Sonny Chiba The Street Fighter (1 Viewer)

[chris larralde]

Are there any legitimate releases out there? I've seen a couple for $6 and some that are bundled with several other movies, but I've heard that the image quality looks like a bad VHS.
Are real versions of the movie available?

 

[BooneG]

There is one version that goes for $10.00 that isn't half bad. It's in widescreen, but not anamorphic. The picture isn't too bad either. But as far as a "real" release I have no idea. I know that New Line held the rights for a long time, but I don't know if they still do.

 

[Jesse Skeen]

I have this in the Brentwood "Masters Of Martial Arts" 10-pack (list price only $19.99!) and the version on it is acceptable- it looks like it was taken from a laserdisc, it's letterboxed and includes the original language soundtrack as well. The English track is remixed for stereo but sounds like they got the left and right reversed, and there's 2 places in the movie where English subtitles appear under the picture.
I think this movie's been in public domain for a while; I've got the old MGM/CBS CED videodisc in lovely pan and scan.

 

[Peter M Fitzgerald]

I have the two Diamond double-feature DVDs of THE STREET FIGHTER/RETURN OF THE STREET FIGHTER and STREET FIGHTER'S LAST REVENGE/SISTER STREET FIGHTER. Each film is letterboxed (but non-anamorphic) at 2.35:1 and all look quite good. I'd opt for these over the other "bargain bin" editions, as you get all four of the films in OAR for about $20, and I doubt New Line is going to be doing anything with them any time soon. Of the Chiba STREET FIGHTER quartet, I've found the third film, STREET FIGHTER'S LAST REVENGE, to be the most enjoyable of all.

 

[Jim Bivins]

Any idea what e-tailer would have the Diamond double features? I've checked dvdempire, deepdiscount, dvdplanet, and so far nothing.

Thanks

 

[Wes C]

I have the Great Streetfighter movies VD that I bought from deep discount DVD. IT has The Street Fighter, Return of, and Last Revenge all in OAR on one disc. THe sound and video is suprisingly good. But the price is better: $5.94

 

[Ben Motley]

Diamond DVD website...
I posted this back in April on another site or two, but never did here, so here ya go. I think the price has gone up, but the service (speed of delivery) was still great.

With shipping, it came to $12.45 or so. I thought some of you might like to know. Go to Diamond's site at Link Removed
Watched the first Streetfighter yesterday... Chiba just rocks. I had the Turner tapes, but only the first one was in widescreen. This is AWESOME having them all in widescreen. I can't wait to watch the rest of 'em.

The Steetfigher discs look fine, but The Bodyguard and Dragon Princess discs are in pan and scan. I could hardly sit through them as they were so awful. With as much action as Chiba packs in his movies, you just cannot pan and scan the them... grrr. Anyway, Sue Shiomi kicks ass, and is hot to boot!

 

[Mark Edward Heuck]

Quick on delivery they may be, but Diamond are in my estimation just two notches more respectable than the grey market dealers we choose not to glorify here. You are correct in that their STREET FIGHTER material is from laserdisc -- laserdiscs that NEW LINE spent good money mastering and releasing. And now these people just slap those onto DVD without offering a cent to the proper rights holder and that's legal?

Let us try this instead, and be patient with me. New Line is quietly beginning to license material to Image, mostly old B titles they don't have time or inclination to mess with. It started with THE LEGEND OF 1900, and will continue with a special edition of MAN OF THE CENTURY. That, combined with the long relationship New Line and Image had for laserdisc, could easily yield legitimate, clean, 16x9, and LEGAL DVD's of not only the STREET FIGHTER quadrant, but all their classic horror films (XTRO, ALONE IN THE DARK) and other titles too small to be given the Platinum or Infinifilm treatment.

As long as you patronize shady businesses like Diamond or Brentwood, they will continue to put out shoddy DVD's of films they do not even own. You have been warned.

 

[Ben Motley]

Geeze, sorry I said anything. Last time I checked, they sold Diamond dvds at Best Buy. It's not like they're some garage outfit in Hong Kong.

What am I, a newbie? Thanks for setting me straight Mark. Maybe one day I'll be included in that "we". :rolleyes
Truth of the matter is that Diamond is the most legit of any of the Streetfighter dvds, and I was just answerin' the dang question raised in the thread anyway.

 

[Mark Edward Heuck]

You dress up a grifter in a nice suit, and he'll make his way into Best Buy, Circuit City, and any retailer who'll buy his bunk. That doesn't change the fact that he's still stealing your money and giving you inferior goods.

The hard truth is that New Line either doesn't know about this theft of their property, or is too busy planning five different LoR box sets to properly prosecute and punish these quick-buck artists.

If Diamond can produce a single legal document from New Line, Sonny Chiba, or anyone involved in the STREET FIGHTER series that says in writing they are entitled to issue these films on DVD, I'll shut up. But until then, I'm calling these $5 bargain DVDs what they really are: Bootlegs, plain and simple, regardless of whether they're sold at a big box retailer, or online, or on a streetcorner.