Commentaries and/or Supplemental Reviews

Ninja in the Dragon’s Den HKL R2/PAL

Ng See-yuen & Roy Horan Interviews (24:21m; English):
NSY first.
Theme of film is facing difficulty, evevy movie he wants to send this message.
[Drunken Master clip]
Knows nothing of Kung Fu; but how it should look on film.
[Snake in Eagle’s Shadow clip; couple clips]
Talk on why more he does more producing than directing.
[Ninja In the Dragon’s Den clip; clips throughout segment]
Shot in Taiwan [good to know]
Find him (Conan Lee) in Los Angeles; half Chinese and half Korean. He does not even have Chinese name.
RH: met Lloyd Hutchinson. States he has potential, probably needs to go to acting school. Ng came up with name in Chinese (which he stated he wanted to name his son) and RH came up with Conan because of Arnold movie.
NSY again: invited Sonny Chiba’s student Hiroyuki Sanada.
success in Japan; used Japanese stuntmen.
Talk on Hwang Jang-lee: he’s a real fighter. He finds him in Korea when shooting Secret Rivals Part I.
Korean line producer caused issues with Korean staff (I believe on Secret Rivals); Hwang still worked regardless. Brings him to HK because of it.
[Game of Death II clip]
Talks about an almost fight with Hwang.
Conan Lee becomes proud after success. Ng talks about having many teach him different martial art skills.
RH: also goes over this. Explains reason for three picture deal (normal contract). Conan came back for renegotiation. Ng’s feelings were hurt. Decision was to let him go instead of legal action.
NSY: got hurt by seven or eight when he did not lend Lee out in Taiwan (six months bedridden.) Hates triads. Interesting enough he states that this is one of the reasons why Conan Lee did not get work for several years. Forgave Lee

Biography Showcase: Ng See Yuen; Hwang Jang Lee (both of these are nice reads). On Hwang, this states the incident where he kills a challenger.

Deleted Footage [extended scenes]:
The ‘bull devil’ (2.19m; English subs; some burnt Japanese subs; full screen)
Spiritual Boxers (2m; English subs; full screen)
Return to the Pagoda (43s;some burnt Japanese subs; full screen; strange voice for Hiroyuki)

Trailers:
UK Promotional: 1.52m (English)
Original Theatrical 6.28m (Not kidding; this is a story itself; Mandarin, Japanese, English with English subs)
Japanese Campaign: 1.53m (English song; English subs)

Also Available (Trailer and Info for each): Police Story 2, Mr. Vampire, Naked Killer, Police Assassins, Red Wolf.
Audio: English Dub, Cantonese.
Subtitles: English, Dutch.

Yojimbo Criterion Commentary Stephen Prince 2006 (Notes I took):

Historial fable about the destruction of Capitalism. [really?; he repeats this motif throughout the commentary]
After Yojimbo, Kurosawa treated Mifune as a monument.
Takes place and end of Tokugawa period (1860s); only second of Kurosawa film to be set in this period.
Perpendicular axis of movement is common throughout film.
un-pious ronin different than clean samurai
Says it is wrong to call this a Japanese Western [really?]
Most celebrated scene (hand in dog’s mouth)
Wasn’t until Bonnie and Clyde that American film mined violence for this kind of comedy.
Significant influences have always gone from Kurosawa to Hollywood
Often multiple cameras were in action
Coffin maker hammering from High Noon (reference).
Influence from Emakimono picture scrolls (12th, 13th Century)
Miyagawa Kazuo previously worked with AK on Rashomon.
Nothing moves without Sanjuro (he later gives one major exception to this); compares character to director.
MA Instructor; describes moves.
ryo = unit of weight; goes over koban (coin)
5 basic relations -> Confucius (link)
Telephoto lens for close ups.
A Fistful of Dollars ripped this film off.
Sanjuro is abstract, blankness, anti-samurai.
Mifune has replaced Fujita [Susumu who starred in Sanshiro Sugata] similar to real life.
Probable influence of music for Sergie Leone.
Class hierarchy during period; samurai over merchants
In the year 1588 disarmed farmers (Hideyoshi's national “sword hunt” (katanagari) decree)
First major Kurosawa role for Tatsuya Nakadai
symbolism of pistol [no not a penile symbol; westernization just like the scarf]
Kurosawa never romanticizes Yakuza (states the nam comes from 893 – worst hand you can hold in oichokabu)
Surprised by boat in film.
He always explains that type of sword cut or motion in the film [which I like].
Talks about musical performance of Masaru Sato’s mickey mousing.
First arterial spurt in background [you would see a much bigger on in Sanjuro at the end]
His favorite shot in film using a telephoto lens
Film mirrors contemporary Japan.
Gives examples of Yakuza as muscle (Sōkaiya) [I do wonder if he puts the cart before the horse on these examples; it may have started as corporate using these figures, but soon they would be in control]
Mention of Minamata disease.
Now sets in motion events he cannot control; shows frames within frames
Is not using hand-held; would use it in High and Low.
Trailer shows alternate take of this scene.
Only scenes where Sanjuro presence is not explicit.
Yojimbo is apocalyptic film.
Going over his philosophy again -> anti materialism
Beating scene influenced by The Glass Key movie [I do wonder if the book was an influence on Kurosawa first].
Talks about Red Harvest not being an influence. [I have written on this; though I have found at least one scene I believe influenced from Red Harvest]
Speculates that The Glass Key influence is also seen in the hand in dog’s mouth early in the film.
Takashi Shimura plays bad guy here and in Sanjuro (only time bad guy in Kurosawa’s films; [this is somewhat debatable].)
Kurosawa’s heroes never needed to hide before.
Loyal 47 Ronin reference he is parodying.
Great Ordeal -> Revenge archetype
I like the mention of Sword of Doom where Nakadai’s character not fighting with Mifune’s.
Another Kurosawa innovation: sound of slashes into people.
Apocalypse statement again (when one side finally consumes the other). Kurosawa turns away from future and aligns himself with the past. [I don’t quite agree with Prince on this; Kurosawa is very much stating in this film that he is not in complete agreement with Samurai principles either]
Last time Kato would appear in a Kurosawa film.
minute and a half is one of the greatest 90 seconds you are ever going to see in the movies (practicing knife throws; some shots done in reverse)
Director Walter Hill pays homage to knife in hand shot in The Warriors.
Prince makes interesting remark about faster editing and that Kurosawa stayed away from that, putting more emphasis on the choreography.
[He keeps talking about Sanjuro’s traditional world, though his world has already been displaced since he is a ronin.]
Many merchants received permission to wear one or two swords.

Dragons Forever Zoke Culture

Dragons Remembered (29:21m English) w English subs (English is not subbed) and Chinese subs (subs for English)
Bey Logan
Opening sequence filmed in Hong Kong’s Sai Kung Marina Club
Wanted to do different personalities for the main three. [no way Sammo Hung is a ladies man in this; that was JCs character]
Sammo Hung interviewed explains three main characters
Jackie Chan interviewed
BL on Pauline Yeung: won Miss Hong Kong, now retired runs a chain of jewelry stores throughout HK
BL on Deannie Yip: blues singer.
BL: fishing for Sammo came from early married life (first marriage) where he had little food.
BL: Sammo Hung saw Final Test of Yuen Wah and used that characterization for Eastern Condors.
Yuen Wah interviewed
YW: Sammo wanted use of cigar.
Crystal Kwok interviewed. Short skirt story.
JC: Sammo one of the best Asian directors of all-time.
SH: When with JC and Yuen Biao they speak Mandarin.
Yuen Biao Interviewed: he is the introvert. Doesn’t like socializing.
CK: rushed job. Chinese New Year’s film.  “Stupid beauty pageant title.” Her outfits change dramatically during film because she thought the look wrong for a secretary.
BL: tower block was once Golden Harvest.
Same sets used for Blonde Fury.  films filmed back-to-back.
SH: asked Benny “The Jet” to come over.
Benny Urquidez interviewed: eye makeup was to appear more spooky. Couldn’t tell if it was him or Sammo’s idea, though it sounds like Bennys.  Sammo having him try new moving foods. Billy [Biao probably] was always showing him moves to see if he could do them.
SH: states that no one has asked him to bring them together.
JC preparing Rush Hour 3 (easy to date this then) Bey working with SH on Dragon Squad. BTW 2005 copyright.

Billy Chow: 34:12m English and Cantonese w English subs (English is not subbed) and Chinese subs
Ken Lo wai-kwong (first saw Billy boxing in 1979): Came to HK in 1980 and in 83 got to know him.
Shows Muay Thai bout with Billy (from 2004), Chin Kar-lok interviewed met Billy in one of Sammo Hung’s films. Knows brother and his cousin Cheng Ka Ming. Cheng met Billy in Canada under sifu Lee Bak. Timmy Hung interviewed.  Chin Siu-ho interviewed. Trained with him. Master Frank Lee interviewed.
The Thai Breaker: An Interview with Billy Chow
Started MA around 11 years old. When Bruce Lee came to HK he took KF seriously.  Migrated to Canada in 1976.  Talks of first fight and meeting Frank Lee.
From 1981 to 1984 fought 11 matches.  total 43 wins, 8 losses 30 knock outs.
SH shooting Paper Marriage in Edmonton.
“I realized that it was only in Sammo’s films that we had to fight for real.”
Benny and Jackie in same unit. Him as same unit as Yuen Biao.  Sammo with both.  A third unit with Yuen Wah.
Small piece of cotton for mouth instead of mouth guards used when fighting for real.
JC (on Miracles) did not want perfection the way Sammo wanted it. “Jackie wanted our actions to be swift and fluid.” “It’s more pleasant doing the Jackie style.”  “Yuen Wo Ping has the fourth style.” Yuen would take his time.  More patient than SH.
Would like to be action choreographer (not film director.)

Outtakes 11:05m no subs
Horrible music, no voice.  Nice scene of Yuen Wah doing flips.

Two deleted scenes (1:52m, 1:38m) (they really should have been in the movie; maybe they were)