The last few years have been a great time for American fans of older martial arts films. We’ve received Blu-ray collections that have upgraded the films of Bruce Lee, Sonny Chiba, Angela Mao, Gordon Liu and the Venom Mob. For a while one superstar name seemed absent from the recent Blu-ray revival scene. Where was Jackie Chan’s classic martial arts films? You could find streaming versions of his early Hong Kong films, but most have the transfer qualities of EP speed VHS dupes that your cousin made in 1992. It felt like the early ’90s when in order to find Jackie Chan films, you’d have to go to extremes including traveling to Dave’s Videodrome in Carrboro to rent tapes of mysterious origins. You could also pay a small fortune at Suncoast at the mall for VHS tapes that were pan and scan with bad dubs. After Jackie finally broke the US market in 1995 with Rumble in the Bronx, Miramax re-issued many of his earlier films with massive edits and music changes. It was extremely frustrating for a fan that wanted the 100% pure Jackie Chan experience. It felt like a bit of a flashback over the last year when an impulse struck to watch a Jackie Chan movie not called Rush Hour. The good news is that we’re finally getting to see his film in the Hong Kong cuts and high resolution to admire his thrilling move and breathtaking stunts. The Jackie Chan Collection Volume 1 (1976 – 1982) contains seven of his earlier films including his first American based movie.
The Killer Meteors (1976 – 104 minutes) has Jackie Chan face off against Jimmy Wang Yu (One-Armed Boxer and Master of the Flying Guillotine). The twist is that Jackie is the bad guy who forces Jimmy into service. Jackie’s wife has poisoned him and he needs Jimmy to retrieve the antidote that’s guarded by four guys with supernatural powers. This is really a Jimmy Wang Yu film, but it shows how Jackie in a different light. Could people really boo Jackie when he’s taking on Jimmy? The film was directed by Lo Wei and Jimmy. Lo Wei had the contract on Jackie so perhaps this was his test to see if Jackie was really better as a villain than a hero.
Shaolin Wooden Men (1976 – 107 minutes) takes us back to the Shaolin Temple where there’s another chamber. Jackie plays a mute student at the Temple who can’t quite keep up with the rigorous training from the monks. He has nightmares about the masked killer who took out his father. He gets help training from a woman who knows Gliding Snake style. But what he really wants to learn is Lion’s Roar from a prisoner kept trapped in a cave near the temple. Jackie uses this style to defeat a gauntlet of wooden robots that occupy a hallway as part of the Temple’s 36 Chambers. He gets his graduation “tattoos” and heads out to the world to pay off the favor he owned the imprisoned man. Except the guy isn’t imprisoned for long as he finally escapes his shackles and uses his freedom to destroy those who stuck him in the cave. Jackie has to go back to the Temple to take on the escapee. Can he fight Lion’s Roar with all he’s learned from the Temple, the woman and his outlaw teacher? Jackie is rather serious with little moments of comic relief. His battle against the wooden robots is worth the hype.
To Kill With Intrigue (1977 – 107 minutes) might have a Wu Tang Clan connection since Jackie has to face off against The Killer Bees. Turns out the Killer Bees have a serious beef with the Family of Cao Lei (Jackie Chan). They kill all the family members except Cao. Why does he live? Because Chin Chang Yin (Shaolin Kung Fu Mystagogue‘s Feng Hsu), the leader of the Killer Bees is intrigued by Cao. The fighting is exciting especially one guy who is spitting fire while swapping blows. The best is watching Feng Hsu and Jackie face off in their elaborate costumes. Feng Hsu would go on to produce the Oscar nominated Farewell My Concubine.
Snake & Crane Arts of Shaolin (1978 – 101 minutes) has Jackie Chan protecting a very valuable book. Like a Shaw Brothers movie, the film opens with Jackie demonstrating various weapons. You might want to duplicate his moves, but you will probably destroy the family room with a broom. Eight Shaolin masters had come together to develop Snake & Crane style Kung Fu. Before they can teach others, they all disappear. The only thing that remains is a book describing the techniques. Hsu Ying Fung (Chan) has gained possession of the book. There’s a lot of people who want the book and even more suspect he was responsible for the disappearance of the masters. Jackie has to fight with everyone and show off this new ultimate fighting style.
Dragon Fist (1979 – 97 minutes) is a tale of revenge that gets complicated by an act of redemption. A Kung Fu Master wins a tournament only to get killed by a rival who wasn’t happy with the outcome. Tang How-yeun (Jackie Chan) is a student of the dead master who helps protect his widow (Heroes of the East‘s Ouyang Sha-fei) and daughter as they plan their revenge. When they finally get their chance, they discover the killer has done something extreme as a form of penance. Making things worse is Tang has to take a job with a local gang to earn enough money to help out the widow. That gets him in serious trouble. Producer-Director Lo Wei had Jackie being series which might have confused a few moviegoers who had just seen Chan’s comic Kung Fu performances in Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow, Drunken Master and The Fearless Hyena.
Battle Creek Brawl (1980 – 96 minutes) (or The Big Brawl) was the first time Jackie tried to break into the US market. Warner Brothers was eager to market Jackie as the next Bruce Lee. Chan was teamed up with the principal creatives behind Enter the Dragon including writer-director Robert Clouse, producer Fred Weintraub and composer Lalo Schifrin. They did change up the story a touch. Jerry Kwan (Jackie Chan) lives in 1930’s Chicago and is part of an extreme roller derby team with his girlfriend Nancy (Meatballs‘ Kristine DeBell). His martial arts skills are spotted by a mobster (Dune‘s Jose Ferrer) who strong arms Jerry into taking part in a major street fight in a Texas Town. He goes down with Nancy and father (Hawaiian Heat‘s Mako) to take on a batch of pro wrestlers and more nasty mobsters. There’s plenty of stunts and fights in the film for Jackie to show off his skills. The film has the same atmosphere as Bob Clark’s A Christmas Story. Battle Creek Brawl wasn’t a massive bust in America. The film turned a profit. But Warner Brothers expected Enter The Dragon box office returns so they cooled off on making Jackie a superstar in America. Jackie would play a Japanese driver in Cannonball Run, but he wouldn’t make a major impact in America until 1995’s Rumble In The Bronx.
Dragon Lord (1982 – 96 minutes) marked Jackie’s return to Hong Kong after his time trying to break through in America. The movie opens with a ceremony where dozens of men have to climb up a bamboo pyramid covered in buns to retrieve a ball at the top. When the pyramid collapses, it turns into some sort of baked good rugby game. This is a sports spectacular as Jackie’s Dragon becomes the hero of the event. While there is a bit of fighting, the focus is on athletic events including a version of soccer where they use shuttlecocks instead of balls. Why didn’t this sport catch on during the early days of ESPN? There’s also a dangerous stunt variation of getting the ball out of the neighbor’s backyard. The main focus of the film is Dragon maturing and not being a happy-go-lucky sports star forever. The film shows a few things Jackie picked up during his time in America including “instant replay” of a stunt from a different camera angle and blooper reel during the end credits (like Cannonball Run). Dragon Lord gives a sense of where Jackie’s films would be going for the rest of the decade.
The Jackie Chan Collection Vol. 1 (1976 – 1982) brings together seven titles that show the growth of Jackie Chan’s career from when he finally rose up from being a stuntman or bit player. It’s interesting to see how Lo Wei wanted to make Jackie a serious martial arts star. We’re so used to Jackie’s comedy touches that there is an anticipation to see him break character. Getting all seven films bundled together in the boxset feels better than collecting the titles separately. The high-definition transfers make rewatching the films an engrossing experience. If you’ve one seen these titles on crummy VHS tapes from the ’90s, it will be like seeing them for the first time. You’ll fully appreciate what Jackie had to offer on the big screen. Jackie Chan is finally getting his time to shine on Blu-ray with The Jackie Chan Collection Vol. 1 (1976 – 1982)and the best news is there’s a Volume 2 coming.
The Video for all seven films is 2.35:1 anamorphic. Fortune Star’s transfers have these films looking better than ever on home video. The Audio tracks for the various movies are: The Killer Meteors has 2.0 Mono DTS-HD MA Mandarin, Cantonese and English along with a 5.1 Dolby Surround Digital English and Mandarin. Shaolin Wooden Men has 2.0 Mono DTS-HD MA in Mandarin, Cantonese and English along with an alternate Cantonese track. To Kill With Intrigue has 2.0 Mono DTS-HD in English, Mandarin, Japanese Theatrical Mandarin, a 2.0 Stereo DTS-HD MA Cantonese and 5.1 Surround Dolby Digital Mandarin and English. Snake & Crane Arts of Shaolin has 2.0 Mono DTS-HD in English, Mandarin, Japanese Theatrical Mandarin, a 2.0 Stereo DTS-HD MA Cantonese. Dragon Fist has 2.0 Mono DTS-HD in English, Cantonese, Mandarin, Japanese Theatrical Mandarin and 5.1 Surround Dolby Digital Cantonese, Mandarin and English. Battle Creek Brawl has 2.0 DTS-HD MA Mono in English, 2.0 DTS-HD MA in Cantonese and Mandarin and 5.1 Surround Dolby Digital in English. Dragon Lord (Hong Kong Theatrical Cut) has 2.0 Mono DTS-HD in English, Cantonese & Alternate Cantonese with 5.1 Surround Dolby Digital English. Reviews of past VHS and DVD releases have complained about the lack of tracks. You’re getting pretty much everything in the boxset. Which one is the best? If I’m understanding it right, Jackie was too busy making movies to do his voice tracks in post-production so no matter which track you choose, you’re not getting Jackie’s voice. All the movie are subtitled in English.
Dragon Lord Hybrid Cut (110 minutes) with Original Cantonese Mono Audio and English subtitles. This is 7 minutes longer than the previous Extended Cut.
Audio Commentary on Shaolin Wooden Men with film critic James Mudge.
Rick Baker On Shaolin Wooden Men (9:14) is the author and critic and not the special effects legend. He goes into the background on the production and how it worked in Jackie’s career. He gives away plot points so you might want to watch this after the movie.
Theatrical Trailer for Shaolin Wooden Men for Hong Kong (4:16), English markets (4:17), Japan (2:08) and Japanese TV (0:16) promise a lot of action.
Still Gallery (1:04) has a montage of lobby cards for Shaolin Wooden Men.
Audio Commentary of The Killer Meteors is from critic and author David West.
Original Theatrical Trailer (4:22) for Killer Meteors hypes Jimmy Wang and Jackie Chan as Famous.
Still Gallery (1:28) is a montage of press stills and lobby cards from The Killer Meteors.
Audio Commentary of To Kill With Intrigue is from critic and author David West.
Intriguingly Jackie (19:57) has Ricky Baker recall the late-night cinema in London in the late ’70s before the arrival of the VCR. They would package Kung Fu films with Emmanuelle movies, but Ricky and his pals were more into the action than the erotic. Jackie quickly caught on as the new star of martial arts after Bruce Lee. He relates to how To Kill With Intrigue impacted his image.
Theatrical Trailers for To Kill With Intrigue include the original (4:53), Japanese Theatrical Trailer (2:07), Japanese Teaser Trailer (0:49) and Japanese TV Spot (0:14),
Still Gallery (1:29) includes lobby cards and a poster.
Audio Commentary of Snake & Crane Arts of Shaolin is from critic and author David West.
Pick Your Poison (19:46) has Ricky Baker talk about how there wasn’t any real critique of Hong Kong martial arts films when the movies were coming out in the late ’70s. They even had nicknames for performers since they didn’t know their real names. It was all about the action and not the performers at the time. The serious newspaper theatrical critics weren’t giving any mind to the films.
Trailer gallery includes original trailer (1:59), Japanese Theatrical Trailer (2:13) and Japanese TV Spot (0:16).
Still Gallery (1:24) include press photos and a poster.
Audio Commentary of Dragon Fist is from critic and author James Mudge.
A Dragon Rules (21:45) has David West discuss Dragon Fist. He goes into how Jackie had signed with Lo Wei’s production company. Lo Wei had directed The Big Boss and Fist of Fury. His intentions was to make Jackie the next Bruce Lee. Dragon Fist has Jackie being extra serious without any comic elements. After he made Dragon Fist, he was loaned out to make Drunken Master and Snake In The Eagle’s Shadow that made Jackie a comic star. Lo Wei released ragon Fist after those two hits.
Trailer Gallery includes the original theatrical trailer (3:58), Japanese Theatrical Trailer (1:50) and Japanese TV Spot (0:15). They cut the Japanese spots to make it seem like a comical film.
Still Gallery (1:14) includes Dragon Fist‘s lobby cards and posters.
Audio Commentary of Battle Creek Brawl is from critic and author James Mudge.
The Golden Boy: Harvesting A Major New Martial Arts Maverick (84:44) goes into Jackie Chan’s first attempt to make a splash in America. They discuss his rise from Peking Opera to stuntman and small roles in films. He gets his big break when Lo Wei makes him the star of New Fist of Fury. But he doesn’t really break out until he makes his comic style movies before heading over to Golden Harvest.
Interview with Actress Kristine Debell has her talking in 2013 (5:12) and 2022 (9:22) about her time on Battle Creek Brawl. She got the gig and had a car accident. The producers waited for her facial injury to heal. She had no idea about Jackie Chan until she met him on the set. She didn’t know how to roller skate, but was a quick learner.
Interview with Jackie Chan (3:33) has him talk about how hard it was to get publicity for the film before the opening.
Interview with Producer Fred Weintraub (11:51) has him praise how cooperative Jackie Chan was while making the movie. He met Jackie while making Enter the Dragon in Hong Kong.
Interview with Critic and Author David West (14:06) goes into how they linked up Jackie with the producer, director and composer of Enter The Dragon. West points out how the film lets Jackie’s character have a romance with a white woman.
Rumble in the USA: Jackie Chan Takes On America (18:46) has Rick Baker discuss the film. He likes Battle Creek Brawl, but questions if Jackie should have gone straight to a leading man instead of being a supporting actor in a few American films before going solo.
Original US Theatrical Opening (5:53) is credits for the American cut taken from a full frame video copy.
Original Theatrical Trailer (3:14) has Jackie Chan dishing out the punches and roller skating.
The Big Brawl Theatrical Trailer (2:36) has him doing the bridge gymnastics.
Still Gallery (2:24) has press photos, behind the scenes shots and posters of Battle Creek Brawl.
Audio Commentary of Dragon Lord is from critic and author David West.
Dragon Lord (103) extended cut in Cantonese.
Interview with Louis Sit (9:40) talks of starting his work at Golden Harvest after graduating from college. He was head of production when Dragon Lord was being made. He talks of how Golden Harvest to develop Jackie Chan as his own performer and not merely the next Bruce Lee. Sit talks about how Jackie would go over budget because he critical of how the action was filmed.
Interview with actor Mars (29:47) has him talk about his childhood experiences at the Peking Opera before entering the film industry. Mars (Cheung Wing-fat) became part of Jackie Chan’s stunt team in 1979. When I met Jackie Chan at a Barnes and Noble signing, Mars was acting as his bodyguard.
Interview with Actor Whang In-Sik (11:53) has him talk about how he got involved with Golden Harvest. He trained Angela Mao and Sammo Hung at his school for Hapkido before they made him an actor. He also had a small role in Bruce Lee’s Way of the Dragon.
Trailer Gallery includes Original Theatrical Trailer (4:13), Cantonese Trailer (4:04), English Trailer (1:31) and Behind-The Scenes Teaser (5:21). The English trailer sells Jackie Chan as “The Clown Prince of Kung Fu.” The Behind the Scenes includes the actors injured in the Bun Tower scene.
Still Gallery (1:54) includes press photos, artwork and the poster.
Shout! Factory present The Jackie Chan Collection Vol. 1 (1976 – 1982). Directed by Lo Wei & Jackie Chan. Starring Jackie Chan. Boxset Contents: 7 movies on 7 Blu-ray Discs. Rating: Unrated. Release Date: January 24, 2023.
