Shaw Brothers

[Chedney Honks]

I must confess straight away that I know very little about this studio or their films, but I've picked up a couple of the most well-regarded entries and I thought I'd get some chat going. There's been a few bits and bobs discussed in various threads so I'm sure there are some fans and connoisseurs here.

I've only seen The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter, and I thought it was fantastic.



It stars Gordon Liu as a paradoxically vengeful monk and he absolutely batters a load of bastards with a pole, basically. It's quite theatrical and abstract at times, particularly with the opening battle sequences, and then very down to earth elsewhere. The ending is one of the best I've seen in an action movie. I won't spoil anything, not that I really could, I'd just recommend that you give it a go. Many thanks to Shit Good Nose for putting it on my radar (I think). The 88 Films Blu-ray release is great, very lively, detailed and rich.

Beyond this, I've picked up The One-Armed Swordsman, Come Drink With Me and House of Traps. All are supposed to be very good, so I'll get to them in the coming days and weeks.

Any other fans or recommendations?

I'm also interested in their non-KF movie output, in theory. Is there anything of theirs worth trying in a different genre?

[Goldentony]

I thought House Of Traps was a little bit disappointing compared to the other Venoms films i've seen. Not that it was unwatchable, it's still a lot of fun, but the high, fun sounding concept never amounted to much, and I watched it the same day as Masked Avengers which builds to one of the best final fights i've ever seen. Can't really go wrong with the other two, Wang Yu is untouchable and Come Drink With Me is just the fucking best. Watched the blu ray last night and it's such a good looking film. There's a gorgeous shot early on where Golden Swallow walks into a temple that's just a nice smooth flawlessly done tracking type thing. Love it so much. My old Shaw DVD of it is letterboxed so i've waited an age to see it fully.

Killer Constable is great, I love Bastard Swordsman I and II and 14 Amazons for more Wuxia swordplay stuff, Return Of The One Armed Swordsman too, Buddha's Palm, Boxer's Omen, Battle Wizard and Holy Flame Of The Martial World some of the more obscure madder ones like Descendant Of The Sun, Portrait In Crystal and Demon Of The Lute are worth tracking down if you like the more brightly lit or weirder side of things with flying, lasers, corpses and other magic shite, I love all that stuff so much but people's tolerance seems to differ a lot

Non KF wise, Inframan's essential. Forgot this was Shaw too, but Hong Kong Godfather from 85 starts slow but ala Masked Avengers, the waits worth it for the end fight, like Police Story with FUCKING MACHETES LADS

[bgmnts]

Five Deadly Venoms
Five Elements Ninja
Crippled Avengers
36th Chamber of the Shaolin
Avenging Eagle
Invincible Shaolin
Kid with the Golden Arm

Thats your week sorted

[Chedney Honks]

Awesome, thank you both. I'll report back with a proper reply.

[Herbert Ashe]

I'm also interested in their non-KF movie output, in theory. Is there anything of theirs worth trying in a different genre?

Huangmei operas: the best ones I've seen are Madam White Snake (Griffin YUEH Feng, 1962), The Love Eterne (Li Han-hsiang, 1963) and The Mermaid (Kao Li, 1965). Mostly based around that hoary old Chinese standard of a scholar meeting a young woman, one of them is probably a ghost or an animal spirit and so it's a doomed love thing, or else maybe mistaken identity (e.g. Love Eterne, where it's a woman disguising herself as a man, etc etc). Anyway if you like musicals these three are great, especially the first two. There's also Dream of the Red Chamber (Li Han-hsiang, 1977) with Brigitte Lin and Sylvia Chang, which IIRC is kinda a semi-modernisation of the genre. I don't know how it would work if you've not read the book it's a massive abridgement of; I have and I love both, YMMV obv.

Another Li Han-hsiang is The Enchanting Shadow (1960), from the same Pu Songling story as A Chinese Ghost Story. Not a musical, but still filmed on the usual Shaw Brothers sets, bags of charm again if you like that sort of thing.

Also there's a couple of notable Chor Yuen (the old enemy boss in Police Story) films from the mid-70s that have good reps: House of 72 Tenants (1973) is a remake but famous as the film that kicked off the Cantonese language cinema revival in Hong Kong; if you've seen Kung Fu Hustle then the slum in that is a riff/homage to this. Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan (1972) is kinda a wu xia adjacent (although not to the degree of Chor's later films) but really it's more brothel intrigue + revenge against the patriarchy wrapped up in some opulent sexpolitation. Highly recommended.

[Chedney Honks]

Man, what a great post. Thank you for all of that. I'll get exploring. I do love Brigitte Lin and Kung Fu Hustle so those will probably be top of the list but I'm really keen to explore the 60s stuff, as well. I'll report back.

[buzby]

I'm also interested in their non-KF movie output, in theory. Is there anything of theirs worth trying in a different genre?

Well, Run Run Shaw co-produced Blade Runner, for a start...

[Kermit the Frog]

Some great stuff already mentioned in this thread, and most of the best ones have already come up, but I'd say that Golden Swallow, the sequel to Come Drink With Me is actually a pretty worthy follow-up, even if there's more Jimmy Wang Yu than Cheng Pei-Pei in the film to which I'm inclined to say boo, but Wang Yu does actually impress by the end. He's also great in The Chinese Boxer, a film that maybe should be a classic, as it is bloody and beautiful in the best ways, and features a teahouse fight that holds up incredibly well. Also a fan of Chang Cheh's Vengeance, for both the elegantly choregraphed bloody knife carnage and David Chiang's floppy hair. Other great Chang Cheh films from that era include The Duel, The Heroic Ones and The Blood Brothers (featuring John Woo and Godfrey Ho as assistant directors). The Chang Cheh films can get a bit samey after a while, but the great ones are great. Also, if you're a fan of Sammo Hung, Shaw produced a lovely biographical film about the early days of Jackie, Sammo and Yuen Biao called Painted Faces, with a very touching performance by Sammo as his former teacher.

Chor Yuen has already been mentioned but he really is one of the best Shaw directors, as he really leaned in to that sort of artificial, set-bound vibe that characterises Shaw productions. His period-set films have a smokey, dreamy vibe that I can't get enough of, especially the aforementioned Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan, and also Killer Clans, The Magic Blade and The Sentimental Swordsman. Chor Yuen seems to me like a bit on an unsung master whose reputation will grow now that these films are becoming more available in better versions worldwide

[Chedney Honks]

Tremendously informative post, thank you. I'm still working my way through a few and will post back when I've got a decent handle on them. Come Drink With Me is definitely my favourite after The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter but I've still got a few more I picked up to try, and that's before I really get into all the recommendations here.

[Kermit the Frog]

Come Drink With Me is amazing. It was one of the first non-Bruce Lee, non-Jackie Chan martial arts films that I ever saw. And it makes as good a case as any that these films are beautiful, balletic art. The film is so texturally rich, from the costumes to the beautifully constructed sets and the very precise acting styles, which seem unbound from naturalism and reaches for sort of rhythmic play of archetypes. Cheng Pei-Pei as Golden Swallow is always and forever one of the great action heroines. That first fight in the inn is like the beginning of the next 50 years of action cinema.

[Goldentony]

gave Executioners From Shaolin and Clan Of The White Lotus a go the last few days, loved both but I think maybe Executioners overall, but White Lotus is about as good TBH. Think I prefer the villain in that, guys really funny flying round a sauna with his cock out.

[Small Man Big Horse]

Non KF wise, Inframan's essential.

I watched it this afternoon and would agree, here's the short review I wrote of it:

The Super Inframan (1975) - Hong Kong superhero nonsense from The Shaw Brothers that would need a budget of about two hundred million to pull off nowadays, let alone back then, but the general gist is that they just don't care that it looks so naff and for that reason neither did I. Things joyously explode somewhat inexplicably, the various monsters are hilariously rubbish, the action is as daft as it gets, and for all those reasons and many more I loved it a lot. 8.0/10

[Chedney Honks]

I've got Inframan but still not watched it despite enjoying a bit of kaiju/tokusatsu nonsense.

While I definitely prefer Jackie, Sammo, Bruce Lee, there's something pretty special and atmospheric about the Shaw Brothers conveyor belt. I've developed a real love for this type of kung fu film with more of a focus on exhibiting different styles and weapons over characters or narrative. I love how colourful the sets and costumes are.

I watched a pretty good documentary on Netflix recently, think it was called Iron Fists and Kung Fu Kicks. It was all about the early days of martial arts movies and the impact they had in the States, particularly among the black community, and the impact of Shaw and Bruce Lee. Sounds like it might be very thin but I enjoyed it, particularly because they had some charismatic and passionate talking heads on it. The last fifteen minutes or so goes off-piste and crams in various contemporary low-budget enthusiast filmmaking, such as those mad action movies from Africa which got some attention a few years ago. Not really relevant but despite that, a good documentary overall.

[Twit 2]

My favourite was Rick.

[Crenners]

Following on from the Shawscope Vol.1 boxset from Arrow is...wait for it...Shawscope Vol.2.

https://www.arrowfilms.com/blu-ray/shawscope-volume-two-limited-edition/13941079.html



I've still not seen 36th Chamber because I had a flyer for it in another Arrow release a couple of years ago (it feels) so I've been waiting for their restoration. Heard great things about My Young Auntie, as well. Loads more details at the that link.

I've found there's something incredibly comforting about Shaw Brothers films, I love the sets and costumes and even the dubbing so much. Really cozy, perfect Sunday afternoon movies or hangover or when you're ill. There's little subtlety in what I've seen, the acting is very broad and theatrical but I love it. I'm just watching The Five Venoms now and it really represents a golden age of cinema. Wonderful popular entertainment.

[Crenners]

Cozy apart from the torture and murders with needles, I mean.

[kalowski]

Fucking hell I still can't afford the first set!

And damn this has Mad Monkey Kung Fu!!

[Joe Oakes]

...Jimmy Wang Yu...

Although I think he made them post-Shaw, One-Armed Boxer 1 and particularly 2 (also known as Master of the Flying Guillotine) are peak kung-fu to me. Only a few other films such as Drunken Master have the same perfect balance of acrobatics, comedy dubbing & hip-hop samples.

Does anyone know why he specialised in one-armed combat? Was hoping for a cool origin story, but a quick wiki read doesn't shed any light. Was it just due to the popularity of One-Armed Swordsman?

Of course, these days you'd have to employ a disabled actor in the role. But it if helps you sleep any easier, he did have a stroke in 2011 causing him to lose feeling in his left side. Happy now?

[steveh]

Mentioned it before, but Shawscope Vol. 1 is available as part of Arrow's streaming service for considerably less than the cost of the box set: https://www.arrow-player.com/shawscope-volume-one.

[Crenners]

Good call. I don't stream anything or give anything to streaming services because of what they represent (to me) but good value for this first collection and presumably the second, in due course.

[Goldentony]

managed to finally pick up Shawscope 1 a few weeks ago for 70 quid so ive been getting through that. Finished the Five Shaolin Masters/Shaolin Temple disc last night. Loved both, Five Shaolin Masters spending somuch time on locatons and trying to get down the one dirt road, all the warm sunny weather at what looks like evening a lot of the time. Truly great group film. Shaolin Temple is the exact same film but feels way more King Hu and a bit grander.

Started with Peking Man to get it out of the way, dont think it's as bad as I remember TBH but still wish the disc had gone to something else given 88 had put it out not long ago, King Boxer is obviously great and I feel like it'll take something special to beat Boxer From Shangtung as best on the set. The Tony Rayns videos on the extra features have been great too.

[Crenners]

Still a few I've not watched on Vol 1, including the Five Shaolin Masters disc and Chinatown Kid, but even with the odd duff choice, it's an incredible collection. I've got most of the 88 SB releases but with the book and all the extras here, it's an irreplaceable, stupendous labour of love. Can't wait for the second box and hope there's more to come.

[Goldentony]

a third would be great because between Arrow and everyne else they've gone through all the bigger fuck off names from the library, unless i'm forgetting something obvious, and there's still tons to choose from. I like the 80s fantasy stuff a lot but people can be a bit unmoved by stuff with lasers, smoke and flying when faced with that and the classic barney in a tea house as a choice.

[Crenners]

I'd be well up for some more fantastical stuff, even if my pref is for the more trad action. Just picked up Legendary Weapons of China from 88 recently and that's more fantasy than I expected, was a blind buy. I enjoyed Zu Warriors, too. If there's Shaw stuff in that vein, I'm all for it. Still got Chinese Ghost Story trilogy to watch, too, my mate's favourite HK films.

[Crenners]

Vol. 1 down to 76 quid.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Shawscope-Volume-One-Blu-ray/dp/B09919RW6N?tag=bluraycom-21&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1&m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE

[bgmnts]

GET IT

[kalowski]

Fucking hell I still can't afford the first set!

And damn this has Mad Monkey Kung Fu!!

Well, what a birthday! Family got me Vol. 1 and my dad gave me an Amazon voucher which I have put towards Vol. 2.

[greenman]

In the past I was more of a Golden Harvest/Sammo Hung fan when it came to Kung Fu films but getting enough volumne 1 of that Arrow release it does I think show Shaw bros had superior production values and a lot of the early stuff espeically does feel like it retains some more 60's like Wuxia and drama influences.

[bgmnts]

Watched Mystery of Chess Boxing and fair play it was crap in terms of editing and sound design and I think even the ADR might be iffy.

Still a bit of silly fun. Ghostface Killer is an exceptional name for a baddie.

[Herbert Ashe]

In the past I was more of a Golden Harvest/Sammo Hung fan when it came to Kung Fu films but getting enough volumne 1 of that Arrow release it does I think show Shaw bros had superior production values and a lot of the early stuff espeically does feel like it retains some more 60's like Wuxia and drama influences.

Don't know how it worked for you, but I got into this stuff in the VHS era and the only Shaws out were dubbed, whilst Golden Harvest  were mostly subbed, so already gave me a bit of a bias to the latter. And the studio sets, and the fact the humour always felt a bit naffer and a bit prudish compared to Golden Harvest and the Indies, so it all gave off a bit of a creaky vibe (I don't know how much my reasons overlap with what I gather was a similar reaction contemporary HK audiences had - after all one of the key reasons that SB lost it's position was it's pan-Chinese stance leaving a big gap for locally-focused productions).

File-sharing and boutique releasing certainly has given me a better feel for the range of what late Shaws was like. Also, speaking personally, the artifice of the studio sets registers different now than it did when I was 17 or whatever.

Aside from Lau Kar-Leung and a handful of other films, I much prefer non-Shaws Kung Fu of the period, I get the feeling most of the more inventive and ambitious choreographers has jumped ship, or it was just there wasn't much freedom in the studio to indulge. On the other hand the quality of the Shaw's Wuxia was pretty consistent up until the end, a bit swamped in Louis Cha and Gu Long adaptations, but tons of stuff that's at the very least solid and watchable.