House of Traps (DVD - Image Entertainment)

[clayk]

It appears Image is scheduling a release in September:

http://www.image-entertainment.com/dvd/detail.cfm?productID=69156

[dewolfeaddict]

That really, really sucks actually.
Since they'll almost certainly not release it with the dub and therefore destroy just about any chance of ever seeing the english version of this - something I've looked forward to for 25 years.
With Tokyo Shock or another label, at least there might've been a CHANCE.
Now the only hope would be perhaps a satelite broadcast somewhere.

Boo-hiss.

[Morgoth Bauglir]

It better have the dub. I'm pretty sure the bootleg does.

[dewolfeaddict]

Really???
Sh#t. I NEED that.
Let me know if there's one floating around.
That's seriously one of my holy grails.

[Morgoth Bauglir]

Well I don't know for sure if it has it, but I'm sure someone can tell you if it does.

[gravedigger666]

There is no dubbed boot:(.Maybe Image surprises us though.....

[oldeschool17]

That redsun boot you speak of does not contain the dub. The old grainy boot does not either. Its possible that it has a dub cause i think its one of the films that was on the world northal package but i dont ever recall seeing it broadcasted or remember if it was even broadcasted. Somebody who knows more about the world northal stuff can verify.

[oldeschool17]

I definitely wont double dip on this title unless its got a dub not to mention the cover is horrible(IVL)

[HAZ]

Yeah, aside from its rare stauts, which doesn't apply anymore, there doesn't seem to be a reason to buy this out, unless image includes the dub.

[bobo]

as in any release from IMAGE i wouldn,t count on a dub version. in my latest conver with them i was told that HUMAN LANTERNS and BAT WITHOUT WINGS would have no dub---> but still i was originally told that DEADLY BREAKING SWORD would have no dub then they changed thier minds and put the dub with it. KISS OF DEATH is listed as being dubbed. just have to wait till they actually come out to know for sure.

[Bravery]

Does it have a dub, I don't remember there being one.

[magicpoe]

Many of us have tried this before, I know, but let's try again so at least Image is aware that we'd like the dub. A short email will do. Definitely thank them for including the rare dubs on Deadly Breaking Sword and Intimate Confessions and request they do the same for House of Traps.

Here is some contact info:

MAILING ADDRESS
Image Entertainment
20525 Nordhoff St. Suite 200
Chatsworth, CA 91311

Phone Number: (818)407-9100

ACQUISITIONS: acquisitions@image-entertainment.com

INVESTOR RELATIONS: investors@image-entertainment.com

MARKETING: iemarketing@image-entertainment.com

PROGRAMMING & LICENSING: license@image-entertainment.com

CONSUMER QUESTIONS: inquiries@image-entertainment.com

WHOLESALE SALES: wholesale@image-entertainment.com

PUBLICITY: publicity@image-entertainment.com

INTERNATIONAL SALES: intl@image-entertainment.com

WEBMASTER: webmaster@image-entertainment.com

[TheManInWhite]

"Definitely thank them for including the rare dubs on Deadly Breaking Sword and Intimate Confessions and request they do the same for House of Traps."

I really shocked me that they had DBS and IC with English dubs. I'm still trying to figure out the Shaolin Intruders fiasco. At least we all are aware that there's a dub for this.

Like magicpoe said, perhaps they'll surprise us again. I'm not sure if it's just urban legend that there's a English dub for HOT. I do vaguely recall seeing Opium in English years ago either on TV or VHS.

[tdb]

Chang Cheh + Venoms == Goodness

I've read good things about this, but with so many Shaw titles available I hadn't picked up the IVL disc yet (if it hasn't already fallen into the hard to find category). Now I can just wait and pick up the Image disc. The Image discs have all been at least as serviceable as the IVL discs (which is damning with faint praise), but it will be watchable. The important thing is that it's coming with it's original mono Mandarin audio track. It's comforting to know that people can learn from their mistakes (or other peoples' mistakes ie the, what was it, first couple release waves with the horrid 5.1 remixes).

I'll have to contact them and let them know everyone appreciates having the original language mono tracks rather than some misguided 5.1 remix. It's really good to see these movies the way their makers meant them to be seen and heard.

[magicpoe]

Yes that is important to note. At least it will have the original mono Chinese track. The IVL also had the original mono Chinese track thankfully.

[bobo]

found cover at image

[magicpoe]

Not a bad job. A little plain but the movies most important.

found cover at image

[Endsang]

A bit bold to have Sun Chien in a kung fu pose when he doesn't lift a finger during the entire movie.

[chen lung]

Nice cover with the font, but the blade looks out of place and yes, it is overall plain.

[oldeschool17]

that cover sucks a ss. It's on par with the IVL cover sans the rug.

[HAZ]

Cover stinks, movie stinks. It's very fitting.

[Tosh]

Very bland, they could of at least put a shot of the house in it.

[venoms5]

A bit bold to have Sun Chien in a kung fu pose when he doesn't lift a finger during the entire movie.

The cover is an amalgamation of shots taken from the original poster including the Sun Chien pose. It's possible his role in the film may have been different and was changed due to an injury or else this pose was strictly a publicity shot...

http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/7919/briansfirstpicture305xd8.jpg
By venoms5 (http://profile.imageshack.us/user/venoms5), shot with Digimax A503 / Kenox D503 (http://profile.imageshack.us/camerabuy.php?model=Digimax+A503+%2F+Kenox+D503&make=Samsung+Techwin+co.%2C+Ltd) at 2008-01-06

[greenfan]

They should have retained those enclosing dangers that were on the poster. Other than that I think the cover is quite cool.

Is it just me who hates that "Eastern Masters" logo at the top of Image's DVDs?

[chen lung]

Is it just me who hates that "Eastern Masters" logo at the top of Image's DVDs?
Of course not :).

[daTOAD]

Thanks to all these companies releasing these films, but ALL the covers suck. They need to get in contact with Flashlegs[greatest covers ever].

[daTOAD]

And add an original poster the size of a post card with the film.

[Grady-San]

Do people really care so much about the covers? I mean the movie to me is what is important... Sure a cover is nice to look at, but once you have so many movies it just gets tucked away. Just my 2 cents is all :)

[thedangerouskid]

Real let down, when I was told about this one it sounded so good.

[bobo]

hi--- i just noticed that on cduniverse site that IMAGE release of HOUSE OF TRAPS is listed as the rare english dub version. this so far is the only site that list it this way--and i might remind you that this was the only site that listed DEADLY BREAKING SWORD as english dub prior to its release. i sure hope its true. can anyone confirm this?

[gfanikf]

hi--- i just noticed that on cduniverse site that IMAGE release of HOUSE OF TRAPS is listed as the rare english dub version. this so far is the only site that list it this way--and i might remind you that this was the only site that listed DEADLY BREAKING SWORD as english dub prior to its release. i sure hope its true. can anyone confirm this?

Holy ****.....the way that it is written would seem to indicate there is a dub. I mean what else could a rare English version refer too and the specs look accurately listed as opposed to placeholder text. Would be nice if there was a pic of the back.

http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=7705827&style=movie

[raider yang]

Having the dub on this film would be great news. It was supposedly one of the long lost dubs that some stated existed on the old Black Belt Theater package but never seen again.

Can't wait to check it out.

[venom10463]

It's a shame we have to wait a whole month to find out if its true or not. I for one am hoping it's true. I've been looking for an eng dub for House of Traps for along time.

[oldeschool17]

bobo, i thought you had direct contact with IMAGE? Cant you ask your contact person if its included? I'll make sure to check out Best Buy in a couple of months and see if the dub is on there.

[magicpoe]

I called Image in a failed attempt to speak with someone, anyone, about the upcoming release. After checking online for a name to search for in the company directory I came upon the name Bill Bromiley, who is the Chief Acquisitions Officer. I left him a voicemail.

If anyone else would like to call, Image Entertainment main number is (818) 407-9100. Listen to the corporate directory, find a name you like. They might know something, who knows.

I really hope they have the dub and will include it.

deepdiscount has it up for pre-order and they list the dub.

http://www.deepdiscount.com/viewproduct.htm?productId=47861703

[magicpoe]

Received a callback from Image this evening.

THIS IS LEGIT. THEY HAVE THE DUB AND IT WILL BE ON THE DVD. THIS IS STRAIGHT FROM AN IMAGE ENTERTAINMENT REPRESENTATIVE.

Spoke with a Mr. Thompson who apparently is overseeing these releases. He said they found the dub via the Library of Congress. Same place they sourced the dub for Intimate Confessions. All that sound familiar, it should.



In addition, here are some interesting tidbits I learned:

Have you ever wondered why there are NO subtitles on the Celestial trailers found on the Image DVDs. Get this, it's a hoot. Celestial will not let them use the subtitles on the trailers because the subtitles are not cleared for NON REGION 3 releases. Also, and this is even better, they can use the subtitles on the Celestials trailers available on the Image Entertainment website. So the website is fine, on the DVD not fine. I mentioned that this was strange and he said yes it is, but there was nothing they could do about it.

I mentioned that we would like to see the original trailers were available. He said they would get them when they can but unfortunately Celestial doesn't make alot of the special features available that Image would like to use.

Here's another biggie. ATTENTION ALL ENGLISH DUB COLLECTORS WHO HAVE GOOD SOUNDTRACKS FOR USE. He said they are releasing The Thunderbolt Fist in either Nov or Dec and they want to source the original English dub for use on the DVD. Celestial can't find it, let me repeat that, Celestial can't find it in their archive. I told him I would get the word out and have someone contact him that has the dub. HERE IS THE VERY IMPORTANT CAVEAT TO THE STATEMENT ABOVE. THE DUB MUST BE CLEAR AND IN GOOD CONDITION. IMAGE WILL DO THE SYNC WORK THEMSELVES.

[venom10463]

OMG!!! I'm placing my order asap.

[bobo]

ooohhh yaaa. the dub for this one is the biggest find to date. how is it they get the dub for this but not HAVE SWORD WILL TRAVEL or HUMAN LANTERNS---weird company to figure out.

[gfanikf]

Received a call back from Image this evening.

THIS IS LEGIT. THEY HAVE THE DUB AND IT WILL BE ON THE DVD. THIS IS STRAIGHT FROM AN IMAGE ENTERTAINMENT REPRESENTATIVE.

Spoke with a Mr. Thompson who apparently is overseeing these releases. He said they found the dub via the Library of Congress.

In addition, here are some interesting tidbits I learned:

Have you ever wondered why there are NO subtitles on the Celestial trailers found on the Image DVDs. Get this, it's a hoot. Celestial will not let them use the subtitles on the trailers because the subtitles are not cleared for NON REGION 3 releases. Also, and this is even better, they can use the subtitles on the Celestials trailers available on the Image Entertainment website. So the website is fine, on the DVD not fine. I mentioned that this was strange and he said yes it is, but there was nothing they could do about it.

I mentioned that we would like to see the original trailers were available. He said they would get them when they can but unfortunately Celestial doesn't make alot of the special features available that Image would like to use.

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT TTTTTTTT

Magic mind if I post this on my site? Just the HOT info.

Man I am I happy I turned people onto the Library of Congress.

[gfanikf]

Oh I'll see if I can check some sources for Thunderbolt :).

Magic, any other dubs they need? I know a couple of sources.

[magicpoe]

Oh yeah gfanikf, go ahead. They have the dub for Kiss of Death already, they got it from Celestial. I asked about a dub for Corpse Mania and he said that Celestial did not have one as one wasn't made for that movie.

[oldeschool17]

good lookin magicpoe

[gfanikf]

Oh yeah gfanikf, go ahead. They have the dub for Kiss of Death already, they got it from Celestial. I asked about a dub for Corpse Mania and he said that Celestial did not have one as one wasn't made for that movie.

Thanks :)

http://hkfilmnews.blogspot.com/2008/07/english-language-dub-of-house-of-traps.html

[gfanikf]

Oh yeah gfanikf, go ahead. They have the dub for Kiss of Death already, they got it from Celestial. I asked about a dub for Corpse Mania and he said that Celestial did not have one as one wasn't made for that movie.

You would think a movie titled Corpse Mania would just scream to be dubbed into English. :)

Funny enough someone just sent me a copy of Kiss of Death recently.

Now (me included) thought when Image announced they had HOT, that pfffh thats something I won't need to buy, its not like it will have the English Dub :D

[magicpoe]

One last thing on this:

I have the email address for the guy I spoke with and I'd like to send him a clear and concise explanation of exactly what's wrong with the picture quality of their releases and what they can do to improve them. I understand what's wrong but I'd feel better sending him an explanation from someone who can get into deep details on ways to improve the picture.

Also, I asked if they had the COMPLETE English dub for House of Traps and he confirmed it was complete.

Anyone remember when Linn was involved with helping Image and they returned the box of stuff he sent them unopened. He sent them a dub for Heaven and Hell and they didn't even use it. Now, it's a different story.

[oldeschool17]

One last thing on this:

I have the email address for the guy I spoke with. I'd like to send him a clear and concise explanation of exactly what's wrong with the picture quality of their releases and what they can do to improve them. I understand what's wrong but I'd feel better sending him an explanation from someone who can get into deep details on ways to improve the picture.

Also, I asked if they had the COMPLETE English dub for House of Traps and he confirmed it was complete.

Get chen lung or spannick on the case. They are probably the best people to speak on that matter from this message board.

[gfanikf]

Get chen lung or spannick on the case. They are probably the best people to speak on that matter from this message board.

Yeah, I agree. Their feedback helped MB make sure Heroe's Two would be their only interlaced transfer. Speaking of which I should be getting a preview of Challenge of the Masters soon :)

I just wish the people there now would have listened to Linn back in the day. :(

I feel bad Linn won't get a chance to hear it. I know he wasn't a dub fan, but he did like Venom's dubs.

[Tosh]

I'm looking forward to The Thunderbolt Fist, finally a release I haven't seen, I'm not a dub fan but this one looks like it be a fun one for it.

[teako170]

Received a callback from Image this evening.

THIS IS LEGIT. THEY HAVE THE DUB AND IT WILL BE ON THE DVD. THIS IS STRAIGHT FROM AN IMAGE ENTERTAINMENT REPRESENTATIVE.

Nice work MP.

[chen lung]

Speaking of which I should be getting a preview of Challenge of the Masters soon :).
Looking forward to that.

I remember Killer Meteor mention a soundtrack problem (http://adg.invisionzone.com/index.php?showtopic=1551). Very minor, but just wondering all the same.

I'll be picking this one (got the IVL). Just hope the subtitles are totally revamped in sync/layout/grammar etc. 'Heroes Two' translation wasn't great IMO as I could hear incorrect instances.

[bobo]

if you guys check HOUSE OF TRAPS on the IMAGE site it now states the rare english dub will be available at the bottom of the synopsis.

[gfanikf]

if you guys check HOUSE OF TRAPS on the IMAGE site it now states the rare english dub will be available at the bottom of the synopsis.

Oh that was there yesterday, but I think it said rare English language version.

[Sentswordsman]

Wow! I can't believe what I'm reading. This is awesome! I wonder if Image would ever reconsider a reissue of House of Traps, Shaolin Intruders, The Water Margin, and Have Sword Will Travel with the English dub.

[bobo]

lets not forget about HEAVEN AND HELL and BELLS OF DEATH. plus they should have looked for the dub of HUMAN LANTERNS.

[Killer Meteor]

Wow! I can't believe what I'm reading. This is awesome! I wonder if Image would ever reconsider a reissue of House of Traps, Shaolin Intruders, The Water Margin, and Have Sword Will Travel with the English dub.


Water Margin would be tricky cause the English version is much shorter

I'd rather they reissued them with decent picture!

[gfanikf]

Water Margin would be tricky cause the English version is much shorter

I'd rather they reissued them with decent picture!

Well not if the Shaws did a dub of it. The WM dub was done by Warner Brothers for the Seven Blows of the Dragon release.

[chen lung]

They could use Seamless Branching.

I doubt they'd bother as both their contract is **** and no-one would bother with it.

[HAZ]

Will the dubbed House Of Traps still have Kuo Choi wearing that stupid hat, or can they digitally edit it out? Maybe they're saving that for the reissue/limited edition DVD?

[magicpoe]

I sent an email to the guy I spoke with at Image Entertainment with suggestions on how to improve the overall quality of their releases. chen lung wrote the summary below which I included in that email. Thank you chen lung. Hopefully Image will understand that we only want a quality product and will take the suggestions into consideration when creating future DVDs.

************************************************** ********
1) Please re-do the subtitles using people with subtitling skills (sync, layout) with good English (grammar, spelling) and Cantonese/Mandarin skills (to translate incase Celestial's team missed out anything - also for 100% Western-friendliness).

Celestial's translation (with exception to jokes, etc) is generally OK, but everything else is usually subpar and needs cleaned up (this includes on-screen text such as signs, credits and extras).

At the moment, I believe Image are correcting the current Celestial subtitles and whilst this is good, it could cause errors in sync when it comes to the translation of a certain part. A balance of re-translation and re-layout (including grammar, etc) is the key.

2) Obtain PAL or HD master and convert yourselves a 23.976 image into the 29.97 video stream so that the original frames are progressively re-created.

Celestial may not know how to convert the PAL or HD masters into NTSC properly (which gives off the film in PAL time causing irreversible ghosting to accomplish this) - adding to the picture being interlaced flagged and the occasional use of 'NTSC Time-Stretch' which pulls out the poor conversion into it's NTSC time (making it far worse).

For anything shot interlaced, please leave that interlaced.

3) Have someone come onto the forum and enquire to suggestions on how to improve the releases (fan-donated materials, footage obtainable by Celestial such as cuts) in advance.

4) If you have multiple versions, please implement seamless branching (as opposed to filling in the gaps with different languages/subtitles). Fans will find the upgrade from their old classic VHS versions easier.

5) Ensure the correct audio as titles such as 'Shaolin Intruders' are Cantonese, but include 'Mandarin' instead.
************************************************** ********

[chen lung]

I didn't include the requirement of mono as they've been including it.

[magicpoe]

In my email I mentioned that including the original mono soundtrack was appreciated by many of the forum members. I also stated that including as many soundtracks as possible would only encourage more people to purchase the DVDs.

[oldeschool17]

Good job magicpoe and chen lung. Gotta play devils advocate though so forgive me if im a sour puss but if Linn couldn't get them to follow thru with the fans criteria and using fan extras, why would they now?

[magicpoe]

No your right about that, why would they care now.

The guy I spoke with seemed like a fan or anyone else I would converse with here on the forum. When I asked if he would be willing to read suggestions from customers with constructive criticism or helpful suggestions he said, "yes please send your ideas."

Also the idea that they would be willing to use a dub sent from a collector floored me given what they had previously done to Linn. I asked him twice just to make sure he'd say the same thing twice. He said if the dub was in good condition he didn't see a problem using it. They would take care of the sync and include it.

Having said that, do I expect Image to take any of our suggestions and put them into practice? Maybe, but not really. If it happens, that would be great. If not, at least we tried.

[oldeschool17]

Cool man. Your right, it didn't hurt to ask.

[chen lung]

I had emailed them months ago and whilst they were nice and tried to be helpful, it didn't get anywhere.

It could be an interesting turn, but their contract is probably rubbish and will not allow them to improve. It just amazes me that a company doesn't recognise their **** converted video. From there, anything can happen. They do look at their subtitles it would seem, but they don't re-translate them. Too many incompetents doing these. Not one Shaw DVD exists without a problem - it's becoming the norm...

[Kwok Choi]

Once again the 35mm print/copy of House Of Traps that was shown in theatres in my neck of the woods was an English dubbed version.For the benefit of our members you'll be happy to know that 90% of Shaw Brother films shown in theatres in my country of origin were dubbed in English.We didn't know what video was at the time so whether these dubbed prints made it to video is another matter.In fact I personally only came across most of the original language versions when Celestial started remastering the movies

[magicpoe]

Heads up for others

[oldeschool17]

Heads up for others

I'll be by Best Buy on Tuesday for this and maybe Fist of Legend.

[Shaw Scope Guy]

Once again the 35mm print/copy of House Of Traps that was shown in theatres in my neck of the woods was an English dubbed version.For the benefit of our members you'll be happy to know that 90% of Shaw Brother films shown in theatres in my country of origin were dubbed in English.We didn't know what video was at the time so whether these dubbed prints made it to video is another matter.In fact I personally only came across most of the original language versions when Celestial started remastering the movies

What is your country of origin? In my country of origin they were all released in English Dubbed

[The Running Man]

Not that I care for it, but for the benefit of those that want to know because I bought this DVD yesterday....yes the English dub is on it.

[chen lung]

Not that I care for it, but for the benefit of those that want to know because I bought this DVD yesterday....yes the English dub is on it.
Hey, you promised not to jab at 'emXD!

I take it asking about improvements on the image is futile?

How are the subtitles?

[oldeschool17]

Hey, you promised not to jab at 'emXD!

I take it asking about improvements on the image is futile?

How are the subtitles?

I'll do a screenshot/sub comparison on Tuesday after I pick this up.

[The Running Man]

Hey, you promised not to jab at 'em!

Hey, I'm lending a hand right? ;)

If anyone has the IVL DVD (I don't) give me some subs you thought were dodgy and I'll put up the ones as they appear here on the Image disc.

[vengeanceofhumanlanterns]

Running Man, where did you purchase your HOT copy, that you were able to obtain it before 9/9/08?

[gfanikf]

Hey, I'm lending a hand right? ;)

If anyone has the IVL DVD (I don't) give me some subs you thought were dodgy and I'll put up the ones as they appear here on the Image disc.

Why it has the English dub, who the hell wants to watch in Mandarin? ;)

Where did you find it for sale? Your in NYC right?

[The Running Man]

I got connections ya'll. ;)

Anyway, why does this DVD eliminate the "Eastern Masters" banner that was on the last few Image Shaw Brother DVD covers? Was that like a name they decided for the line then they just now decided to drop it?

And out of all the things to mention to Image, one that can be easily achievable would be to actually include subtitles on those trailers they put up. There is no reason not to have them since the IVL had them which is a mystery as to why they don't.

[oldeschool17]

And out of all the things to mention to Image, one that can be easily achievable would be to actually include subtitles on those trailers they put up. There is no reason not to have them since the IVL had them which is a mystery as to why they don't.
Refer to magicpoe post #36 in this thread:
http://www.kungfucinema.com/forums/showpost.php?p=61613&postcount=36

[chen lung]

Tight-arseness everywhere in Celestial unless you do what MB and likely DD did, get as much control in that contract.

[oldeschool17]

I just viewed the IVL disc and I didn't see any major subtitle flaws. Trust me, i've seen worse.

[The Running Man]

Thanks for that link oldeschool17. That's some seriously screwed situation. Perhaps Image took too much of their contract with Celestial for granted rather than persist more initially. It's a good thing that Linn got MB to cook up a deal which allows them far more leeway. Look how quickly they've improved from their first two releases to now what I would call the best Shaw Brothers DVD released in the U.S. so far (Challenge of the Masters).

[Killer Meteor]

Are Image still doing those naff PAL-NTSC transfers?

[magicpoe]

Watched this last night.

The dub for this was made by the same voice actors who did Flag of Iron and 5 Element Ninjas which is expected given that the 3 films were made within a 2 year span.

NZuSYcsFxvY

Concerning the picture quality, it's about the same as previous Image releases but maybe ever so slightly better although ghosting is still the main issue with Image's releases.

For me this was worth purchasing only for the dub given it's rarity. The IVL DVD's picture quality is better than the Image DVD. The difference is the IVL DVD doesn't have the ghosting issue.

Watching this dubbed in English was, for me at least, a completely different experience. If you like dubs pick up this release. Otherwise, the IVL DVD will do.

Also, the original Hong Kong trailer is not on the Image dvd. It is on the IVL Region 3 release. Just more information for anyone curious.

[gravedigger666]

hopefully they or someone will release Masked Avengers dubbed.

[oldeschool17]

Magicpoe basically covered all bases. Subs are in my opinion improved by adding additional translations that wasnt there on the IVL disc or changing the grammar slightly. IVL has better picture. For those that care for a screenshot comparison just PM me and i'll send it to you. Cant be bothered to post it here as some people feel the need to insult those contributing towards a technical discussion.

Edit: IVL has marginally better picture. It's not that signficant to be honest. I agree with Magicpoe, if you allready have the IVL version and dont care for the dub then there is no need to double dip. If I didnt have neither, I would probably choose the IMAGE one just cause its more bang for your buck and the subs are slightly improved.

[venom10463]

Does the DVD have a slate subtitle track? Image has as of yet to ever include a slate track for sign translation, etc on any of their dvds with an English dubbed.

I'm about to head out to best buy or Fry's and pick up House of Traps and Fist of Legend.;):p

[oldeschool17]

Does the DVD have a slate subtitle track? Image has as of yet to ever include a slate track for sign translation, etc on any of their dvds with an English dubbed.

I'm about to head out to best buy or Fry's and pick up House of Traps and Fist of Legend.;):p

IVL:
http://img158.imageshack.us/img158/9062/ivlsignsuo6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

IMAGE:
http://img389.imageshack.us/img389/2116/imagesignseh8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[magicpoe]

There is no slate subtitle track specifically.

If you watch the film with the English subs on the signs will be translated. But if your watching it English dubbed why have the English subs turned on?

In this case, a slate subtitle track that would show up specifically when watching in English would be an excellent idea. That way the only time a subtitle would show up would be when a sign or banner written in Chinese needs a translation.

If your watching in Chinese though, with the English subs turned on, translations for all signs and banners are shown.

[venom10463]

Thanks!

[daTOAD]

"The dub for this was made by the same voice actors who did Flag of Iron and 5 Element Ninjas which is expected given that the 3 films were made within a 2 year span."

Damn. I hate those guys, but still picked it up. Proves my theory though ,that 1981/82 is when the Shaws stopped using the Aussie crew{ THE BEST}. That sucks for the Bastard Swordsman dub.

[mantis FIST]

just watched this movie, for really the 1st time, and I was not really that impressed. For me the movie was really boring. Not enough action.

I watched it with the dub and the subs. Magicpoe: I have done this many times as the subs always contain more of the story. And alot of times the dub is different.

[gravedigger666]

Best example of difference between dub and subs I am aware of is (great) chang chehs Shaolin Temple.In my opinion dialogue in subtitled version is LOT better.But there are several great good dubs in venom movies.House of traps arrives here next week,definitely gonna pick it.

[vengeanceofhumanlanterns]

Just veiwed this last night and checked out the english dubbs for the first time. I'm not a big fan of a lot of the voice- overs on this one though it was interesting hearing the translation for them. It looks awesome. Any venoms fan would be missin out not pickin up this release.

[magicpoe]

Before the Image dvd, the only way I'd watched House of Traps before was the Manadrin language option from the Celestial dvd. I had the full screen boot of course before that but how much could you really enjoy that version? With the English dub on the Image DVD I think it's more of a nostalgia type thing. The Mandarin language and subs are more authentic of course but the dubs are a different experience. I'm glad they were able to include it. They were able to satisfy the customers who love the dubs only, the original language only, and those who find both equally important. I would probably fall into the find both equally important category.

[Kung Foolery]

Well Ive never seen this, and Im getting the vibe here not to bother. For Venom completists only?

[oldeschool17]

Well Ive never seen this, and Im getting the vibe here not to bother. For Venom completists only?
It's split for venom fans. For the fans that have action as high as their priority, this movie will dissapoint. I personally dont need a fight every 30 seconds so the action content was ok for me. Not to say this is some intricate plot/direction cause it isnt. Some of the marquee talent is underutilized/killed off early. The House itself could have been utilized more/better. It's a decent enough movie but you can clump this in the same category as Life Gamble in that amongst venom fans, not everyone likes it.

[oldeschool17]

With the English dub on the Image DVD I think it's more of a nostalgia type thing.
Granted, the textbook definition of nostalgia is essentially "yearning for(happiness)in situations or things in the past". But I think the key thing is that you would have to had personally experienced it to qualify as nostalgia. However, since you and the majority of us have never heard the dub prior to this IMAGE release, wouldn't that kind of be a contradiction of that meaning?
I think I could agree with that comment if this were a movie that had a dub that was easily available and you have personally listened to(like 5 Venoms, Crippled Avengers,etc). Dont think I am attacking your opinion, im just trying to see where you are coming from. :D

[magicpoe]

I would say it's probably just a nostalgic attachment to the English dubs in general. Although I'd never heard the dub for House of Traps before the Image release, it has a familiarity that reminds me of the other Shaw Brothers English dubbed movies that I did watch as a kid.

[oldeschool17]

I would say it's probably just a nostalgic attachment to the English dubs in general. Although I've never heard the dub for House of Traps before the Image release, it has a familiarity that reminds me of the other Shaw Brothers English dubs that I did watch as a kid.
I see what ya saying.

[kungfusamurai]

I held off buying this DVD until it came out with an English dub here in North America. I have to say that I wasn't too impressed with the flick.

First - the English dub track is pretty weak. It was done in the early 80s when the quality of the English dubbers seemed to have deteriorated quite a bit. The ones done in the 70s sounded way better. I found it distracting that many of the characters (if not all) were voice by one person. Also, with the english audio option on, there was not translation of the signage in the films being displayed. I only discovered they were translated with the subs turned on when I got tired of hearing the english voices.

Second - the video wasn't too bad. I think there was griping about the PAL to NTSC conversion and the artificating that can cause. Mind you, I don't have a 42 inch HD TV, so maybe it's more noticeable on the high end sets.

Lastly (spoilers) - the movie itself was barely okay. I'd say it was the weakest out of all of the Venoms films I've seen, not including some of the Brave Archer flicks. The story line was kind of weak. The 'house of traps' was not really a house at all, just a one room 2 level storage shed. I guessed at a lot of the plot twists and turns, so there weren't too many 'surprises', and what surprises there were didn't really move me. There weren't as many fights. While 'Five Venoms' had very few fights, at least the story was well thought out and engaging. In this film, the plot just dragged on, so the lack of fighting really stuck out. The ending was the biggest disappointment. There really wasn't any true 'bad guy' in this film, so it was kind of hard to cheer for any one side. I mean, the Prince who wanted to avenge his family and overthrow the Emperor wasn't evil or ruthless, so I didn't find the ending satisfying. Also, usually I find a film is enjoyable when the odds are against the 'heroes' or 'good guys', but in this film, the Prince and his high skilled fighters were completely outnumbered, so there wasn't really much of a battle. Poor Sun Chien didn't really have much to do in this film either. Kind of like Wang Lung Wei in the Venoms, except Sun's character was rather wimpy.

Overall the film felt like it was just made for the sake of being made.

KFS

[nectarsis]

Watched this for the first time. Better than I thought it would be, but def not a fav.