5 comments about The Everlasting Secret Family.

1. Don't be fooled by the 2004 DVD release date. This movie was made in the 1960s and has primitive film coloring and a horrid sound track that grates.
   
   The acting is competent though not inspired, which earns the movie two stars rather than one, and there were a few interesting and entertaining devices. One can imagine how daring this must have been for the period in which it was released. The plot, which is most unusual, earns some credit by its originality, at least among movies, if not books.
   
   However, overall the film takes a sordid, bleak and depressing view of the subject matter, which is typical of older films. The politician is portrayed as snobbish, cold, controlling, humorless and unlikable. The youth, who is supposed to be sixteen, can't be a day younger than thirty. The courtship (mentioned above in the movie description) does not exist, as the young man is simply plucked out of a classroom with no explanation. The movie description would have you believe this film is somehow deeper, sensitive or more intelligent than it actually is.
   
   At best, this film is a crude rip-off of "Dorian Gray". At worst, it's an indulgence of the grossest stereotypes from yesteryear.
   
   This was probably judged a fair film for the genre back when it was one of a very few, but nowadays there are so many other, better films available, that I cannot imagine any reason for bothering with this one, other than nostalgia, which probably is the excuse for the positive reviews you read here.



2. This film is dated in every way, and creepy beyond explanation.
   
   It depicts a supposed culture of older, aristocratic men who can afford to "keep" younger men as lovers in a possessive, manipulative way. It isn't love or attraction as much as it seems to be simple lust and convenience.
   
   The creepy weirdness increases when some of the characters decide they are "entitled" to interludes with some of the boys because they have been good servants for so many years. The mother is creepy too and does her best to manipulate the situation to her advantage, as does the main character.
   
   So, this is an artificially artsy-feeling movie full of scheming scoundrels looking for a good time at someone else's expense. It doesn't get better at the end.
   
   This must have been ground-breaking for it's time, and it's interesting enough to watch through, but it's value (and it's drawbacks) is in it's age and it's (probably) accurate depiction of prevailing attitudes and stereotypes of several decades ago. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone except the die-hard fan of gay movies.



3. This Movie somehow really grabbed me. The Acting was really good and the plot was great. As funny as it may sound it had some deepness to it which really pulled me in I Highly recommend This Movie.



4. "The Everlasting Secret Family"
   
   Disturbing but Well Made
   
   Amos Lassen and Cinema Pride
   
   "The Everlasting Secret Family" (Ariztical) is a very distiurbing but well made film. One the reasons that it is so disturbing is because it is based on the life of a prominent Australian politician, Rich in dramatic conflict and loaded with sexual nuance, it is a provocative film. The subject matter deals with a youth who is inducted into an all pervasive secret society whose members include high ranking and powerful men in Australia. Likewise it also confirms what some sections of society believe--this is how rich and powerful homosexuals operate. In exposing this aspect of Australian society, the film is tantalizing.
   The atmosphere of the film is bucolic which makes sense of we look at the location of Canberra, the capital of Australia and its location--in the middle of nowhere. Senator Arthur Dignam (John Meilon in quite a performance) and his "peers" meet as an exclusive secret family which recruits young boys from the most select schools and uses them to pursue the decadence of their erotic desires. One young boy Paul Goddard (Mark Lee) particularly attracts Dignam and he leads him into a world of degrading behavior and thought. The Senator also takes a wife which makes Paul realize that if he loses his youth, he will also lose his position as Dugnam's favorite, a position that is particularly financially appealing to him. To assure his position with the Senator, Paul uses his energies to raise his son. After sixteen years, the son, heavily influenced by his mentor and companion accepts his own homosexuality and is initiated into the "family". The focal point of both the Senator and the son is the same man--the lover of one and the mentor of the other--or is there more?
   The movie obviously had to be made to show how Australia was when homosexuality was illegal and contacts were made through the underground.
   What we get is not a pretty picture. We see a society of gays involved in subversive activity, a secret homosexual society that infiltrated the upper crust of the Australian political and
   class system in a subtle and silent way. The movie says a lot and Australia has ever reason to be proud of how far she has come.



5. "THE EVERLASTING SECRET FAMILY" features the most STELLAR DISPLAY OF SELFISHNESS I'VE EVER WITNESSED ON FILM. Not an iota or jot of altruism here; just ME-ME-ME
   flagrantly integrated with a megadose of wrenching IMM-and-AM-orality. Viewing this production may produce something akin to temporary ethical amnesia.
   
   But the Australians know how to craft cinematic art.

No comments about Fist of Fury [Blu-ray].

5 comments about Way of the Black Dragon/Death of Bruce Lee.

1. This review is only for "Death of Bruce Lee". and is based on a mid 80's video release. Seeing that this DVD is both a double feature and the original movie was and probably still is the basis of a lawsuit by Bruce Lee's estate, I am pretty sure that it is the same print that was available on VHS years ago. Then again, sometimes Brentwood surprises everyone and actually gets their hands on a letter-boxed film print, so who knows.
   
   Which brings us to the movie and why Bruce Lee's widow would want to sue the producers. The movie suggests that he died of a drug overdose. The VHS copy was made from a print that attempted to get around this bit of libel by editing part of Bruce Lee's name out of the soundtrack. So for the entire movie whenever his name is spoken you here the name Bruce followed by dead silence where they removed "Lee" from the soundtrack. Although I cant imagine what good that did as the opening credits clearly say "Death of Bruce Lee".
   
   Here is the plot, and I must warn you, there is a SPOILER.
   
   Bruce Lee has died. A mysterious man hires Ron Van Clief [ a.k.a. The Black Dragon ] to go to Hong Kong and investigate why Bruce Lee died. [ Ron Van Clief was actually one of Bruce Lee's students in real life and plays himself in this movie ] Once in Hong Kong he meets up with an old friend who owns some sort of shop and together investigate Bruce Lee's death. Simultaneously Bruce Lee's teacher asks his students to also investigate his death. Every time Ron & Friend finds someone who is willing to talk, the same thing happens. The person is cryptic and says he will talk about what he knows later at another location. But each time just before Ron gets there a group of thugs show up and beat the snitch to death. Accompanying the thugs is a girl who carries poisonous snakes in her purse and likes to throw them on people.
   
   After the trail grows cold again and again as the bodies of potential snitches piles up, Ron & Friend finally decide to visit actress Betty Ting Pei [ in real life she was the actress that Bruce Lee was visiting when he died. She would later claim that they were carrying on an affair and loved each other. But at the time this film came out many suspected her of killing Bruce Lee. ] But when they get to her house they find the thugs guarding the place and saying that she will see no visitors. So Ron & friend sneak in at night time, but unfortunately the other group of Kung Fu students also investigating Lee's death also decide to sneak in. Both groups end up fighting and all end up running off the property once an alarm is sounded. The thugs succeed in killing a couple of students and the butler of Ron's friend, just to scare everyone off the case, but instead Ron realizes that the students are on the same side as he is and together they decide to invade Betty Ting Pei's home and find out what she knows. But when they get there they find her dead [ in real life she is still alive and making movies ]and the thugs in her house. A martial arts battle breaks out and in one distasteful moment Ron grabs the girl with the snake filled purse, calls her a bitch, and mercilessly beats her to death. After winning the battle and killing all the thugs, Ron walks into the next room to find......SPOILER........the mysterious man who had hired the thugs. And he turns out to be the same man who had hired him to investigate Bruce Lee's death in the first place. Huh???? But If he didn't want anyone to know how Bruce Lee died then why did he..... Aw, never mind. The man and Ron have a drawn out Kung Fu fight where Ron winds up winning. Now with everyone who knew anything dead Bruce Lee's death will have to remain forever a mystery. [ In real life Bruce Lee died from an allergic reaction to pain killer. ]



2. Grandmaster Van Clief is one of the top masters in the world and it's about time he gets the respect deserved with his own collection.
   
   Death of Bruce Lee is the second film he made in Hong Kong after the Black Dragon which launched his career.
   
   Way of the Black Dragon came after this film.
   
   Looking forward to the audio commentary and behind the scenes footage!
   I read there's tons of bonus extras all endorsed by Grandmaster Van Clief.



3. Just got a hold of this double feature.
   Have to say I'm not a real big fan of the Black Dragon films in general but I gave this set a peek.
   Both films are `modern day' but feature many actors from traditional kung fu films such as Carter Wong.
   The action (and clothes)is very very 1970's so if that's not your bag then look elsewhere.
   
   Death of Bruce Lee has Ron Van Clief and Charles Bonet trying to find out how Bruce Lee died and getting into al kinds of fights along the way.
   What's real interesting is spotting the actual stuntmen who worked on Enter the Dragon and other Bruce Lee films appearing in this one.
   
   Way of the Black Dragon is shot mostly in Thailand and Ron doesnt even appear for the first half hour or so.
   
   Now the bonus features are real good and make up for the quality of the films.
   Audio commentary with Ron Van Clief and George Tan for both films and it's really packed with information.
   Nothing is wasted there.They talk about the making of the films and also Van Clief's life and career before and after each film.
   Listen for a bit where Ron starts to talk about doing bodyguard work for James Brown and then it seems to cut off.Too bad!
   There's also a lot of behind the scenes footage from both films.
   That's greast material and there is commentary on that section too.
   So I give 2 stars for the bonus features,1 star each film and 1 star for the audio commentary.



4. WAY OF THE BLACK DRAGON-Carter Wong and Ron Van Clief team up to take on villains who are involved in slave trading. You will also recognize other old school stars like Hoi Meng, Chan Lung, and Chan Lau, but nobody does anything noteworthy. Seriously, usually I have something to say about someone, but nobody did ANYTHING good in this movie! And that brings me to the movie iteslf which is dreadful. It is a very bad movie and it is obvious they didn't even have a script when filming started. And, the director doesn't really have a clue what to do. It is just pitiful. The best fight scene is between Van Clief and Carter Wong. Charles Bonet shows up for a very forgettable finale. It only took about 20 minutes to start asking myself if this movie was ever going to end. 1.5/5
   
   Bonus features include some behind the scenes footage of the making of the film with an audio commentary on it(8 minutes long). The commentaries are the real reason you should buy this 2 disc DVD set. Ron Van Clief and George Tan give all the info you could ever ask for on this movie. As good as a commentary gets.
   
   DEATH OF BRUCE LEE-First off, don't go into this expecting to find out about Bruce Lee's death(the commentary will probably surprise a lot of people though). The movie is less than B-grade and should not be taken seriously whatsoever. All that happens is people walk around and get into fights. So if you can get past that, then you can just enjoy the Bruce Lee imitations by Charles Bonet and all the mindless fighting. At least the movie has star power and the action is good at times. Van Clief ALWAYS looks good. I will try to name most of the guys who I spotted in this. Starting with Ron Van Clief of course, Charles Bonet, Jason Pai Paio, Wong Chi-sang, Charlie Chin, Qui Yuen(old lady landlord in 'Kung Fu Hustle'), Chan Lau, San Kwai, and Bai Sai Ngai(AKA big eye little eye). The guy with the bald head and mustache is the same villain from 'Black Dragon'(at least I think it was called Black Dragon) which was another Pai Paio/Van Clief movie. It is just as bad as this and Van Clief isn't in it much and just runs around with a gang beating people up. It was actually a gang of good guys if I remember correctly. This movie is directed by Lu Chun Ku who made a ton of great movies. This is not one of them. It is absolutely horrible. 1/5.
   
   Special features again are outstanding and a real dream come true for any Van Clief fan. There is 22 minutes of behind the scenes on this disc with commentary. It includes one of those behind the scenes fights you always hear about. It's a fun little match. The commentary on the movie is AMAZING!! They did a good job filling up 91 minutes on 'Way of the Black Dragon', but if you are a Bruce Lee fan, you may want to at least rent this somewhere if possible. 'Death By Misadventure' was a very good documentary and has a great commentary also, but this is magnificent. Since it is a Van Clief movie, they do talk about his career. So it is really worth hearing for fans of both martial arts masters and it's loaded with plenty of other information to ensure that any fan of kung fu cinema will enjoy it.
   
   I should give this a 4/5 star rating, because the audio quality is bad and both movies are full screened. Nothing near as bad as some of the other audio commentaries Gerorge Tan has done in terms of sound though. Definitely listenable. I can't take any points off because the 3 1/2 hours of Van Clief commentary is just so awesome.



5. This is the real deal, especially for the price. Sometimes the quality is not the greatest, but that is to be expected. It is a steal for anything less than $15.

5 comments about Legendary Sherlock Holmes (Dressed To Kill / The Woman In Green / Terror By Night).

1. Many people, especially those who grew up during the 1930s and 1940s, have fond memories of Basil Rathbone's famous Sherlock Holmes series. My own exposure to the popular series came in the 1970s, when I encountered them on the late-late show; "The Scarlet Claw" was a particular favorite. Unfortunately, few of these films have ever been released to the home market in either VHS or DVD, and those that have reflect their need for serious restoration. This is particularly true of the films seen here. Although not unbearably fuzzy, the pictures are far from being crisp and clean, and the sound is occasionally problematic.

   DRESSED TO KILL finds Holmes investigating three mysterious music boxes--and events quickly turn to murder. Of the three films, this is the weakest: the story is very slow to start and it never really achieves a good pace; the sound quality is also very, very poor in spots. THE LADY IN GREEN concerns Holmes' investigation into several murders that seem to be the work of a serial killer, and although the film elements remain problematic this film is quite a bit more enjoyable than the first. The third and final film, TERROR BY NIGHT, is easily the best of the three in both story and elements, setting a cracking pace with its story of murder and a diamond theft onboard an Edinburg-bound train.

   Film restoration issues aside, Rathbone's Holmes has held up extremely well over time. As interpreted here, Holmes is sometimes as much action hero as he is thinking machine, and Rathbone plays him with a snappy clip, dry humor, and enough intensity to suggest untold depths. He is well matched by Nigel Bruce, whose truly dunderheaded Dr. Watson nonetheless has considerable wit and charm. The stories and scripts are pure formula, of course, and the supporting casts and production values quite mild--but Rathbone and Bruce's performances and chemistry have more than enough charm to gloss over these inadequacies. Not every one will enjoy these films, for they have a naive quality that many may consider unsophistocated to the point of absurdity, but fans of the series would rather fight than switch. Just bear in mind the quality issues, don't expect too much, and you'll have a very good time.




2. This DVD brings back these three movies exactly as I remember them. I was not yet born when these movies debuted on the silver screen, however...my memories of these movies is from when I was a child, watching them on late-night television with my grandmother. Since then, I have been a fan of Basil Rathbone and enjoy his rendition of the infamous resident of 221B Baker Street. These movies are original material (as opposed to, say, The Hound of Baskervilles which is adapted from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's writings) but still capture the epitome of Sherlock Holmes.

   The quality of the reproduction certainly is not perfect. However, if you remember watching these movies on television as I do, then you will be familiar with the quality of the film. The sound is a little scratchy, and the picture is a little grainy, but the movies are viewable and very much enjoyable. If you remember these movies, you will not be disappointed by this DVD. If, however, you are looking for adaptations of original Conan Doyle material, you may wish to look to the Jeremy Brett renditions.




3. I think some of the postings here have been less than truthful. This particular DVD is very grainy, the sound is often muddy and there are occasional jumps in scenes. I do not recommend this to a buyer wanting to add some Holmes films to his library. Surely there's a better offering out there...and if not, I would suggest waiting till someone offers a digitally remastered version of these very fine old films.



4. I was so very pleased with the quality of the films on this DVD. There is a disclaimer in the beginning saying the quality may not be as good as expected but it was better then I expected. The sound quality is very good and the picture quality is very good. I would recommend this DVD to anyone who enjoys the old Sherlock Holmes films.



5. I really enjoy this video. It is exciting. The sound quality is not the greatest but the picture quality is fine. Dressed To Kill / The Woman In Green are great movies. I just started watching some of Terror By Night and it looks so good so far.

4 comments about Sorrowful Jones [VHS].

1. I have loved this movie for so many years. Bob Hope has never been better than in "Sorrowful Jones". The little girl is an absolute doll and you will fall in love with her instantly. Lucille Ball has an excellent chemistry with Hope and that is why I suppose they made three other pictures together. The whole movie is just wonderful and I promise you that if you haven't seen it, you will love it. I have seen the original "Little Miss Marker" and all the remakes but this film is the best of the lot. Have some Kleenex close by also because along with being very funny, it will pull at those ol' heart strings too. Don't miss it!



2. Its the type of movie that you cry and laugh with. Bob Hope being serious, something you don't see very often. Just shows what a great actor he could be. Put him and Lucy together makes for a great movie. I love the Damon Runyon type movies. If you haven't seen The Lemon Drop Kid, its good also. Get the puffs out, you'll need them.



3. SORROWFUL JONES is based on the Damon Runyon short story, as was its 1934 predecessor, LITTLE MISS MARKER (VHS) (DVD) with Shirley Temple (and Adolphe Menjou as Jones).
   
   Here, Bob is the title character, a soft-hearted bookmaker who accepts an indigent gambler's five-year-old child as collateral on a "sure thing" $20 bet. When Mary Jane's daddy doesn't return for her after his horse loses, the penurious Sorrowful in order to guarantee he'll get paid decides to take the girl home rather than turn her over to the police.
   
   The girl's father, Orville Smith is found floating in the river. Sorrowful intends to drop "Shorts" off at an orphanage, until thuggish Big Steve Halloway hatches a plan to name Shorts the owner of a horse scheduled to be "speedballed" for a fixed race. Jones and Shorts visit the stallion and she falls in love with him. As events unfold, the thoroughbred just may be able to save his young owner's very life.
   
   The cast includes Lucille Ball as nightclub singer Gladys O'Neill-- she does an imprecise lip sych to the film's only song and has the unenviable task of acting as Sorrowful's "conscience." It's no surprise that Bill Demarest as Jones's buddy, Regret is most consistently amusing, while Hope is by turn comic and serious.
   
   
   "Sorrowful Jones" is available on DVD as a Bob Hope double feature, along with THE PALEFACE (1948).
   
   Related item:
   In THE LEMON DROP KID (1951) (VHS) (DVD), Bob is Damon Runyon's bumbling race track tout.
   
   
   Parenthetical number preceding title is a 1 to 10 viewer poll rating found at a film resource website.
   
   (6.9) Sorrowful Jones (1949) - Bob Hope/Lucille Ball/William Demarest/Bruce Cabot/Thomas Gomez/Paul Lees/Tom Pedi/Mary Jane Saunders/Walter Winchell (narrator)



4. This movie, a re-make of Shirley Temple's "Little Miss Marker" gets little respect from the national critics. As usual, I disagree with them: this is fun movie and one you should enjoy if you like Temple and laugh at Bob Hope's jokes.
   
   I didn't always think Hope was funny but this movie had a lot of laughs, a great story and a cute kid. It isn't as hokey or dated as most of Hope's films and some of his lines in here are downright clever.
   
   Mary Jane Saunders does a nice imitation of Temple-Margaret O'Brien, a combination of those two child stars. You also get Lucille Ball in here, although she's just okay, nothing hilarious. She does get some good wise-cracks in, however.
   
   This is a solid, underrated comedy. I'm sorry to see I am only the fourth person to review this film here at Amazon. A lot of people are missing out on a funny movie.

No comments about THE BRUCE & JACKIE ACTION PACK"NEW FIST OF FURY+FIST OF FURY 3+GREATEST REVENGE+WAY OF THE LITTLE DRAGON+MASTER WITH CRACKED FINGERS+YOUNG MASTER[TRIPLE DVD PACK & DOUBLE FEATURE][9 HOURS].

5 comments about Fist of Fear, Touch of Death.

1. Unlike me, you have the help of these hilarious reviews to spell it out for you: this is a very uproarious rip-off of Bruce Lee. It's kinda like Shaft and Tiger Lily sitting down to dinner at the Cleaver's. It's so shockingly bad, it's good. I paid a buck for a copy. It was a good price.



2. This has to be one of those intentionally bad films. They mislead you by saying it's about Bruce Lee's career. Pretty much everything is fake, but they didn't really try to hide this fact. The setting is the 1979 World Karate Championships at Madison Square Garden where the successor to Bruce Lee is supposed to be determined as a result of media attention. Bruce Lee actually died several years before. Before you know it, they go to the halftime show that depicts Bruce's early days and his great grandfather, who was one of the best samurai swordfighters of the 19th century. The flashback of Bruce's great grandfather in color is most likely re-dubbed scenes from a fictional film set in ancient China,not the 19th century, where the martial artists have unrealistic abilities. The scenes depicting Bruce's early days in black and white have nothing to do with the karate lessons that the poorly dubbed dialogue is talking about, since the characters just sit around and do nothing the whole time. Anyway, everyone knows samurai are not from China or the 19th century. Adolf Caesar mentions Bruce Lee as the king of kung fu in the beginning, but in the flashbacks and other parts, they say that Bruce does karate, which is also from Japan and not China. A karate tournament that happens every year hardly seems to be appropriate in determining the succesor to Bruce's title, especially since the championship fight that lasts only two rounds features two fighters who are probably no better than the couch potatoes in your local martial arts class. Perhaps even more insulting than a karate match resembling a boxing match determining the king of kung fu title is that the suggestion that the winner might inherit Bruce Lee's supposed curse, the touch of death. At least the main characters had the decency to conclude that the event could not live up to Bruce Lee's legacy.
   The convesations with Bruce Lee are two or more scenes of a person alternated between each other, with the words edited and entirely different backgrounds. When Bruce is supposed to be showing Aaron Banks his new move, they simply cut to Aaron Bank's face and play some fake karate noise in the background. The two of them don't even wear the same clothes throughout the whole conversation. The fight scenes where Ron Van Clief and Bill Louie beat up sex crazy street gangs teaming up on women joggers in parks are entertaining, but not very impressive. The main events are skinny guys in pajamas sparring with each other, rather than the promised highlights from Bruce Lee's career. The demonstrators need protective gear for kicks, but if Bill Louie tosses someone's eyes to the crowd, it's just part of the show. Aaron Banks demonstration of the touch of death or vibrating palm turns out to be nothing more than breaking a board with his fist. Fred Williamson is supposed to be starring with Bruce Lee, which of course is no longer possible, but he doesn't even do any fighting in this film. And his "girlfriend", who looks like she got a face transplant and had all the color bleached from her skin, begs him to satisfy her. Why would Fred be sleeping with someone he doesn't want to have sex with? He gets mistaken for Harry Belafonte, just like how every Chinese film ever made happens to be about Bruce Lee in this movie. In some versions, there is a Casper the Ghost cartoon in the special features, which is apparently just for the sake of having special features. Even though it's a cheap film, there's no excuse for the Chinese samurai and other blatant inaccuracies. After the tournament is over, Adolph Caesar says it's good that Bruce can no longer be beaten and asks "why should we try to topple his legacy", which is exactly what this film is doing.



3. First off the movie is an obvious comedy that knows it is being funny. It IS a funny movie that is a piss take on all the fake Bruce Lee movies being done at the time. The violence is comic to start with. Scenes like the eyeballs are played for laughs. Making Lee's voice fem was an obvious joke too, as was his "Samurai" background. The black and white footage IS Bruce as a child actor. Redubbed to be satirically biographical it cuts between the old film and the 70s B Samurai movie in a direct parody of "The Real Bruce Lee". The skits are meant to be funny as are the would be attackers. There are some real martial arts in the film by excellent practitioners and the point of the whole movie is that you should be yourself. The message is use Bruce to inspire you but be your own self in martial arts and in acting. I liked this very much its fun cheese that doesn't take itself seriously.



4. This is not a real Bruce Lee film. Some people said it was funny, but it is really just horrible. I couldn't even watch the whole thing. The extra cartoon "Casper" is probably the best part. If you want real Bruce Lee fighting action, you may have to spend more than $4.99.



5. I thanked him and said nothing. I had already viewed this "Messterpiece" long before on one of those "Mega" collections of Martial Arts movies. Yes, Masterpiece is miss spelled on purpose, so no coments please. As for this junk, skip it and watch "Game Of Death", As bad as it is, its better than this crap!!!!!!!!!!

1 comments about Live from Death Row [VHS].

1. This film really isn't worth your time, and it's an EP (extended play) VHS and is very low quality. It should have been issued on a SP (Standard play) VHS, because the tracking is horrible. It will take you an hour just to get the tracking stabilized good enough to watch it. I will not be watching it again anytime soon, if ever. I only give it 2 stars because of Bruce Davison's performance, otherwise it is a one star product.

5 comments about Bruce Lee Fights Back From the Grave.

1. Bruce Lee Fights Back From the Grave - it's a great title for a movie, isn't it? Unless you're just slapping that title on the final product and opening the film with a shot of somebody jumping up out of the ground in front of a fake Bruce Lee tombstone, knowing full well that this movie hasn't the first thing to do with Bruce Lee and that it's all just a scheme for making more money by exploiting the name of the legend. Strangely enough, I don't even mind because I have some sort of obsession with Bruceploitation movies that compels me to watch and usually enjoy any of them I can get hold of. I do have a problem with the plot summary that usually comes attached to this film, however. I knew going in that the film had nothing to do with Bruce Lee, but those without such knowledge are told that Bruce comes back and fights the Black Angel of death in some sort of supernatural kung fu story. Folks, this doesn't happen - no Bruce Lee, no graves, no Black Angel of death. I can't even be sure of whom the star of this film is. The actor is billed as Bruce K.L. Lea but is often referred to as Bruce Le; Bruce Le happens to be my favorite Bruce clone, but I can't make the actor in this film look like the Bruce Le I have come to know in other movies.

   I can't really list any good things about this film, yet for some reason I really enjoyed it. Our hero Wong Han comes to America to see his old friend and fellow kung fu teacher, only to learn that the guy just committed suicide. With no place to go, he bunks down in the school, only to be attacked by a great big axe-wielding black man; afterwards, he finds himself at the police station being berated for what he claims is self-defense. A mystery man bails him out, only to ask Wong to help him find a certain young lady. Wong refuses, but almost immediately he finds himself saving the girl in question from being raped; it turns out that she just happened to be his dead buddy's employee and only friend. Deborah Chaplin plays Susan, and I have to say that the lady is just gorgeous and mesmerizing. Wong's luck seems to be changing as Susan locks on to her new hero. Of course, bad things are afoot. Apparently, the Village People or a horrible facsimile thereof were involved in Wong's friend's demise, and these folks keep attacking and kidnapping Susan. Naturally, Wong has to fight them and find out the truth behind his friend's death. The plot jumps around like a cat walking on a bed of hot coals, but a surprise or two at the end does offer some proof that a plot of some sort actually did exist. The ending is quite a downer, I must say.

   Bruce Lee Fights Back From the Grave is just weird. Wong carries around his friend's box of ashes (which sports a big photo of the guy on front) around his neck all over town, for one thing. The evil quintet of Village People wannabes is downright silly. The fights aren't bad at all, in my opinion, and there are a good many of them, but the strange relationship between Wong and Susan attracted most of my attention. Susan is thoroughly taken with Wong, basically locking on to him from the start; there seems to be a little romance on both sides eventually, but it sure isn't your typical kind of relationship. The weirdest thing of all about this film, though, is the fact that I enjoyed it as much as I did given the fact that the acting is sub-par, the dubbing is awful, and the plot is exceedingly thin in places.




2. I JUST BOUGHT THIS TRASHY-A** MOVIE TODAY, AND I GOT DONE WATCHING IT JUST 30 MINUTES AGO. AND I'MA TELL YOU THIS, I WANT BACK THE 84 MINUTES THAT I WASTED ON THIS MOVIE! I COULD'VE BEEN DOING SOMETHING MUCH BETTER DURING THAT TIME! ANYWAY, HERE'S THE PLOT; A CHINESE MARTIAL ARTIST [BRUCE LEA] ARRIVES IN LOS ANGELES. SHORTLY AFTER HE ARRIVES, HE FINDS OUT THAT HIS FRIEND HAS DIED UNDER MYSTERIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES. THINKING IT WAS MURDER, HE SETS OUT TO FIND THE PEOPLE THAT WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR HIS FRIEND'S DEATH. ALL OF THE FIGHTS WERE BORING AND MINDLESS. AFTER WATCHING THIS MOVIE AND AFTER SEEING HOW BORING BRUCE LEA REALLY WAS IN THIS MOVIE, I NOW TEND TO THINK DIFFERENTLY ABOUT BRUCE LI. BRUCE LEA IS AS WORSE OF A KUNG FU STAR THAN BRUCE LI EVER WAS! AND TRUST ME, BRUCE LI HAD SOME VERY VERY BAD MOVIES OUT. BUT THIS, THIS IS JUST TOO STUPID FOR IT'S OWN GOOD. I USUALLY DON'T DO THIS, BUT SINCE I REALLY DON'T WANT ANYONE TO PICK UP THIS MOVIE, HERE'S A SPOILER; HIS FRIEND ACTUALLY FAKES HIS DEATH TO GET HIS HANDS ON SOME SERIOUS DRUG MONEY. HE APPEARS AT THE END OF THE MOVIE AND HE FIGHTS BRUCE LEA IN THE FINAL FIGHT. NOW THAT YOU KNOW THE END, YOU DON'T NEED TO MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE I DID! BUT IF YOU STILL WANNA SEE THIS, I CAN'T SAY I DIDN'T WARN YOU!



3. I don't know what is wrong with most of the other reviewers here. Actually, I suppose I do know what is wrong: you couldn't figure out how to enjoy this movie. And that's your right, I guess, so whatever. But I totally loved it. Of course it is a low-budget, horribly-filmed, poorly acted, campy piece of 70's movie garbage. But if you aren't expecting that to begin with, then you are clearly daft. What else would you expect from a movie thus named?

   However, low quality as it may be, for people who enjoy such movies, this is quite nice. I have seen rather a number of these kinds of horrible martial arts flicks, and I must say I generally get some kind of kick from them, whether it be the horrible dialogue, the strange dubbing, the astonishingly wild plot, or at least some good fighting. This film ranks right up there with "Clash of the Ninjas" and "Kung Fu Zombie" as one of my favorite. Why, you ask? Are you really interested in why?

   This film features a laughably terrible transferal to DVD. Everything is wildly blurry. It was so bad that I thought I was actually watching it in a tiny theatre in the 70s. Contrary to most people's preference, I found this endearing. They could have maybe cleaned it up, but they chose to keep the feel of the original release there. It isn't like you really need it to not be blurry- most of the blur is just depth of field blur from the camera having too large an aperture in many shots.

   But let's see... What else does this film offer. And mind you, I'm being serious with all of this.

   One thing I really liked was the relationship between the star and the superbly attractive damsel. Feminists would hate this movie, because the female lead spends most of her time being caught or nearly killed while the hero- a man- keeps saving her tail. I don't care about everything being PC all the time, so I thought this was kind of funny and cute. I'd like to rescue some beautiful girl, too. But the way these two characters interact is quite bizarre, and I found it intriguing. She instantly likes this guy, but he is too focused on other matters at hand to pay any attention to her. This does eventually bite him in the end, though, and it is sad.

   The plot of the movie is interesting for this type of genre where things are usually fairly cut and dry- set 'em up and knock 'em down. This story is a tale of betrayal, subterfuge, and manipulation that keeps going until the very end. The pacing of the movie keeps things flowing, as well- there are few lagging points in this story. And I also enjoyed the tone of the film, which was rather serious. It was a serious drama speckled with bits of kung fu fighting. And, while the acting and film quality maybe have been some of the very worst, I don't think this film would have the same feeling if these things were better. It would not have the same charm if it was all well acted- more than likely, this movie would just blend in with lots of other well-acted crap from the 70's. As it is, the recipe produces something not quite reproducible, and therefore, to me, unique.

   The kung fu was also good, but that is not the main reason I watch these movies, paradoxically enough.

   If you are going to spend your time trying to watch these types of movies, you might as well look for things to enjoy. Once you learn to look at them correctly, you will find the true and priceless value of their existence.

   Cheers,

   Gregory Scott




4. I would've voted this one as worth ZERO stars but Amazon wouldn't let me. Having picked up this film on sale for $5.99 and watched it(only once before leaving it in the halls of Ga Perimeter College without a 2nd thought), I'm going to keep it short & sweet: no Bruce Lee(or Bruce Lee lookalikes for that matter), no graves, no Black Angel of Death, no plot, no choreography, and NO SENSE! And on top of that, the synopsis on the backside of the cover is FALSE. Therefore...I crown this DISGRACE the WORST BRUCEploitation film of all time. DON'T SPEND A CENT ON THIS ONE.



5. I mean the trailers have his grave like blowing up. They show this at the start of the movie, and then the movie actually starts. The kung fu is decent at best and the story is not worth going over. It is your standard modern day boring kung fu story and left me wishing I hadn't wasted 90 minutes on this when I was finished with it.

5 comments about The Fighting Devil Dogs [VHS].

1. Lee Powell and Herman Brix (later, Bruce Bennett) had been the last of five "suspects" as being the Lone Ranger in Republic's first serial featuring that radio hero. Here they team up again as a pair of Marines fighting a mad scientist called The Lightning, whose overblown manner is fun and whose headpiece may have been the prototype for Darth Vader (but I predict you'll have trouble guessing his identity). The cliffhangers keep both heroes in dire peril throughout.



2. Ah yes, Chapter 11, one of the two "economy" chapters, provided what I consider to be one of the very best chapter endings of all time. Beyond this, there are several memorable scenes...not just the chapter endings, but scenes in the middle of some chapters. For instance, there's the bad guy blithely throwing grenades from the back of the truck. Another aspect making this one of the greatest is that it has great scenes "on the land, on the sea, and in the air." The Lightning, and yes, he could well be the inspiration for Darth Vader, and his hunchbacked deranged acting scientist accompolice make for one of the most memorable pairs of villains in serial history. I consider this a must in any collector's essential serial collection.



3. From his Stealth aircraft, the Lightning, in his Darth Vader garb, declares in Chapter Two that he will dictate his "will to the fools down below with their armies, their battleships and their guns."
   Sound familiar? I saw this film when we were two weeks into the Gulf War, and the parallel to George Bush Senior is irresistable.
   And the Marines in this serial are opposed to the Lightning.
   The movie is a protest against American foreign policy.
   Chapter One begins with the words "Armaments", "Munitions" "War" flashing as a building is demolished. I could not help but think of the Persian Gulf as I saw the film during that military campaign.
   Remember too that the Marines are portrayed and comport themselves as gentlemen. The civility in the film stands in contrast to the way we abuse each other in present everyday life.
   It's fun, campy, and relevant.



4. Honorable men vs. pure evil. Plenty of action, motorcycles, airplanes, fighting the bad guys, etc, but over and above that you come to care what happens to the characters. The last chapter will not disappoint. I discovered this serial in 1949, and never forgot it. Showed it to my kids (in 16mm) in the 70's and last year to my grandkids. Nobody was disappointed. Buy it and enjoy.



5. Republic Pictures present "FIGHTING DEVIL DOGS" (1938) (206 mins/B&W) (Dolby digitally remastered) --- is a 12-Chapter Republic Movie Serial starring Lee Powell, Herman Brix, Eleanor Stewart, Montague Love, Sam Flint & Hugh Sothern, relive those thrilling days week after week venue brought you to the theater, as you were mesmerized in your seat waiting for the final chapter ... exciting action within 12 episodes from the Republic Serials department, released in June 9, 1938, the plot line thus far in Singapore, two US Marine Lieutenants, Tom Grayson and Frank Corby, discover the threat of a new villain called "The Lightning", a masked villain who uses a powerful lightning based weapon in his bid for world conquest ... unfortunately, the battle becomes personal when "The Lightning" annihilates the officers' unit, and later kills Lt. Grayson's father as he was helping the investigation of the weapon ... now, those young marines have dedicated themselves to stopping "The Lightning" and bringing him to justice --- the once fabulous Republic Studio serial machine turned out true masterpieces of action during the late 30s and early 40s ... remember this serial from the Saturday double features at our neighborhood theater ... 12 breathtaking chapters come across with all the gusto Republic Studios has to offer.
   
   Under William Witney (Director), John English (Director), Robert M. Beche (Associate Producer), Franklin Adreon (Screenwriter), Barry Shipman (Screenwriter), Ronald Davidson (Screenwriter), Sol Shor (Screenwriter), Alberto Colombo (Original Score), William Nobles (Cinematographer), Edgar Lyons (Cinematographer), Edward Todd (Editor), Helene Turner (Editor) ------ the cast includes Lee Powell (Lt. Tom Grayson), Herman Brix/Bruce Bennett (Lt. Frank Corby), Eleanor Stewart (Janet Warfield), Montagu Love (Gen. White), Hugh Sothern (Ben Warfield), Sam Flint (Col. Grayson), Perry Ivins (Crenshaw), Forrest Taylor (Benson), John Picorri (Prof. Gould), Carleton Young (Johnson, 'Aurora' Crewman), Reed Howes (Parker, Sub Crewman), Tom London (Henchman Wilson), Edmund Cobb (Henchman Ellis), Thomas Carr (Dock Shipping Clerk), Ed Cassidy (Captain of the 'Pawnee'), George DeNormand (Marine Guard at Burton Street), Art Dillard (Thug with Grenades), Jack Ingram (Dirigible Radioman), John Merton (Sailor-Thug), Monte Montague (Jacobs, a thug), Jack O'Shea (Heavy), Stanley Price (The Lightning (voice), Buddy Roosevelt (Lieutenant of the 'Pawnee'), Tom Steele (Sentry at Warfield Home), Robert J. Wilke (Marine in Shanghai), Victor Wong (Mikichan, Outlaw Chief) --- great stunt work by the Republic stunt personnel Eddie Parker (stunt double: Lee Powell) --- don't leave the theater until the final chapter ... another winner from the vaults of Republic Serials --- this is a must watch for the serial buffs in all of us.
   
   BIOS:
   1. Lee Powell
   Date of birth: 15 May 1908 - Long Beach, California
   Date of death: 30 July 1944 - Tinian. (Marianas Islands) (casualty of WWII)
   
   2. Bruce Bennett (aka: Herman Brix)
   Date of birth: 19 May 1906 - Tacoma, Washington
   Date of death: Still Living
   
   Special footnote, Herman Brix was a star shot-putter in the 1928 Olympics
   he was picked by Edgar Rice Burroughs for his own production of
   The New Adventures of Tarzan (1935/I), resulting in the Tarzan and the
   Green Goddess (1938) After "Adventures" he made a number of serials for Republic,
   including a Tarzan-like Kioga in Hawk of the Wilderness (1938), "Daredevils of the Red Circle" (1939),
   "Hi-Yo Silver" (1940), changed his name to Bruce Bennett, made many movies after that, gaining fame
   as a leading man in many Warner Bros. roles."Mildred Pierce" (1945/Joan Crawford),
   "Dark Passage" (1947/Bogart & Bacall), and one of my favorite all time films
   "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" (1948/Bogart, Walter Huston, Tim Holt and Alphonso Bedoya as the bandit).
   
   3. William Witney (aka: William Nuelsen Witney) (Director)
   Date of birth: 15 May 1915 - Lawton, Oklahoma
   Date of death: 17 March 2002 - Jackson, California
   
   Special footnote, Witney broke into the business in 1933, working at Mascot, the leading producer
   of low-budget serials, Mascot merged in 1935 to form Republic,Witney teamed with director John English
   on many of the era's best serials, most of them highlighted by kinetic fight and chase scenes that helped
   change the face of action moviemaking...Witney became a director at 21, he was Hollywood's youngest.
   
   4. John English (Director)
   Date of birth: 25 June 1903 - Cumberland, England, UK
   Date of death: 11 October 1969 - Los Angeles, California
   
   Special footnote, directing classic serials "Zorro Rides Again" (1937),
   "Daredevils of the Red Circle" (1939), "King of the Royal Mounted" (1940),
   "Adventures of Red Ryder" (1940), "Jungle Girl" (1941),"Adventures of Captain Marvel" (1941),
   and "Captain America" (1944), worked closely with director William Witney over the years.
   
   If you're into vintage serials as I am, why not pick up a copy of the following titles from VCI Home Video:
   VCI CLIFFHANGER TRAILERS:
   1. Adventures of Red Ryder (Don "Red" Barry)
   2. Adventures of the Flying Cadets (Bobby Jordan)
   3. Buck Rogers (Buster Crabbe)
   4. Captain Midnight (Dave O'Brien)
   5. Captain Video: Master of the Stratosphere (Judd Holdren & I. Stanford Jolley)
   6. Dick Tracy's G-Men (Ralph Byrd)
   7. Don Winslow of the Navy (Don Terry)
   8. Don Winslow of the Coast Guard (Don Terry)
   9. Drums of Fu Manchu (Henry Brandon)
   10.Fighting Kit Carson (Johnny Mack Brown)
   11.Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe (Buster Crabbe)
   12.The Green Archer (Victory Jory)
   13.Jungle Girl (Frances Gifford)
   14.Jungle Jim (Grant Withers & Raymond Hatton)
   15.The Lost City (Kane Richmond, William Stage Boyd & George Gabby Hayes)
   16.Lost City of the Jungle (Russell Hayden & Keye Luke)
   17.Mandrake the Magician (Warren Hull & Dick Curtis)
   18.Miracle Rider (Tom Mix & Tony Jr)
   19.The Painted Stallion (Ray "Crash" Corrigan)
   20.The Phantom (Tom Tyler)
   21.The Return of Chandu (Bela Lugosi)
   22.Riders of Death Valley (Dick Foran, Leo Carrillo & Buck Jones)
   23.Secret Agent X-9 (1937) (Scott Kolk & Henry Brandon)
   24.Secret Agent X-9 (1945) (Lloyd Bridges & Keye Luke)
   25.Sky Raiders (Donald Woods & Billy Halop)
   26.Undersea Kingdom (Ray "Crash" Corrigan)
   27.Winners of the West (Dick Foran, Harry Woods, Roy Barcroft & Charles Stevens)
   28.Zane Greys "King of the Royal Mounted" (Allan "Rocky" Lane)
   29.Zorro's Cliffhanger Collection (Reed Hadley, John Carroll & Linda Stirling)
   
   Hats off and thanks to Les Adams (collector/guideslines for character identification), Chuck Anderson (Webmaster: The Old Corral/B-Westerns.Com), Boyd Magers (Western Clippings), Bobby J. Copeland (author of "Trail Talk"), Rhonda Lemons (Empire Publishing Inc), Bob Nareau (author of "The Real Bob Steele") and Trevor Scott (Down Under Com) as they have rekindled my interest once again for B-Westerns and Serials --- looking forward to more high quality releases from the vintage serial era of the '20s, '30s & '40s and B-Westerns ... order your copy now from Amazon where there are plenty of copies available on VHS, stay tuned once again for top notch action mixed with deadly adventure --- if you enjoyed this title, why not check out VCI Entertainment where they are experts in releasing B-Westerns and Serials --- all my heroes have been cowboys!
   
   Total Time: 206 mins on VHS ~ Republic Video ~ (5/10/1995)