An Old Kung Fu Master aka Yi lao yi xiao yi gen ding (1981) (Terror Vision) Blu-ray Review + Screenshots + Packaging Shots

Terror Vision has done the impossible and rescued another kung fu flick from becoming lost media. Is this release worth your time or should you look the other way?

Studio: Terror Vision
Release Date: May 2nd 1981 (theatrical) / May 21st, 2024 (blu-ray)
Run Time: 1 hour 27 minutes 1 second
Region Code: FREE

Disc Count: 1 (BD-50)
Picture: 1080p (2.35:1 aspect ratio)
Sound: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
Subtitles: English SDH
Slipcover: Yes
Starring: Yuen Siu-tien, Charles Heung Wah-Keung, Cecilia Wong, Yuen Lung-Kui, Thompson Kao Kang, Chow Siu-Loi
Written by Gwan Jing-Leung
Directed by Gwan Jing-Leung
Rating: Unrated (martial arts violence)

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Poster

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What's It About?

A drunken master takes on some new disciples from a Kung-Fu school and he teaches them his secret styles of martial arts to take on a greedy warlord that is trying to take over the land.

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Video/Audio

Terror Vision is dedicated to preserving films that they grew up on and have loved for decades. This includes rare and unknown martial arts films and An Old Master Kung Fu is one of them. Saved from the brink of extinction from a badly battered print found in a warehouse in Hong Kong. Terror Vision was able to scan, repair, and color correct this severely damaged film in order to bring it to HD for the very first time in the world!

If you thought GAME OF KILLERS was rough, you have not seen anything yet. Just about every problem you can ever think of can be found here. Lines, teeth marks (from projector use), hairs, nicks, missing frames, scratches, burns, and color fluctuations are all present. This would be a bad thing if this were a bigger, more popular film, but this is a forgotten film from a time when kung fu movie film prints and negatives were not kept in the best of conditions. The fact that this was even watchable is a testament to Terror Vision. They have done a bang up job getting this film is a presentable fashion. There are a lot of people who will shit on the way the film looks but I like it. I imagine this is what watching a film like this on 42nd Street would have been like. All of the damage and whatnot give the film character. It also reminds us that we are watching a film print. No DNR or anything of the like can be found here.

The included English track (the original language track is lost) sounds good but not great. It can be a bit thin at times, but it is listenable and doesn't take away from the enjoyment of the film.

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Extras/Packaging

Fists of Beauty: The Cinematic History of Cecilia Wong (13m 50s, HD, 1.78:1) I didn't know anything about Wong but I do now. I plan on checking out of some of the films she made that I haven't seen yet.

Terror Vision has done a bang up job with the packaging. The slipcover is the thick cardstock we have come to love from them. The front of the slip features some nice art that I am not sure is original or if it's from the film's original release. The back of the slip lists out the names of the three most famous people in the film inside of an orange ball.

The front of the blu-ray case features the film's original poster art complete with the director's name misspelled. Inside the clear blu-ray case is some inner art that features a still of Simon Yuen. We also get a "Creep Coin", which I explained in my GAME OF KILLERS review.

The disc is REGION FREE

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Soapbox

I hate that Terror Vision and other companies spell Chinese names incorrectly. Almost every name of the box for AN OLD KUNG FU MASTER (and GAME OF KILLERS, which I reviewed previously) is misspelled. In China, the last name goes first and first name goes last. Think of Chow Yun-fat's name. His last name is Chow while his first name is Yun-fat. IMDb.com is the biggest offender of this with 95% of the Chinese names being in the wrong order. Big names like the aforementioned Chow Yun-fat and Yuen Woo-ping are done right but others are not. This is incredibly disrespectful to everyone and should be corrected. I have called out these different places for doing it wrong and they ignored me. The English titles at the beginning get the names right; why couldn't Terror Vision? I love Terror Vision but they can do better than this. It seems like the only places that get this right are Wikipedia and Letterboxd.

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Overall

AN OLD KUNG FU MASTER is not a good film. It's boring with some terrible fight scenes. I mean, every move is telegraphed to high heaven. We know what the move is going to be before the characters do. The end fight scene is pretty good but you have to sit through a bunch of other dull fight scenes. Not even Simon Yuen can save this thing. He was so great in films like DRUNKEN MASTER and SNAKE IN THE EAGLE'S SHADOW but he is very lackluster here. The comedy also falls flat. It has been a long time since I have rolled my eyes at attempted comedy and my eyes were a rollin' here. Not one joke landed. I will say that the English dubbing made the film a lot more watchable. I can not recommned this film to anyone outside of those who are stone cold martial arts movie fans or those looking for something out of left field.

The Blu-ray, from Terror Vision, is a miracle upon itself. While the picture quality is rough, to say the least, it is completely watchable. The special feature is good if you are looking to learn more about the people who made these films. I spent $10 on this release and I do not feel ripped off. Sure, I didn't like the film, but if my money goes to restoring more unknown flicks, then I am all for it. I don't think this release will play well outside of the fandom, but I think it could play to those who just want a kung fu flick to close out their day.

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Extras/Menus