It has finally landed. Shaolin Soccer has been released on DVD, and fortunately includes the original version in addiion to the sub-standard English cut. What Miramax did to this, and other Asian films, was to edit out 23 minutes of the movie, dub it into English and change the music. I was all set to rip this disk apart, as the track record seems to be to not include the original cut, much less the original language. OK, enough of that, let's talk about the movie.
One thing this film has to overcome is the hype that was surrounding it. For those who track film releases and are into foreign cinema have invariable heard about this movie, and due to its storied history of near release, have unfairly increased expectations. These expectations have a way of crashing down when you finally get to see it. It happened with the Matrix sequels, remember the huge build up followed by the letdown? It's not as drastic with Shaolin Soccer, but it is there, and I have noticed it on various forums.
Anyway, the film is about Sing, a poor master of Shaolin kung fu, who is looking to repackage kung fu and make it popular to study again. His amazing kicking ability is noticed by Golden Leg, a former soccer star who was crippled in a game 20 years earlier. Together they team up, along with Sing's former Shaolin brothers, to enter a tournament to take on Team Evil, coached by Hung, the man responsible for Golden Leg's injury. There is a lot of fun along the way as this team of out of shape kung fu masters must band together as a team. There is also a subplot featuring Sing's budding romance with a shy girl who makes steamed buns, using tai chi techniques.
If and when you watch this, the only way to go is with the original version. I had seen the movie previously on my imported disk, but it's been awhile since I watched it. I started the evening off with the English cut. What a mistake that was. The pacing was off, it was pretty easy to tell that stuff was missing. Since it had been so long since I had watched the movie, I could not immediately point out what was missing, although the relationship between Sing and Mui seemed to be off, there wasn't nearly enough interaction between them. Then I watched the original version, and it just opened up a whole new world. The opening flashback is longer, giving a stronger basis for the Hung/Golden Leg rivalry. There are also longer segments around many of the jokes and physical gags which only serve to make them funnier, when they are cut, as in the English version. Most importantly, there is a lot more depth to the Sing/Mui relationship which doesn't seem to develop in the English version. The one thing I can say about the English version is that the dub was not that bad, I am not condoning it, but I have heard/seen much worse. One thing to remember is the dance sequence early on, was originally set to Michael Jackson's "Thriller", although in the English cut they use "Celebrate," and the Original cut uses some non-descript techno music. I am guessing that there were some rights issues that they could not get over.
Article comments
1 - mike hollihan
What I loved was the exceptional (for Asian films) attention to detail in the special effects. When something slams into the ground, it shakes, the wind blows, you hear the rumble and there's a crater. Somebody, somewhere, in the production crew understands physics!
And the film's loopiness is charming as all hell. The heart of this movie is very sweet. The inevitable Hollywood remake would ditch that, more's the pity.
BTW, Zhang Yimou's Hero is coming into theaters real soon. I saw the original cut and was totally blown away. One of the most beautiful films I have ever seen. He literally paints his canvas with some of the richest colors you'll ever see. Anyone know how badly this has been cut up for American release?
2 - Chris
It was very charming, and you're right about the effects, it helped to add weight and substance to them.
Hero is being released uncut, it is the same version that was released in HK and what is on DVD as well. I have the original cut, plus that ext. cut that came out, haven't watched that one yet. It is an incredible movie, and I cherish the opportunity to see it in a theater, uncut. I also heard that QT helped bring it in uncut.