Short Summary
Overview
Our goal is to re-master in 2K the classic 1976 Kung Fu film Bruce Lee's Secret (Bruce Lee's Deadly Kung Fu) from a recently discovered rare 35mm English print. The 44th anniversary edition of the film will include English audio with newly produced extra features and if we reach our larger goal, brand new supplements and interviews from the filmmakers....
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But.... should we hit our next level goal, we will scan and restore a second film, the 1981 Deadly Silver Ninja (Dragon, The Young Master), starring Dragon Lee in a 2k HD format as well. This film will also be from a rare 35mm English Print.
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There's a reason these classic undervalued Taiwanese/Hong Kong/Korean action films haven't been re-mastered so far, and it's because it's expensive and time consuming work. We need YOUR HELP to raise the money for expert re-mastering from original elements, Blu-ray authoring, production of extras, artwork, etc. We are an independent group of Kung Fu cinema fans trying to rescue what remains of many of these films and bring them to home theaters in the condition closest to their original release.
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So here’s the plan.
Goal 1: We raise $12,500 and Bruce Li vs. Hwang Jang Lee absolutely, definitely gets remastered in 2K resolution from the original 35mm print, uncut and uncensored.
Goal 2: We raise $22,000 and and the wild Korean/Hong Kong Dragon Lee brawl fest gets remastered in 2K resolution from the original 35mm print, uncut and uncensored.
Here's the gamble:
If we hit Goal 1 you get the perk from your pledge, Bruce Lee's Secret gets remastered in amazing quality and hopefully you’re a happy martial arts fan. BUT... if you can get all your buddies and fellow fans to get involved and we somehow help us hit Goal 2 you also get the 2nd film The Deadly Silver Ninja as well. Double Grindhouse feature! So the more we can raise the more YOU GET, your pledge effectively gets CHEAPER!! and who doesn't love a bargain.....
To read a little more on the importance of scanning and preserving these films, read the Bruceploitation Blog:
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What your money will finance
New HD transfer of the original 35mm print without digital tampering
Dust and scratch cleanup and removal of damage
Full color grade
DVD and Blu-ray authoring and printing
Even more additional goodies (if we exceed our financing goal)
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About BRUCE LEE'S SECRET:
"When it comes to Bruce Lee imitators, Bruce Li set the standard. He was among the very first out the gate after the Death of Bruce Lee, and with good reason." - Silver Emulsion Film Reviews
Bruce Lee's Secret (AKA Bruce Lee's Deadly Kung Fu, The Story of the Dragon) is generally considered the second most popular Bruce Lee biographical film behind Bruce Lee The Man The Myth. It is one of the few true "memoir" takes on Bruce Lee's life, focusing on a particular segment of his story, in this case a very loose retelling of Lee's development of Wing Chun into Jeet Kune Do as he battles for acceptance in the United States. Facing first the local Chinese martial arts community and then ultimately the American fighters threatened by his new form of teaching.
Filmed in Taiwan for the U.S., Bruce Lee's Secret would be released in the west under Bruce Lee's Deadly Kung Fu and A Dragon Story.
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About The Director:
William Cheung Kei began his career as a cinematographer working on several Bruce Leung films as well as the seminal The Secret Rivals before directing his first film Bruce Lee's Secret for Golden Sun Film Company. Most people who would see this film outside of the initial theatrical release have only seen half of his creative visual work via the many truncated television cuts and youtube versions that survive. This DVD and Blu-ray release would feature the full 2.35 scope image for the first time on home video.
About The Cast:
Bruce Li pairs with Kung Fu cinema legend Carter Huang and Korean Kicker Hwang Jang Lee in a blend of Wing Chun vs. Tae Kwon Do. Shot in Taiwan, the film would also introduce to the screen Roy Horan (Tower of Death) in a dual role for the first time. Tower's future star Kim Tai Jung would visit the set with Jang Lee where Bruce Li would comment: "he kept calling me "sifu, sifu" as he eagerly wanted to learn screen fighting and filmmaking" (interview with filmmaker and author Michael Worth). This film would be included in one of the very first film packages of Kung Fu movies to frequent the American "Kung Fu Theater" run on television and has survived in truncated and cropped prints ever since.
About DEADLY SILVER NINJA
"Even though this film may appear fairly nth rate on the surface, underneath it all it's a pretty decent adventure I didn't mind sitting down and watching. And one of the main reasons why I say this is because its main star, Dragon Lee, plus his very pretty co-star, Qiu Yuen, both managed to elevate it far beyond I thought they ever could." - David Andrews, Comic Books and Movie Reviews
The Deadly Silver Ninja is one of a series of films Dragon Lee did for the Korean/Hong Kong co-production of Asso Asia films. What makes it stand out (like the Spaghetti Western The Great Silence) is the film's snow bound setting and comedy and action mix creating a different tone from many of the other more traditionally set films. Kung Fu Hustle's Yuen Qui adds an extra effective touch to the action which is quite frequent in this unique martial arts film.
About the Director:
Kim Si-Hyeon (and the often added latter "co-director" Godfrey Ho) paired with Dragon Lee and a consistent stable of Korean actors and fighters through almost a dozen films. Some such as Martial Monks of Shaolin became classics in the Kung Fu genre. Though Dragon Lee would be included in the Holy Trinity of Bruceploitation actors, most of his performances under Kim deserve their own attention removed from the Bruce Lee exploitation moniker and Ninja is a prime example of that.
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If we succeed in raising the funds for the scanning and authoring costs, we will continue to try and restore and rescue more of these rare and quickly fading films the mainstream labels are bypassing. If not interested in this title, at least pass us along, share us on social media and websites so others can help and we may be able to continue the important task of restoring the legacy of these classic martial arts films.
The films that we raise the funding for will be remastered in 2K. They will then be color graded and restored to remove any dirt and scratches or damage. These prints haven't been accessed probably since the films were shown in the 1980s, so we don't know what we're likely to find. We could find additional footage. This is why being part of this project is an exciting gamble. The aim is to produce the highest quality HD masters that are as close as possible to what the directors intended.
