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The Man from Hong Kong
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray ALL - Australia - Umbrella Entertainment Review written by and copyright: James-Masaki Ryan (9th December 2016). |
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The Film
 “The Man from Hong Kong” (1975) A drug deal taking place at Ayer’s Rock has turned into an international criminal case when a Chinese man named Chan (played by Sammo Hung) is arrested, so Hong Kong police inspector Fang Sing Ling (played by Jimmy Wang Yu) must come to Australia to investigate. He meets inspector Taylor (played by Roger Ward) and Sergeant Grosse (played by Hugh Keays-Byrne) at the airport who are to guide him around Australia to talk to Chan and find answers on who he was working and for which organization. But Fang does not play by the rules. Force by martial arts rather than the gun and badge is how he gets things done, which causes mass mayhem in restaurants, on the streets, and anywhere down under. But when all leads point to Jack Wilton (played by George Lazenby), everyone tells him that Wilton is untouchable and too powerful to bring down. But what’s that to stop Fang? Wilton is also a master of martial arts with a towering frame surrounded by many henchmen at all times. And when Fang gets closer, Wilton is ready to take him down at whatever cost. “The Man from Hong Kong” was the first Australian-Hong Kong co-produced film, with a sizeable budget, large setpieces in two countries, stuntwork scenes with kung fu, car chases, guns, and more. George Lazenby’s career in the mid 70s was not at a good place. Following his declining of continuing as James Bond following his first and only 007 film “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” in 1969, his career stalled as an actor. With the martial arts craze of the early 1970s with Bruce Lee, Lazenby befriended him in Hong Kong and was set to co-star with Lee in a feature. Unfortunately with Lee’s sudden death, that was never to be. He did star in the Hong Kong production “A Man Called Stoner” in 1974, but it did not do much for his career. Jimmy Wang Yu was a contract player for Shaw Brothers Studios who shot to stardom with “The One-Armed Swordsman” in 1967, followed by the sequel, ”Return of the One-Armed Swordsman” two years later. While he became the highest paid Chinese actor at the time, things started taking a downhill turn. He broke his contract with Shaw Brothers which led to a lawsuit. He was involved in love triangles with Chinese co-stars, and his not-so-friendly brawls that were not on movie sets became tabloid headliners. On top of that, newer faces such as Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, and Sammo Hung were replacing the older stars of the 1960s. Both Lazenby and Wang were not at the top of their game in the film world at the moment, and both were more known for their off screen antics and troubles more than on screen roles, but the opportunity to make an international coproduction was a possible fresh new start for both actors. The director was Brian Trenchard-Smith who had directed documentary films focusing on stuntwork and martial arts action, as well as television work in Australia and film trailer editing. The film was shot in both Australia and Hong Kong - showcasing the beauty of Ayer’s Rock as well as the bustling cityscape of Hong Kong in differing scenes. The production was filled with many scenes of choreographed kung fu such as the Fang vs Chen in the jail cell, Fang vs the sniper in the Chinese restaurant, and Wilton versus his henchmen disciples. The fights are quite different from the dancelike quality of many Chinese productions, the jail cell fight is more on realism, and the restaurant fight is bloody and violent with anger. But there is still humor in many of the fight scenes and a sense of danger as well. Granted there were safety precautions, but stuntman and actor Grant Page has stated the fishtank crash stunt was quite dangerous, and the scene of Lazenby doing his own stunt of being on fire took a wrong turn when he physically could not get his jacket off, leading to a severe burn on his arm, halting production for a short time. The lengthy car-chase revenge scene was insane filled with explosions and crashed vehicles, and even though it was carefully done with professional stunt drivers, there were cuts and injuries all around. Other problems came about with the major ego of star Jimmy Wang Yu. He was by accounts quite rude to costars and especially unfriendly towards Trenchard-Smith which led to bad tension behind the scenes. But his martial arts technique was highly praised and for his English language debut to play almost all the dialogue in English was praised. As with most Australian films at the time, location sound was not used and dialogue was post-synced in studio, so it was not Wang’s own voice used but dubbed over by another actor. The film was supposedly written as a somewhat parody of a James Bond film, but ended up quite close to how the 1970s Roger Moore movies became, filled with silly one-liners, high octane action, and a charismatic lead that gets the bad guy as well as getting some from the ladies. It was interesting casting to see Lazenby play the villain rather than the hero and Wang to play a “Dirty Harry” type cop. Lazenby has a lower amount of screentime but does make quite an impression as the bad guy with his towering size, his truly 70s mustache, and actually excellent martial arts skills which he trained hard for. Wang was a skilled martial arts player as seen in many of his movies and had the good guy looks, but he lacked the dramatic action which hurt his career especially internationally. He was always slightly frustrated and angry throughout the movie but he could never quite register the scenes of dramatic loss. The scene of the car ambush which kills Angelica (played by Rebecca Gilling) but he survives - it does recall the ending of “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” where Lazenby’s 007’s wife is killed in the car ambush while he survives. For the 007 it was one of the most surprisingly heartbreaking and shocking moments in any Bond film, while Wang’s performance is flat out uncaring. It also doesn’t help that Angelica is never mentioned again and the audience is supposed to not care either. Speaking of, the character of Angelica is one of the most unnecessary additions to the story. Fang’s other love interest, Caroline (played by Rosalind Speirs) was an interesting character, and if it was her character that was killed it would have given a much bigger impact for the audience and for the character of Fang to seek revenge. Yes the film has its flaws and the plot should not be taken too seriously. The film is all about the action and in that case it is packed. The film was completed in 1975 and was quite successful in its initial run. At Cannes it was sold to multiple territories where it enjoyed success in almost every country, breaking in-house records in the UK, Pakistan, Hong Kong, and more. In Australia, the film had some issues with the ratings board. The violence, the balls grabbing, and some nudity made the film get an R rating to which Trenchard-Smith refused to budge for cuts - although he has later regretted that he didn’t make any cuts since it suffered a little financially in Australia since the younger teen audiences were not able to see it. A shorter version was released for Hong Kong and other international markets where some cuts were made and in a late punch after the film was completed, the “International Version” credits Jimmy Wang Yu as co-director. In the United States the film was renamed “The Dragon Flies”, in Japan the film was renamed “Sky High” - after the hit theme song by the British group Jigsaw, the UK kept the original title but had to further remove the groin punching shots that were supposedly a first to have in Australian cinema. Although the film was a success financially worldwide it did not do major wonders for careers. Lazenby’s career did not improve, Trenchard-Smith’s next film “Deathcheaters” was unsuccessful, and while Jimmy Wang Yu directed and starred in the highly praised “The Master of the Flying Guillotine” the next year, his career essentially did not move up. Though in later years Trenchard-Smith’s films have had a new reappraisal from filmmakers such as Quentin Tarantino and Edgar Wright and by Ozploitation film fans worldwide with favorites such as “Dead End Drive In” and “BMX Bandits”, Lazenby’s lone 007 film is now regarded as one of the best in the long running series, and Wang made an exceptional comeback as the villain in the 2011 film “Wu xia”. “The Man from Hong Kong” now makes its worldwide Blu-ray debut courtesy of Australian distributor Umbrella Entertainment, with the original Australian version of the film remastered in 4K. Note this is a region ALL Blu-ray which can be played on any Blu-ray player worldwide
Video
Umbrella Entertainment presents the film in 1080p in the AVC MPEG-4 codec in the original 2.35:1 aspect ratio. As stated, this comes from a 4K mastered edition of the film and while it does look good, it is not perfect. 4K does not necessarily mean “digitally cleaned”, as there are some scratches and specs seen throughout the film, in some scenes more than others. It is not too distracting but there was more issue with the digital cleaning that removed some of the film grain. Colors are saturated with deep blues, browns, reds, but sometimes the dark portions look a little too dark, losing some of the detail. Skin tones seem a little on the darker side as well. For positive points the picture is clear, there are no hugely distracting damage marks, and is rightly framed in the correct aspect ratio. The film is the original Australian version with a runtime of 105:54. As this is the Australian version, the Cantonese portions have burned-in theatrical English subtitles.
Audio
English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 English LPCM 1.0 The original English mono track is offered as well as a 5.1 remix. The 5.1 remix is actually not done very well. The dialogue is spread through the front three speakers and the surrounds spread out the rest of the effects and music. It sounds more like an automated surround sound process rather than going back to the original soundtrack materials to remix the tracks. In a more positive note there are no “new” sound effects added to the remixed track. Another negative point is that at certain points in the remixed 5.1 track there are audio dropouts. At the 26 minute mark when Fang is chasing the Sniper across the street, at 79 minutes when the bike returns to the van crash, the 92 minute mark with the hang gliding, etc. There are other instances which is a bit distracting even if it lasts a split second each. As for the mono track it sounds much better. There are no audio dropouts, the audio and effects are well balanced, and sound very clean. It may not have the oomph of the 5.1 track, but it is the better more natural option. There are optional English HoH subtitles for the main feature in a white font. As stated, the few Cantonese portions have burned-in English subtitles.
Extras
Umbrella certainly packs a punch with the extras on the Blu-ray. Not only do they offer hours of extras for the main film, but they also include 5 additional films directed by Brian Trenchard-Smith as bonuses. Audio commentary with director/writer Brian Trenchard-Smith and stars Hugh Keays Byrne and Grant Page This audio commentary was first offered on the Australian Madman DVD edition of the film. In this screen specific commentary, Trenchard-Smith offers great technical information while also joking about the cheesy and satirical dialogue, behind the scenes tidbits, and jokes about with the B-movie aspects. In addition, actors Byrne and Page give comments via telephone calls on their roles. in English Dolby Digital 2.0 with no subtitles "The Making of The Man from Hong Kong" featurette (14:14) This featurette is made up of on-set 8mm footage which includes the hang glider scenes, behind the scenes of the car chase, and more. Some shots are very scratchy while others are actually quite clean. Since these are home movies, quality wildly differs. There is no on set sound recorded so the film’s soundtrack plays as background. in 480i MPEG-2, in 1.33:1, Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo Newsreel Footage (2:24) Vintage black and white news footage is unearthed of Jimmy Wang Yu arriving in Australia and also footage of the premiere. in 480i MPEG-2, in 1.33:1, in English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo with no subtitles Uncut "Not Quite Hollywood" (2008) Interviews (81:34) The documentary film “Not Quite Hollywood” is an essential documentary about Ozploitation films, but with 100 minutes to talk about the entire genre, there isn’t a lot of time focusing on a specific title. Here are the “uncut” extended interviews with Trenchard-Smith, Lazenby, Rebecca Gilling, and producer David Hannay, and assistant cameraman John Seale. The interviews cover quite a lot of ground including personal recollections with Lazenby’s and Trenchard-Smith’s being the lengthiest and most interesting. in 480i MPEG-2, in 1.78:1, in English Dolby Digital 2.0 with no subtitles "Trailers from Hell" trailer with Brian Trenchard-Smith (6:24) If anyone is not familiar with “Trailers from Hell”, please bookmark it immediately. The site founded by director Joe Dante collects various vintage movie trailers and includes them with commentary and introductions from the original filmmakers, famous fans of films, and other surprises. Trenchard-Smith does his own TFH intro and commentary with the introduction taking up almost half the screentime. Within 6.5 minutes there is a lot of fun information covered which some is not in the above extras. The intro is in 1.78:1 while the trailer itself is in 2.35:1 in 480i MPEG-2, in 1.78:1/2.35:1, in English Dolby Digital 2.0 with no subtitles Theatrical Trailer (3:49) This remastered original trailer in HD features exciting narration and a certain vintage feel missing from trailers these days. The audio is a bit crackly at times though. in 1080p, in 2.35:1, in English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono with no subtitles Theatrical Trailer (Alternate Edit) (1:53) This “alternate trailer” is actually the DVD trailer created by Fortune Star for the Hong Kong DVD release from a few years ago. It is newly edited, features new music, and includes the Chinese title as well. Personally I would rather have the original only, but it shows how differently edited trailers make a world of a difference. in 480i MPEG-2, in 2.35:1, in English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo with no subtitles "The Headman's Daughter" Book Trailer (1:25) Here is a trailer for Trenchard-Smith’s first novel published this year. in 480i MPEG-2, in 1.78:1, in Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo Trenchard-Smith Collection - Bonus Films Here is the real treat - 5 additional films with accompanying extras. But note - there is a lot of quantity but presentationwise is a bit lacking… * "Deathcheaters" (1976) (95:19) Steve (played by John Hargreaves) and Rodney (played by Grant Page) are stuntmen who are all about danger - whether shooting for commercials, television, or films, they are willing to take the risks because that is what they do! But then they are introduced to the rich and powerful Mr. Culpepper (played by Noel Ferrier), he has a certain plan involving espionage… Trenchard-Smith’s follow-up to ”The Man from Hong Kong” is filled with car chases, guns, stuntwork galore with the humor pushed up a level entirely. Unfortunately it was not a hit like “The Man from Hong Kong” and obviously doesn’t get the same attention. It is genuinely funny in many scenes and also features “Buttercup” - the insane buggy that Grant Page build from scratch in an insane car chase scene that is also filled with laughs. The film also stars Trenchard-Smith’s wife Margaret Gerard who is featured in a few of the director’s works. The film gets a basic standard definition transfer with average looking colors and clarity. It could be much better if remastered from the original film but this dated transfer is not too bad. With audio it sounds fine for the most part but there are some crackly moments here and there. in 480i MPEG-2, in 1.78:1, in English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono with no subtitles * "Stunt Rock" (1978) (95:13) Movie stuntwork meets magic and rock & roll in the 1978 cult classic which was mostly shot in and around Hollywood. Grant Page plays himself - an Australian stuntman who goes to America to work on a TV series. It is there he meets the rock band Sorcery through his American cousin. The band whose stage shows includes fire, stunts, and magic is a great external opportunity for Grant to help them using his FX and stunt skills for their extravagant stage shows. “Stunt Rock” is a film where the idea of “let’s put stuntwork together with a rock music film” and the two never really blend together as well as it should. The stuntwork in the film is a mix of old and new - with many clips of Grant Page in his previous films such as “The Man from Hong Kong” and “Deathcheaters” being reused alongside newer stunts that have to do with the TV work his character is doing for the film. Not only Australian films but uses a very lengthy chase scene from “Gone in 60 Seconds” (1974) and it actually makes you want to see that film rather than “Stunt Rock”. There are too many flashbacks to other film clips and not enough plot to move it forward. The scenes with the band seem tacked on and are like a lengthy music video with cheesy dialogue, bad acting, but great stuntwork and a rocking soundtrack by forgotten rock band Sorcery. To make matters worse, the film is not presented here in the original 2.35:1 aspect ratio but presented in the 1.78:1 aspect ratio! This is not a cropped transfer but the image has been “unsqueezed”, so everything and everyone look thinner and taller than they should be. Someone forgot to squeeze the image for the transfer. In addition the image is a bit blurry with ghosting and colors looking quite dull. In better terms it is free of scratches and debris but one can’t help to be disappointed in the aspect ratio situation. For the ghosting, this usually is from a NTSC to PAL transfer or vice versa. But herein lies a mystery: IMDB lists the film as 86 minutes. The DVD editions at NTSC speed are 91 minutes. The presentation here is 95 minutes. I cannot do a side by side comparison since I do not have a DVD edition of the film, but why this NTSC transfer of the film is a full 4 minutes longer I do not know. As for audio, most of the time the2.0 mono track is serviceable with the dialogue but the music by Sorcery sounds flat and effects are just average. Considering the film was recorded in stereo, having only a mono track is very disappointing. Also, there are some errors such as the mono track going slightly distorted at the 21 minute mark when Grant speaks for a few seconds. All around this film is the biggest disappointment in presentation. in 480i MPEG-2, in stretched 1.78:1, in English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono with no subtitles Update The original pressing had "Stunt Rock" in the incorrect 1.78:1 stretched aspect ratio. Subsequent pressings have corrected the error to the proper 2.35:1 aspect ratio. * "Kung Fu Killers" (1974) (76:21) This vintage documentary follows Grant Page’s journey to Hong Kong to learn about the trending martial arts film genre of Hong Kong which is taking the world by storm. There is footage of films such as “The Way of the Dragon”, “The Game of Death”, and more featured, along with an interview with George Lazenby on the set of his film “A Man Called Stoner” being filmed in Hong Kong. There is also footage of Angela Mao, Carter Wong, and even a topless bar - was that broadcast on TV? The picture is filled with scratches, debris, and with faded colors but it is watchable. Audio has some funky library music and there are no major issues with the mono audio. in 480i MPEG-2, in 1.33:1, in English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono with no subtitles * "Dangerfreaks" (1989) (94:22) This 1989 documentary is actually a “best of” compilation film featuring clips from the Australian TV series from the 1970s of the same name with Grant Page showing stuntwork, directed by Trenchard-Smith. There are vintage interviews with Page, clips of various films including ones included on this disc are coupled with new narration and some 1980s video effects here and there for titles and transitions. “Buttercup” the vehicle he built and used in “Deathchasers” is also featured here with input by Page on the specs of the all-terrain vehicle. There is also some “old timey” footage of stunt people - some that don’t survive, footage from other stuntmen interviewed about their stunt experiences with car stunts, flying stunts, horse stunts, and more! The picture quality is actually much better here in the clips than the bonus films on the disc, with accurate looking slightly faded colors. in 480i MPEG-2, in 1.33:1, in Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo with no subtitles * "The Stuntmen" (1973) (50:48) The earliest film in the set is saved for last. For the “men who live to die another day”, here is a narrated documentary on the people who make the core of action films - the stuntmen. There are clips of war films, car chases, westerns along with tanks, explosives, choreographed horsefalls, water gel for burning effects, and more tricks of the trade get revealed. Trenchard-Smith even appears on camera himself to demonstrate the fire effect. The picture quality is weak with scratches and damage all over, but is again watchable. The library music used - I actually used some of that music when I was a high school student doing video productions! Brought back a lot of memories but at the same time - I had no idea that some of the library music I had in my high school days dated back to the 1970s! in 480i MPEG-2, in 1.33:1, in English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono with no subtitles Audio commentary with on "Deathcheaters" with Brian Trenchard-Smith, Richard Brennan, and Margaret Gerard The director sits with the executive producer Brennan as well as Mrs. Trenchard-Smith - Margaret Gerard who played Julia in the film. They joke about the gay subtext, the over the top silly dialogue, the strange puffy shirt pre-“Seinfeld”, but also offer a lot of information on the making of the production, some of the mistakes and stunt misses, and even some regret not having the Julie character go on the mission with the men. in English Dolby Digital 2.0 with no subtitles Audio commentary with on "Stunt Rock" with Brian Trenchard-Smith, Grant Page, and Margaret Gerard A detailed roundtable commentary track includes a lot of laughter looking back at the cheesiness but also some really interesting facts about the production including about the actors and the band, how the director originally wanted Foreigner as the band and how the editor of the film ended up working on “This Is Spinal Tap” - a film that oddly has quite a few similarities to this film. The director at the start even mentions the 2.35:1 aspect ratio which we are unable to see on this disc. in English Dolby Digital 2.0 with no subtitles "Stunt Rock" Promo Reel (19:29) There are some film clips, behind the scenes footage of the yet to be completed film presented here for exhibitors and international distributors. The picture is very washed out from a video source and the audio is a bit crackly and tinny. in 480i MPEG-2, in 2.00:1, in English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono with no subtitles "Stunt Rock" Trailer (2:36) Filled with various stunt scenes and stage performances by Sorcery, it’s one that lacks any narrative. Seems strange that they would also include part of the car chase scene of “Gone in 60 Seconds” (1974) in the trailer but there it is! in 480i MPEG-2, in 1.75:1, in English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono with no subtitles "Dangerfreaks" Trailer (1:56) A narrated trailer for “the ultimate rush!” in 480i MPEG-2, in 1.33:1, in English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono with no subtitles Umbrella Entertainment has given a huge list of extras but quantity is higher than quality. All the bonus films are in standard definition from unremastered transfers, “Stunt Rock” is in the wrong aspect ratio and without the stereo audio, and missing many of the older DVD extras. Also there is no input from Jimmy Wang Yu - granted there is a lot of bad-mouthing about him in the extras so it may be no surprise he is missing from the bonus materials. Though it would have been nice to hear his thoughts on the film and the making of it in retrospect. Presentation aside the information presented is quite comprehensive and will take days to get through.
Packaging
Packaged in a standard Blu-ray keepcase, there is reversible artwork in which the only difference is the Australian Classification “MA 15+” rating removed on the other side.
Overall
“The Man from Hong Kong” may not have had the long going status as a martial arts classic, but it was an important film in terms of the Ozploitation genre and the careers of director Brian Trenchard-Smith as well as actors Jimmy Wang Yu and George Lazenby. It’s an absolute blast of fun with a story that is inconsistent but it’s all about the action and stuntwork here. Umbrella’s presentation does have its issues with video/audio and some of the extras, but the quantity of content offered here is absolutely great. You’ll definitely be humming “Sky High” for days on end.
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