Comparison between the cut Hong Kong DVD by Winners Video and the uncut British DVD by Hong Kong Legends

- 5 cuts
- Runtime difference: 34,8 sec

A few additional master errors with a duration of less than 0.5 sec each were not listed in the report.

 

Shaolin Wooden Men, which was shot in 1976 before his breakthrough (and also before his eye surgery), is definitely one of the more interesting early works of Jackie Chan. A new 2K restoration by 88 Films is available for the first time in the UK on Blu-ray since November 09, 2020. The Blu-rays available so far worldwide and e.g. also in Germany were SD upscales. As with Shaolin Kung Fu, we now look back on early DVD releases. While there were a few alternative shots to discover, it can be said that with Shaolin Wooden Men this is not the case.

Nevertheless, the US DVD by Columbia TriStar deserves a mention, because here, just like in Germany, the intro sequence is missing - but even a little bit more than in Germany, there will be a separate report. In the following, we'll take a look at the Hong Kong DVD by Winners Video, which is slightly cut by just under a minute. Almost without exception, there are master errors, but all of them are a bit longer. In principle, it's still a version you can watch comfortably, but the picture quality makes any recommendation null and void. On the basis of the comparative pictures in the report below, one can only be glad that even such easterns are often still preserved in good HD releases today.

Runtimes are ordered as follows: Hong Kong DVD in PAL / HKL DVD in PAL

The Hong Kong DVD starts without any logos...

32 sec

00:00 / 00:32-00:33

...and the first letter is still missing. The HK starts when the camera is almost completely up to the monk.

1 sec

Shortly afterwards, a title insertion was added in the Hong Kong version.

Hongkong DVD	Original Version

06:02 / 06:35-06:46

Jackie takes another step at the end of the shot. Then the complete shot from a distance with the original title insertion is missing. The follow up shot, where the credit for Lo Wei comes flying into the picture, also starts earlier.

11.4 sec

07:16 / 08:01-08:09

When Jackie starts the fight, the first shot breaks off earlier. The following shot also starts a bit earlier.

8.1 sec

53:15 / 54:10-54:17

The camera lingers on Jackie for a moment longer, then the follow-up shot outside earlier. The camera moves down from the sky, or rather the trees, to the path.

7.2 sec

54:19 / 55:21-55:28

Jackie shakes his head at the end of the shot. The monk then shakes his head much earlier, puzzling over Jackie's motive off camera.

7.1 sec

101:52-101:54 / 103:02-103:11

The end insertion differs. On the HK DVD, it is also immediately visible, whereas in the more familiar version it only appears in the picture after 2 seconds. The whole thing can be seen there longer.

Hongkong DVD	British DVD

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Finally, an image comparison. The zoomed fullscreen is a catastrophe once again and the colors are very pale. With the new 2K restoration of the British Blu-ray by 88 Films, they are again somewhat more gaudy compared to the old British DVD by Hong Kong Legends.

Hong Kong DVD	British DVD