Μύ Literally two years of work has gone into realising the double-disc platinum edition DVD of "Game of Death", which includes newly discovered footage shot for the film that has never been seen before. While many of the major distributors still attempt to fob us off with inferior DVD releases of older films, Hong Kong Legends is setting ever higher standards.
This could very well be the best picture quality yet offered by HKL for one of their restorations of an old film. At times, the image is so sharp, so clear, and so rich with colour that you could forgive a Bruce Lee fanatic for assuming that the man is still alive and has just shot new footage. Certain cutaway shots look a little soft, but this is down to the varying age of footage culled from other Bruce Lee films to complete this one.
The 5.1 sound mix offers little in the way of steering effects between the speakers (apart from a very nice thunder roll), and instead concentrates on showcasing the fabulous John Barry score.
If you scroll down this page, you'll see just how many special features are included on the two discs. The quality of these extras is superb (and both discs feature animated menus throughout) and although we'll only mention a few here, fans will be in seventh heaven with every one of them. An audio commentary with Bey Logan is his best yet. Bey discovered the extra footage included on the disc back in 1999 and is able to give a highly accurate analysis of what's new, who directed which scene, who's playing Bruce (there were three stand-ins), and in-between sprinkle his usual assortment of interesting anecdotes.
Disc two is split into floors like the tower of death that Bruce must ascend in the film. Of particular interest is a 40-minute masterclass in Jeet Kune Do by Dan Inosanto (whose nunchuku fight sequence is restored to the film), interviews with him, and also with once-only 007 George Lazenby. If that's not enough, there are also some very rare outtakes of Bruce at work.
On the final level, you'll find a brand new 46-minute documentary on Bruce Lee that's filled with new film footage, rare stills, and interviews. Produced by Brian White, it's the crowning achievement for a guy who has worked so hard to restore the Bruce Lee classics to this incredibly high standard. Jackie Chan regards Brian's work as invaluable to the Hong Kong film culture, and accolades surely don't come much better than that.
Region: 2
Ratio: 2.35:1 (anamorphic)
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1
Extra Features:
Disc One
- Scene selection
- Audio commentary with Hong Kong cinema expert Bey Logan
- Bruce Lee animated biography
- Five deleted scenes, including alternate title sequence and extended ending
- Hong Kong Legends trailer showcase
- Animated menus
- Dutch subtitles
Disc Two
Floor One: Gate to Enlightenment
- "Game of Death" retrospective essay
- History of Jeet Kune Do essay
- Production photo gallery
- Rare archive photo gallery
Floor Two: Temple of the Praying Mantis
- Trailer gallery (six trailers)
- Two TV spots
Floor Three: Temple of the Tiger
- Dan Inosanto biography
- Dan Inosanto interview
- Dan Inosanto Jeet Kune Do seminar (40mins)
Floor Four: Temple of Gold
- Taky Kimura interview
- George Lazenby interview
- "Game of Death" outtake footage
Floor Five: Temple of the Unknown
- 'Legacy of the Dragon' new documentary (46 mins)
- "Game of Death" re-visited (40 minutes of footage edited as a literal interpretation of Lee's original plan).
- Kareem Abdul Jabbar biography
