What was the first classic Martial Arts film you watched/bought?

[DragonClaws]

Can anyone here remember the first classic Martial Arts film they watched/bought?. My earliest memory is of watching Enter The Dragon when I was about seven. Followed by The Best Of Martial Arts documentary sometime later.

It wasn't until my early teens that I started to buy these films. The first purchase I made was Hand Of Death directed by John Woo. Picked it up really cheap from a reduced section of a video shop. Ive pretty much bought old school Kung Fu films on and off ever since.

Sorry if there's a similar thread for this already.

[paimeifist]

The first one I watched was Master of the Flying Guillotine, it aired on Showtime, I went and watched a couple on youtube afterward and was hooked..

The first classics I bought were King Boxer and Knockabout, and they both also remain in my top favorite movies.

[Secret Executioner]

My first MA film was Godfrey Ho's Secret Executioners.

[ShawAngela]

Since I watched a lot of martial arts movies (all French dubbed) during the same period (we went to cinemas every week when I was around 12/14 years old with my parents), I don't remember exactly which was the very first one I saw, but I think that it was Dragon blows, soon followed by Female chivalry, Filial son, Wrath of the sword, Rage of the masters, Righteous fist, 12 Gold medallions, Virgins of the seven seas and Beauty heroine.

There were a lot of other ones, but these ones are those which marked me a lot and made me being a crazy fan of female fighters in martial arts movies.

And the first ones I bought 15 years later on VHS were Five shaolin masters, Shaolin abbot, Avenging eagle, Heroic ones, Flag of iron, Daredevils, Shaolin hand lock and so on, and that's how I became also a crazy fan of the Shaw Brothers' movies...

[DragonClaws]

The first one I watched was Master of the Flying Guillotine, it aired on Showtime, I went and watched a couple on youtube afterward and was hooked..

The first classics I bought were King Boxer and Knockabout, and they both also remain in my top favorite movies.

Thanks for the feedback everyone:smile:.

King Boxer is a classic, Ive been wanting to see Knockabout for sometime. Beardy and Yuen Biao, now that's a one impressive Kung Fu team.

[AlbertV]

The Big Boss on WNEW Channel 5 in New York when it was known as Fists of Fury. They had a week-long of Bruce Lee films at 8pm. I was only 4 years old at the time

[DragonClaws]

Since I watched a lot of martial arts movies (all French dubbed) during the same period (we went to cinemas every week when I was around 12/14 years old with my parents), I don't remember exactly which was the very first one I saw, but I think that it was Dragon blows, soon followed by Female chivalry, Filial son, Wrath of the sword, Rage of the masters, Righteous fist, 12 Gold medallions, Virgins of the seven seas and Beauty heroine.

There were a lot of other ones, but these ones are those which marked me a lot and made me being a crazy fan of female fighters in martial arts movies.

And the first ones I bought 15 years later on VHS were Five shaolin masters, Shaolin abbot, Avenging eagle, Heroic ones, Flag of iron, Daredevils, Shaolin hand lock and so on, and that's how I became also a crazy fan of the Shaw Brothers' movies...

You have been lucky to get into the genre by seeing these films on a big screen. I haven't watched a single Asian Kung Fu film at the cinema:sad:.

[DragonClaws]

The Big Boss on WNEW Channel 5 in New York when it was known as Fists of Fury. They had a week-long of Bruce Lee films at 8pm. I was only 4 years old at the time

Only 4 years old now that's impressive dude.

My dad was a big Bruce Lee fan in the 70s which is how I ended up watching Enter The Dragon. The hall of mirrors and the scene where Angela Mao gets chased really stuck in my mind for years. It wasn't until I got into my early teens that I watched the film again.

[DrNgor]

I think I was in the 6th grade when I caught Enter the Dragon on TV, but I don't remember much of the experience. In the 7th grade, I saw Fists of Fury in the Chess Club at my middle school. Not long after that, I bought a Bruce Lee 4-pack released by Fox.

In the summer after my Freshman year of high school, I rented and watched Drunken Master. Shortly after that, I bought a two-pack of Snake Fist Fighter/New Fist of Fury.

A few months later, a Lao friend lent me three old school films that *didn't* star Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan: Ninja vs. the Shaolin Guard; The Samurai; and Ninja in the Deadly Trap.

[kevenz]

I live in Canada and here...... there is no love for kung fu movies.

All these old school kung fu never played in theaters back in the 70s or 80s.

They were not available to buy in stores or to rent in videostores.

I never seen any playing on tv....... even the Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan ones.

I think the first one I saw was Rumble in the Bronx back in 1995. It was the third time a Jackie Chan movie played on theater in canada. First one was Twin Dragons in 1992 and Legend of Drunken Master in 1994.

Thanks god for the Internet ! I discovered many awesome movies.

[DragonClaws]

I live in Canada and here...... there is no love for kung fu movies.

All these old school kung fu never played in theaters back in the 70s or 80s.

They were not available to buy in stores or to rent in videostores.

I never seen any playing on tv....... even the Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan ones.

I think the first one I saw was Rumble in the Bronx back in 1995. It was the third time a Jackie Chan movie played on theater in canada. First one was Twin Dragons in 1992 and Legend of Drunken Master in 1994.

Thanks god for the Internet ! I discovered many awesome movies.

I never knew there wasn't a big market for Asian Martial Arts films in Canada. Never had any problems getting access to films in Britain. The U.K did have a limited selection of Shaw Brothers titles when I first started buying these films.

You rarely get old school Kung Fu films on T.V here now. Back in the 90s one channel did used to screen a lot of Golden Harvest classics. I can recall staying up to watch Spooky Encounters, The Young Master and The Prodigal Son, in the early hours of the morning.

[AlbertV]

Only 4 years old now that's impressive dude.

My dad was a big Bruce Lee fan in the 70s which is how I ended up watching Enter The Dragon. The hall of mirrors and the scene where Angela Mao gets chased really stuck in my mind for years. It wasn't until I got into my early teens that I watched the film again.

Interestingly enough, after the Saturday morning cartoons, most of the kids on my block were already outside playing, but not me. I wouldn't come out until 3pm because they had Drive-In Movie on Channel 5, and most of its programming consisted of either kung fu films, cheap horror movies, or the early (and better IMO) teen comedies. I always stuck around for the kung fu movies ;-)

[paimeifist]

Damn, I was born in the wrong decade.

[DragonClaws]

Interestingly enough, after the Saturday morning cartoons, most of the kids on my block were already outside playing, but not me. I wouldn't come out until 3pm because they had Drive-In Movie on Channel 5, and most of its programming consisted of either kung fu films, cheap horror movies, or the early (and better IMO) teen comedies. I always stuck around for the kung fu movies ;-)

Its only since joining this forum that Ive found out how common Kung Fu films used to be on American T.V. Love the fact they used to get screened during the day too:smile:.

[AlbertV]

Its only since joining this forum that Ive found out how common Kung Fu films used to be on American T.V. Love the fact they used to get screened during the day too:smile:.

Once Fox took over Channel 5, they ended Drive-In Movie, and this is where my late uncle comes in. I used to go to the Bronx every weekend or he would come over to our apartment in Westchester and he would have four or five VHS tapes of kung fu films to lend me for the weekend (which I would go through Saturday and Sunday) and then I would give them to my dad on Monday morning so he can bring them back to him on his way to work

If it wasn't kung fu movies, it would be the American B-martial arts films I would rent from the video store on East Tremont Avenue in the Bronx (my dad used to work Saturdays at a furniture store across the street), so we would go after his shift ended in the afternoon to rent movies

[DragonClaws]

Once Fox took over Channel 5, they ended Drive-In Movie, and this is where my late uncle comes in. I used to go to the Bronx every weekend or he would come over to our apartment in Westchester and he would have four or five VHS tapes of kung fu films to lend me for the weekend (which I would go through Saturday and Sunday) and then I would give them to my dad on Monday morning so he can bring them back to him on his way to work

If it wasn't kung fu movies, it would be the American B-martial arts films I would rent from the video store on East Tremont Avenue in the Bronx (my dad used to work Saturdays at a furniture store across the street), so we would go after his shift ended in the afternoon to rent movies

Thanks for sharing your experiences, its nice to read how people got into the genre and what films got them hooked.

One big influence on me as a child was the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon series and films. It wasn't until I grew up that I learned Golden Harvest produced the movie. Another MA related series I recall watching was the repeats of The Master starring Sho Kosugi & Lee Van Cleef.

[whitesnake]

The first classic kung fu movie I saw was in April 1973, Five Fingers of Death on a double bill with Red Sun. In the months that followed, there was at least one kung fu movie opening at a theater in town every week or two. I got to know every drive-in theater in town while going to see them. Then a theater in town started running Chinese language movies. Only 2 hours away, in San Francisco, there were 6 theaters in Chinatown and one (showing samurai films) in Japantown. One of the Chinatown theaters was The Great Star, where I saw a lot more SB movies in Chinese than I ever saw dubbed ones elsewhere.

The first video I tried to buy was Enter the Dragon, but the videostore clerk said that someone named Charlie Chan (really) bought their last copy that morning. Now I buy old school collections from Shout Factory; Martial Arts Movie Marathon Vol. 2, The Jimmy Wang Yu Collection, and the Cheng Pei-Pei double bill - Kung Fu Girl/Whiplash. Whiplash (not seen before) was a disappointment, good scenery, but plotless and badly choreographed. Kung Fu Girl is Attack of the Kung Fu Girls, except uncut and in Chinese with subtitles.

After being creeped out by the 2014 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (on steroids), I wanted to watch the original one (1990) again. It played recently on cable and just yesterday on a Spanish language channel. As for indulging in classic kung fu movies, El Rey ran several SB in a row yesterday. King Eagle was run in Chinese with subs, which sounded really good following several dubbed SB movies.

[DragonClaws]

The first classic kung fu movie I saw was in April 1973, Five Fingers of Death on a double bill with Red Sun. In the months that followed, there was at least one kung fu movie opening at a theater in town every week or two. I got to know every drive-in theater in town while going to see them. Then a theater in town started running Chinese language movies. Only 2 hours away, in San Francisco, there were 6 theaters in Chinatown and one (showing samurai films) in Japantown. One of the Chinatown theaters was The Great Star, where I saw a lot more SB movies in Chinese than I ever saw dubbed ones elsewhere.

The first video I tried to buy was Enter the Dragon, but the videostore clerk said that someone named Charlie Chan (really) bought their last copy that morning. Now I buy old school collections from Shout Factory; Martial Arts Movie Marathon Vol. 2, The Jimmy Wang Yu Collection, and the Cheng Pei-Pei double bill - Kung Fu Girl/Whiplash. Whiplash (not seen before) was a disappointment, good scenery, but plotless and badly choreographed. Kung Fu Girl is Attack of the Kung Fu Girls, except uncut and in Chinese with subtitles.

After being creeped out by the 2014 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (on steroids), I wanted to watch the original one (1990) again. It played recently on cable and just yesterday on a Spanish language channel. As for indulging in classic kung fu movies, El Rey ran several SB in a row yesterday. King Eagle was run in Chinese with subs, which sounded really good following several dubbed SB movies.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles might look a bit dated now, Ive not seen it for a awhile. From what Ive seen of the new movie it appears there putting extra emphasis on the mutant part.

Your story about acquiring ETD cracked me up:bigsmile:.