The Big Boss
The Big Boss | |
---|---|
Hong Kong movie poster | |
Traditional | 唐山大兄 |
Simplified | 唐山大兄 |
Mandarin | Táng Shān Dà Xiōng |
Cantonese | Tong4 Saan1 Daai6 Hing1 |
Directed by | Lo Wei |
Produced by | Raymond Chow |
Written by |
Bruce Lee Lo Wei |
Starring |
Bruce Lee Maria Yi James Tien Yin-chieh Han Tony Liu |
Music by | Wang Fu-ling |
Cinematography | Chan Ching Kui |
Edited by | Sung Ming |
Distributed by | Golden Harvest |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 110 minutes |
Country | Hong Kong |
Language |
Mandarin Cantonese |
Box office |
HK $3,197,417 North America: $2,800,000 (US/ Canada rentals)[1] |
The Big Boss (Chinese: 唐山大兄, also known as Fists Of Fury) is a 1971 Hong Kong martial arts action film written and directed by Lo Wei, with assistance from Bruce Lee. It stars Lee, Maria Yi, James Tien and Tony Liu. Bruce Lee's first major film, it was written for James Tien. However, Lee's strong performance overshadowed Tien, already a star in Hong Kong, and made Bruce Lee famous across Asia.
Plot
Cheng Chao-an is a Chinese man from mainland China who moves to Thailand to live with his cousins and works in an ice factory. When a block of ice is accidentally broken, a bag of white powder falls out. Two of Cheng's cousins are asked to see the manager. The factory is really a front for a drug smuggling ring led by Hsiao Mi, also known as the Big Boss. When they refuse to cooperate, they are killed and their bodies disposed of.
Hsu Chien and another cousin is sent to Hsiao Mi's house where he has them killed for asking questions. The men at the factory then riot. To ease tensions, Hsiao Mi now makes Cheng a foreman, providing him with alcohol and prostitutes. Sun, one of the prostitutes, had sex with Cheng the night he was drunk at Hsiao Mi's party, and she tells Cheng the truth. Immediately after Cheng leaves, Hsiao Mi's son, Hsiao Chiun, sneaks in and kills Sun by throwing a knife at her heart. Sun's body is disposed of in the ice factory, just as Cheng's cousins were. The next night, Cheng breaks into the factory and finds the bodies. However, he is discovered by the gangsters.
Cheng fights his way out, killing Hsiao Chiun and many gangsters in the process. He returns home to find that almost all of his family have been murdered, while Chiao Mei has gone missing. Cheng exacts revenge by killing Hsiao Mi in a final fight. Once he knows that Chiao Mei is safe, he surrenders to the Thai police when they arrive at Hsiao Mi's house.
Cast
- Bruce Lee: Lee is Cheng Chao-an (Chinese: 鄭潮安; Cantonese Yale: Zeng Ciu-On), a young man who, along with his uncle, travels from China to Pak Chong, Thailand to stay with his cousins.
- Maria Yi: Chiao Mei is a typical "damsel in distress". She is Cheng's only female cousin.
- James Tien: Cousin Hsu Chien is a martial artist and gets into fights with the local gangs.
- Yin-Chieh Han: Hsiao Mi ("The Big Boss") owns an ice factory which is really a front for his drug dealing.
- Lee Kwan: Cousin Ah Kun
- Tony Liu: Hsiao Chiun (Hsiao Mi's son)
- Chih Chen: Ah Sheng (Foreman) (as Chen Chao)
- Chia Ching Tu: Uncle Lu
- Gam Saan: Cousin Ah Shan
- Billy Chan Wui-ngai: Cousin Ah Pei
- Lam Ching-ying: Cousin Ah Yen (also Assistant Action Director of the film)
- Peter Yang: Cousin Ah Chen
- Nora Miao: a local cold drinks vendor (as Mao Ke-hsiu)
- Peter Chan: Hsiao Mi's henchman
- Marilyn Bautista: Miss Sun Wuman (as Malalene)
- Rhoma Irama: Xin Chang (Extra)
Original Mandarin cut
When the film was released in 1971 in Hong Kong, it included scenes that were later removed from all the mainstream versions. This was a result of the "1972 Hong Kong movie censorship crackdown", when martial arts films were censored for extreme violence and explicit content. The Big Boss originally included graphic scenes of two bodies being cut in half with a circular saw, an artery cut with a knife causing blood to spew from Hsu Chien's forehead, and a depiction of an enemy killed by "vertical partial cranial laceration" with a hand saw thrust by Cheng. Lastly, an entire sequence that takes place between the riverside mourning scene and the final fight at the Boss’s mansion was cut. Cheng, believing that he would die while trying to exact revenge, returns to the brothel he has visited earlier in the film, and hooks up with a different Thai prostitute for a final sexual encounter. This deleted scene features Bruce Lee's only nude scene in his career.
Alternative title confusion
When The Big Boss was being prepared for American distribution, it was to be retitled The Chinese Connection, a play on the popular The French Connection, since both dealt with drug trafficking. The title of Lee's second film, Fist of Fury, was to be identical, except for being Fists of Fury. However, the titles were accidentally reversed. The Big Boss was released as Fists of Fury and Fist of Fury became The Chinese Connection. Film purists refer to the films by their original titles. Recent American TV showings and the official US DVD release from Twentieth Century-Fox have restored the original titles of all Bruce Lee films.
Alternative music scores
Unlike other Lee films, The Big Boss is unique in having not only two, but three completely different music scores. Fist of Fury, Way of the Dragon, Enter the Dragon, and Game of Death all only feature one score with minor alterations.
The first music score for it was composed by Wang Fu-ling, who worked on films such as The Chinese Boxer and One-Armed Swordsman. This was made for the Mandarin language version and the first English and French version. It similar to other martial arts movie scores, especially the Shaw Brothers films. Wang was the only one to receive credit, but it is also believed composer Chen Yung-yu assisted with the score. At least one cue from Japanese composer Akira Ifukube's scores for the Daimajin trilogy of films was also utilized as stock music.
The second and most popular of the music scores was by German composer Peter Thomas. This did not become widely known until 2005, when most of the music he composed for the film appeared on iTunes in a Big Boss collection. Thomas's involvement stems from a complete reworking of the English version of the film. The early version featured the British voice actors who worked on all Shaw Brothers films and used Wang Fu-ling's score. It was decided to make a new English version that would stand out from the other martial arts films. New actors were brought in to voice the film in English, and Peter Thomas (composer) re-scored the film, abandoning Wang Fu-ling's music. The German dubbed version features his score, especially in the German title of the film in the iTunes compilation.
The third score is the 1983 Cantonese release score, which primarily features music from Golden Harvest composer Joseph Koo. However, a good portion of Joseph Koo's music in the Cantonese version was originally created in 1974 for the Japanese theatrical release of The Big Boss, which was half Koo's music and half Peter Thomas'. Golden Harvest simply took Koo's music from the Japanese version and added it to the Cantonese version. Aside from this, this version is most infamous for its use of the Pink Floyd music cues "Time" and "Obscured by Clouds", as well as King Crimson's "Larks' Tongues In Aspic, Part Two".
Other actors as Bruce Lee playing Cheng Chao-an
Various Bruce Lee biopics have been filmed over the years, with the two most famous being Bruce Lee: The Man, The Myth and Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story. Both of these films feature their respective actors, Bruce Li and Jason Scott Lee, at one point acting as Lee on the set of The Big Boss. Both films feature a variation of the rumor that Lee was challenged on the set by a Thai boxer. In Myth, Lee was challenged on set and was caught in the middle of an ambush later on off the set. In Dragon, Lee is challenged during an actual take during filming of The Big Boss, wearing the trademark rolled up long sleeve white T-shirt, white sash, and black pants. Both of these are highly exaggerated accounts (not to mention that Dragon makes the mistake of saying that filming for The Big Boss began in July 1970 rather than in July 1971), as the story told is that Lee merely discusses martial arts with a Thai fighter on the set. Besides these two examples, a third Bruce Lee biopic, The Legend of Bruce Lee, this time with Danny Chan Kwok Kwan as Lee and filmed in mini-series form, was shown in Hong Kong in 2008 as part of China's hosting of the summer Olympics. Once again, this biopic shown Lee encountering a Thai boxer on the set of The Big Boss, this time with the challenger being played by martial arts film veteran Mark Dacascos. Photos and behind-the-scenes video of this scene have appeared on various websites, including Dacascos's official site.
Release
- Upon its release The Big Boss became the highest-grossing film in the history of Hong Kong and remained unsurpassed until Bruce Lee's second film, Fist of Fury.
- When the film was released in the United States, the death of Hsiao Mi, "The Boss", was cut down to him simply being stabbed in the chest with a knife in order to receive an "R" rating. The original version of his death, which not only shows an explicit close-up of the knife in his chest but Cheng Chao-an's fingers piercing his rib cage and blood flowing from under his shirt, would have given the film an "X" rating. Ironically, the first time this scene was shown in the US was when it played on cable channel AMC in July 2004.
- Columbia pictures released the film as a re-issue in 1978 and again re-issued it with Fist Of Fury as a studio sanctioned double feature in February 1981.
- Miramax acquired rights from Golden Harvest to distribute The Big Boss on Television & Streaming it on Hulu & Netflix including Bruce Lee The Legend (1977) & Game Of Death (1978).
VHS releases
4 Front (United Kingdom)
- Released: 17 March 1997
- Classification: 18
4 Front(United Kingdom)
- Released: 1 October 2001
- Part of a boxset
- Classification: 18
20th Century Fox (America)
- Released: 21 May 2002
- Named Fists of Fury
- Classification: R, X (known in some video releases)
- Color: NTSC
- Run time: 99 minutes
DVD releases
Universe (Hong Kong)
- Aspect ratio: Widescreen (2:35:1) letterboxed
- Sound: Cantonese (Dolby Digital 5.1), Mandarin (Dolby Digital 5.1)
- Subtitles: Traditional, Simplified Chinese, English, Japanese, Korean, Indonesian, Malaysian, Thai, Vietnamese
- Supplements: Trailer, trailers for Way of the Dragon, Enter the Dragon, Game of Death, Legacy of Rage, star files
- All regions, NTSC
Mega Star (Hong Kong)
- Aspect ratio: Widescreen (2:29:1)
- Sound: Cantonese (Dolby Digital 2.0 Dual Mono), Mandarin (Dolby Digital 2.0 Dual Mono)
- Subtitles: Traditional, Simplified Chinese, English, Japanese, Korean
- Supplements: Trailer, synopsis, cast and Crew biographies
- All regions, NTSC
Fortune Star – Bruce Lee Ultimate DVD Collection (Hong Kong)
- Released: 29 April 2004
- Aspect ratio: Widescreen (2:35:1) anamorphic
- Sound: Cantonese (DTS 5.1), Cantonese (Dolby Digital 5.1), Cantonese (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono), Mandarin (DTS 5.1), Mandarin (Dolby Digital 5.1)
- Subtitles: Traditional, Simplified Chinese, English
- Supplements: Original trailer, new trailer, still photos, slideshow of photos, celebrity interviews, unseen footage, Game of Death outtakes, Enter the Dragon alternate opening, 32-page booklet
- Region 3, NTSC
Fox (America)
- Released: 21 May 2002
- Aspect ratio: Widescreen (2:27:1) letterboxed
- Sound: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
- Subtitles: English
- Supplements: None
- Region 1, NTSC
Fox – Bruce Lee Ultimate Collection (America)
- Released: 18 October 2005
- Aspect ratio: Widescreen (2:35:1) anamorphic
- Sound: Cantonese (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono), Manadarin (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono), English (DTS 5.1), English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
- Subtitles: English
- Supplements: Original trailer, new trailer, still photos, slideshow of photos, interview with Tung Wai, bonus trailers
- Region 1, NTSC
Hong Kong Legends – Special Collector's Edition (United Kingdom)
- Released: 6 November 2000
- Aspect ratio: Widescreen (2:35:1) anamorphic
- Sound: Cantonese (Dolby Digital 2.0 Dual Mono), English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Dual Mono)
- Subtitles: English, Dutch
- Supplements: Commentary by Bey Logan, production photo gallery, animated biography showcase of Bruce Lee with voice over, original Mandarin trailer, Hong Kong promotional trailer, UK promotional trailer, bonus trailers
- Region 2, PAL
Hong Kong Legends – Platinum Edition (United Kingdom)
- Released: 23 October 2006
- Aspect ratio: Widescreen (2:35:1) anamorphic
- Sound: Cantonese (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), Cantonese (Dolby Digital 2.0 Dual Mono), English (2.0 Dual Mono)
- Subtitles: English, Dutch
- Supplements: Disc 1: Commentary by Andrew Staton and Will Johnston, bonus trailers; Disc 2: UK platinum trailer, UK promotional trailer, original Mandarin trailer, Hong Kong promotional trailer, rare uncut 8mm UK trailer, original 35mm UK title sequence, textless 35mm title sequence, original lobby cards, "Paul Weller: Breaking the West", "Fred Weintraub: A Rising Star", "Tom Kuhn: What Might Have Been", "The History of The Big Boss: A Photographic Retrospective", "Deleted Scenes Examined: The Story of the Elusive Original Uncut Print", animated biography showcase of Bruce Lee with voice over, DVD credits
- Region 2, PAL
Blu-ray Disc release
Kam & Ronson (Hong Kong)
- Released: 6 August 2009
- Aspect ratio: Widescreen (2:35:1)
- Sound: Cantonese (DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1), Cantonese (Dolby True HD 7.1), Mandarin (Dolby Digital EX 6.1), Thai (Dolby Digital EX 6.1)
- Subtitles: Traditional Chinese, English, Thai
- Supplements: Tung Wai interview
- Region A
References
- ↑ "Big Rental Films of 1973", Variety, 9 January 1974 p 19
External links
- Official site at Miramax Films
- The Big Boss at the Internet Movie Database
- The Big Boss at the Hong Kong Movie DataBase
- The Big Boss at AllMovie
- A gallery of still shots from The Big Boss
- An in-depth article on the missing scenes featuring rare publicity shots and screenshots
- The opening credits from the "version you've never seen"
- "the big boss & the beautiful orphan" by d. (contemporary artist/designer). "the big boss & the beautiful orphan" is a remix/remake of "The Big Boss." Genre: cross-genre, appropriation art, experimental, literary. "the big boss & the beautiful orphan" appeared 22 March 2011 in the online arts journal, "Orion headless."
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