Bruce Lee fans are in for a very exciting summer as the martial arts superstar’s five classic kung fu films are set to be released on Blu-ray by one of the most prestigious home video distribution companies in the world.
The Criterion Collection, a US-based company renowned for its top-notch releases of art-house and classic films, has announced that a new seven-disc box set titled “Bruce Lee: His Greatest Hits” will be available from July 14.
The films include 4K digital restorations of The Big Boss (1971), Fist of Fury (1972), The Way of the Dragon (1972) and Game of Death (1978), as well as 2K restorations of two versions of Enter the Dragon (1973), including its 99-minute 1973 theatrical version and a 102-minute “special-edition”.
Audiences may rightly expect the best transfers yet of Lee’s films, as Criterion is known as much for its high-quality presentation as it is for its painstaking approach to special features.
Alongside the films, the box set offers a wide range of materials that include a high-definition presentation of Game of Death II (1981); a new presentation of Lee’s original Game of Death footage; and new interviews and audio commentaries by film experts.
There are also new and old documentaries on subjects that include Lee’s life and philosophies, the making of Enter the Dragon, the English-language dubbing of his films, and the “Bruceploitation” subgenre that followed the actor’s death.
Devotees of Hong Kong cinema will be glad to find that many of the city’s best known stars and filmmakers are also interviewed for this box set, including Simon Yam, Sammo Hung and Wong Jing, as well as Lee’s widow, Linda Lee Cadwell.
All in all, it’s a wonderful tribute to the Hong Kong cinema icon who would have turned 80 this November.
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