Shaw Brothers films

I dont know if anyone answered this already, but One Armed Boxer vs Flying Guillotine isnt a Shaw Brothers film. The funny thing is, it has a flashback from One Armed Boxer which WAS Shaw Brothers in it. But the film itself really is very much like a SB film.



A few weeks ago I bought a Shaw Brothers sci fi-horror film called Oily Maniac (R3, 1976). Its NOT a Kung fu film, but its really fun and crazy. Its about this guy (Danny Lee) who turns into this huge slimy monster. I dont know how this one got into the SB line up seeing they were mostly making kung fu films at this time. It musta been a huge dissapointment over there in China.



If you havent seen it, try to get this one.

I haven’t seen many Shaw Brothers films but of the ones I’ve seen, Fists of the White Lotus is my favorite.

I was never a big Shaw Bros. fan, the coreography has good quality but it’s a little slow. My favorite Shaw Bros. movie will always be 36th Chamber of Shaolin.

I’ve seen a few Shaw Bros. which were pretty cool, but Wu-Tang movies are the shit (i’m talkin bout the classic Wu-Tang, not the shitty random ones that were made just to make a profit). Wu-Tang is like the poor mans Shaw Bros.- very cheap looking, little to no plot at all, crazy/goofy characters, and nonstop acrobatics. Now Shaw Bros. movies are better technically speaking and have better choreographed fights usually, but if you have movie ADD like me occasionally, definetly check out some Wu-Tang flicks like The Mystery of Chessboxin or 36 Deadly Styles

there are plenty of SB movies. And I have seen so less of them. Many user on this board have seen more!



so I have a question:



What do you think about the idea that we all post here reviews about the SB movies we have seen?

That would be great.

The name of the movie, maybe director/cast, a little review and how many points of 10.

Good idea, Claudia. Actually I think it’s time for me to put the Kung Fu flicks down for a while and see what else the Shaws came up with. They’re best known for martial arts movies, but not comedies,horror,exploitation,etc…Besides Mighty Peking Man, I haven’t seen any other of their genre flicks yet. I’d like to see how good their other movies are.

[quote=“WinslowLeach”]
I dont know if anyone answered this already, but One Armed Boxer vs Flying Guillotine isnt a Shaw Brothers film. The funny thing is, it has a flashback from One Armed Boxer which WAS Shaw Brothers in it. But the film itself really is very much like a SB film. [/quote]

I don’t care who made it, The Master of the Flying Guillotine Vs. the One Armed Boxer has to be one of my favourite movies, though sadly, I didn’t notice the reference in Kill Bill. Coould some one point it out for me?

I just bought my first Shaw brother dvd: The 36 chamber of shaolin!!! :smiley: :smiley:

for those who dont know, they are making a new 120 million dollar or so Shaw Brothers studio in HK. But i heard about a while ago and am not sure about progress. I made a topic a while ago.



36th Chamber of Shaolin ranks as not only my favourite Shaw Brothers film (of which i have seen many), but it also ranks as one of my favourite films of all time. Five Deadly Venoms is very close though. Some people have made out like it is overrated. But i think it is truly one of the greatest kung fu films ever made.

For SB martial art films, The ones in the late 60’s and early 70’s were the best. The ones in the late 70’s and onwards are really crap. I just saw this flick Descendents Of The Sun (1983), and there was a scene where the lead character Derek Yee flying in the sky. But he was only hanging himself and the crew put fog machines to create the flying effect. Lame.



Shaw Brothers all made a lot of other genres besides martial arts. Like, they made The Eye. So the one made by the Pang Brothers is a remake.

[quote=“Buck”]
For SB martial art films, The ones in the late 60’s and early 70’s were the best. The ones in the late 70’s and onwards are really crap.
[/quote]

Even Liu Chia-Liang films?

[quote=“Buck”]
Like, they made The Eye. So the one made by the Pang Brothers is a remake.
[/quote]

You seem to have a lot of knowledge on asian movies. Good to have you here 8)

Yeah Hung Fist nice to know you boy. I can see you have a lot of passion in Asian movies.



Liu Chia Liang’s films show a variety of different Chinese martial arts, but he’s no Chang Cheh. Cheh is able to create characters that has more depth other than the fights. What’s even worse is that Chang’s movie is even worse than Liu’s after the Venoms era.



"You seem to have a lot of knowledge on asian movies. Good to have you here"



Yeah I do because I’m Chinese and I grew up watching HK films.

Guys, isn’t that going a bit off topic? :wink:



Does anyone (Buck, maybe) know anything about the early days of SB studio? Most people (like me) have only seen their movies from the mid/late 60’s onwards. I think films like Come Drink With Me, Temple of the Red Lotus and The Heroic Trio are the oldest SB films western audiences know about and have seen.

I’ve only seen;



Five Deadly Venoms

8 Diagram Pole Fighter

36th Chamber of Shaolin



The first two are definitley overated in my opinion, but the last is pure gold.

[quote=“Hung Fist”]
Guys, isn’t that going a bit off topic? :wink:



Does anyone (Buck, maybe) know anything about the early days of SB studio? Most people (like me) have only seen their movies from the mid/late 60’s onwards. I think films like Come Drink With Me, Temple of the Red Lotus and The Heroic Trio are the oldest SB films western audiences know about and have seen.
[/quote][quote=“Hung Fist”]
Guys, isn’t that going a bit off topic? :wink:



Does anyone (Buck, maybe) know anything about the early days of SB studio? Most people (like me) have only seen their movies from the mid/late 60’s onwards. I think films like Come Drink With Me, Temple of the Red Lotus and The Heroic Trio are the oldest SB films western audiences know about and have seen.
[/quote]

The early SB movies were mainly romantic and Opera films. Lin Dai was a famous actress playing in romantic films but she comitted suicide. It was King Hu and Chang Cheh that truly revolutionized the SB martial art genre in the late 60’s.



By the way, 2 yrs ago when I was in Hong Kong, I picked up a book about the SB martial arts genre. It has many photos of the films, film reviews and director/actor interviews at the time the film was made. But it’s all in Chinese.

Yeah boy this is the book I was talking about:











some photos of New One Armed Swordsman





36 chambers





Gordon Liu’s signature in his foreword







Yeah boy the book mentions Tarantino and his love for SB flicks. The book says that Kill Bill is a homage to Chang Cheh’s Vengeance.



You can get it at yesasia but it is quite expensive, if you think it’s worth to see the film galleries.







Too bad there’s no english version.