Asian fans of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon recognized that its director Ang Lee was actually inspired by director Chu Yuan and novelist Ku Lung's wonderful tales of a "martial arts world" where all wushu warriors try to attain the "Deer Sword" and escape from the insidious maze-like "Toy Land." Master kung-fu choreographer Tang Chia leads the king and queen of Shaw - Ti Lung and Lily Li - to engage in a fascinating and entertaining swordplay adventure of consummate swordsmen and sorceresses.
Just after the Chinese Revolution, Japanese invaders start to infiltrate Northeast China. In the film, a vicious judo expert Arashi Tani (Chen Feng-chen) wants to prove that Chinese are the "sick people of Asia" by sabotaging and killing all the best martial artists in dangerous tournaments. To save his son from such a fate, the head of the Ping Pai Boxing Institute (Fang Mien) sends his son Tieh Wa (Chuan Yuan) to the mountains to be hidden by the master fighter Red Butterfly (Shih Szu). All know only one thing that can set things right: the powerful Thunderbolt Fist kung-fu technique!
An aging fighter (Ti Lung) relives his violent past mistakes through a poverty-striken, streetwise kid, who severely injuries his nemesis during a battle to win a girl's heart.
Ti Lung, Cheung Hing Lung, Leung Yuen Ching, Law Yun Ping
In Pale Passion, Chin Ping-hsing's only directed film, the gorgeous Chiang Li-ping plays a scorned wife Ah Hsia in an unsettling tale about cheating, adultery and blatant abuse, which develops into a deadly love triangle. The vivacious Elaine Chin Yen-ling plays the other woman Ah Hsing, who teaches the hypocritical husband Ah Fa (Ai Ti) that what goes around comes around! Unknown to him, karma returns in a much more damaging way...
The "godfather of the kung-fu film," Chang Cheh created this sweeping, all-action adventure of undercover, traveling patriots battling corrupt Mongol chieftains and their bloodthirsty henchmen. Choreographers Hsieh Hsing and Chen Hsin-yi guides a spectacular all-star kung-fu cast, led by international favorites Alexander Fu Sheng, David Chiang, Chi Kuan-chi and even Li Yi-min. With all of them fighting, plus more, there's hardly a moment to spare as stolen gold, hostage villagers, raging soldiers, corrupt courts, and an ammo dump complicate matters until both exceptional martial arts and explosions fill the screen.
Director Wang Feng (Carry On Conmen) gets back into the madness with Old Mr. Funnybone (Wang Sham) back in this belly-splitting sequel to the wildly popular live action version of Hong Kong's most beloved modern cartoon character. This time, Mr. Funnybone's nice-but-dim sidekick, Big Potato (Ngai Tung-kwa),opens an old fashioned Chinese clinic, but finds that his traditional approach to health and medicine is not welcomed in ultra modern Hong Kong. His treatments actually seem to be driving business away, no matter how hard he tries.. there's only one thing to do... Mr. Funnybone to the rescue!
As its name implies, Songfest is an Eastmancolor-Shawscope costume musical, traditionally Chinese and timeless in content; yet revealing a spirited and modern technique. Shot on location at Taiwan's beautiful Sun-Moon Lake, it's a turbulent romance between a passionate tea picker Sung Yu-lan (Margaret Tu Chuan) and a charming fisherman Li Chun-yang (Chiao Chuang).
Margaret Tu Chuan, Julie Shih-yen, Chiao Chuang, Lily Ho
This intriguing effort has more than a touch of both westerns and detective films in the martial arts mix. It lives up to its title as a noble guard is both attacked by bandits as well as betrayed by a relative. Then it's nephew against uncle, daughter against father, concubine against hero, and the law vs. vigilante justice before the last plot is exposed and the lovers are able to ride off into the sunset...
One of director Kuei Chih-hung's early works, this film is a coming-of-age tale of the lower-class Hong Kong teens in the 1960s. Its no-holds-barred presentation of societal issues brings an ultra-realistic feel to the story. Wang Chung is the title character - a hotheaded and rebellious teen who is tempted by the dark side... costing him his life. His vivid performance caused a vigorous sensation and debate among critics and audience of the time.
A talented young swordsman is brought to the edge of suicide when he encounters his first defeat in life. In his despair, he comes across a beautiful woman, daughter of the head of a mysterious sect. But will this encounter and his thirst for supremacy lead him onto a path of selfish rampage of violence?
Film lovers and critics went out of their way to praise this Liu Chia-liang version of the Shaolin destruction and revenge epic. Many called it the preeminent kung-fu director's best and certainly his greatest on the theme of history, martial arts, and family. Little wonder, since, beyond the Shaolin story, it also shows how Liu's own family style of kung-fu, Hung Fist, was created. There are unforgettable sequences throughout, highlighted by Hung Hsi-kuan (the mighty Chen Kuan-tai) and Fang Yung-chun's (the wonderful Lily Li) wedding night... where the lovers inexorably test their Tiger and Crane kung-fu styles in a symbolic treatment of a couple's power struggles. Almost equally unforgettable are the training sequences and a full three titanic confrontations with the White-Browed Hermit (the impressive Lo Lieh), betrayer of the Temple. The critics were right: Liu has out-done himself...as usual!
Three young martial arts students and their teacher are beaten up badly by a wandering man who proclaims himself 'a corrector of bad kung-fu.' Determined to avenge their teacher and regain their honor, the three students go their separate ways to find kung-fu masters who will take them as students.
Taiwanese singer Lin Chong plays a cool jewel thief who turns over a new leaf as a professional singer in Chang Cheh's first ever musical. A series of new robberies arise and has everyone wondering if the thief hasn't returned to his old ways...
Lily Ho , Jimmy Lin Chong , Lo Lieh , Essie Lin Chia
