Snake & Crane Arts of Shaolin: Deluxe Collector's Edition – 88 Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Hong Kong/Taiwan, 1978
Director: Chen Chi Hwa
Writer: Hsin-Yi Chang
Cast: Jackie Chan, Nora Miao, Chin Cheng-Lan, Li Yung-Kuo, Liu Ya-Ying, Chen Hsin-Yi, Chin Kang, Hu Han-Chang

Release Date: January 16th, 2023
Approximate running time: 101 Minutes 15 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: 15 (UK)
Sound: LPCM Mono Mandarin (Hong Kong Version), LPCM Mono Mandarin (Japanese Version), LPCM Mono Classic English Dub
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region B
Retail Price: £24.99 (UK)

"Released in 1978, the madcap mayhem of Snake & Crane Arts of Shaolin was a surefire sign to audiences that its young star Jackie Chan was soon to be even more famous than the man who paved the way for the modern martial arts genre – Mr. Bruce Lee! An international box office success, this all-time classic is one of Chan’s most beloved masterworks and it is easy to see why. The fights come thick and fast in this relentless tale of a young kung-fu student with a very unique style – which attracts a series of curious competitors!" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5

Here’s the information given about the transfer, "Stunning New 2K Transfer from the Original Film Negative."

Snake & Crane Arts of Shaolin comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 41.9 GB

Feature: 31.4 GB

For this release, 88 Films has created a brand new 2K transfer from the original camera negative. The result is a noticeable improvement over their previous Blu-ray release. Colors and flesh tones look correct; black and contrast levels are strong; and compression is solid. That said, though the image looks crisp, there are moments where it looks soft.

Audio: 4.25/5 (LPCM Mono Mandarin), 4/5 (LPCM Mono English)

This release comes with three audio options, a LPCM mono mix in Mandarin (Hong Kong Version), a LPCM mono mix in Mandarin (Japanese Version), and a LPCM mono mix in English (Classic English Dub). Though all of the tracks sound clear, balanced, and robust when they should. It should be noted that the English language track has some moments where the quality shifts. That said, the two Mandarin audio tracks are comparable. Included are two English subtitle tracks, one for each Mandarin audio track. It should be noted that the English subtitles for this release are newly translated.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a stills gallery with music from the film playing in the background, Japanese TV spot (15 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Japanese with removable English subtitles), Japanese theatrical trailer (2 minutes 12 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Japanese with removable English subtitles), an interview with filmmaker Steve Lawson titled Jackie Chan – Looking Again at the Lo Wei Era (10 minutes 19 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with Rick Baker titled Pick Your Poison (19 minutes 51 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with action cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema, six replica Lobby Cards, reversible cover art, a double-sided foldout poster, and a 80-page perfect bound book with an essay titled Snake & Crane Arts of Shaolin and a Prelude to Success written by Matthew Edwards, an essay titled A Tale of Two Snakes written by Andrew Heskins, and rare archive stills and posters.

Summary:

Outside of films like Snake in the Eagle's Shadow and Drunken Master, most of Jackie Chan’s pre-Golden Harvest films often get overlooked. Over time, their reputation has grown, and one such film, Snake & Crane Arts of Shaolin, is arguably one of Jackie Chan’s best films from this era of his career.

Snake & Crane Arts of Shaolin was directed by Chen Chi Hwa, who also worked with Jackie Chan on these films: Shaolin Wooden Men, Half a Loaf of Kung Fu, and Police Story. Most martial arts films from Hong Kong from this era were known to use music from either film. Snake & Crane Arts of Shaolin uses a track from the De Wolfe music library titled Ice Floe 9, which also appears in the films Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Dawn of the Dead.

The Snake and Crane Arts of Shaolin begins with a lengthy demonstration/fight sequence, as was common in 1970s martial arts films. From there, it's nonstop action with little backstory to keep the narrative moving. With the bulk of the narrative being about Hsu Yin-Fung, Jackie Chan’s character is attacked by those who want a Shaolin martial arts book in his possession. Fortunately, this does not detract from the story, as the action set pieces are all excellent.

Jackie Chan (Police Story) has an excellent platform to showcase his martial arts prowess in Snake & Crane Arts of Shaolin.though there are glimpses of the humor that is synonymous with his most celebrated films. The overall tone of his performance is a lot darker than those aforementioned films.

The rest of the cast are very good in their roles, especially the two female leads, Liu Ya-Ying (Soul of Chiba), who portrays a woman who pretends to be a man, and Nora Miao (Fists of Fury) in the role of Tang Pin-Er, the leader of one of the clans trying to get the book that Hsu Yin-Fung has in his possession.

Though the films that Jackie Chan made for Lo Wei Motion Picture Company are known for their limited budgets, Snake & Crane Arts of Shaolin is a textbook example of a low-budget film that makes full use of its resources. And its well-executed narrative ensures there is never a dull moment. Finally, Snake & Crane Arts of Shaolin is a solid martial arts film that is a must-see if you enjoy 1970s martial arts films.

The re-release of The Snake & Crane Arts of Shaolin by 88 Films is this film's best home video release to date. It comes with an improved transfer and informative extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer