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
On a continent which reveres its martial arts, the director's nickname is "Kung-fu Liang" - holder of a filmography unprecedented in its innovation of theme, ingeniousness of plot, and imagination of its astonishingly designed kung-fu. This production is clearly the culmination of his initial Shaw Brothers work - the film which he used as a showcase for his and his brothers' - Chia-yung and Gordon Lui - skills. In the premiere, groundbreaking book on the genre, Martial Arts Movies, author Ric Meyers called it "the quintessential martial arts movie" and perhaps the greatest kung-fu movie ever made. Showing prescience customary with this visionary, the plot revolved around early 20th century pugilists vainly attempting to find a kung-fu which could defeat the bullet... years before the same theme would be used in Once Upon A Time In China. It also features the rarely dramatized magician-spies of China, who would ultimately inspire the Japanese ninja. But most importantly, it is a beautifully made action comedy featuring international fan favorite Alexander Fu Sheng and supremely brilliant kung-fu.
Liu Chia-liang , Liu Chia-yung , Hui Ying-hung , Gordon Liu
After making such successful thrillers as THE CRIMINALS 2 - HOMICIDES, such well-received action films as BIG BROTHER CHENG, and such popular comedies as MR. FUNNY - BONE, director Kuei Chih-hung put his first "hex" on the audience. This serie, frightening, supernatural mystery thriller was so effective, it led to HEX VERSUS WITCHCRAFT and HEX AFTER HEX. But this was the original, starring the lovely Tanny Tien Ni in a challenging role of a wronged, bed-ridden wife who is at the mercy of her evil husband... and so much more. What starts as an Asian variation of the classic Fench suspense film DIABOLIQUE becomes an exercise in fervid and frightening Hong Kong horror as one ghost after another appears to wreak havoc, insanity, and death.
Ivy Ling Po tears up the screen as a jealous, murderous movie star who wants to kill her husband. There's only one thing between him and execution: his wife's loving and plucky female screenwriter...
Rarely has a title been more accurate, but considering the action which fills this film, it also could have been called THE BRUTAL FIVE or THE CRUEL FIVE or THE VICIOUS FIVE.... if the title referred to the villains, that is. In any case, the heroes are certainly outnumbered as gang after gang of robbing rapists invade this poor town. At first the fiends just want a village locksmith to help them open a stolen safe, but soon the entire community is being held hostage, threatened, and tortured. Although reminiscent of THE SEVEN SAMURAI, the director and his revered action choreographers, Liu Chia-liang and Tang Chia, design each of the many struggles with gritty depravity and desperate power. The result is an especially realistic, even grueling, exercise in suspense.
David Chiang, Ti Lung, Wang Chung, Chen Kuan-tai, Danny Lee
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.
Adapted from the novel by Jin Yong, havoc breaks out when a warrior on the run uncovers a sword, training manual, treasure map & a secret message on the body of a deceased martial arts master.
Unarguably the greatest character in kung-fu film history is Huang Fei-hong. Arguably the greatest director of pure kung-fu films is Liu Chia-liang. Putting the two together was natural, since Liu started his career working on the classic Huang, and his family was trained by students of the real Huang Fei-hong! So after his first film as director, THE SPIRITUAL BOXER, was a huge hit, Liu decided to make the greatest tale of Huang and his "sifu" (teacher) ever filmed. He made a star of his adoptive brother, Gordon Liu Chia-hui, in the leading role, and filled the cast with family members, friends, students, and the best Shaw Brothers had to offer. He even played the villain himself. The result was more Liu magic, with an honorable message of righteousness that rings true through the decades.
Gordon Liu Chia-hui, Chen Kuan-tai, Wang Yu, Lily Li
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.
Yeh Yung-tsu only directed a precious few films, making each all the more distinguished. This is one of his first, a sword-filled thriller centering on the title location - an inn where the down and dirty meet to plot nefarious doings. Award winning actor Ku Feng stars as the "Whip Devil," while the luminous and lethal Shih Szu plays "The Lady Hermit" who has a surprise in store for all the double-crossing masters of mayhem.
Chiang Sung-ping (Chiao Chuang) is a nightclub drummer, he take care of his passed-away teacher, Su's daughter Su Ling (Ivy Ling Po). Chiang trains Su Ling to be a popular singer and they admire each other. Vocalist Pai Lu (Shen Yi), who has feel affection on Chiang, worried he may fall for Su Ling. Pai Lu starts Chiang off on drug habit and tells Su Ling. In desperation, Su Ling decides to leave Chiang...
The young Chen Chi-chin (Liu Yung) loses heavily to experienced gambler Hu Kuan-ten (Lo Lieh). His father loses at cards and dies of shock. Chen appeals to his uncle who summons seven fellow professional gamblers to carry out vengeance. Much more than a gambling film, this is a thrilling melting pot of martial arts stars, extortion, illicit love, poker-face vengeance, and all sorts of edge-of-your-seat gambling duels. Featuring two of the leading action stars of the era, Chen Kuen-tai and Lo Lieh, in a series of intense poker game standoffs. Famed director of the genre, Wong Jing, also has a guest appearance as one of the Notorious Eight.
Liu Yung, Chen Kuan-tai, Wong Jing, Lo Lieh, Linda Chu
Chi yau-tung (actor/director Ling Yun) is the "bandit with a thousand faces". But after holding up a caravan full of money and escaping with a slash on his face, police officer Ma Tak (Tian Feng) is on Chi's tail. So Chi calls on his twin brother to help with mixed results.
Ling Yun, Tian Fung, Fang Yin, Chiao Chiao, Shen Yi
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!
