Drunken Master II (醉拳二)–Film Whisperer ultimate package

[The Film Whisperer]

Check my signature for links to my other projects here Fan-Res!

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DISCLAIMER: I cannot take credit for the video/color-correction part of this project. All of that credit goes to another friend. And special thanks goes to him.

And also, special thanks goes to HKR (Hong Kong Rescue), and all who worked on those projects.

HKR, we miss you.

About the film

Do I really need to describe it to you all? If you're a fan of Jackie Chan, you know this film.

Here's a fun-fact: this was the last of Jackie Chan's films to be made without sync-sound.

The only thing you need to know about this film is that the Miramax/Dimension (henceforth referred to has just "Miramax") stranglehold on distribution rights is finally over. In fact, I believe the Miramax print is OOP (out of print), and now Warner Bros has the distribution rights.

Therefore, I do urge you to PLEASE by one of the recent blu-ray releases of this film, before asking me to share my project with you.

What is my project?

My project has two versions of the film

1. Hong Kong theatrical version (Cantonese version)
   
2. Taiwanese/Mandarin theatrical version
   

Both files are MKVs, with a frame rate (and speed) of 23.976 fps

Hong Kong theatrical version specs

size: 33.63 GB

Video source: A color-correction from an online friend, who toned down the somewhat over-saturated color-tones from the Warner Bros blu-ray version (which is visually still far superior to the Miramax version).

Subtitles

1. Dialog---translation is straight from HKR
   
2. End credits theme songs: The translation of the sung lyrics are a combination of me using Google translate on the written characters, and my wife (who is Chinese and only speaks Mandarin). However, she warned me that Cantonese and Mandarin really are two different spoken languages, and that differences is amplified A LOT in songs. I then spent $60 out of my own pocket for a professional translation of the spoken part for the Cantonese theme song. So y'all better thank me big time!
   
3. All subtitle options have a "no bi-lingual" option for the end credit theme song translations, in case your media player can't handle Chinese characters.
   

Audio list (note, all tracks will have the Cantonese theme song playing in the end credits)

#1. 2.0 LPCM (mono) Cantonese mono track (presumably from the HK laserdisc?)

This track has A LOT more weight behind it than HKR's! "Heavier" and "dirtier" but very robust.

#2. 2.0 LPCM (stereo) all-Cantonese (from HKR...but I'm not sure where they sourced it from)

HKR's audio tracks are a lot cleaner, but a little weaker. And I think they are genuine stereo and not dual-mono, but I'm not 100% sure.

#3. 2.0 LPCM (stereo), Cantonese/English hybrid (from HKR...but I'm not sure where they sourced it from)
This is one that I made personally. I thought it'd be a nice touch to have a "hybrid" track, with the Chinese characters speaking Cantonese and the British characters speaking English. During scenes that have back & forth conversations between Chinese & Englishmen, the Chinese characters will also speak English.

#4. 2.0 LPCM (stereo), export English dub (from HKR...not sure where they sourced it from)

Unlike the Miramax dub, the "export" dub retains the original score and sound effects. The export version played an instrumental version of the "Drunken Fist" theme song during the end credits. However, this dub I synced will play the Cantonese theme song with subtitles.

The original "export" version of this film cuts to end credits after Fei-Hung faints after the final fight. Movie-censorship has that documented here. I believe the export dub on the official Warner Bros blu-ray and VOD releases revert to the Cantonese for the entire ending scene. but will still play an instrumental version of the theme song.

In my restoration on the export dub track, I use the Miramax dub for that final scene, until the very end during the "blind boxing scene" (the scene that Miramax infamously cut for being "tasteless"), where the track will revert to Cantonese.

I personally would like to know if a stronger, heavier and possibly "dirtier" version of this dub exists somewhere, becuause I'd like this track to pack a little more "weight" without too much distortion. Though nonetheless, this dub from HKR is clean and clear.

#5. 5.1 Dolby TrueHD, Miramax/Dimension English dub

I'm sure many of you were first introduced to this movie with this dub track. This is the only audio track for the movie that will have Jackie Chan's voice. It has a brand new score (which is actually really good in my opinion), plus new sound effects, which I also feel are well-done.

It is my dream one day to make a version of this movie which has the Miramax score and sound effects, with the original Cantonese dialog! If anyone wants to help me make such a track, please contact me!

#6. Commentary from Bey Logan (ULTRA RARE TRACK...no idea where it originally appeared)

Subtitle list
(just a reminder that all subtitle options have a "no bi-lingual" option, for the lyrics to the theme song in the end credits, just in case your media player can't handle it)

1. English for "pure" Cantonese tracks
   
2. English for my custom HKR Cantonese/English track
   
3. English for the English dubs
   
4. SDH for Miramax dub
   

"Mandarin" / "Taiwanese" version specs

size: 20.12 GB

Wait...what is the "Mandarin" version?

If you're not familiar with the "Mandarin" version, Movie-Censorship can explain it here. Basically, the main difference is the song that Wong Fei-Hung sings at the outdoor marketplace, during the evening time, after he's been (temporarily) dis-owned by his father. This cut of the film has him singing an alternate song filmed in the Mandarin dialect (which I properly subtilted in this restoration).

I restored the "drunken singing scene" using the Thakral DVD. Yes, the visual difference is obvious. I left that sequence in its original 1.85:1 AR (whereas the rest of the movie is 2.35:1), since I didn't want to crop an already cropped video, and I upscaled it as best as I could and color-corrected accordingly.

It also had all-Chinese opening credits (instead of bi-lingual English/Chinese ones), but I decided not to honor that.

The Mandarin dub's script is quite similar to the Cantonese one, but it does differ in some areas. My wife helped translate the theme song (and she's far more confident in her translation here than she is for the Cantonese one). I used the Takral DVD for guidance on some of the subtitle nuances in the script differences.

Video
I made this video before my friend's color-corrected version of the HK theatrical cut was made available. So therefore, my version uses HKR's somewhat over-saturated version (but still looks great!)

Audio
2.0 LPCM, Mandarin dub (from HKR) for everything except the alternate "Drunken Fei-Hung singing" scene, which used the Thakral DVD 5.1 Mandarin dub track

Subtitles: English, properly translating the Mandarin script, which is very similar to the Cantonese script but has its differences.

"non bi-lingual" option is available.

By the way...
I also included in the folders separate SRT subs, to "open source", if anyone wants to make their own subs in another language. And also, if any of you understand Cantonese/Mandarin and written Chinese well enough to correct for the song and dialog translations, please feel free to make corrections!

[PDB]

Sounds like an amazing project. Thanks for spending the money

[Serums]

Bey Logan's commentary came from his website. I believed he monetised it.

In terms of Cantonese tracks HKR used an LD track, and the unfortunately-looped 'stereo' track from the R3 DVD. This one, that I'd love to fix if I had stems to work with, took the dialogue and sound effects from the film but used the stereo audio from the CD soundtrack as its soundtrack. They didn't construct the track properly, so the music loops here and there.

[The Film Whisperer]

Bey Logan's commentary came from his website. I believed he monetised it.

In terms of Cantonese tracks HKR used an LD track, and the unfortunately-looped 'stereo' track from the R3 DVD. This one, that I'd love to fix if I had stems to work with, took the dialogue and sound effects from the film but used the stereo audio from the CD soundtrack as its soundtrack. They didn't construct the track properly, so the music loops here and there.

Ah, that's interesting. I don't think I ever got the R3 DVD from Warner, but I'd be interested in comparing the tracks.

[Serums]

I think I have the track directly from the R3 disc, I'll check and let you know.

The looping is present in the R3, I can tell you that much. And the R3 is missing the music cue in the final fight when Wong Fei Hung smashes that wooden thing. But that could be patched with the soundtrack.

[The Film Whisperer]

Bey Logan's commentary came from his website. I believed he monetised it.

In terms of Cantonese tracks HKR used an LD track, and the unfortunately-looped 'stereo' track from the R3 DVD. This one, that I'd love to fix if I had stems to work with, took the dialogue and sound effects from the film but used the stereo audio from the CD soundtrack as its soundtrack. They didn't construct the track properly, so the music loops here and there.

BTW, has Bey Logan done any other commentaries since being..."outed"    ?