| BCI/Eclipse offers another old school martial arts release from UK-based label Rarescope to North America. This title, like virtually all of theirs so far, lives up to the “rare” label. Quality is also generally superior to budget releases from the likes of Ground Zero or Xenon, but it’s far from ideal.
It’s not full screen, but the original 2.35:1 aspect ratio print is still cropped significantly. Image quality is quite good though, with strong colors and only modest degradation. There are some uneven tint variations that hint at more than one print or stock being used. Another mild visual sore spot is with the original authoring that displays some digital pixel breakdown at one point. This seems to be a common flaw in early Rarescope titles.
The original English-dubbed audio track sounds just fine in all its 2-channel, monaural glory.
Bonus content is spare, but welcome and just as rare as the movie itself. There is a 2-minute demo with William Yen performing some amazing Peking Opera acrobatics on stage. There is also an undated interview with Philip Ko (4 minutes) where he gives an overview of his prolific career in martial arts moviemaking. The last feature is a preview of several other Rarescope titles. |
Technical Notes:
