As the names of Chang Cheh and Liu Chia-liang became legendary, all-too-often the name of their equally valued collaborator, Tang Chia, is omitted. That may be, because, unlike the previous pair, the veteran kung-fu choreographer only went on to direct three movies of his own. Of course, that makes this trio all the more special, and this first effort perhaps the most special of all. It may be an eye-filling, mind-bending martial arts tale of two royal princes battling for the rightful recovery of the throne, but it's also a party, where Tang invites two cinematographers, three editors, and no less than five other choreographer friends to almost literally shoot the works. The results are kung-fu configurations not only never seen before, but never even imagined!
Li Han-hsiang wrote and directed this charming and fascinating comedy, Forbidden Tales Of Two Cities. The two cities in the picture are Macau, where a love quartet is a morally-unsound source for sexual entertainment; and Hong Kong, where a woman enters a gambler’s apartment to find four shackles hanging from his ceiling to aid in kinky activities...
One of Hong Kong's top action directors of all time, Liu Chia-liang makes a mind-numbing directorial debut in The Spiritual Boxer, which not only quickly established Liu as a genius director but also encouraged other martial art choreographers to take up the directing reigns. It was also the debut film of kung-fu comedienne Wang Yu as the main character, who in reality was part of Liu’s clan of stars that he personally trained for a film career. Its Ghostbusters meets George C. Scott’s The Flim-Flam Man as Wang plays a fake ghost catcher who catches more than he bargained for. With this film, Liu is also credited with introducing comedy in to the kung-fu genre; the pre-cursor for Jackie Chan's kung-fu comedies.
Circus acrobat Pao Decheng (the internationally renowned action star, Yueh Hua) is a skilled acrobat turned do-gooder in this fast-paced action thriller from the golden age of martial arts cinema. Corrupt official Qian Li (Chen Hung Lieh) plots the murder of his competitor for the hand of his beautiful cousin, Wang Danping (Li Ching). Pao rushes to the rescue only to find himself knee-deep in trouble. A dynamic adventure of fast action, near misses, and clever deception…
Huangmei Opera movies like The Pearl Phoenix are unique to 1960s Hong Kong culture, a product of the Swinging Sixties but considerably more in touch with their Chinese roots. This one is completed with a gender-bending tale where the male lead is played by a female posing as a man, plus movie queen Li Ching and the singing voices of Ivy Ling Po and Jing Ting. Sit back and enjoy!
This is the acting debut of Yuan Te, Jackie Chan's kung-fu classmate. He plays the downtrodden kung-fu student Ko Chien, who saves the life of a kung-fu master played by Chen Kuan-tai.
Chen Kuan-tai, Wang Lung-wei, Wen Hsueh-erh, Yuan Te
Adapted from the most widely read Ching Dynasty novel, this touching love story has proven a challenge to many filmmakers, and it is acclaimed as the most successful one. A sumptuous feature that took three years of planning and production, it was a hugely popular and critiqued hit which stands out as a classic combination of both 18th century literature and 1960s moviemaking.
Loh Tih, Pat Ting Ning, Ting Hung, Tu Chuan, Jen Chieh
Martial arts master Lau Kar Leung directs and stars in this beloved kung-fu comedy as the psychotic nephew-by-marriage of the gutsy Kara Hui, which features a show-stopping finale.
Liu Chia-liang , Hui Ying-hung , Hsiao Hou , Wang Lung-wei
In this tragic romance directed by legendary director Chang Cheh, the story of a revered singer, whose beauty and talent attracts the unwanted advances of a lecherous warlord, is told.
After making superstars of Jimmy Wang Yu, Ti Lung, David Chiang, Chen Kuan-tai, and others, esteemed martial arts movie master Chang Cheh decided it was time to cement the stardom of soon-to-be international favorite Alexander Fu Sheng. This film - following the director's SHAOLIN MARTIAL ARTS, FIVE SHAOLIN MASTERS, and DISCIPLES OF SHAOLIN - was clearly Fu's showcase. Rather than sharing the screen, as he had in the previous Shaolin trio, here he was clearly the sole hero, and took full advantage of that fact. He gives both a great dramatic and martial arts performance as an honorable carriage driver who finds love and death when he comes to the rescue of a girl being harassed by particularly venal, homicidal punks. This fight-filled thriller was made even more special by its introduction of the unusual 'Tsai' 'Li' 'Fu' kung-fu style - for which it had its own separate off-stage instructor (Yen Yat liang).
Alexander Fu Sheng, Jenny Tsang, Wang Lung-wei, Liang Chia-jen
After moving to Hong Kong from China, illegal immigrant Mang (Cherie Chung) has no choice but to live in cramped quarters with male migrant workers who take advantage of her. In order to attain the chance for Hong Kong residency and a better life, she agrees to marry a lonely old carpenter (Kwan Hoi-shan). Soon after settling into her new life, Mang crosses paths again with Kong (Alex Man), a Thai-Chinese boxer, and the two develop a passionate affair.
Yen Tzu-fei (Ling Yun) is a college and martial arts student. A letter from his father tells him that Japanese financier, Nomura (Ching Miao) plans to seize the family mine and forest lands, and that Ichimura (Chan Shen) has been instructed by Nomura to use force against him. Yen's father asks him to return home and help resist the threats. Once home, Yen introduces Kuan Yueh-hua (Ching Li), who he met during the journey home, to his family, and the attraction he previously felt for her, grows. Later, Kuan Yueh-hua discovers that her father is plotting with the Japanese to get Yen Chien-kuang's property. Nomura and Ichimura hire professional killers to murder Yen Tzu-fei.
A love triangle of the first order by one of Shaw's top directors Chin Chien. A psychiatrist falls for one of his patients at the same time another girl proclaims her love for him. An explosive mix of passion and misunderstanding...
It is little wonder why Chang Cheh is considered legendary. Not only did he usher in a whole new kind of "yanggang" (macho) cinema, but he was also one of the most prolific and consistent directors in the world. He made more than 70 films in the period between 1960 and 1975, but this was considered one of the most notable. A nominal sequel to the equally acclaimed SHAOLIN MARTIAL ARTS, this powerful production came a year later and cemented Alexander Fu Sheng's superstardom with a performance many proclaimed the best of the young lead's career. It is also one of the last Chang Cheh films choreographed by Liu Chia-liang, who was becoming a legendary director in his own right. Together, they made this tale of the Shaolin vs. Manchu conflict -- played out at a textile mill -- one of the highlights in kung-fu film history.
