We look back at the key films from the long career of the Hong Kong studio mogul credited with triggering the worldwide craze for kung fu
• Run Run Shaw, godfather of kung fu film-making, dies aged 106
Along with his brother Runme, Run Run Shaw set up shop in the south-east Asian film business, first experiencing success before the second world war by founding a chain of cinemas in Malaya. In 1957 the brothers moved their activities to Hong Kong, and they put themselves firmly on the map when their elaborate costume drama, The Magnificent Concubine, won a technical prize at the 1962 Cannes film festival, the first Chinese film to do so. It stars Li Li-hua as a senior emperor's concubine, whose position is threatened when a younger concubine appears on the scene. There's Li warbling a ditty in the clip above.
A decade later, along came The One-Armed Swordsman, which...
• Run Run Shaw, godfather of kung fu film-making, dies aged 106
Along with his brother Runme, Run Run Shaw set up shop in the south-east Asian film business, first experiencing success before the second world war by founding a chain of cinemas in Malaya. In 1957 the brothers moved their activities to Hong Kong, and they put themselves firmly on the map when their elaborate costume drama, The Magnificent Concubine, won a technical prize at the 1962 Cannes film festival, the first Chinese film to do so. It stars Li Li-hua as a senior emperor's concubine, whose position is threatened when a younger concubine appears on the scene. There's Li warbling a ditty in the clip above.
A decade later, along came The One-Armed Swordsman, which...
- 1/7/2014
- by Andrew Pulver
- The Guardian - Film News
Ziyi Zhang: Best Actress at the 2013 Golden Horse Awards (photo: Ziyi Zhang in ‘The Grandmaster’) (See previous post: “Golden Horse Awards: Singaporean Movie ‘Ilo Ilo’ Is Surprising Best Picture Choice.”) Although Anthony Chen’s Ilo Ilo took home the top award at the 50th Golden Horse Awards, Wong Kar Wai’s Berlin Film Festival opening gala film The Grandmaster was this year’s big winner: six awards, including the Best Actress trophy for Ziyi Zhang. That marked Zhang’s first victory, after three previous nominations: Best Actress for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in 2000 and for 2046 in 2004; Best Supporting Actress for Forever Enthralled in 2009. "It was a very long and suffering journey making The Grandmaster, but now I’m very happy," Zhang said in her acceptance speech. In Wong’s Hong Kong-Chinese martial arts drama she plays the daughter of fighting master, who, so as to restore her family’s honor,...
- 11/29/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
In Peter Chan‘s action packed epic Wu Xia (or Swordsmen), the successful Chinese director takes the classic wu xia genre of films made popular by the Shaw Brothers studio and adds twists and turns making it a mystery martial arts film. Starring one of the biggest stars in the Chinese film industry Donnie Yen (Ip Man, Fist of Legend) the film does an excellent job of balancing both the kinetic flying kicks and fists that make the style popular, with a layered plot that is reminiscent of David Cronenberg‘s A History of Violence. While the film is careful to pace itself with large action set pieces, once the punches start flying it’s a non-stop adrenaline ride that will leave you wanting to mimic Yen’s signature style of fight choreography.
The film opens in a tranquil village where life is simple and peaceful. Liu Jin-xi (Yen) is...
The film opens in a tranquil village where life is simple and peaceful. Liu Jin-xi (Yen) is...
- 6/30/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
Asia-Pol
Directed by Matsuo Akinori
Written by Gamasaki Twao
Hong Kong/Japan, 1967
Historically, not many non-Chinese directors had the privilege of working within the Shaw Brothers studio system. Unlike with major American studios, where American, British, Canadian and directors from elsewhere in the world can try to make a splash, Shaw Brothers was very much a Chinese endeavour. Like all rules however, there are exceptions. The director behind one of the studio’s most iconic films, King Boxer, was in fact Korean. A Japanese director been awarded the chance to put their stamp onto the Shaw legacy is even more unique given the historically volatile relationships between the two countries concerned. Matsuo Akinori is one of the few to have done so, with his 1967 spy imitator film, Asia-Pol.
Jimmy Wang plays Ming Yang, a young operative for the highly secretive Asia-Pol, a pan-Asian secret service style organization. The agents work under deep cover,...
Directed by Matsuo Akinori
Written by Gamasaki Twao
Hong Kong/Japan, 1967
Historically, not many non-Chinese directors had the privilege of working within the Shaw Brothers studio system. Unlike with major American studios, where American, British, Canadian and directors from elsewhere in the world can try to make a splash, Shaw Brothers was very much a Chinese endeavour. Like all rules however, there are exceptions. The director behind one of the studio’s most iconic films, King Boxer, was in fact Korean. A Japanese director been awarded the chance to put their stamp onto the Shaw legacy is even more unique given the historically volatile relationships between the two countries concerned. Matsuo Akinori is one of the few to have done so, with his 1967 spy imitator film, Asia-Pol.
Jimmy Wang plays Ming Yang, a young operative for the highly secretive Asia-Pol, a pan-Asian secret service style organization. The agents work under deep cover,...
- 6/24/2012
- by Edgar Chaput
- SoundOnSight
Golden Swallow (also known as The Girl With the Thunderbolt Kick)
Directed by Chang Cheh
Written by Hang Cheh and Tu Yun Chih
Hong Kong, 1968
Who has never watched a film a second, third or even fourth time and only then come to understand some of its virtues which upon initial viewing remained hidden from the mind’s eye? Virtually all films can benefit from multiple viewings, but perhaps even more so than the ones people love, it is the ones people disliked at first which can subsequently offer very eye opening experiences. This week for Shaw Brothers Saturdays, things will be done a little bit differently. Any readers who follow me at my personal blog know that I have, in fact, already written about Golden Swallow. More to the point, the review which appeared last fall was less than favourable. Despite having written that article with assurance, something kept gnawing away in my mind.
Directed by Chang Cheh
Written by Hang Cheh and Tu Yun Chih
Hong Kong, 1968
Who has never watched a film a second, third or even fourth time and only then come to understand some of its virtues which upon initial viewing remained hidden from the mind’s eye? Virtually all films can benefit from multiple viewings, but perhaps even more so than the ones people love, it is the ones people disliked at first which can subsequently offer very eye opening experiences. This week for Shaw Brothers Saturdays, things will be done a little bit differently. Any readers who follow me at my personal blog know that I have, in fact, already written about Golden Swallow. More to the point, the review which appeared last fall was less than favourable. Despite having written that article with assurance, something kept gnawing away in my mind.
- 4/29/2012
- by Edgar Chaput
- SoundOnSight
The One Armed Swordsman
Directed by Chang Cheh
Written by Chang Cheh and Kuang Ni
Hong Kong, 1967
One knows exactly when it has happened. Any movie aficionado is familiar with that odd feeling which takes over when one has watched a film that manages to overcome its flaws and provide some solid entertainment despite it all. There is no hiding that the film is imperfect. Some of the flaws may be glaring, but what it does well, it does marvellously. This is the sentiment felt while watching one of director Chang Cheh’s more popular films, 1967′s The One Armed Swordsman. More than once a sense of exhilaration washes over like a tidal wave, which thankfully made up for the moments which floundered. For this reason, one salutes director Chang Che, who pulls off quite the job even though his film is hampered, at times, by a strange script and really bogus storytelling methods.
Directed by Chang Cheh
Written by Chang Cheh and Kuang Ni
Hong Kong, 1967
One knows exactly when it has happened. Any movie aficionado is familiar with that odd feeling which takes over when one has watched a film that manages to overcome its flaws and provide some solid entertainment despite it all. There is no hiding that the film is imperfect. Some of the flaws may be glaring, but what it does well, it does marvellously. This is the sentiment felt while watching one of director Chang Cheh’s more popular films, 1967′s The One Armed Swordsman. More than once a sense of exhilaration washes over like a tidal wave, which thankfully made up for the moments which floundered. For this reason, one salutes director Chang Che, who pulls off quite the job even though his film is hampered, at times, by a strange script and really bogus storytelling methods.
- 3/18/2012
- by Edgar Chaput
- SoundOnSight
Shaw Brothers Saturdays: ‘The Sword and the Lute’ ends its trilogy, but is also one chapter too many
The Sword and the Lute
Directed by Hsu Tseng-Hung
Written by San Kong
Hong Kong, 1967
After Temple of the Red Lotus and The Twin Swords both emerged onto the Hong Kong cinema scene in 1965, showcasing several brand new, soon to be insanely popular actors moulded by Shaw Brothers studios, among them Lo Lieh, Jimmy Wang, Ivy Ling Po and Chin Ping, director Hsu Tseng-Hung and writer San Kong removed themselves for 2 years from the world of Scarlet Maid, the Gan family and the fantastical poisonous lute before finally concluding the trilogy of films in 1967. By this time Jimmy Wang was a powerful name in the industry, appearing in numerous films and having starred in one of the studio’s most famous adventures, The One Armed Swordsman, with Golden Swallow to come shortly thereafter, which may in part explain why in this third and final chapter he is more of a...
Directed by Hsu Tseng-Hung
Written by San Kong
Hong Kong, 1967
After Temple of the Red Lotus and The Twin Swords both emerged onto the Hong Kong cinema scene in 1965, showcasing several brand new, soon to be insanely popular actors moulded by Shaw Brothers studios, among them Lo Lieh, Jimmy Wang, Ivy Ling Po and Chin Ping, director Hsu Tseng-Hung and writer San Kong removed themselves for 2 years from the world of Scarlet Maid, the Gan family and the fantastical poisonous lute before finally concluding the trilogy of films in 1967. By this time Jimmy Wang was a powerful name in the industry, appearing in numerous films and having starred in one of the studio’s most famous adventures, The One Armed Swordsman, with Golden Swallow to come shortly thereafter, which may in part explain why in this third and final chapter he is more of a...
- 3/10/2012
- by Edgar Chaput
- SoundOnSight
The Twin Swords
Directed by Hsu Tseng-Hung
Script by San Kong
Hong Kong, 1965
Few would debate that the single defining decade in the all too short history of the Shaw Brothers studio was the 1970s. The staggering amount influential films produced and released in that decade alone, films which made uncompromising impact upon release and gained sometimes feverish cult status since, is almost too much to count. King Boxer, Five Deadly Venoms and 36th Chamber of the Shaolin, all three from the 70s, arguably consist of the Shaw crown jewels. It therefore makes the discovery of films from the two decades which sandwich the 70s, the 1960s and 1980s, all the more exciting and revealing. Where did the quality of the of the all-time classics emerge from and which direction did it take afterwards? This week calls for a flashback to the previous decade, with the 1965 Hsu Tseng-Hung directed The Twin Swords,...
Directed by Hsu Tseng-Hung
Script by San Kong
Hong Kong, 1965
Few would debate that the single defining decade in the all too short history of the Shaw Brothers studio was the 1970s. The staggering amount influential films produced and released in that decade alone, films which made uncompromising impact upon release and gained sometimes feverish cult status since, is almost too much to count. King Boxer, Five Deadly Venoms and 36th Chamber of the Shaolin, all three from the 70s, arguably consist of the Shaw crown jewels. It therefore makes the discovery of films from the two decades which sandwich the 70s, the 1960s and 1980s, all the more exciting and revealing. Where did the quality of the of the all-time classics emerge from and which direction did it take afterwards? This week calls for a flashback to the previous decade, with the 1965 Hsu Tseng-Hung directed The Twin Swords,...
- 2/12/2012
- by Edgar Chaput
- SoundOnSight
Randy fights for justice. And wine.
“The Man From Hong Kong” is cited as the first Australian/Hong Kong production in cinematic history, as well as the first Australian martial arts film. Trailers From Hell guru Brian Trenchard-Smith got his directorial start with this film, and he has some nice tidbits to offer in his Tfh clip.
A martial arts movie with fists a-flying and kicks a-plenty, The Man From Hong Kong stars Jimmy Wang-Yu and George Lazenby. Lazenby plays a bad guy, as opposed to the good guy he played in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. You may have heard of that character before. Bond. James Bond.
The co-stars apparently had some bad luck doing their own stunts. Lazenby’s arm was burned while trying unsuccesfully to remove a flaming jacket in one scene. The experience probably left him shaken, not stirred. Wang-Yu was knocked silly in...
“The Man From Hong Kong” is cited as the first Australian/Hong Kong production in cinematic history, as well as the first Australian martial arts film. Trailers From Hell guru Brian Trenchard-Smith got his directorial start with this film, and he has some nice tidbits to offer in his Tfh clip.
A martial arts movie with fists a-flying and kicks a-plenty, The Man From Hong Kong stars Jimmy Wang-Yu and George Lazenby. Lazenby plays a bad guy, as opposed to the good guy he played in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. You may have heard of that character before. Bond. James Bond.
The co-stars apparently had some bad luck doing their own stunts. Lazenby’s arm was burned while trying unsuccesfully to remove a flaming jacket in one scene. The experience probably left him shaken, not stirred. Wang-Yu was knocked silly in...
- 1/5/2012
- by admin
- Trailers from Hell
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