Unarguably the greatest character in kung-fu film history is Huang Fei-hong. Arguably the greatest director of pure kung-fu films is Liu Chia-liang. Putting the two together was natural, since Liu started his career working on the classic Huang, and his family was trained by students of the real Huang Fei-hong! So after his first film as director, THE SPIRITUAL BOXER, was a huge hit, Liu decided to make the greatest tale of Huang and his "sifu" (teacher) ever filmed. He made a star of his adoptive brother, Gordon Liu Chia-hui, in the leading role, and filled the cast with family members, friends, students, and the best Shaw Brothers had to offer. He even played the villain himself. The result was more Liu magic, with an honorable message of righteousness that rings true through the decades.
Gordon Liu Chia-hui, Chen Kuan-tai, Wang Yu, Lily Li
It is love beyond the grave, as a young scholar and his beautiful lover are torn apart forever by his dastardly uncle and his friend, who drive the girl to commit suicide... but with death comes revenge for the enchanting ghost. A spooky yet heart-wrenching tale...
Chang Mei-yao , Yang Li-hua , Lei Ming , Tsui Fu-sheng
A huge success from the golden age of Hong Kong kung-fu, THE ANONYMOUS HEROES is dominated by two far-from-anonymous cinematic duos. Stars David Chiang and Ti Lung, the most illustrious buddy team in action movies, are joined by the acclaimed behind-the-screen team of director Chang Cheh and martial arts choreographer Liu Chia-liang. The action takes place just after the Chinese Revolution of 1911, an era when the fledgling Chinese Republic was plagued by powerful warlords. But these tyrants find they have met their match in a trio of "anonymous heroes" united by their patriotism and high kicks: the vagabond (David Chiang), the adventurer (Ti Lung), and the general's daughter (Ching Li). An exciting entry in the David Chiang-Ti Lung canon, and a top ten hit in 1971.
Director Wong Jing is widely regarded as one of the founding fathers of the gambling genre films, and now Shaw Showcase brings to you one of his earliest blockbusters from two decades ago. Starring genre icon Shih Hsien with the stellar cast of Wang Yu, Huang Chin-sang, Chen Kuan-tai and Huang Hsing-hsiu. Embedded with Japanese spies, Shanghai tycoons, beautiful starlets, and enough twists and turns on the gambling table, Challenge Of The Gamesters promises to deliver superb entertainment.
Wang Yu, Huang Chin-sang, Shih Hsien, Chen Kuan-tai, Huang Hsing-hsiu
The "Venoms" are back in action in this thriller of Shaolin versus corrupt Ching soldiers... with the help of the Lama, Black Tiger, and Mantis clans... headquartered at a pugilism school, a dyeing mill, and a beancurd shop. The five men director Chang Cheh made famous in more than a dozen similar high-flying, blood-splattered adventures (starting with The Five Venoms) are all here. There’s the Taiwanese Opera artist Kuo Chue, his fellow light-skill acrobat Chiang Sheng, the evil Lu Feng, the Chinese muscleman Lo Meng, and Korean kicker Sun Chien, whose skills are specially spotlighted in this production. Together they create another wonderfully fun kung-fu showcase, filled with show-stopping sequences of martial arts expertise.
This erotic comedy features three lotharios who vie to become principal of the Macho Man Training School -- an extremely sexy institution dedicated to extremely non Shaolin-types of physical exertion.
Cantopop king Aaron Kwok shows that he can kick and chop with the best of them. As THE BARE-FOOTED KID, he's an innocent country bumpkin/martial arts whiz in the Ching Dynasty who proves more than equal to the city slickers whose path he crosses. Ably assisted by director Johnnie To and with martial arts choreography by the legendary Liu Chia-liang, Aaron Kwok - generally acknowledged to be the best dancer among the pop idols - proves that he's equally graceful at kung-fu. The ladies in the bare-footed kid's life are impressive as well, with Maggie Cheung Man-yuk an introspective widow and Jacklyn Wu a rambunctious rich girl. Most imposing is Ti Lung, playing a mysterious fugitive, showing that he still possesses the screen presence that first brought him to kung-fu superstardom over twenty years earlier.
Director Chang Cheh and actors Ti Lung & David Chiang give Shaw Bros a contemporary facelift with this gangster melodrama revealing the painful experiences of today's youth.
The swordsman genre well under way, even directors like the es¬tablished Yueh Feng, who had directed romance stories since 1938, gave it a spin. THE BELLS OF DEATH, a whirlwind story about a man who embarks on a life long journey to learn the sword then find and eliminate the three men who killed his family and abducted his sister, features an appearance of relatively new Shaw Brothers' faces hoping to make the grade and become the next Jimmy Wang Yu, David Chiang or Ti Lung. Amidst fountains of blood and guts, actor Wu Ma rang true as his bells of glory eventually tolled. He went on to star in 180 movies (including several with Jackie Chan and Jet Li) and become one of Hong Kong's premiere, new wave, ghost story film directors.
Scientist Li Chung-hua invents a chemical capable of accelerating the growth of plants, and humans. Not surprisingly, agents of world powers vie to get hold of this revolutionary invention.
Only the Shaw Brothers Studio could conceive and produce such a spectacular clash of esoteric weapons. Fans of the internationally popular "FLYING GUILLOTINE" films will appreciate the continuous kung-fu confrontations with some of the most intriguing and exciting martial arts machinery ever seen on screen. The studio's first international action star, Lo Lieh (who burst upon the scene before even Bruce Lee in KING BOXER) leads the charge as holder of the title tool -- an ultra-cool flying boomerang with blades. He must take on the terrible Iron Ball Chain, Golden Net, and other deadly devices to gain control of a special elixir which will cure an all-too-treacherous royal official. Tang Chia and Yuen Cheung-yan, the underrated giants of kung-fu choreography, stage some of the best sword on shield action ever in this fun and unusual fight-fest. There are double crosses and ambushes galore before the culminating clash of sizzling steel that has to be seen to be believed.
Ting Chih-hua, pert and pretty, plans to steal a fabulous diamond ring from a shop. She orders the ring and tells the manager, Tang Chi-tu, to deliver it to psychiatrist Chow Tung-ming. He is to impersonate her husband. At the same time, Chih-hua calls on Chow and tells him that Tang, whom she claims is her husband, will be visiting him for treatment. Tang takes the ring to the psychiatrist's clinic. In the waiting room, Chih-hua receives the ring. Tang enters the psychiatrist's office to collect payment for the ring. Since Chow is under the impression that Tang has come to him for consultation, a series of misunderstandings ensue before the two men realize that they have been duped. Chih-hua, in possession of the ring, flies with her brother Wen-hua, from Hongkong to Singapore. To by-pass customs, Chih-hua slips the ring into the pocket of wealthy Chang Chih-yen. In the city Chih-hua and her brother lose Chih-yen and search frantically but unsuccessfully for him. One day, they spot Chih-yen and attractive Jennie Wang by a swimming pool. Chih-hua goes to search Chih-yen's car. Chih-yen and Jennie enter the car and drive off. Chih-hua is discovered inside and she lies that she is an old friend of Chih-yen's. Jennie, jealous and angry, pushes Chih-yen out of the car and drives Chih-hua home. Later, Chih-hua breaks into and ransacks Chih-yen's home for the ring. She is discovered by Chih-yen who hands her a jewel box supposedly containing the ring. On returning home, she finds only a razor in the box. Meanwhile, Chih-yen learns that the ring is stolen property and that Chih-hua's responsible for the theft. Chih-hua again visits Chih-yen at home. There is an amusing incident in which coffee is spilt on Chih-hua's dress and just as she is changing it, Jennie enters the house. Ever suspicion, Jennie dashes out of the place in a huff. Chih-hua and Chih-yen spend the night together. The following day, Chih-hua once more calls on Chih-yen. She reveals that her father is ill and the family is in financial difficulty. She had lied to them that she had gone on a tour of Europe. By now, Chih-yen has fallen for Chih-hua. He contacts Tang and tells him to go to Singapore for payment of the diamond ring. Tang collects his money, everything's settled and Chih-yen and Chih-hua are wed.
It's rare in any film industry that Part III of a classic has the same "umph!" as it's predecessors, but when you get legendary director Chang Cheh to return for a third time to helm much of the original terrific cast that includes Alexander Fu Sheng, Ti Lung and several of the "Five Venoms," it's just a masterpiece waiting to happen...again. And it does. Based on a classic kung-fu novel, The Brave Archer 3 delivers at all levels; mystery, magic, plot twists and of course brilliant martial arts action that has always been one of Shaw Brothers' calling cards of success. Chang's heroes live for death while wrapping themselves in their own universe, and at the right time, will altruistically explode. That's what makes this film a blast.
Julie Yeh Feng gets to perform on a melodramatic platform to showcase her versatility in this poignant tearjerker. Yeh plays socialite Pai Li-lan, whose life is disrupted when she contracts severe tuberculosis. It is under harsh, trying circumstances that love unexpectedly blossoms between Li-lan and Chang Chih-ping (Ling Yun), the music teacher of her daughter Chin Shiao-lan (Fung Bo-bo). Unfortunately, the odds are stacked sky-high against their love. Can love essentially be enough to see them through?
