"Without a doubt," it was written in the seminal Study Of The Swordplay Film, "Hsu Cheng-hung is one of the key figures in the Mandarin new style." And this is both one of his key films and one of his last for Shaw Brothers. The lovely Ching Li and handsome Chang I star as star-and-sword-crossed comrades who take on the vicious Black Tigers gang in a quest for hidden wealth. There’s action galore, until the final, fiery fight in a temple of treasure.
Ching Li, Chang I, Shu Pei-pei, Lin Ching, Tien Feng
Costume drama auteur Li han-hsiang adapts thee erotic and mystic tales from the Chinese classical literatures and visualizes them on screen into an instant cult classic. Starring the hottest stars Tien Ni, Hu Chin, Chen Ping, Yang Chun, and Yueh Hua, the stories span across time from the Tang to Ming dynasties, filled with exotic characters such as emperors, concubines, monks, and fortune-tellers, intertwined in a world of adultery, lust and greed. Costume drama buffs should not miss it.
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.
Directed by Chu Yuan, the film follows the ups and downs and love and losses of the large Yang clan. Set in the early 1920s, the household with the four distinctly different brothers go through love and heartaches, taking the audience along on a richly emotional ride. It is a classic tale of tradition versus individualism and family values versus freedom.
Li Ching, Wang Ping, Tsung Hua, Yueh Hua, Ching Li
One of the top rated films of the year and an instant classic, VENGEANCE is so loaded with Shaw Brothers filmmaking royalty, that even non-kung-fu fans will be left breathless with amazement. No screen team was more glorious than the "iron triangle" of director Chang Cheh and his dynamic duo of Ti Lung and David Chiang. The action mayhem created by acclaimed martial arts instructors Tang Chia and Yuen Woo-ping's younger brother Yuen Cheung-yan (CHARLIE'S ANGELS and THE MATRIX: RELOADED fight choreographer) gives David Chiang's hauntingly tense performance as the younger brother out to avenge his elder brother's death (Ti Lung) an even more mythical dimension. David Chiang won the Best Actor Award for his effort and Chang Cheh the Best Director Award at the 1970 Asian Film Festival.
David Chiang , Wang Ping, Ti Lung , Ou Yen-ching , Ho Pin
In Lady With A Sword, Kao Pao-shu showed that women could successfully direct a "heroic swordsman" film using a swordswoman bent on revenge. Kao cast Shaw's darling Lily Ho as the embittered swordswoman searching for the man who murdered her sister. The man turns out to be her fiance' but her nihilistic fate stays true to lone swordswoman form, as to paraphrase Gary Cooper in High Noon, "A woman's got to do what a woman's got to do."
Talented director Chen Gang wrote and co-directed this tale of a Chinese Zorro who wages a one-man war against the venal and tyrannical county authorities. Chi yau-tung (actor/director Ling Yun) is the "bandit with a thousand faces". After holding up a caravan taking money to the capital and escaping with a slash on his face, police officer Ma Tak (Tien Feng) is on Chi's tail. So Chi calls on his twin brother, Yau-lan (also Lin!) to help. Soon he needs rescuing too!
Famed director Chu Yuan helms this tale of heartache and urban brawling. An orphan, Little Bastard (Tsung Hua) is taken on and trained as a fighter by a hermit. When Little Bastard grows up, he feels he is old enough to go out into the world and look for his parents. Lucky for him, he befriends another beggar, Hsiao Yi (Lily Li). As a street-wise kid, Hsiao Yi helps Little Bastard to find his family, and she gets herself in trouble with the gang.
Wu Sung (Ti Lung) beats a vicious tiger to death in Yang Ku on his way back to the town. The local magistrate appoints him assistant chief constable because of his bravery. When he comes across his ugly brother, Wu Ta-lang (Ku Feng), he is taken home to meet his alluring wife Pan Chin-lien (Wang Ping). Pan is smitten with Sung and attempts to seduce him, but Sung forcibly rejects her. When her husband returns, she accuses her brother-in-law instead. Wu Ta-lang does not believe her, but Sung nevertheless leaves quietly on a mission to another town.
Hui Ying-hung stars in Long Road To Gallantry, a riveting swordswoman epic, in a quest to find a missing martial arts manual. This movie starts when roving swordsman Tu Meng-fei (Ho Chia-chin) chances to rescue a female pupil Mu Wan-erh (Rosamund Kwan) and later, another girl Li Sai-nan (Hui Ying-hung) from underworld leader Leng Tien-lei (Lung Tien-chiang). Li wants to take vengeance on Leng who murdered her parents. Leng, at the same time, is Mu's long-lost father...
Hui Ying-hung, Ho Chia-chin, Kuan Tzu-lin, Pai Piao
Taking a refreshing break from his usual villain roles, the great Shih Chien (Shek Kin) plays a comedic ghost who befriends a young boy in this heartwarming tale. Famous for the hall of mirror battle scene with Bruce Lee in Enter The Dragon, Shek Kin is a kindhearted spirit who brings the kid's separated parents - a fashion business woman (Josephine Siu) and a rich merchant (Ti Lung) back together. If you've never seen Shek Kin play goofy and wacky, this movie is for you.
This film was actually a lively forerunner to the gambling film craze, which eventually swept Asian cinema. Here, it's cardsharp versus cardsharp with a lot more kung-fu action, in a battle of wits and fists to become the king of the casino. The double stings and triple crosses raise in complexity and imagination until what started as an unusual box office risk became a top ten hit of 1976.
Martial arts film standout Leung Kar Yan brings the same animalistic intensity from his early heroic bloodshed films to Danger Has Two Faces. The tough, ex-cop character is now relegated to become a pet store owner. The stern Police Superintendent Liu is played by Chu Chiang, while newcomer Fei Hsiang must take risks to find out which cop is "paid for" by the mob.
Liang Chia-jen, Chu Chiang, Ku Chia-lu, Fei Hsiang
