Shaw Brothers had the ultimate studio system. This wasn’t merely a studio complex in Hong Kong. This was a moviemaking colony. Along with soundstages; the property self-contained nearly all the aspects that went into making a movie from the camera department, the editing rooms, the dubbing booths and even the film developing lab. But it went beyond that. There were apartments and dormitories behind the walls so that actors, stunt people and crew were available 24/7 for the nearly 30 films a year that were shooting around the clock on the various backlots during their ’70s peak. This is why you see familiar faces popping up in various films. They never went home. The studio was their home. Shaw Brothers didn’t produce films. Shaw Brothers were a way of life. Shawscope Volume Two delves into 14 films from the late ’70s to the mid ’80s right when the glory days came to an abrupt halt.
Shaw Brothers didn’t go out of business in the mid-80s. They got out of the movie business and focused on television shoots on their studio complex. What was frustrating to many of their stars, the studio went years without releasing home video versions of their movies. There were bootleggers putting out the titles that fans in Hong Kong and around the world were eager to enjoy at home. They were crappy transfers. In America, outside of a few titles that were released by major US studios, Shaw Brothers films didn’t get released on DVD until around 2006. Shawscope collects 14 of the later theatrical title into a Blu-ray boxset that’s a watch at home film festival.
The 36th Chamber of the Shaolin (1978 – 115 minutes) is the movie to see if you’re curious about Shaw Brothers films. You get the whole Shaolin Temple experience from the time when the Manchu government were keeping down the local citizens. Liu Yude (Kill Bill‘s Gordon Liu) gets in trouble when the Manchu are putting down a rebellion. His only hope of survival is hiding out at the Shaolin Temple. At first, the monks don’t want him on the grounds, but he eventually gets judged worthy of being accepted into their program. He changes his identity to Monk San Te and begins his martial arts training. Inside the Temple there are 35 Chambers where a novice must master a certain task, technique or weapon. San Te proves a quick study in the various chamber. After he becomes an expert, he proposes a 36th Chamber that will take the lessons of the Shaolin beyond the temple walls. He faces off with his Manchu nemesis (Executioners from Shaolin‘s Lo Lieh). The film was released in America as The Master Killer. The movie goes deep into the repetitive training that’s required to have serious martial arts skills. The movie made Gordon Liu an international superstar. Director Lau Kar-leung teamed up with him to make two 36th Chamber sequels that are also in the boxset.
Return to the 36th Chamber (1980 – 101 minutes) is an odd of sequel since it does feature Gordon Liu except he’s not quite play Monk San Te. Things are going bad at a fabric dying operation where the owner has decided to hire Manchu thugs to improve the output. In order to pay his new “managers,” the wages of the employees have been cut. If workers complain, the new HR department is a fist. Overhearing the complaints is a man who claims to be Monk San Te (Liu). He drops by the factory to negotiate a better deal for the workers using his reputation and a few crafty maneuvers. At first things look positive until he’s exposed as a massive phony. He’s really Chu Jen-chieh posing as the legendary monk. The con man flees to the real Shaolin Temple in hopes of properly training. The monks refuse to admit him to be a student. They hire him to work on the scaffolds as they renovate the complex. Chu mimics the training moves while working on the bamboo structures. Can he learn enough to go back and bail out the factory workers? Fans who saw this as Return of the Master Killer were confused a bit that Liu was back as a San Te imposter. Anyone who showed up late or got more popcorn were probably muttering quite a bit.
Disciples of the 36th Chamber (1985 – 93 minutes) has Gordon Liu return as the real San Te although the focus is on Fong Sai-Yuk (Mad Monkey Kung Fu‘s Hsiao Ho). Fong is a student at a school that’s trying to appease the local Manchu leader. He’s not having it. This leads him into serious trouble that results in him taking refuge at the Shaolin Temple with Monk San Te overseeing the new pupil. While Fong has thrilling martial arts skills, he’s a bit naive. He gets suckered into sharing Shaolin Secrets with a Manchu leader (played by director Lau Kar-leung). Will Fong be the reason the Shaolin get defeated? There might have been a fourth installment of the 36th Chamber if Shaw Brothers hadn’t left the theatrical world soon after Disciples‘ release.
Mad Monkey Kung Fu (1979 – 115 minutes) is not to be confused with Monkey Kung Fu (also released in 1979). Mad Monkey is more intense than regular Monkey. Chen (played by director Lau Kar-leung) and his sister Miss Chen (My Young Auntie‘s Kara Hui) are packing them in at a local theater with their performance about a monkey king. Chen is a master of Monkey Kung Fu. In the audience one night is a local businessman Tuan (Lo Lieh). He has big plans for the couple. Little do they know if involves Tuan’s brothel business that’s run by his equally treacherous wife. They set up Chen and destroy him emotionally, physically and mentally. His sister ends up forced to work for Tuan. The damaged Chen sells cheap candy on the street with a monkey. It is there that he meets a low-level thief named Monkey (Hsiao Ho) who acts like one. After Tuan’s goons screw up Chen’s act, he has Monkey act as his new monkey. He also begins to train Monkey in monkey kung fu, There’s a lot of monkeys in this movie. Chen and his ape-ish student plot their revenge against Tuan. Lau Kar-leung delivers on both sides of the camera. You feel his pain as he’s taken to rock bottom by the evil Tuan. Visually the film grabs you. Lau Kar-leung is the Warren Beatty of asskickers.
Five Superfighters (1978 – 100 minutes) features a mysterious stranger who wanders into town to town promising to fix the Kung Fu of any students who have been taught by inferior masters. One Master and his three students think this guy is full of it. Except when they tangle, they all get their butt kicked by the stranger. The defeat forces the students to go off and learn from other Masters. But instead of joining different schools or the Shaolin Temple, they get unorthodox instructors. The three reunite with their Master in order to have a rematch with the stranger and fix his Kung Fu. The film was directed by Mar Lo.
Invincible Shaolin (1978 – 106 minutes) brings us director Chang Cheh working with his Venom Mob actors. A Qing general (Mercenaries from Hong Kong‘ Lung-Wei Wang) has a plot against the Shaolin Temples. He pits Northern Shaolin monks against Southern Sholin monks in a way that escalates the schism. He wants them out of his way so the Qing can rule without Shaolin being a factor. Can the monks find peace with each other, or will they hack away until only one fist remains? The film stars all five of the stars of Five Deadly Venoms (found on Shawscope Volume One). Lu Feng, Sun Chien, Chiang Sheng, Wei Pai, Kuo Chui and Lo Mang had just made their iconic film so it’s not quite getting the band back together as the next gig. The movie was released in the US as The Unbeatable Dragon.
The Kid With the Golden Arm (1979 – 86 minutes) brings back the key Venom Mob players with Lu Feng, Sun Chien, Chiang Sheng, Wei Pai, Kuo Chui and Lo Mang. Like the Five Deadly Venoms, each of them has cool name that involves their fighting style or weapon of choice. Sun Chien must accompany a gold shipment into a dangerous area. The four biggest people they have to worry about are Golden Arm (Lo Mang), Silver Spear (Lu Feng), Iron Robe (Wang Lung Wei), and Brass Head (Yang Hsiung). Sun recruits swordsman Li Chin Ming (Wei Pai), Ming’s girlfriend Miss Leng Feng (Crippled Avengers‘ Helen Poon), Long Axe Yang Jiu (Chinatown Kid‘s Shu Pei Sun), Short Axe Fang Shih (Chiang Sheng), and Hai Tao (Kuo Chui) who is a drunken master. This is a dangerous journey with major stakes and plenty of fights. Everyone gets to go all out with their namesake attack.
Magnificent Ruffians (1979 – 106 minutes) has a town that’s completely dominated by Lo Feng (Shaolin Temple). When guests visit, he often challenges them to sparring match which ultimately turns to him killing the tourists. He’s upset that he can’t take over the businesses run by Lo Mang. Kuo Chui, Sun Chien, Chiang Sheng and Wang Li dine and dash at Lo Feng’s restaurant including escaping the security system. The diabolical Lo Feng decides to use this foursome to finally take care of Lo Mang. Chang Cheh fills the cast with his trusty Venom Mob. His elite squad of stuntmen turned actors are once more filling the screen with chops, kicks and the golden sword technique.
Ten Tigers of Kwangtung (1980 – 91 minutes) is an all-star production that involves plenty of flashbacks to when the Ten Tigers. The movie has the current Ten Tigers being picked off by someone out for revenge. The cast includes Ti Lung, Fu Sheng, Wei Pai, Dick Wei, Sun Chien, Lu Feng, Philip Kwok, Yeung Hung, Chiang Sheng, Lo Mang, Ku Feng, Chin Siu-ho, Lung Tung Sheng, Wang Lung-wei and Wang Li. It’s pretty much everyone that has worked with director Chang Cheh. There’s a lot of action between them no matter which timeline they pop up on. This is like the Shaw Brothers version of The Avengers.
My Young Auntie (1981 – 119 minutes) has a young woman (Kara Hui) agree to marry an old guy who doesn’t want his riches and estate inherited by his brother Wang Lung Wei (Master of the Flying Guillotine). Kara isn’t quite ready for the big city and is looked after by her deceased husband’s nephew (Director Lau Kar-Leung) and his son (Hsiao Ho). Kara has fierce marital arts skills, but can she resist Wang when he demands she surrenders his brother’s estate? Lau Kar-Leung has made film that fills like a classic Hollywood screwball comedy except with more kicks and punches.
Mercenaries From Hong Kong (1982 – 95 minutes) takes the action out of the oeriod pieces of the first 10 movies in this collection. We’re taken to the modern ’80s. Along with fists and martial arts instruments of death, there are guns, rifles and trucks. Writer-Director Jing Wong gives a story of a crack force of ex-soldiers on a mission for hire. Ti Lung leads a group that includes Lo Lieh, Johnny Wang Lung Wei, Wong Yue and Chan Wei Man. They seem prepared to go in, take care of business and fly out of Cambodia in record time. Turns out their plan gets complicated when they get on the ground. This was the Shaw Brothers attempt to get into the Cannon Film action and works on that level.
The Boxer’s Omen (1983 – 105 minutes) is impossible to summarize. This should have been a classic midnight movie that would rotate with El Topo, Pink Flamingos and Eraserhead. Director Kuei Chih-Hung has a film that starts out “normal” with gangsters involved in boxing in Hong Kong and Thailand. Then things get weird. How weird? There’s a battle between Buddhist monks and black magicians. There’s someone getting stitched up in the belly of an alligator. There are freaky things involving skin being peeled off and other pure wha? moments. The Boxer’s Omen the type of movie where you say, “And then the drugs kicked in.” This does not feel like the typical Shaw Brothers movie and is also the only film in the boxset not filmed in Shawscope.
Martial Arts of Shaolin (1986 -94 minutes) is one of the last theatrical productions produced by Shaw and represented a major change for the company. Shaw Brothers had let the two biggest names in Martial Arts cinema slip through their fingers by not making deals with Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan. This time they had future superstar Jet Li as the lead. Instead of shooting on the backlot, they sent a film crew into Mainland China and shot on stunning locations. Director Lau Kar-leung opened up the screen to take in amazing vistas while capturing Jet Li’s next level moves. It’s strange to think that this was the end since it could have easily been a new era for Shaw Brothers instead of being the end of the theatrical line.
The Bare-Footed Kid (1993 -87 minutes) reworks Chang Cheh’s Disciples of Shaolin (1975). Singing sensation Aaron Kwok plays the impoverished man who comes to the big city to find his dead father’s friend (Ti Lung) in order to get a job at a fabric company. There’s a lot more to the guy from the countryside anyone can guess. There’s also more to the job since the factory has a fightclub with a rival company. Kwok can’t get too into the violence since he falls for Maggie Cheung (Irma Vep) who is connected to the other company. There are quite a few changes from the original script. The movie was directed by Johnnie To (The Heroic Trio). While it wasn’t a proper Shaw Brothers production, Mona Fong produced the remake. She had produced several films for the studio and was married to owner Run Run Shaw.
Shawscope Volume Two is a celebration of the martial arts films made during the studio’s final years as a theatrical unit. The 14 films in the boxset are all top-notch flicks. These were the titles you’d hope would get shown on your local Black Belt Theater series on a UHF channel or if you were lucky enough to have a movie theater that booked them. The transfers on the Blu-ray discs look better than the print that played on 42nd Street in New York City. The bonus features will give you a deeper insight about what went on at the Shaw Brothers Studio.
There’s word that Arrow Video has licensed enough films to make Shawscope Volume 3 & 4 although no hint as to the titles. There will probably be news by the time you make it through the extensive collection that is Shawscope Volume 2.
The video is 2.35:1 anamorphic for all the films except The Boxer’s Omen that’s 1.85:1. The audio is DTS-HD MA Mono with dubs in Mandarin, Cantonese and English. You can pick your favorite way to hear the films. The Kid With the Golden Arm and Magnificent Ruffians don’t have Cantonese tracks. The Boxer’s Omen is not in English. Although it is so freaky you won’t notice. The movies are all subtitled in English. You might want to watch the English track with the subtitle to get closer to what was really being said in the script.
Illustrated 60-page collectors’ book featuring new writing by David Desser, Jonathan Clements, Lovely Jon and David West, plus cast and crew listings and notes on each film by Simon Abrams.
DISC ONE – THE 36TH CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN
Audio commentary by critic Travis Crawford and new select-scene commentary by film critic and historian Tony Rayns go into the work of Gordon Liu.
Interview with star Gordon Liu (20:51) was conducted in 2003 by Frédéric Ambroisine. He talks quite a bit about his relationship with Lau Kar-leung and Lau Kar-wing. He was adopted into the family and that’s how he ended up renamed Gordon Liu from Sin Kam-hei. The 36th Chamber was his first leading role. He shaved his head for the first time to become the character. He talks about meeting people who think he was the star of Master Killer. He’s excited in 2003 because he had just starred in Kill Bill.
Interview with cinematographer Arthur Wong (28:34) was filmed in 2006 by Frédéric Ambroisine. His father was a cinematographer. He worked on Golden Needles with Joe Don Baker. He talks about how it was a bit of a difference in working with a US crew and a Hong Kong crew was the American shoot with sound so the cameras were soundproofed. He started as an assistant camera man at Shaw Brothers and worked himself up to director of photography.
Shaolin: Birthplace of a Hero (16:02) goes into the story of the Shaolin Temple and its martial arts. Gordon Liu admits part of the story of the Temple is fictional. Shaolin Kung Fu was originally on trained by the monks before they taught outsiders their skills. Also turns out there was Northern and Southern Shaolin. The Southern Temple had the legendary 36 Chambers.
Elegant Trails (6:23) is a piece on Gordon Liu and his musical skills. He does show off a few scars received from working with real weapons on the set. He does get into how Lau Kar-leung rode him hard during shoots. He plays guitar and sings a Beatles song.
Tiger Style: The Musical Impact of Martial Arts Cinema (37:22) has music historian Lovely Jon get into how the Shaw Brothers movies worked their way into hip hop and other music genres. He gets into how the martial arts movies speak to people living in oppressive and impoverished communities. Marital Arts films and Spaghetti Westerns found themselves distributed to audiences in Jamaica. He ties it into Jimmy Cliff’s The Harder They Come that has clips from Django in the film. He also gets into Lee Scratch Perry’s Kung Fu Meets The Dragon. There’s more to this subject than The Wu Tang Clan. You might want to write down the names of the song to track them down online. There is the history of Carl Douglas’ “Kung Fu Fighting.” We also learn about Carl’s song “Dance The Kung Fu.”
Cinema Hong Kong: Swordfighting (50:21) is the second instalment in a three-part documentary produced by Celestial Pictures in 2003. This segment goes into the wuxia films. The film points out how in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon featured actress Cheng Pei-pei, the star of Come Drink With Me. The go deep into the history of swordplay in Chinese cinema with plenty of archival footage. People interviewed include Gordon Liu, Lau Kar-leung, Cheng Pei-pei, John Woo, Sammo Hung, Kara Hui and David Chiang.
Alternate opening credits (3:16) from the American version titled Master Killer. Gordon Liu does his routine with the English credits.
Trailer Gallery includes Hong Kong Theatrical in both Mandarin (3:54) and English (3:54), US TV Spot (0:32) when it was called Master Killer, German Theatrical Trailer (2:36) and Digital Reissue Trailer (1:08).
Image gallery has 60 press photos, German lobby cards, French lobby cards, posters and DVD sleeves.
DISC TWO – RETURN TO THE 36TH CHAMBER / DISCIPLES OF THE 36TH CHAMBER
Interview with star Gordon Liu (14:50) is more of Frédéric Ambroisine chat with the star from back in 2003. Gordon talks about how people thought it was a direct sequel to the original 36th Chamber. He talks about the relaxed attitude for Return to the 36th Chamber.
Citizen Shaw (57:42) is a French TV documentary from 1980. Sir Run Run Shaw takes us around the Shaw Brothers backlot. We get to see the production of Return to the 36th Chamber). The big take away is how the studio really ran the lives of their actors, stunt performers and crew. At this point, Shaw Brothers were making around 30 films a year using their studio complex nearly all night and day. It also appears that the Shaw Brothers didn’t have any retirement plans. They might not have had royalties set up for their performers. Royalties weren’t a major issue since their films ended up out of circulation from the late ’80s until the early 2000s. This bonus feature is worth watching first.
Hero on the Scaffolding (14:40) is an archive featurette from 2003 about the fighting using the bamboo scaffolding from Return to the 36th Chamber. Gordon Liu gets into the details of how he worked things out. They also interview real people who work on bamboo scaffolding in Hong Kong. They discuss the difference between metal and bamboo for jobs.
Alternate opening credits sequences for both films include Hong Kong Theatrical Credits (1:32), Alternate English Title Sequence (1:45) for a squished VHS release and Disciples (4:15) with the “disco” Shaw Brothers logo.
Trailer Gallery includes Hong Kong Theatrical Trailer (3:21) and the Digital Reissue Trailer (1:12) for Return. Disciples has Hong Kong Theatrical Trailer (3:33) and Digital Reissue Trailer (1:07).
Image galleries for both films includes press photos, lobby cards, posters, video boxes, newspaper ads from when it was called Return of the Master Killer,
DISC THREE – MAD MONKEY KUNG FU / FIVE SUPERFIGHTERS
Brand new commentary for Mad Monkey Kung Fu by martial arts cinema experts Frank Djeng and Michael Worth.
Filmed appreciation of Mad Monkey Kung Fu (19:56) by film critic and historian Tony Rayns gets into the two traditions covered by the film. He goes into the history of the 1920s in China. He gets into the story of a female impersonator who turns on a warlord who didn’t like the illusion when it was revealed.
Interview with actor Hsiao Hou (39:59) has him discuss playing Little Monkey with Frédéric Ambroisine in 2004. He talks about starting as a stunt man before getting the call up to be an actor at Shaw Brothers. Mad Monkey Kung Fu was his first leading role. He talks about his time in My Young Auntie. He knows Northern Style Kung Fu.
Shaw in the USA (32:12) gives the history of how the Shaw Brothers broke into American theaters and television in the ’70s and ’80s. Grady Hendrix and Chris Poggiali, authors of These Fists Break Bricks get really detailed about the rise and ultimate fall of the theatrical element of Shaw Brothers. They pretty much pin it on Shaw Brothers not willing to give Bruce Lee and later Jackie Chan creative control. Both actors ended up at Golden Harvest. They also reveal the person behind bootlegging Shaw Brothers movies in the New York City area.
Mad Monkey Kung Fu Trailer Collection includes Hong Kong Trailer (4:01), US theatrical trailer (2:04) and Digital Reissue Trailer (1:08).
Five Superfighters Trailer Collection includes Hong Kong theatrical trailer (3:26) and UK VHS promo (2:37) also includes The Killer and Chinatown Kid.
Image Galleries for both films has press photos, lobby cards, posters, press kit, dvd sleeves, VHS boxes,
DISC FOUR – INVINCIBLE SHAOLIN / THE KID WITH THE GOLDEN ARM
Interview with action director Robert Tai (23:58) was filmed in 2003 by Frédéric Ambroisine. He got his start as a stuntman at the age of 12. He talks about getting signed by Chang Cheh. His first film for Shaw Brothers was Chinatown Kid. He gets into Opera Kung Fu. He eventually directed Shaolin Dolemite with Rudy Ray Moore.
Poison Clan Rocks The World (26:28) is a visual essay on the Venom Mob by author Terrence J. Brady. He wrote Alexander Fu Sheng: Biography of the Chinatown Kid. He goes into the history and movies that starred the Venom Mob that Chang Cheh enjoyed working with for his Shaw Brothers films. They were all ex-stuntmen finally given a chance to shine.
Alternate “continuity” cut of The Kid With The Golden Arm presented via seamless branching that covers the fight between Iron Robe and Hai Tao. You can watch in Mandarin and English.
Alternate and textless title sequences for The Kid with the Golden Arm (2:03) let you enjoy the marital arts moves without text.
Hong Kong theatrical trailer for Invincible Shaolin (4:06) in Mandarin and another in English. There’s also the Digital Reissue Trailer (1:17)
Hong Kong theatrical trailer (audio only and 3:22) and US TV spot for The Kid with the Golden Arm (0:49) and the Digital Reissue Trailer (1:21).
Image galleries for both films have press photos (including when Invicible Sholin was called The Unbeatable Dragon, press kids, posters, lobby cards, VHS boxes and DVD sleeves.
DISC FIVE – MAGNIFICENT RUFFIANS / TEN TIGERS OF KWANGTUNG
Audio commentary on Ten Tigers of Kwangtung by filmmaker Brandon Bentley. He really explains why this film feels like two different movies. Because it kind of is. He also give fine biographies of the various tigers.
Interview with star Chin Siu-ho (21:17) was shot in 2003 by Frédéric Ambroisine. The Baby Venom learned kung fu from high neighbor. After winning competition awards, he enrolled in Shaw Brothers training camp in 1979. Chang Cheh picked him out of class and brought him into Ten Tigers of Kwangtung. He was quite nervous since he was a 15-year-old on the set.
Rivers and Lakes (22:34) is a video essay on Shaw Brothers’ depiction of Chinese myth and history. The piece goes deep into the Shaolin Temple facts and fiction. Jonathan Clements (author of A Brief History of China) fills in the gaps of the movies about this time. The Shaw Brothers came up with their own mythology to avoid international audiences needing a knowledge of Chinese history to enjoy the films. The action came first. He does explain the Manchu takeover during the Ming Dynasty. We get a fact or fiction or fictionalized facts for many of the movies that are part of both Shawscope boxsets.
Hong Kong Trailer (4:01) is a reconstruction using the original audio and German theatrical trailer (2:58) for Magnificent Ruffians. Now I want to see the film in German.
Hong Kong trailers include the Mandarin (2:57) and Cantonese (2:58) versions, the Digital Reissue Trailer (1:14) and US TV spot (0:28) for Ten Tigers of Kwangtung.
Textless Title Sequence for Ten Tigers (1:16) lets you enjoy the cast artwork.
Image galleries for both films includes press photos, posters, lobby cards, DVD sleeve and newspaper ad.
DISC SIX – MY YOUNG AUNTIE
Select-scene commentary by film critic and historian Tony Rayns (46:43) lets him discuss one of the rare martial arts films that Shaw Brothers produced with a female lead. He views the film as a screwball comedy.
Interview with star Kara Hui (29:02) was filmed in 2003 by Frédéric Ambroisine. She talks about playing Dai-nan in the film. She talks about how she was a dancer at first. Chang Cheh’s assistant saw her perform and brought her to Shaw Brothers. She was in Mad Monkey Kung Fu. She also made My Young Auntie during his first year at the studio. The film was a sensation, and she became a star. Lau Kar-leung had a major influence on her career.
Cinema Hong Kong: The Beauties of the Shaw Studios (53:45) is the final instalment in the three-part documentary from 2003. This opens with Sir Run Run Shaw talking about the importance of actresses in the success of the studio. They show off the different genres that Shaw Brothers produced over the decades beyond martial arts cinema.
Alternate standard-definition VHS version (120:34) is a bit closer to the original cinema release. It rather fuzzy since it’s taken off a videotape, but letterboxed so you can see all the frame. This is a minute longer than the version of the movie on the Blu-ray.
Alternate Opening Credits (1:19) has the English names.
Hong Kong theatrical trailer (4:19) and Digital Reissue Trailer (1:04) show off the action.
Image gallery has press photos, lobby cards, posters, movie output for 1981 ad and DVD sleeve.
DISC SEVEN – MERCENARIES FROM HONG KONG / THE BOXER’S OMEN
Audio commentary on The Boxer’s Omen by critic Travis Crawford tries to grasp the insanity of the film. It’s one of his favorite horror films. He goes into the excesses of the screen.
Newly filmed appreciation of filmmaker Kuei Chih-hung (21:02) by film critic and historian Tony Rayns. He goes into how this is a film with Buddhism and Black Magic. He gives the history of the director.
Additional footage from Mandarin VHS version of The Boxer’s Omen (1:57) is extra showering footage.
Interview with Mercenaries from Hong Kong action director Tong Kai (28:50) filmed in 2009 by by Frédéric Ambroisine. Kai learned martial arts from the Cantonese Opera Company. He goes into the difference between Cantonese and Mandarin films.
Hong Kong theatrical trailer (2:38) and Digital Reissue (1:21) for Mercenaries From Hong Kong.
Hong Trailer 1 (2:47) and 2 (3:06) for Boxer’s Omen.
Image galleries for both films include press photos, posters, VHS box, DVD sleeve, lobby cards,
DISC EIGHT – MARTIAL ARTS OF SHAOLIN / THE BARE-FOOTED KID
Brand new commentary on Martial Arts of Shaolin by Jonathan Clements
Brand new commentary on The Bare-Footed Kid by Frank Djeng of the NY Asian Film Festival
Newly filmed appreciation of The Bare-Footed Kid (16:28) by film critic and historian Tony Rayns. He goes into the works of director Johnnie To (Heroic Trio). The movie is a remake of The Shaw Brothers’ Disciples of Shao Lin.
Newly filmed appreciation of Martial Arts of Shaolin (29:40) by film critic and historian Tony Rayns. He gets into how the film had a Hong Kong crew with a Mainland Chinese cast. The Shaw Brothers had to avoid certain topics to make a film that the Chinese communist party would approve. Then there was blowback in getting the movie shown in Taiwan. This wasn’t good since Taiwan was their biggest market.
Interview with Martial Arts of Shaolin screenwriter Sze Yeung-ping (42:15) filmed in 2004 by Frédéric Ambroisine. He had just graduated from high school when he was recommended to a film studio’s screenwriting program. He gets into how he became part of Martial Arts of Shaolin.
Alternate standard-definition version of Martial Arts of Shaolin (97:32) is slightly different cut of the film as taken off the lower resolution source. It is longer than the Blu-ray cut that runs 93:50.
Hong Kong (2:57) and Japanese (1:52) theatrical trailers for Martial Arts of Shaolin, plus trailers for the preceding Shaolin Temple films (6:58) starring Jet Li. There’s also the Digital Reissue Trailer (1:09).
Hong Kong theatrical trailer (3:39), Digital Reissue Trailer (1:12) and UK VHS promo for The Bare-Footed Kid (2:06).
Image galleries for both films include press photos, posters, booklet, VHS box, DVD sleeve, an ad hailing the arrival of Alexander Fu Sheng Jr, the successor to the successor of Bruce Lee.
DISC NINE – MUSIC FROM THE 36TH CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN, FIVE SUPERFIGHTERS, INVINCIBLE SHAOLIN AND THE KID WITH THE GOLDEN ARM (CD)
DISC TEN – MUSIC FROM RETURN TO THE 36TH CHAMBER, MAGNIFICENT RUFFIANS, TEN TIGERS OF KWANGTUNG, MY YOUNG AUNTIE, MERCENARIES FROM HONG KONG AND DISCIPLES OF THE 36TH CHAMBER (CD)
Arrow Video presents Shawscope Volume Two. Starring Gordon Liu, Lau Kar-leung, Hsiao Ho, Kara Hui, u Feng, Sun Chien, Chiang Sheng, Wei Pai, Kuo Chui and Lo Mang. Rating: Unrated. Boxset Contents: 8 Blu-ray Discs and 2 CDs. Release Date: December 6, 2022.
