One of Shaw's darlings of the screen, Lily Ho (Casino, The Water Margin) gives a heart-warming performance as Chef-chi, in this Cinderella comedy and romance. At a party, Chef falls in love with the son (Lin Feng) of a rich man that her father (Cheng Chun-mien, Hong Kong's answer to Elvis Presley) works as a chauffeur for. Being from such a poor family, Chef can't reveal who she is or what her father does for a living. Her father is furious that she has fallen for the boss' boy; does she have no class conscience? Mayhem, drama and a run of hilarious circumstances ensue. This asks us, can love truly cross class boundaries?
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.
This is one of writer/director Shen Chiang's last films, but it's an incredible action-packed adventure of a female Lone Ranger, decades before Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon made feminist-empowerment kung-fu films an international phenomenon. The wonderful Shih Szu is the title character, with Shaw Brothers' first international star, Lo Lieh, joining her as an adoring associate. Together they track down the dirty deeds and duplicity of a raping and robbing masked bandit, before, literally, riding off toward their next adventure!
When the husband of a doctor, Tung, (Anita Yuen), is fatally wounded in an accident, he reveals to her about his affair with Blackie (Josie Ho), who is impregnated with his baby. Despite the devastation of the betrayal and the eventual death of her husband, Tung is pressured by her mother-in-law into putting up with Blackie and offer $1M for her baby...
Anita Yuen, Cheung Chi-lam, Deanie Yip, Ho Chiu-yee
Liu Chia-liang is arguably the best martial arts film director of traditional style kung-fu action and was a pioneer in focusing on authentic martial arts techniques and training procedures in his films. This is the why stars in his movies looked more like kung-fu experts rather than actors simply going through the motions. So although David Chiang had starred in over 40 films as a martial arts hero, in Shaolin Mantis, where he plays a man who learns martial arts from a praying mantis then seeks revenge for his wife's death, the movie contains some of Chiang's best fight scenes ever. By casting his brothers Liu Chia-yung and Gordon Liu Chia-hui into the mix, Liu further ensures that the pugilistic mayhem will be even more outstanding.
David Chiang, Liu Chia-hui, Lily Li, Huang Hsing-hsiu
Applauded director Li Han-Hsiang was one of few directors that made soft porn acceptable by mainstream audiences; using the thematic device of "sex on a mission" cynicism, suggesting that sex was the ultimate power. In the sex comedy The Scandalous Warlord, the true power that drove the country's many warlords were the prostitutes that these men would routinely visit. Therefore, the power in this film lies in the hands of the sassy Shirley Yu and the titillating Shaw Yin-Yin.
This internationally popular tale of a brother and sister, seeking vengeance for the death of their parents through using the mythical yin/yang Holy Flame kung-fu technique. It's an outstanding epic choreographed and co-starring lead "Venom" Kuo Chue (aka. Philip Kwok).
Liu Hsueh-hua, Max Mok, Pai Piao, Kuo Chui, Weng Tsing-tsing
Based on the classic Ming Dynasty novel The Water Margin, Three Sinners is a Huangmei Opera about love, betrayal, murder, and redemption. Starring Hong Kong's premiere movie couple, it is one of the grandest Eastmancolor-Shawscope costume musicals in the Shaw Brothers library.
Ha (Tien Fung) and Si Ma (Wong Chung Shun) are godsons of an escort group owner. In order to steal two secret kung fu manuals, Si Ma kills his godfather and hurts Ha’s face. Ha runs for his life with his newly born baby girl (Lily Ho). Ha hides himself in a deep forest and trains up his daughter with kung fu for taking revenge on Si Ma. The baby girl grows up to be “The Silver Fox” and tries to challenge Si Ma, but fails. Fortunately, she is saved by Tsui (Chang Yi), who is a student. Tsui accompanies her to meet her father, but Ha suspends that they are secretly in love, so he locks her up in the basement…
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...
Lute demon Chin Mo (Pai Piao) has reappeared in the world to wreak havoc. Hsiao Feng-ling (Hui Ying-hung) is ordered to help find a special bow and arrows that can counter the demon. Only Chiao Yin (Lung Tien-chiang) knows the whereabouts of the weapon. Hsiao and her classmate Old Naughty (Yuan Te) sets out on an arduous journey to find Chiao. After fighting off many obstacles, they catch Chin Mo's man trying to snatch the bow, and stop him in time...
Starring the stunning, teenage heartthrob Pat Ting Hung, The Butterfly Chalice marks the important directing debut of the kung-fu film genre's most principle figure Chang Cheh, as he burst the martial arts and swordplay movie doors wide open, announcing the beginning of the end for the Cantonese musicals.
County Patrol Wu Song (Ti Lung) resists seduction from his sister-in-law Pan Jing Lian (Wang Ping). She condemns him and tells her husband Wu Ta Lang (Ku Feng) that she is sexually harassed by Wu Song. The suspicion leads to a break-up, and Wu Song leaves his brother. Several months later, a neighboring granny introduces Pan to a local rich man Ximen Qing (Tony Liu). Burning passion quickly turns into unstoppable affair, and they even killed Wu Ta Lang…
It all started with THE FIVE VENOMS, the internationally loved kung-fu thriller which introduced director Chang Cheh's recurring cast of martial arts masters. It continued through more than a dozen high-flying, bloody good entertainments featuring the same action actors in pairs, trios, quartets, and, most memorably, quintets. While this is considered the last official "Venoms" movie, what a film it is. The title does not lie: an evil prince has secreted stolen imperial treasures in a building that practically bristles with booby-trapped blades. Bodies are pierced, limbs are cut off, and there's one plasma-spurting attack after another as heroes and rogues alike try to solve the secrets of the hell house. The core Venoms themselves choreograph the gory fun in this fond farewell to their worldwide film series sensation.
Lu Feng, Wang Li, Lung Hien-Chiang, Chien Hsiao-Hou
