Master with Cracked Fingers
Encyclopedia
Master with Cracked Fingers , aka Snake Fist Fighter is a 1979
martial arts film
directed by Mu Chu and starring Jackie Chan
. It is often cited as being produced in 1971, 1973, 1974 or 1981. The original footage was filmed in 1971 and released in 1973 as Little Tiger of Canton
. The re-edited version entitled Master with Cracked Fingers was not actually released until 1979.
(aka The Cub Tiger From Kwang Tung) which featured a teenage Chan in one of his earliest roles. After Chan had become famous through films like Snake in the Eagle's Shadow
and Drunken Master
in the late 1970s, the footage was re-edited. Additional material from the Drunken Master era and new footage of Dean Shek and Yuen Siu Tien
(in another appearance of his beggar character), was tacked on. A rather obvious Jackie Chan double was also hired and fought blind-folded in an attempt to hide the doubling from the viewers.
In 1981, the poorly edited and assembled footage was acquired by Dick Randall, who named it Master with Cracked Fingers and dubbed it into English. This version has also been released under the title Snake Fist Fighter.
(1980). The young and undisciplined Jackie (Jackie Chan) undergoes the tutelage of a nomadic master who has a rigorous training style focusing upon the hardening of the fist.
Jackie has been intrigued by kung fu since he was a boy, but he cannot afford to pay for lessons. He later meets an old beggar, "The Man Who Isn't There", who offers to teach him the secrets of fighting. After years of training under his sifu
, his skills advance, but his father forbids him to practice. After a series of fights with a local gang of extortionists, and progressively more severe punishments from his father, he fends off the gang once more. In retribution, the gang burn down his house, killing Jackie's father. To avenge his father's death, Jackie agrees to a blindfolded fight against the gang leader, (Kwan Yung-moon).
, who gave the film a limited release in American cinemas in 1981 under the alternative title Snake Fist Fighter.
As Chan became more popular in the West, particularly after the US release of Rumble in the Bronx
(1996), the rights to release the film on VHS were passed or shared between a number of different film distributor
s.
Further companies also held the rights long enough to produce limited releases of the film on VHS and DVD and, as with those noted above, all were the English-dubbed 80 minute assembled version of the film.
Hong Kong films of 1979
A list of films produced in Hong Kong in 1979:.-1979:-External links:* * Hong Kong films of 1979 at...
martial arts film
Martial arts film
Martial arts film is a film genre. A sub-genre of the action film, martial arts films contain numerous fights between characters, usually as the films' primary appeal and entertainment value, and often as a method of storytelling and character expression and development. Martial arts are frequently...
directed by Mu Chu and starring Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan, SBS, MBE is a Hong Kong actor, action choreographer, comedian, director, producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer. In his movies, he is known for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, use of improvised weapons, and innovative stunts...
. It is often cited as being produced in 1971, 1973, 1974 or 1981. The original footage was filmed in 1971 and released in 1973 as Little Tiger of Canton
Little Tiger of Canton
Cub Tiger From Kwang Tung is a 1973 Hong Kong martial arts action film directed by Chu Mu and starring Jackie Chan. Chan was 17 when the film was made in 1971, and it is considered to be his first starring role.- Background :...
. The re-edited version entitled Master with Cracked Fingers was not actually released until 1979.
Background
The film was concocted using footage from other films, primarily from a little-seen independent 1973 film entitled Little Tiger of CantonLittle Tiger of Canton
Cub Tiger From Kwang Tung is a 1973 Hong Kong martial arts action film directed by Chu Mu and starring Jackie Chan. Chan was 17 when the film was made in 1971, and it is considered to be his first starring role.- Background :...
(aka The Cub Tiger From Kwang Tung) which featured a teenage Chan in one of his earliest roles. After Chan had become famous through films like Snake in the Eagle's Shadow
Snake in the Eagle's Shadow
Snake in the Eagle's Shadow is a 1978 Hong Kong martial arts action film directed by Yuen Woo-ping his directorial debut, who has since gained international stardom as the action choreographer for films such as Iron Monkey, Fist of Legend, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, The Matrix series, Kill...
and Drunken Master
Drunken Master
Drunken Master, also known as Drunk Monkey In The Tiger's Eye, is a 1978 Hong Kong martial arts comedy film directed by Yuen Woo-ping, and starring Jackie Chan, Yuen Siu-tien, and Hwang Jang Lee...
in the late 1970s, the footage was re-edited. Additional material from the Drunken Master era and new footage of Dean Shek and Yuen Siu Tien
Yuen Siu Tien
Yuen Siu-tien was a Chinese martial arts film actor in the late 1970s. Yuen is perhaps best known as Beggar So in three films: Drunken Master, Story of Drunken Master and his final film Dance of the Drunk Mantis...
(in another appearance of his beggar character), was tacked on. A rather obvious Jackie Chan double was also hired and fought blind-folded in an attempt to hide the doubling from the viewers.
In 1981, the poorly edited and assembled footage was acquired by Dick Randall, who named it Master with Cracked Fingers and dubbed it into English. This version has also been released under the title Snake Fist Fighter.
Synopsis
The film has a similar theme to The Young MasterThe Young Master
The Young Master is a 1980 Hong Kong martial arts action film directed by and starring Jackie Chan as Dragon.The film is notable for being the first that Jackie Chan worked on for Golden Harvest, and despite being his second film as director , this is often incorrectly credited as his directorial...
(1980). The young and undisciplined Jackie (Jackie Chan) undergoes the tutelage of a nomadic master who has a rigorous training style focusing upon the hardening of the fist.
Jackie has been intrigued by kung fu since he was a boy, but he cannot afford to pay for lessons. He later meets an old beggar, "The Man Who Isn't There", who offers to teach him the secrets of fighting. After years of training under his sifu
Sifu
Shifu is the identical pronunciation of two Chinese terms for a master. The character 師 means “teacher”. The meaning of 傅 is “tutor”, and of 父, “father”. Both characters are read fu with the same tones in Cantonese and Mandarin, creating some ambiguity...
, his skills advance, but his father forbids him to practice. After a series of fights with a local gang of extortionists, and progressively more severe punishments from his father, he fends off the gang once more. In retribution, the gang burn down his house, killing Jackie's father. To avenge his father's death, Jackie agrees to a blindfolded fight against the gang leader, (Kwan Yung-moon).
Releases
Dick Randall took the amalgamated footage and employed actors to dub it into English, titling it Master with Cracked Fingers. Randall later sold the rights to 21st Century Distribution21st Century Film Corporation
Not to be confused with 20th Century Fox Film Corporation21st Century Film Corporation was a small-scale theatrical distribution company formed sometime in the early 1970s as a production company and distributor.-History:...
, who gave the film a limited release in American cinemas in 1981 under the alternative title Snake Fist Fighter.
As Chan became more popular in the West, particularly after the US release of Rumble in the Bronx
Rumble in the Bronx
Rumble in the Bronx is a 1995 Hong Kong martial arts action comedy film starring Jackie Chan and Anita Mui. Released in the US in 1995, Rumble in the Bronx had a successful theater run, and brought Chan into the American mainstream...
(1996), the rights to release the film on VHS were passed or shared between a number of different film distributor
Film distributor
A film distributor is a company or individual responsible for releasing films to the public either theatrically or for home viewing...
s.
Original footage
| Cast | Role |
|---|---|
| Jackie Chan Jackie Chan Jackie Chan, SBS, MBE is a Hong Kong actor, action choreographer, comedian, director, producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer. In his movies, he is known for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, use of improvised weapons, and innovative stunts... |
Lung/Jackie (as Chan Yuan Lung) |
| Chan Hung Lit Chan Hung Lit Chan Hung-lit , also known as Chen Hung-lieh and Golden Chan, was a Shaw Brothers actor famous for portraying villains from the 1960s to 1980s. In his acting hiatus, Chan was involved in the garment industry. He later resumed his acting career by joining TVB in 1995, left the following year and did... |
Chow Bin |
| Tien Feng Tien Feng Tien Feng is a Hong Kong actor for 60 years. He left for Hong Kong from Taiwan and started his career... |
Lung's father |
| Yuen Biao Yuen Biao Yuen Biao is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist. He specialises in acrobatics and Chinese martial arts and has worked on over 80 films as actor, stuntman and action choreographer... |
pickpocket (as Bill Yuen) |
| Chun Chin | cameo |
| Chi Ming Wong | cameo |
| Mars Mars (actor) Mars , born Cheung Wing Fat is a Hong Kong actor, action director, stuntman and martial artist. He is one of Jackie Chan's best friends.-Early life:... |
cameo (as Fo Sing) |
New footage
| Cast | Role |
|---|---|
| Yuen Siu Tien Yuen Siu Tien Yuen Siu-tien was a Chinese martial arts film actor in the late 1970s. Yuen is perhaps best known as Beggar So in three films: Drunken Master, Story of Drunken Master and his final film Dance of the Drunk Mantis... |
Old Master (as Hsao Ten Juan) |
| Dean Shek Dean Shek Dean Shek aka Dean Shek Tien is a veteran Hong Kong feature film actor and film producer with over 92 films acting credits to his name... |
Landlord (as Shih Tien) |
| Kwok Choi Hon | Little Frog (as Kuo Tas Han) |
| Kwan Ying Moon | Big Boss (as Yung Man Kuen) |
VHS
- In the US, it was released as Master with Cracked Fingers by XenonXenon Entertainment GroupXenon Entertainment Group is a film distribution company partly owned by director and actor Melvin Van Peebles. It specializes in releasing urban themed movies and documentaries....
(1996), and Woodhaven Entertainment (1999). - MadacyMadacy EntertainmentMadacy Entertainment is a company based in Mount Royal, Quebec that publishes DVDs, CDs, and formerly VHS tapes. Most of the products are frequently seen in Walmart, Best Buy and other discount stores in the United States and Canada, often at low retail prices, as compared to releases by major labels...
released the film with the title Master with Cracked Finger (singular) in 1996, and later in a twin video pack along with Fantasy Mission ForceFantasy Mission ForceFantasy Mission Force is a 1983 Hong Kong action-comedy film directed by Chu Yin-Ping and starring Jackie Chan in a supporting role, Brigitte Lin, Jimmy Wang Yu....
(2000). - As Snake Fist Fighter, the film was given two releases through Simitar EntertainmentSimitar EntertainmentSimitar Entertainment, Inc. was a media company that sold music, videos, DVDs, and computer software. They specialized in compilation albums, special interest video, and urban. Simitar distributed its own label. They were affiliated with Beast, Beast Retro, Pickwick, Plum, and Revival...
(1997), one in a twin video pack with New Fist of FuryNew Fist of FuryNew Fist of Fury is a 1976 Hong Kong martial arts film directed by Lo Wei and starring Jackie Chan. It is the first of several films that Lo directed Chan in, and the first using Chan's stage name Sing Lung...
. - In the UK, it was released as Master with Cracked Fingers by Mia Video Entertainment (1998).
- It was also sold by Imperial Entertainment UK, in a triple video pack, along with City Hunter and Island of FireIsland of FireIsland of Fire is a 1991 Taiwanese action-crime film directed by Chu Yin-Ping. The film is also known in the UK as Island on Fire and in Germany and the United States as The Prisoner...
.
DVD
- All US DVD releases to date have had the title Master with Cracked Fingers. These began with a release from Woodhaven Entertainment in 2000. Others include XenonXenon Entertainment GroupXenon Entertainment Group is a film distribution company partly owned by director and actor Melvin Van Peebles. It specializes in releasing urban themed movies and documentaries....
(2002), Beverly Wilshire (2002), Unicorn Video (2003) and Miracle Pictures (2005). - MadacyMadacy EntertainmentMadacy Entertainment is a company based in Mount Royal, Quebec that publishes DVDs, CDs, and formerly VHS tapes. Most of the products are frequently seen in Walmart, Best Buy and other discount stores in the United States and Canada, often at low retail prices, as compared to releases by major labels...
gave the film several releases (now as ...Fingers plural) including a twin DVD pack along with Fantasy Mission Force, and a triple pack DVD, which including both plus Rumble in Hong KongPolice Woman (film)Police Woman is a 1973 Hong Kong detective film directed by Tsu Hdeng...
(2000). They re-released it on its own in 2001. - East West Entertainment released it in a twin DVD pack, along with The Young MasterThe Young MasterThe Young Master is a 1980 Hong Kong martial arts action film directed by and starring Jackie Chan as Dragon.The film is notable for being the first that Jackie Chan worked on for Golden Harvest, and despite being his second film as director , this is often incorrectly credited as his directorial...
. - Good Times Video released it in a twin DVD pack, along with the documentary filmDocumentary filmDocumentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
Fist of Fear, Touch of DeathFist of Fear, Touch of DeathFist of Fear, Touch of Death, also known as The Dragon and the Cobra, is a 1980 martial arts film about a martial arts tournament at Madison Square Garden that will determine the supposed "successor" to Bruce Lee. Within the film, the tournament is hosted by Adolph Caesar...
(2002). - Unlike the other releases, Videoasia's 2004 DVD was a double-sided disc, with the US dubbed copy on one side, and the original Cantonese audio copy on the other.
- In the UK, it was released by Prism Leisure, alone (2002) and in at least two different four-film boxsets (2004).
- In 2007, the UK company Film 2000 released the film with the title Snake Fist Fighter.
Further companies also held the rights long enough to produce limited releases of the film on VHS and DVD and, as with those noted above, all were the English-dubbed 80 minute assembled version of the film.