

I'd also point out to you that this type of humor is extremely common in Chow's films. Apparently, it's very common for him to riff on various aspects of Chinese history or pop culture in his films in ways that much of the humor is lost in translation.

Is "Come out!" a direct translation of what Chow says in Cantonese?

While I can appreciate some prefer dubs to subtitles (I personally always use the later to preserve as much of the original performance as I can), are you implying the dub is better than the original performances in regards to acting? Unless you are a Cantonese speaker, I'd question your ability to judge the Cantonese language performances versus those of the english voice artists who did the dub.

Having never heard the english dub, does you mean it actually includes the names of the characters from "Condor Hero" as the names the couple gives to the Beast? I suppose this isn't too suprising since in the dub there's little worry about lip matching when the dub artist is saying the same thing as the original performer. Still, as you've stated, this joke doesn't translate at all. As I said, I'll give the subs credit for trying to approximate the gag.

The Running Man

I understand what you mean.

I'm pretty well versed in HK cinema, so yeah I am familiar with Chow.

From what I was told.

I am really not going to get into a discussion on this because I've gone through this before on another thread here and plus a stance like that will always render anyonee's opinion moot. I can say the same for you and say that you don't have much to defend in terms of enjoying a comedy in a language you don't understand.

But the situation is quite simple. I saw the film in Cantonese with English subtitles. I liked it. I then saw it dubbed on DVD and enjoyed much more.

Just to give this some perspective, I don't like the English dub to Shaolin Soccer. It also doesn't help that it was heavily recut but that's a different story.

Then again, I think Shaolin Soccer is a better film than Kung Fu Hustle, but hey...that's also a different topic.

The voice actor doing Yuen Wah's voice says the same thing he is saying in Cantonese. The landlady says something in English and I assume it's most likely a translation of what she saying in Cantonese. It's definetly not, "Helen of Troy".