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US Blu-ray (88 Films) |
Comparison between the cut old U.S. version on the American DVD from Red Sun and the uncut original version on the British Blu-ray from Eureka Entertainment (the latter also included on the American Blu-ray from 88 Films and as an older SD master on the U.S. DVD second edition from Shout)
- 8 cuts
The Himalayan from 1976 is a typical Eastern from the period shortly before Jackie Chan’s breakthrough in Asia, and Chan himself even appears several times as an extra. Featuring Angela Mao, Chen Sing, Sammo Hung, and Dorian Tan, along with several familiar faces in supporting roles, genre fans are treated to a small star-studded cast in this relatively long film, clocking in at just under two hours. After 88 Films released a standalone Blu-ray in the U.S. back in May 2026, a box set titled “Reap the Whirlwind,” containing four films starring Angela Mao, has been available in the U.K. from Eureka since August 24, 2026. In addition to the present The Himalayan, these are Angry River, The Tournament, and the curious Stoner starring former Bond actor George Lazenby. All films are available uncut; the latter is also included in the export version (similar to, but slightly different in detail from our German report on the ARD version - a new English comparison will follow). For The Himalayan, we consulted older releases again; regarding the US DVD from Shout, it’s worth noting that while it runs 5 minutes shorter due to PAL speed, it doesn’t actually contain any differences - unlike, for example, The Manchu Boxer, which has a fairly similar release history and where the SD master from Fortune Star, also released on DVD by Shout, was slightly shortened. Nevertheless, there are a few peculiarities regarding color grading and framing that have been noted below. The main focus of this report, however, is the US DVD from Red Sun, which is simply a digitization of a VHS tape containing the original English-language export version from Golden Harvest and thus presumably the U.S. theatrical version. On the one hand, various sex and nude scenes were censored here, while the most violent sequences remained untouched. On the other hand, there are a few additional omissions here, likely due to editing decisions or simply poor source material. In terms of quality, it’s a terrible relic of the old Eastern era anyway, so the new release is clearly recommended.
Running times are listed according to the following scheme To start with, the British Blu-ray features the Fortune Star logo. For Golden Harvest, the U.S. version then shows the English intro.
British Blu-ray is 41.9 seconds longer
Immediately afterward, it’s interesting to note that the British Blu-ray lacks subtitles during the voice-over commentary heard over the initial shots of clouds and mountains. During the opening credits, it’s also noticeable that while the credits themselves are identical, they’re positioned differently on the screen. Furthermore, the old U.S. version actually shows more on-screen information at the top and bottom here at the beginning. The image was stretched vertically for the opening credits to still show the text overlays, at least for the most part. After that, however, the 4:3 image is zoomed in drastically in the classic style, and there is even a loss of visual information at the top and bottom.
If you also take a look at the other US DVD from Shout, which features a more recent SD master from Fortune Star, you’ll notice that the subtitles here were still burned in identically to those in the old US version. The opening credits, on the other hand, resemble the HD master - including, for example, the temple that isn’t fully visible.
Here are a few more comparison images throughout the film: The color grading on the old Fortune Star master often took some getting used to and frequently had a green or blue cast; there are also some signs of wear in places. Another curious detail is a longer segment in the second half of the film where only the new HD scan has significantly more image detail, especially at the bottom. The Red Sun (see below) still matched the Fortune Star SD master here.
Finally, for the image comparisons, here’s the old US version of Red Sun again, with pan-and-scan cropping and cuts to the other side of the screen (depending on who’s speaking), for comparison: As you can see, the quality is completely unusable due to zooming and the VHS source, but at least the color palette remains largely natural.
Toward the end of the opening credits, the US DVD from Red Sun is missing a few frames. Throughout the film, however, it includes a few extra, inconsequential individual frames here and there. 37:08 / 39:19–40:25 The quick camera pan is followed by an entire additional scene in which Kao (Chen Sing) and Man (Angela Wang from Korea, which also explains why she appears nude, unlike the Hong Kong actresses) are seen in bed. Kao laughs, and Man asks what he can do now. He whispers something in her ear, and she says she can’t do that. Kao makes a somewhat confused threat of rape and then promises him that she’ll seduce Hsu (Dorian Tan) tonight. 65.8 sec (= 1:06 min)
37:39 / 40:57–41:09 The dialogue between Hsu and Man is a bit longer, and she places his hand on her chest. Interesting: Unlike the previous cut, which was entirely in English dub, this part of the English audio track is only in Mandarin. 12.3 sec
37:47 / 41:17–41:29 We see the two of them earlier in the hayloft, before they start making out. The reason for the cut is likely that her breasts are clearly visible under her sheer blouse here. 11.6 sec
51:27 / 55:45–55:46 An obviously unintentional minor master error in the source material, but in a prominent spot: The murdered father is visible for a slightly longer time at the end of the scene. 0.6 sec
60:00 / 64:42–64:51 The final shot of the scene is slightly longer; then Tseng (Angela Mao) floats across the water significantly earlier. 9.2 sec
70:36 / 75:54–77:20 Another extended sex scene with Man and Kao, in which not only she is shown in all her glory but also his bare buttocks are shown at length. The old US cut doesn’t return until after the climax, when he just cuddles with her a bit and then strangles her. 85.7 sec (= 1:26 min)
106:49 / 115:08–115:12 Kao is kicked earlier in slow motion and staggers past the door. 4.3 sec
The restored scene that follows is a particularly curious example of the aspect ratio, because while Red Sun simply has significantly less image information at the bottom- as is generally more the case in the second half of the film...
...as expected, the US DVD from Shout also shows less image information at the bottom here, but more importantly, it also has a huge additional black bar at the top.
106:53 / 115:17–115:21 Kao also staggers around in slow motion a little longer, and Hsu kicks him one more time. 4.1 sec
The end credits are positioned differently again.
Here’s the US DVD from Shout, featuring the old Fortune Star master, for comparison.
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