Bruce Lee's voice in movies
- Thread starter amishman
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Steel Tiger
Senior Master
Yeah, it's his voice alright. He had a kinda funny voice which was accentuated when he was talking about something he was passionate about.
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- #3
Was it his also in the older movies like Fists Of Fury, etc.... or just the ones I stated above.
tj
Steel Tiger
Senior Master
I think there was some dubbing involved for his earlier films when they were released in the US. I have often noticed this with films from Asia. I guess the companies bringing them to the US didn't think the Asian voices were macho enough or something.
You should see the difference to story and tone when you see a HK film with the original dialogue. Very different. They don't actually speak like they're in an ultra-macho western.
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- #5
So, they they have other versions of the same films with original voices; speaking I guess in Chinese or???
Are they saying the same thing on our US versions just in english or are they saying something else and US just put something different for us?
That would be neat to hear.
tj
Steel Tiger
Senior Master
I'm pretty sure that all the films BL made while in HK were in Cantonese (the Big Boss, the Chinese Connection, etc). The dialogue is often wildly different in the original, but the biggest difference seems to be the idiom. The dubbing tends to change the feel of the film. Heroes and tough guys often sound like Malboro men and comic characters always seem to have squeaky voices. Its really weird.
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- #7
Yes, these voices are bringing back memories. I purchased the a Bruce Lee Master Set and watched The Big Boss and Fist Of Fury so far. The little squeaky translator guy in Fist Of Fury is really funny squeaky voice.
Another thing that cracks me up is these early films are called one thing over seas and here another. Like Fist Of Fury here but I guess elsewhere is was The Chinese Connection. Always a little confusing.
tj
Steel Tiger
Senior Master
Yeah, when I first saw a Bruce Lee film it was Fist of Fury, seemed an appropriate name. Chinese Connection is the original name of the film though I have always wondered why it was called that.
Its interesting to look at the portrayal of the hero in these films. He is pretty much the same; a put upon young man who eventually takes revenge for insult and injury and ultimately is killed. I wonder if Bruce chose these roles because of the nature of the characters or if they were just parts he was given. He only did them because he was not accepted in Hollywood, even though it looked like he would have great movie success after the Green Hornet.
I like Bruce Lee, not so much for his inovations in martial arts, but because he was something of a modern Renaissance man - acting, philosophy, and, of course, martial arts.
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More complicated than that-the movie released in the U.S. as the Chinese Connection was originally called Fists of Fury in Hong Kong, and School of Chivalry in the Mandarin version. The film released as Fists of Fury in the U.S. was originally called The Big Boss in Hong Kong, and was called the Chinese Connection elsewhere....very confusing,....
Lee's voice was dubbed in nearly all his films up to Enter the Dragon. His bird-call battle cries were of course dubbed. You listen to him in ETD and then go to Chinese Connection (originally known as Fist of Fury) you can hear a big difference. He was given this dub of a deep voiced tough guy. You hear it especially when after he takes on the whole Japanese Karate school for the first time and telling the two senior students that were there bullying it up at his school to "eat... eat... this time it's paper, next time it'll be glass..."
Of course that skinny guy was used in several of his movies and was always given the comic book character voice to suit his effeminate (stereotyped gay?) mannerisms.
I prefer to listen to the original Cantonese soundtrack with english subtitles with my DVD's anyway ... lots better that way.
Of course that skinny guy was used in several of his movies and was always given the comic book character voice to suit his effeminate (stereotyped gay?) mannerisms.
I prefer to listen to the original Cantonese soundtrack with english subtitles with my DVD's anyway ... lots better that way.
Steel Tiger
Senior Master
I prefer to listen to the original Cantonese soundtrack with english subtitles with my DVD's anyway ... lots better that way.
There's no doubt they are all better in the original language. Subtitling can be a bit erratic at times but you don't lose the proper feel and texture of the films.
The whole issue of how the Chinese films were converted and renamed for U.S. use is very complicated! What a mess.
Shawn
Yellow Belt
...and it should be kept in mind that the movies were dubbed anyway, even in the cantonese versions. They were filmed without sound and it was added later.
True of most, if not all, HK flicks of the 70's.
Enter the Dragon, being a co-production, I believe is an exception.
True of most, if not all, HK flicks of the 70's.
Enter the Dragon, being a co-production, I believe is an exception.
CheukMo
Orange Belt
The first three movies had different names in HK than in the US. Changing "The Big Boss" to "Fist of Fury" seems like an American marketing ploy to make the name "be better suited to" the fact it was a martial arts action film. "Fist of Fury" was changed to "The Chinese Connection" because of the success of "The French Connection" in the US in the same time frame. "Way of the Dragon" was changed to "Return of the Dragon" because it was released after "Enter the Dragon" in the US. I agree that it is funny how they dubbed the English in the first three films. Most HK films at the time were, as stated above, done without vocals and dubbed in later in Cantonese. Mandarin subtitles were added for non-Cantonese speakers. There was some over dubbing done on "Enter the Dragon". If you watch the "new" version with the Shaolin master talking about Bruce having reached a spiritual level of martial arts you can tell that the overdubbing of Bruce's voice is not the same or as clean as the rest of the film due to the fact that the scene was cut from the original release. The best example of Bruce's true voice is in the documentary "Bruce Lee: A Warrior's Journey" with the "lost" interview and scenes from Longstreet.
Lee's voice was dubbed in nearly all his films up to Enter the Dragon. His bird-call battle cries were of course dubbed.
I for one always wondered about that...Thanks Caver...
