Besides his pioneering films based on authentic martial artistry and kung-fu comedies during the 1970's, acclaimed director Liu Chia-liang also embraced the master/pupil relationship to form the cornerstone of many of his other works where his characters exhibited physical and moral failure as a means to either "make them or break them". Besides directing MAD MONKEY KING FU, it's also Liu's debut as a lead actor playing down and out, monkey kung-fu master Chen, crippled by the ruthless villain Tuen (Shaw's penultimate bad guy Lo Lieh). Street boy Hsiao Hou (which means "little monkey" and played by popular martial arts aerialist Hsiao Hao) convinces Chen to teach him monkey kung-fu to avenge Chen's shame. The wacky training sequences and outlandish finale fight leave you stupefied.
The Golden Lion (Chao Hsiung) is a bandit with mysterious strength who robs from the rich and gives to the poor. One night, he is ambushed and poisoned by the evil bounty hunter Wang Ching-Tsao (Wang Hsieh) and his gang, who hunt him at the behest of legal authority. Friends take him to a righteous doctor, who cures the wounded bandit despite the threats of Wang Ching-Tsao. The doctor travels with the Golden Lion, his surly son and courageous daughter Lu Wen-fang (Li Ching) to a mountain to develop a life-saving antidote, and they are beset at every perilous turn by Wang Hsieh, who will stop at nothing to catch his quarry!
After several years of marriage, Prof. Wu Te-sheng (Alex Man Chi-leung) and his wife Wan Chun (Patricia Ha Man-jik) decide to have children. Then a medical examination shows Wu is the cause of the couple's infertility, and Wu reluctantly adopts his doctor's advice to have his wife artificially inseminated in Hawaii.
Director Sun Chung was the first Shaw Brothers' director to use the Steadicam and in the mid-70s was one of the most productive directors Shaw Brothers ever had. His action films had strong tension, snappy editing and slow motion, the things that influenced up and coming martial arts director John Woo. Sun Chung joins forces with kung-fu comedienne Wang Yu, a ballistic kid on a mission to clear his father's name, in THE KID WITH A TATTOO which also features plentiful ripsnorting martial arts at the hands of Liu Chia-liang's 10-year, exceptionally creative, choreographer partner Tang Chia. Jackie Chan's long time kung-fu classmates Yuen Hua and Yuan Pin along with best martial arts fighting villain Wang Lung-wei, add wickedly wild altercations to the melees of death.
The lovely Michelle Mei Suet plays a spoiled girl Szu-szu who ignores her true love Yang Fan (Yuan Te) to go off in search of a swordsman Chin Ko (Chen Kuan-tai) she idolizes. The search sets off one great action scene after another, until she's threatened to be sold into slavery but Yang Fan arrives in the nick of time! This amusing and entertaining variation on the standard kung-fu film is definitely a winner.
When reputable fight choreographer Liu Chia-liang debuted as a director with THE SPIRITUAL BOXER, it not only established him as a superb director, but it also encouraged other martial arts instructors to turn to directing. Plus, it was the first film to introduce comedy into kung-fu so it made sense for Liu to return to that foundation with the same bumbling idiot Wang Yu still not quite getting it when it comes to the affair of ghost control in THE SHADOW BOXING. Liu also brings in both of his brothers Liu Chia-yung and Gordon Liu Chia-hui, which guaranteed that the fights would be an extra notch above magnificent further ensuring that the audience had never seen anything like it before. THE SHADOW BOXING was twice as successful as THE SPIRITUAL BOXER.
A Chinese man (Liu) marries a Japanese woman through an arranged marriage and manages to insult all of her Japanese martial arts family by issuing a challenge to her that is misinterpreted by the others. He must then prove how good Chinese Kung Fu really is through a series of duels with the seven Japanese martial artists who come to meet the challenge!
This martial arts spectacular showcases 20-year-old Derek Yee. Variety noted "Yee's charismatic screen presence should take him to superstardom like his older brother, David Chiang". The prediction proved correct, and his performance as ace swordsman Third Master is just what any producer would want. He fights evil, saves damsels in distress (including a kindhearted prostitute played by Yu An-an), and duels with rival swordsmen to the end.
Lo Lieh was famous as Shaw Studio's first international kung-fu film star. He was famous throughout Asia for dozens of superlative performances in everything from horror to modern thrillers to martial arts. But it was the rare saga Lo also directed, and this was one of those special events. Following his huge success starring as the infamous Shaolin Temple traitor in preeminent kung-fu filmmaker Liu Chia-liang's Executioners From Shaolin, he returned to the role in this, a combination sequel and remake. Liu stayed on as choreographer, while his famed adoptive brother, Gordon Liu Chia-hui, and his discovery, Hui Ying-hung, stepped into the starring roles. The result is a lighter-hearted entertainment, as our hero learns "Embroidery Fist" and acupuncture to counter the evil White Lotus leader's deadly "Weightless Boxing" and "Nerve Centre Shutdown" techniques. The permutations of their fights are delightful to behold.
Stars Lydia Shum and Hu Chin, 72 remarkable actors play a hilarious cross-section of Hong Kong society in this vibrant landmark in Cantonese comedy. This is story of events that took place in the past... 72 people are crowded in a tenement slum. The land-lady Pa Ku (Hu Chin), a glamorous sexy woman lives with loafer, Tai Tzu-ping and their a nice, kindhearted girl, and is popular with all the tenants.
Ching Li, Hu Chin, Ho Shou-hsin, Nan Hung, Yueh Hua, Tien Ching
Chik, one of the assassins of the Iron Boat Clan, decides to leave the clan when a kind family saved him. When pursued by the clan, a swordsman whose wife was killed by him saved his life. They decide to jointly take revenge on the clan.
During the financial crisis, a vast majority of Hong Kong people were experiencing difficulties in repaying debts. During this time, the despicable loan sharks use ruthless ways to force debtors to repay their loans and it is up to Officer Lee and his underground team to hunt down the head of the illegal organization.
When directors in the late '70s began jumping on the kung-fu comedy bandwagon renowned director Chang Cheh stuck to his guns of traditional brotherhood and moral code films made popular by him in the '60s. So in keeping with the spirit of the venomous success of the cultish THE FIVE VENOMS, Chang reunites the Five Venoms in arguably his second biggest cult hit in the West, THE KID WITH THE GOLDEN ARM. As the film's lead martial arts instructor and one of the stars, it's also one of Lo Meng's finest moments on screen playing the righteous villain Golden Arms whose eventual showdown with the drunkard Hai Tao (Kuo Chue, fight choreographer for BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF) is graphically artsy and balletically violent. You won't be disappointed.
A heroic tale set in the Japanese-occupied Taiwan, Flight Man centered on Yang A-pao (Wang Jung), a patriotic youngster dedicated to repel the invading Japanese troops. But when a Chinese traitor Pan Ta-chih was lecherous towards A-pao's fiancé Teng Feng (Ling Yin), A-pao murdered him in a rage and wounded the Japanese police chief. He fled to the Ma Lan Forest and fell in love with the native Yu San-mei (Ivy Ling Po), but the Japanese police was soon hot on his trails...Written and directed by Ting Shan-hsi, the film was shot on location at the exotic Taiwanese forest, and featuring screen goddess Ivy Ling Po in a breakthrough performance as an untamed aborigine.
