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Who were the B listers of shaw bros?


ching li

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It's pretty clear who were on shaw bros A list: Jimmy wang yu, Ivy ling po, Ti Lung, David Chiang, Alexander fu sheng, Lin Dai, Ching li, Chen Kuan Tai, Li Ching, Yueh hua, Cheng pei pei just to name a few. But who do you guys think were the B listers of shaw?? The few that never got that proper fanfare but should have I would say:

Chiao Chiao

Chin Ping

Lily Li (yes, to a certain extent always seemed to be in the other actress shadow, shih szu (fighting wise) Ching li (acting wise) in the 1970s.

Fang Ying

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I would say Chi Kuan Chun was a B lister! He never really received the star treatment he deserved. He should have been "featured" more and not just part of ensemble casts. His fighting skills were awesome and he had the leading man good looks. He was more manly than Fu Sheng. I think Wei Pai (Pak) would have been a bigger star if he had been used properly.

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Would Ku Feng count as B list? Usually a supporting actor or villain, but to me his face his synonymous with Shaw Brothers, can't imagine the films without him

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I would say Chi Kuan Chun was a B lister! He never really received the star treatment he deserved. He should have been "featured" more and not just part of ensemble casts. His fighting skills were awesome and he had the leading man good looks. He was more manly than Fu Sheng.

I agree with all that, and would add that (like Chen Kuan Tai), CKC as an actor conveyed a keen intelligence and a general bad-ass screen presence. He definitely should have been the main star of a lot more 70s Shaw movies.

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Ku Feng, much like Lily Li it seemed they should be Shaw's A-List, but I always felt they were overshadowed by the others and kinda slipped under the radar despite being in a healthy amount of shaw bros movies

Chen Kuan Tai on the other hand, I feel was definitely on the A-List. This man got more starring roles, than even David Chiang (Ti Lung became Chor Yuen's leading man so after the partnership with Chiang ended, he too got more leading roles than Chiang). After all it was Chen Kuan Tai who added some star power in Lau Kar Leung's first directed movie, The Spiritual Boxer in a cameo role along with Ti Lung.

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Ku Feng, much like Lily Li it seemed they should be Shaw's A-List, but I always felt they were overshadowed by the others and kinda slipped under the radar despite being in a healthy amount of shaw bros movies

Chen Kuan Tai on the other hand, I feel was definitely on the A-List. This man got more starring roles, than even David Chiang (Ti Lung became Chor Yuen's leading man so after the partnership with Chiang ended, he too got more leading roles than Chiang). After all it was Chen Kuan Tai who added some star power in Lau Kar Leung's first directed movie, The Spiritual Boxer in a cameo role along with Ti Lung.

I think David Chiang should of starred in more of Chor Yuen's films, Chor's Gu Long adaptations usually featured a swordsman/detective using wit and charm moreso than might. And when fights did happen the choreography didn't require intense fighting (like a CC or LKL film). Ti Lung is great, especially in Magic Blade but I think David Chiang could of played a better swordsman/detective mainly because........well DC seems smarter than Ti Lung!!

I know Chor Yuen favored Ti Lung but sometimes he was miscast in my opinion, for instance, Clans of Intrigue, I think DC would of been better in that role and maybe Legend of the Bat as well. Of course there is Murder Plot which is average at best but DC did show he could play that detective type well, would of been interesting to see how he would of done in more films of this kind. At the least it could of been another arena to compare he and Ti Lung's work.

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I would say Chi Kuan Chun was a B lister! He never really received the star treatment he deserved. He should have been "featured" more and not just part of ensemble casts. His fighting skills were awesome and he had the leading man good looks. He was more manly than Fu Sheng.

I agree as well. Chi Kuan Chun was very strong and had tremendous skill in Hung Gar. In fact, wasn't he one of Lau Kar Leung's top students, or even his best student, at one time?

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I would have liked to have seen more of CKC as a leading man at Shaw's too. Clearly a capable martial artist, and a convincing fighter - more so than some of the A listers.

I love his no nonsense Hu Huei Chien in 'Men from the Monastery' - he stole the show there for me.

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I love his no nonsense Hu Huei Chien in 'Men from the Monastery' - he stole the show there for me.

Agreed. I also really liked his role in Boxer Rebellion, where he was noble but also had a sharper understanding of the issues and the big picture than did the gung-ho Leung Kar Yan or the naive and innocent Fu Sheng, or the villainous Wang Lung Wei.

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Would Ku Feng count as B list? Usually a supporting actor or villain, but to me his face his synonymous with Shaw Brothers, can't imagine the films without him

No! Ku Feng is certainly not B list at Shaw Brothers in my opinion.He was one of the most loyal if not the most loyal and versatile star of the Shaw system.I think he was highly valued and respected.This man was very talented and I've yet to see a role he hasn't done justice to.He had free range he could play whatever role. He even played one of the most realistic and terrific lead roles as Huang Fei Hung in The Master Of Kung Fu very convincingly.

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I've always felt that Lau Kar Wing has always been overshadowed in every film he was in. The guy is one of the Lau bros. for crying out loud! And it shows in his onscreen kung fu.

Has he ever played the lead, main or star character?

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He was the co star in odd couple and dirty tiger crazy frog and the main villian in a few flicks but he never got a film for himself. His fighting skills were unreal, he steals the show in basically every action scene he's in.

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Ngaai Fei is an actor that I see in mostly Chor Yuan movies, as well as some Venom flicks & who know who else. I first saw him in House of Traps, with the hilarious English audio - the voice was just so funny that I could never forget this actor. _ really like him though - mostly bad, I think, he has a few good roles and never really had a huge starring role.

Ku Kuan Chung is also a great non starring Shaw actor. I even took this name because I liked him so much in 'The Brave Archer' movies. I really think he was good with swords.

One of my favorite scenes ever is these 2 guys ^^^^ in 'Death Duel' as the Yu Mien brothers - coming out from the trees in the begining & the hall scene where they fight Ah Fei.

2 of my favorites! (Ling Yun as well while we are at it!)

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He was the co star in odd couple and dirty tiger crazy frog and the main villian in a few flicks but he never got a film for himself. His fighting skills were unreal, he steals the show in basically every action scene he's in.

You forgot The Inheritor Of Kung Fu 1973 http://hkmdb.com/db/movies/image_detail.mhtml?id=5841&image_id=1806&display_set=eng ( not 1977 - that should be the Ti Lung movie )

http://hkmdb.com/db/movies/image_detail.mhtml?id=5841&image_id=117889&display_set=eng

http://www.rarekungfumovies.com/titles/title1771.html

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I've always felt that Lau Kar Wing has always been overshadowed in every film he was in. The guy is one of the Lau bros. for crying out loud! And it shows in his onscreen kung fu.

Has he ever played the lead, main or star character?

I particularly like LKW as a villian in Iron Fists a.k.a Shaolin King Boxer

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I think David Chiang should of starred in more of Chor Yuen's films, Chor's Gu Long adaptations usually featured a swordsman/detective using wit and charm moreso than might. And when fights did happen the choreography didn't require intense fighting (like a CC or LKL film). Ti Lung is great, especially in Magic Blade but I think David Chiang could of played a better swordsman/detective mainly because........well DC seems smarter than Ti Lung!!

I know Chor Yuen favored Ti Lung but sometimes he was miscast in my opinion, for instance, Clans of Intrigue, I think DC would of been better in that role and maybe Legend of the Bat as well. Of course there is Murder Plot which is average at best but DC did show he could play that detective type well, would of been interesting to see how he would of done in more films of this kind. At the least it could of been another arena to compare he and Ti Lung's work.

The trouble with Chor Yuen is he IMHO didn't get Gu Long *at all*. Only that can explain how in the nine hells he could cast Ti Lung as Li Xun Huan...:-) (Not that I dislike Ti Lung in that role, but he's nowhere near the character from the novel.) Or Fu Sheng as Jin Wuming. Uh. :neutral:

Chor Yuen generally just took a novel and transferred as much of the plot into the film as mortally possible, creating highly entertaining but rather confusing, overcrowded movies. Sure Gu Long's stories are pretty crowded as well and they tend to get convoluted quite a bit, but moments of silence, reflection, contemplation and moodiness are essential to their overall appeal. Chor Yuen usually just kills all that.

Anyway - agree that DC would be better in some of the roles, but I think the best choice for the more sophisticated, worldly (and/or mischievous) heroes would be someone like Lau Wing (who actually did play Lu Xiao Feng in one or a couple of movies, as far as I know...).

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The HK audiences were so particular, real Kung Fu experts took back seats to actors with matinee idol looks.

That's why Shaws put their people through rigorous training; with the hope of a select few rising to the top.

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Guys, ultimately Shaw Bros wasn't different from Hollywood. It is about who can draw movie goers in and those where the actors that were cast in starring roles, lots of them (whether or not they were miscast or not). But some were lucky to have the good looks and talent :wink:

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He was the co star in odd couple and dirty tiger crazy frog and the main villian in a few flicks but he never got a film for himself. His fighting skills were unreal, he steals the show in basically every action scene he's in.

Oh man !! I soo agree here!! Still have to see DTCF!!:bigsmile:

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Hmm.. never even heard of this one. Any comments on this movie?

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