HERO Extended Version... FINALLY!
 

read this on monkeypeaches.com...
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According to Nanfang Daily, the long-awaited extended version will be released on DVD by the end of June in the mainland China. This is the version MiramAxe would not let anyone to see and so far few people know what has been deleted. A master video cassette containing the deleted 20 minute long footage has already been_ handed over to the official video distributors - Face Audio and Video Production Co. Ltd. and WeiKai Audio and Video Production Co. on March 1. This version was originally scheduled for a release in April, but SARS stopped it. According to the paper, over 500,000 copies of theatrical DVDs (DVD-5 and DVD-9) have been sold and more copies are being produced. 1 million copies of VCDs have almost sold out.

about time.

pre-order links? yea..about freakin time. It better have DTS too. Did that blurb say the master cassette was handed over to 3 diffrent distributors? Does that mean we're gonna have 3 versions of the extended cut to add to the confusion? Not that I'm complaining, I just hope there's a decent release among them all.

...mastered from the highest quality VHS tape...


:-)

I'm sure you were just being sarcastic, but all movies are transferred from film-to-video and stored on a digital master tape. It is that master that is used to create all DVD and VHS releases.

Me? Sarcastic?!?

director's cut has been pushed back to july. sigh....

got the following from monkey peaches:

Tianjin Daily reports the release of the extended version in China has been pushed back to next month. Near 20 minutes will be added back to the 98-minute theatrical version, which has been and will be shown around the world. According to someone from Face Audio & Video Production Co. Ltd., what will be added back includes some subplots, fight scenes and dialogues which could help the audiences to better understand the story and the history background. This is actually not an extended version but the original cut director Zhang Yimou wanted us to see. But, MiramAxe asked Zhang Yimou to trim it to 98 minute long. As the result, some reviewers have criticized the film for having a weak story. Because of SARS, the extended footage has been locked up in Hong Kong ever since. As the theatrical version, the extended version will also be available on DVD-5, DVD-9 and VCD (No video tape).

It's now July. Any update on this?

Patience. I'm sure the pushback to the end of August will be announced any day now.
J

i've been checking for release info pretty much on a daily basis and i'll make sure to update this thread if/when there is breaking news.

Where the heck is this?

Damn, you got me all excited with this thread title. I thought the wait was over.

can't we just close this &(*&(*(^&*^ thread.. it's getting annoying!!

seriously...

just let this drop and bump it again in 6 months.

I don't think the extended version will be released until after Miramax has a chance to screen their truncated version, at least in the US if not other territories they control the rights to (like UK, France, Spain, Canada, Germany, etc.). It's supposedly slated for a mid to late November release in the US, so probably early 2004 is when we'll see the DVD release.

Don't think Harvey Scissorhands doesn't have clout with those Chinese companies afer sinking close to $45mil in China during KILL BILL production.

Finally, director's cut (118mins) is released in China. This time it's not news, it's the actual dvd.

Where did you read this?

He read it from a fortune cookie. Getting sick of this thread. Sorry to be blunt..

fingers crossed!

Informed by manufacturer.

Who, what, when, where?

How about listing the websites from where one can order this extended DVD version.

thanks Raxel. i'll keep my eye out for when it becomes available. it hasn't made it to retailers yet as far as i can tell.

oh and axolotls... your threadcrapping and uninspired sarcasm isn't appreciated by anyone. you'd think someone w/ over 1700 posts would know how not to be a jerk. i'd report you to a mod, but your whining on how you are sick of this thread is too pathetic to make it worth the effort. in short... if you have nothing nice to say or intelligent to add, then please don't come back if you feel your voice must be heard of your displeasure of the thread and those who post on it.

So, who is the manufacturer?

China GuangDong GoldFace, the same company made theatrical 98min release in China mainland.

My friend is a big retail seller in China, the manufacturer asked him how many copies he likes to order. The discs are already in pressing.

This time, it's hard for North American fans to get this release, I think, becuase Miramax has banned hero listings on ebay.

Let's hope that the usual overseas e-tailers will make it available to us online (without gouging us...much).

OK. Sorry Raxel. Your original post made it sound like it was actually in the stores in China, which I know it's not.

Is there a date for release?

and Feloosa.. Your last three posts on this forum were threadcrapping about how senior members are threadcrapping. Good going there buddy. Keep the momentum going!!!

calling someone on beng a jackass to other members isn't threadcrapping. if you're gonna dog a poster for really no reason at all, then you deserve to be called on it. plain and simple. this forum is a community and you don't want to be a bad neighbor, so just cool it with the negative remarks and bad sarcasm.

now getting back to the topic.... haven't found any news about a final release of the new cut of hero on kfc cinema, babes n' bullets or monkeypeaches, so consider this preliminary news at best.

Raxel... like axolotls asked, any word on a release date?

I agree, senior members should be allowed to break the rules all they want. In fact I'm thinking of sticking some inline pornography in my next post.

Well, since I am not a Senior Member, I will assume that your comments is not being directed towards me.

Anyways, here's my contribution for today that's relevant to this thread. I asked my contact a few days ago and this is what I got a minute ago:

Thanks for email.

The movie "hero-the extended version " never released.But we have the collector Edition "Hero_collector Edition DVD·9",you can click the link to learn more.


If there is anything I can do for you, please feel free to contact us.

Best regards,
Julia Zhu
Customer Service Team

From monkeypeaches:

HERO News 289 - Remastered, Remixed and Retransferred, HERO Extended DVD Comes Out Today, Supposedly (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)

December 21, 2003



Guang Dong Face, one of two companies purchased the video distribution rights of Hero for the mainland China, has announced the DVD contains the extended edition of the film, around two hour long, was ready today. However, Face intends to make the DVD exclusively for buyers of a few specific brands of DVD players in China. Should the marketing strategy take off, people who are not interested in a second DVD player will have to wait another one or two months for the DVD to hit the shelf. DVD and VCD of the theatrical version of the film were released in February and the release of the extended version has been pushed back several times ever since.

It turns out that the delay was not due to any interfering from that Hollywood studio, but rather due to the disc distributors' pursuit for better quality. The original films were sent to Australia for being re-mastered, re-mixed (for sound) and re-transferred (from film to DVD). The extended version is actually the original director's cut. Pressured by that Hollywood studio, director Zhang Yimou made a 98 minute cut, so far the only version has been and will be shown in movie theaters around the globe


So Raxel is vindicated !

And I wonder what Miramax will do now, release this version for theaters?

Ah.. That makes sense.

What a PITA marketing strategy though. But, it does say ONE OF TWO companies. What's to made of this statement? ..and who's going to buy the DVD Player?

axolotls return:

Are you eating crow since dogging Raxel about his post?

Absolutely not. His first two posts were vague and empty. If you are going to post about something that everyone is looking forward to, you don't post one liners saying "It's out". Yes, I was baiting some sort of response out of him, and if he didn't come back with more details then that's where it would have been left. He finally came back after many posts doubting his claim, revealing his source, which I trusted. Then MonkeyPeaches posted their source.

However, Monkeypeaches before claimed it was coming out a long time ago (actually two false starts). And the retailer I contacted as of yesterday is posted above.

So, yes I was dogging him/her. So what?

Feloosa said I was calling him a "jackass," which -he- made up to justify his threadcrapping as well. Go ahead, I tell him now, and report my post, so what? Get a life. (don't even bother saying 'ditto" cuz I don't have one either).

Good news!

A bit off topic. Has anyone been able to enter their Hero DTS (2 disc, Edko Video) in DVD Profiler? That thing doesn't have a UPC code (none that I can find anyway) and if I try to enter by film listing, they have quite a few versions of Hero listed but not that one.

axolotls return, I don't know who or which retailer is your source, their info is wrong. The DVDs are ready to ship to retailer. If you source is a store based in North America, then don't be surprised their news is out of date. If your source is a store in China,then ask them to check at manufaturer again. My friend was the major and the first seller selling hero dvd on ebay. I didn't post much information in my first post is because no online store is carrying this dvd and this news is not posted anywhere on net yet.

It was AV89. The only retailer that I knew who originally offered it for sale. But cancelled everyones order (probably most people on this forum).

Are you getting a copy soon?

After everything we've heard about Hero Extended Edition over the past year, I think we have the right to be somewhat skeptical, especially when the only source is somebody who knows this guy who works for a company who was told by the manufacturer that Hero Extended Edition is ready to ship but it hasn't shipped yet. I'll believe it when I see it.

I can vouch for Raxel because I purchased Hero through a reference from him off e-bay before any on-line stores were selling it earlier this year.

axolotls return: Why do you have such a bone to grind? Just admit you are wrong and move on.

Raxel: Thanks for the heads up on the info. before anyone else broke the news.