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HTF REVIEW: Enter The Dragon Blu-Ray
________________________________________
ENTER THE DRAGON
Studio: Warner Bros.
Film Year: 1973
Film Length: 102 minutes
Genre: Action/Martial Arts
Aspect Ratio:
• 2.4:1 theatrical ratio
Colour/B&W: Colour
Audio:
• English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
• French Dolby Digital 1.0
• Spanish Dolby Digital 2S
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Film Rating: R
Release Date: April 17, 2007.
Rating: 4/5
With: Bruce Lee, John Saxon, Ahna Capri, Bob Wall, Shih Kien & Introducing Jim Kelly
Written by: Michael Allin
Directed by: Robert Clouse
ENTER THE DRAGON is so well-known that it is difficult to find a new way to approach the film for a review in 2007. For myself, I must admit that this was the first time I had actually seen it. It’s a fun movie that doesn’t take itself too seriously and primarily functions as a display of Bruce Lee’s legendary fighting abilities. Three years ago, a fairly definitive 2-Disc Standard Definition DVD was released by WB, containing a new transfer and a raft of extras. With the advent of Hi-Def, WB has released an HD-DVD and now this Blu-Ray edition. The Blu-Ray release contains all the prior extras from the 2-Disc edition but couples them with a 1080p High Definition transfer that is beautiful to see. If you have never seen this film before, or have only seen it on television or VHS, it’s worth your time to see this new transfer.
VIDEO QUALITY: 5/5
ENTER THE DRAGON is presented here in a 1080p High Definition 16x9 2.4:1 transfer that is a pleasure to watch. The sheer level of detail and color here is stunning, to say the least. There is a lot of primary color use in the film, from the color-coded karate uniforms to the constant bright colors on display – and I really didn’t see any places where the timing was off. The nighttime photography doesn’t look excessively grainy at all and the blacks looked satisfyingly deep on my screen. It’s a shock to think this film was made 34 years ago, and still looks this crisp. (On the other hand, the 70’s hairstyles and wardrobes pretty much give away the period, but that’s another story.) This appears to be the same Hi-Def transfer released on HD-DVD last summer – which isn’t a problem since it’s an outstanding piece of work. I should note that the difference between the Hi-Def transfer and the 2004 release will depend on your monitor and your DVD player. If you have been watching the film on a standard 20” TV with a standard DVD player and have just upgraded to a 1080p HDTV, you will be amazed by the difference in clarity. One early barometer is the visual quality of the water in the introductory sequence of our heroes arriving by barge. In 480p standard DVD resolution, the water is a bit flat and murky in texture. In 1080p, the water sparkles and has a lot more texture to it. And again, that is but one example of a print that is full of them. If, on the other hand, you already have a larger TV or HDTV and you also have a DVD player that upconverts to 1080i, the difference becomes less obvious unless you are looking at a monitor that is fairly large. For myself, I watched the Blu-Ray version and sections of the standard version on a 40” monitor and was able to discern differences in the resolution between 1080i and 1080p, but I found them far more pronounced when I reset the video settings on my player and monitor to 480p for the standard version. If you are watching on a 50” or larger monitor, I am certain the differences will be more apparent.
AUDIO QUALITY: 3/5
ENTER THE DRAGON is presented in a decent 5.1 surround mix in English, as well as simpler mixes in French and Spanish. The problem here is that this is not a film that has ever had that effective of a sound mix. When it was shot, the filmmakers did not record sound, choosing to use the spaghetti western technique of recording all dialogue and sound at a later date. This results in the dialogue feeling “canned” for much of the film. Further, the fighting sound effects are much louder and more outrageous than one would expect. (It’s easy to see where the ROCKY sound editors got their inspiration for the punch sounds in those movies…) The music here by Lalo Schifrin is painfully dated at this point – and it is the one feature of the film other than the fighting that really makes use of the surround channels. Mind you, I’m not trying to be harsh here (or to offend a Shaolin temple) – I’m just noting that this is not a film that was ever intended to showcase a good sound mix. Even with a high definition transfer, there isn’t much you can really do with the audio here.
SPECIAL FEATURES: 5/5
The Blu-Ray release of ENTER THE DRAGON ports over ALL the extras that were included on the prior 2-Disc Standard DVD from 2004. They are included in 480p standard definition, which explains how WB could include them all in addition to the 1080p feature. There’s OVER FOUR HOURS of supplements here – enough to satisfy the most die-hard Bruce Lee fan, as well as anyone curious about the man or his movies.
• FEATURE COMMENTARY - A commentary with producer Paul Heller initially recorded for a 1998 DVD release has been included here. He goes into a little detail about Lee’s fighting abilities, as well as some trivia about how Lee did his own stunts (and was injured), how Lee handled a real (milked) snake on camera, and how the mirror climax was conceived. Heller is joined at times by writer Michael Allin on a speaker phone, which makes for a disjointed effect, to say the least. Heller truly loves the film, but this isn’t the most gripping commentary you’ll ever hear.
The following materials are all 480p and non-anamorphic. Going back and forth from the film to the featurettes will find you constantly resetting your monitor…
• Blood & Steel: The Making of Enter the Dragon– (30:12 total) The documentary from the earlier release is included here. There’s a lot of material to go through in 30 minutes, including the usual interviews and behind-the-scenes footage, along with a few outtakes here and there.
• Bruce Lee: In His Own Words– (19:20 total) John Little’s compilation of Bruce Lee film clips and quotes is included here. Essentially, this is an intercut of an older black and white video interview of Lee and footage from the film. This featurette concludes with a montage of photos of Lee to the tune of “Ode to an Artist”.
• Linda Lee Cadwell Interview Gallery (16:05 total) 10 extended interview segments with Lee’s widow have been included here, as they were on the prior release. There’s a lot of interesting stuff here. She tells one story of an extra in the final competition sequence taunting Lee into an exhibition match of sorts on the set. Lee then apparently “schooled” the individual until he learned his lesson, in a good-natured way, of course…
• Bruce Lee: A Warrior’s Journey – (1:39:56) Here is a fairly comprehensive examination of Lee’s life and career, ported over from the prior release along with the other materials. If you had any questions regarding the man or his work, you will likely find the answers here. It should be noted that there are no subtitles on this or the following documentary, so you may find yourself running the picture back a couple of times if something is unclear.
• Curse of the Dragon – (1:27:27 total) Here is another comprehensive documentary about Lee, this time starting with his death and examining his legacy and the unfortunate fates of both himself and his son Brandon. Again, no subtitles are included here. This is a small quibble, given that we’ve been given hours of goodies, but still one strives for perfection…
• 1973 Featurette: Location: Hong Kong with Enter the Dragon – (7:38) The original vintage EPK featurette has been included here, along with everything else. By the time you get to this one, you will likely already be quite familiar with all the material. But it’s a quick review, and it’s what was available at the time the film was released.
• Backyard Workout with Bruce – (1:52 total) This is a vintage black and white video recording of Bruce Lee practicing kicks and punches in his backyard. If anything, it shows HE REALLY WAS THAT FAST.
• Trailers and TV Spots – (9:18 and 5:44 respectively) 4 theatrical trailers and 7 television ads for the movie are included in the package.
In addition to all the other goodies, a scene index is provided with plenty of chapter stops throughout the film. In normal fashion for Blu-Ray discs, a pop-up menu can be used as you watch the film to change the soundtrack, subtitles or jump to another scene.
IN THE END...
What we have here is effectively the already super 2-Disc WB release from 2004, only now they’ve gone a step farther and given us a beautiful 1080p transfer to go with it. If you have the materials to see the film on Blu-Ray, it’s worth your time to give it a look.
Kevin Koster
April 1, 2007.
________________________________________
ENTER THE DRAGON
Studio: Warner Bros.
Film Year: 1973
Film Length: 102 minutes
Genre: Action/Martial Arts
Aspect Ratio:
• 2.4:1 theatrical ratio
Colour/B&W: Colour
Audio:
• English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
• French Dolby Digital 1.0
• Spanish Dolby Digital 2S
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Film Rating: R
Release Date: April 17, 2007.
Rating: 4/5
With: Bruce Lee, John Saxon, Ahna Capri, Bob Wall, Shih Kien & Introducing Jim Kelly
Written by: Michael Allin
Directed by: Robert Clouse
ENTER THE DRAGON is so well-known that it is difficult to find a new way to approach the film for a review in 2007. For myself, I must admit that this was the first time I had actually seen it. It’s a fun movie that doesn’t take itself too seriously and primarily functions as a display of Bruce Lee’s legendary fighting abilities. Three years ago, a fairly definitive 2-Disc Standard Definition DVD was released by WB, containing a new transfer and a raft of extras. With the advent of Hi-Def, WB has released an HD-DVD and now this Blu-Ray edition. The Blu-Ray release contains all the prior extras from the 2-Disc edition but couples them with a 1080p High Definition transfer that is beautiful to see. If you have never seen this film before, or have only seen it on television or VHS, it’s worth your time to see this new transfer.
VIDEO QUALITY: 5/5
ENTER THE DRAGON is presented here in a 1080p High Definition 16x9 2.4:1 transfer that is a pleasure to watch. The sheer level of detail and color here is stunning, to say the least. There is a lot of primary color use in the film, from the color-coded karate uniforms to the constant bright colors on display – and I really didn’t see any places where the timing was off. The nighttime photography doesn’t look excessively grainy at all and the blacks looked satisfyingly deep on my screen. It’s a shock to think this film was made 34 years ago, and still looks this crisp. (On the other hand, the 70’s hairstyles and wardrobes pretty much give away the period, but that’s another story.) This appears to be the same Hi-Def transfer released on HD-DVD last summer – which isn’t a problem since it’s an outstanding piece of work. I should note that the difference between the Hi-Def transfer and the 2004 release will depend on your monitor and your DVD player. If you have been watching the film on a standard 20” TV with a standard DVD player and have just upgraded to a 1080p HDTV, you will be amazed by the difference in clarity. One early barometer is the visual quality of the water in the introductory sequence of our heroes arriving by barge. In 480p standard DVD resolution, the water is a bit flat and murky in texture. In 1080p, the water sparkles and has a lot more texture to it. And again, that is but one example of a print that is full of them. If, on the other hand, you already have a larger TV or HDTV and you also have a DVD player that upconverts to 1080i, the difference becomes less obvious unless you are looking at a monitor that is fairly large. For myself, I watched the Blu-Ray version and sections of the standard version on a 40” monitor and was able to discern differences in the resolution between 1080i and 1080p, but I found them far more pronounced when I reset the video settings on my player and monitor to 480p for the standard version. If you are watching on a 50” or larger monitor, I am certain the differences will be more apparent.
AUDIO QUALITY: 3/5
ENTER THE DRAGON is presented in a decent 5.1 surround mix in English, as well as simpler mixes in French and Spanish. The problem here is that this is not a film that has ever had that effective of a sound mix. When it was shot, the filmmakers did not record sound, choosing to use the spaghetti western technique of recording all dialogue and sound at a later date. This results in the dialogue feeling “canned” for much of the film. Further, the fighting sound effects are much louder and more outrageous than one would expect. (It’s easy to see where the ROCKY sound editors got their inspiration for the punch sounds in those movies…) The music here by Lalo Schifrin is painfully dated at this point – and it is the one feature of the film other than the fighting that really makes use of the surround channels. Mind you, I’m not trying to be harsh here (or to offend a Shaolin temple) – I’m just noting that this is not a film that was ever intended to showcase a good sound mix. Even with a high definition transfer, there isn’t much you can really do with the audio here.
SPECIAL FEATURES: 5/5
The Blu-Ray release of ENTER THE DRAGON ports over ALL the extras that were included on the prior 2-Disc Standard DVD from 2004. They are included in 480p standard definition, which explains how WB could include them all in addition to the 1080p feature. There’s OVER FOUR HOURS of supplements here – enough to satisfy the most die-hard Bruce Lee fan, as well as anyone curious about the man or his movies.
• FEATURE COMMENTARY - A commentary with producer Paul Heller initially recorded for a 1998 DVD release has been included here. He goes into a little detail about Lee’s fighting abilities, as well as some trivia about how Lee did his own stunts (and was injured), how Lee handled a real (milked) snake on camera, and how the mirror climax was conceived. Heller is joined at times by writer Michael Allin on a speaker phone, which makes for a disjointed effect, to say the least. Heller truly loves the film, but this isn’t the most gripping commentary you’ll ever hear.
The following materials are all 480p and non-anamorphic. Going back and forth from the film to the featurettes will find you constantly resetting your monitor…
• Blood & Steel: The Making of Enter the Dragon– (30:12 total) The documentary from the earlier release is included here. There’s a lot of material to go through in 30 minutes, including the usual interviews and behind-the-scenes footage, along with a few outtakes here and there.
• Bruce Lee: In His Own Words– (19:20 total) John Little’s compilation of Bruce Lee film clips and quotes is included here. Essentially, this is an intercut of an older black and white video interview of Lee and footage from the film. This featurette concludes with a montage of photos of Lee to the tune of “Ode to an Artist”.
• Linda Lee Cadwell Interview Gallery (16:05 total) 10 extended interview segments with Lee’s widow have been included here, as they were on the prior release. There’s a lot of interesting stuff here. She tells one story of an extra in the final competition sequence taunting Lee into an exhibition match of sorts on the set. Lee then apparently “schooled” the individual until he learned his lesson, in a good-natured way, of course…
• Bruce Lee: A Warrior’s Journey – (1:39:56) Here is a fairly comprehensive examination of Lee’s life and career, ported over from the prior release along with the other materials. If you had any questions regarding the man or his work, you will likely find the answers here. It should be noted that there are no subtitles on this or the following documentary, so you may find yourself running the picture back a couple of times if something is unclear.
• Curse of the Dragon – (1:27:27 total) Here is another comprehensive documentary about Lee, this time starting with his death and examining his legacy and the unfortunate fates of both himself and his son Brandon. Again, no subtitles are included here. This is a small quibble, given that we’ve been given hours of goodies, but still one strives for perfection…
• 1973 Featurette: Location: Hong Kong with Enter the Dragon – (7:38) The original vintage EPK featurette has been included here, along with everything else. By the time you get to this one, you will likely already be quite familiar with all the material. But it’s a quick review, and it’s what was available at the time the film was released.
• Backyard Workout with Bruce – (1:52 total) This is a vintage black and white video recording of Bruce Lee practicing kicks and punches in his backyard. If anything, it shows HE REALLY WAS THAT FAST.
• Trailers and TV Spots – (9:18 and 5:44 respectively) 4 theatrical trailers and 7 television ads for the movie are included in the package.
In addition to all the other goodies, a scene index is provided with plenty of chapter stops throughout the film. In normal fashion for Blu-Ray discs, a pop-up menu can be used as you watch the film to change the soundtrack, subtitles or jump to another scene.
IN THE END...
What we have here is effectively the already super 2-Disc WB release from 2004, only now they’ve gone a step farther and given us a beautiful 1080p transfer to go with it. If you have the materials to see the film on Blu-Ray, it’s worth your time to give it a look.
Kevin Koster
April 1, 2007.
