Of all the many kinds of films Ho Meng-hua directed for the Shaw Brothers, quite possibly his most internationally popular was THE FLYING GUILLOTINE. While he did not direct its like-titled sequel, he did helm this great flying guillotine follow-up, which critics considered among his best. It was also one of his last for the studio before continuing his filmmaking career in Taiwan. It stars the gorgeous Chen Ping (THE MINISKIRT GANG, LADY EXTERMINATOR) as the sole survivor of a despotic emperor's latest foray into decapitation. Fearlessly she takes on the entire flying guillotine gang, despite the fact that she's pregnant! Lo Lieh, Shaw Brothers' first international superstar, is brilliant as the vindictive gang boss, while revered action choreographer Tang Chia mounts stupendous battles between the soaring beheaders and an astonishing wushu woman warrior with child.
Auteur Lo Chen helmed this tragic love story of the famed Peking Opera star Chiu Hai-Tang, his beautiful stage partner, and the warlord who stands between them. The superlative stars' traditional musical skills give an extra layer of professionalism to the film's fascinating music and intense interpersonal drama.
After the success of 1983's Let's Make Laugh, director Alfred Cheung wrote and directed this rib-tickling sequel revolving round a young bodyguard Ah Sun (renowned actor/director Derek Yee) and his love for a rich man's lover, Joey (the delectable, recently retired Taiwanese actress Joey Wang). When sent to protect his boss' son, Ah Sun meets and is instantly smitten with his mistress, Joey. After an alcohol-driven encounter, the two develop an intimate relationship. But all hell breaks loose when Joey's man finds out about her infidelity. And when Joey reveals that she's pregnant with Ah Sun's child and wants to keep the baby, some hard decisions have to be made...
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.
This is a film that has won the Best Colour Film Art Direction at the 1977 Golden Horse Awards. Liu Yung (one of Bruce Lee's favorite co-stars) takes center stage as the Ching Dynasty main character, who seeks out court corruption with the help of a streetwise youth played by Wang Yu (Dirty Ho). They use wit and style to teach the corrupt officials a lesson, and when those officials learn that Liu Yung is the emperor, they beg for his forgiveness. This production proved so popular that director Li Han-hsiang took over to helm two successful sequels.
Hsieh Choun, the Black Dragon, is in trouble with the police since Wang Sien Tien's gang is helping them; he is no longer free to conduct his drugs shipments out of the port freely as he used to. He buys more thugs and killers to dispose of the young upstart, and soon Wang is in dire straits, in the port of Hong Kong.
Huang Fei-hung is the greatest character in martial arts movie history, with more than a hundred films featuring the Confucian healer and kung-fu master. Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Gordon Liu, and many others have played him in many a gloriously filmed epic. But versatile director Ho Meng-hua and the Shaw Studio wondered what it would be like to cast one of their finest actors in the challenging role, then film it hyper-realistically. The result is this unique experimental take on the character and his stories, as the multiple award-winning Ku Feng plays an all-too-human Huang Fei-hung in a battle against a corrupt gangster's plan to frame him for robbery and murder. Despite the unusual approach, there's plenty of action as Huang and his students, including the beauteous Chen Ping, fight for honor, harmony, and health.
Young Chang Shun (Ti Lung) meets Wen Jou (Li Ching) when her sports car breaks down, drives her home and falls in love with her. Dancing with Wen Jou at a nightclub, Chang meets her brother Wen Chiang (Chen Hung-lieh) who dislikes him intensely. Wen Chiang's gang is after Chang and Wen Jou is forbidden to see him again. When Chang and his pals are beaten up by Wen Chiang's crowd, the humiliated Chang takes the pistol he's found and heads for Wen's home. He shoots him dead. Chang next dates Jou and the two go for a drive. Their car is tailed by the cops and soon surrounded. Chang reaches for his pistol and is gunned down, but his weapon is not loaded...
Prominent kung-fu actor David Chiang teams up with Chang Cheh's award winning screenwriter Ni Kuang to create a visual masterpiece full of exotic martial arts skills and fights in Shaolin Hand Lock. Chiang, who learned the secret 'Shaolin Handlock' technique from his father, is on a mission to avenge his father's death, which was ordered by the evil Ling Hao, played by Shaw Brothers' penultimate bad guy, kung-fu star, Lo Lieh. Adding to the great success of this film was the glamorous yet outlandishly inventive action sequences staged by acclaimed martial arts choreographer Tang Chia and an imposing visual edge and meticulously stylish directing by the brilliant director Ho Meng-hua who was responsible for giving early film breaks to Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung.
As the lead man for "Teddy Robin and the Playboys", one of Hong Kong's most popular 1960s rock-and-roll bands, Teddy Robin makes his debut in this motion picture. Regarded as "City Lights with a Mandarin twist", it's a tale of two misfits in love, with Teddy coming to the aid of a blind girl, played by the beautiful Chin Ping. Teddy also performs all the wonderful hits he composed especially for the film.
Chin Ping, Teddy Robin, Yu Chung-chieh, Yi Mei, Hsu Yu
The famous story of the Shaolin Temple's betrayal by the White-Browed Hermit, and the subsequent revenge by Shaolin firebrand Fang Shih-yu, is the stuff of legend. It has been filmed many times by many directors, but few are remembered as fondly as this production. The potent combination of director Chang Cheh and international idol Alexander Fu Sheng caught lightning in a lens. Even so, many were concerned, since this was one of the director's first kung-fu films without the collaboration of his long-time martial arts choreographer Liu Chia-liang. But with new action instructors Hsieh Hsing (future fighting star of Master Of The Flying Guillotine) and Chen Hsin-yi (who also choreographed Jackie Chan in To Kill With Intrigue) - not to mention his talented co-director Wu Ma (future director of the groundbreaking Dead And The Deadly) -- Chang continued his string of hits with this action-packed adventure.
One of the top-ten wuxia movies of 1969, adaptable director Ho Mung-wa (Monkey Goes West) directs action girl, Chin Ping (The Twelve Gold Medallions) and martial arts action hero, Yueh Hua (Come Drink With Me) in this fast-moving story of greed, lust, death, and vengeance. The golden blade in question is the magnificent "Flying Dragon" sword and the only thing that can stop it is Silver Swallow, Chin Ping!
Based on a novel by the great Eileen Chang and directed by the equally acclaimed Ann Hui, this sad but beautiful romance story sets during the World War II, where dreams of riches and love are shattered by reality.
Whenever acclaimed martial arts film director Liu Chia-liang directs his half-brother Gordon Liu Chia-hui as a Shaolin monk hero, it's guaranteed that the film will not only become a classic but that it will rock the very foundation of martial arts cinematic culture. DISCIPLES OF THE 36TH CHAMBER is no exception to the rule. Gordon Liu Chia-hui reprises his famed role as Shaolin Monk San Te, the real life Shaolin hero that created THE 36TH CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN. In this film, San Te protects other real life Shaolin hero Fang Shih-yu (Hsiao Hou), who seems to enjoy stepping on the wrong Manchu foot at the right time. As always with director Liu Chia-liang, the final fight scene leaves you gawking in wild-eyed wonderment.
