Guest m burlock Posted June 24, 2007 Share Posted June 24, 2007 Unfortunatly I don't know much about Shaw Brothers martial arts films, lets get that out of the way first. My question is this, of all the martial arts films Shaw Brothers made which ones are the most famous, are essential viewing, have the best fight scenes, are widely considered by all to be the classics, are must haves in ones DVD colletion etc.? m_burlock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest oldeschool17 Posted June 24, 2007 Share Posted June 24, 2007 I do believe this is literally the first topic that is stickied on this section of the forum p081.ezboard.com/fkungfuf...3298.topic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tosh Posted June 25, 2007 Share Posted June 25, 2007 It depends what kind of films your into in the first place really, the lists got wiped out on that thread, and I've yet to have the time to update my top favorites, what are some of your favorite KF films? For me all the Venom and Lau Kar-leung films are must haves for any collection, then you have the Chang Cheh and Sun Chung (directed)films, do a search for those directors names on this site - www.hkcinemagic.com/en/main.asp Feel free to ask questions about any movies, there's a lot of knowlegable and opinionated:b people here to help out, it really comes down to personal tastes, but I love all the shaw movies for the most part. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest m burlock Posted June 25, 2007 Share Posted June 25, 2007 My fav martial arts films are: Fist of Legend, The Tai Chi Master, Hell's Windstaff, Dirty Ho, Drunken Master, Iron Monkey, ONG-BAK, and House of Flying Daggers. Elements I'm definitely looking for in a Shaw Bro.s film are or have: Serious, lots of fights, fights that are eye candy (if you know what I mean), what I'd call real martial arts;not just fighting that is appealing to the eye;specific styles being seen, period films (i.e. films where the plot takes place at least 200 years ago), and hand to hand one on one combat (including 1 person vs. a group of people);no weapons;no large/huge group fights. I'd like to avoid comedies, unless the fighting is top notch. I'd also like to avoid the elements of romance and love plotwise. I guess you could say I'm looking for pure action films. If I remember correctly (I could be wrong): The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, Eight Diagram Pole Fighter(s), Come Drink With Me, King Boxer, The One-Armed Swordsman, The Boxer From Shantung, My Young Auntie, The Five Venoms, Clan of the White Lotus, and Fist of the White Lotus are classics/must haves/essential viewing etc.. "oldeschool17" that topic you mention, a mere 4 people replied to it. I'd like more than just 4 people's opinions plus I'd also like to get myself the films that people here know have gotton universal acclaim from professional critics too. I hope this helps one and all. Thank-you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mantis FIST Posted June 26, 2007 Share Posted June 26, 2007 If I remember correctly (I could be wrong): The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, Eight Diagram Pole Fighter(s), Come Drink With Me, King Boxer, The One-Armed Swordsman, The Boxer From Shantung, My Young Auntie, The Five Venoms, Clan of the White Lotus, and Fist of the White Lotus are classics/must haves/essential viewing etc.. Clan of the White Lotus and Fist of the White Lotus are the same movie. A very good one at that. a bit of lame comedy but the fighting is good. Same thing for my young auntie except better fights, imo. I'd say based off your criteria you would not want to check out Come Drink With Me, King Boxer, The One-Armed Swordsman. Maybe king boxer, but it may be to slow for what your lookin for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kungfusamurai Posted June 26, 2007 Share Posted June 26, 2007 I hate to be a lazy bum, but I would just say go for anything directed by Chang Cheh from '73 onward if you're more into fighting with forms; and all of the Lau Kar Leung flicks. You can check out the films on IMDB or even hkflix.com has them listed by director. Sun Chung and Lo Mar are two other Shaw directors worth checking out once you've tapped out the other two guys. Outside of those guys, I'd also recommend the early Shaw film King Boxer AKA Five Fingers of Death. Rule of thumb for me when seeking out kung fu films with choreography to my liking: Look for anything made from '77 onward. KFS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tosh Posted June 26, 2007 Share Posted June 26, 2007 If I remember correctly (I could be wrong): The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, Eight Diagram Pole Fighter(s), Come Drink With Me, King Boxer, The One-Armed Swordsman, The Boxer From Shantung, My Young Auntie, The Five Venoms, Clan of the White Lotus, and Fist of the White Lotus are classics/must haves/essential viewing etc.. I'd say that's a kicking list to start off with(fist and clan being the same movie), it covers a lot of different types of movies in there to see what you like, 8 Diagram Pole Fighter being one of my favorite all time movies, I'd add Executioners of Shaolin, Blood Brothers, Crippled Avengers, Shaolin Temple, and Legendary Weapons of China to name a few. If you like Dirty Ho give Mad Monkey Kung Fu a try, also check out some of the modern(70's) Shaws like Chinatown Kid and The Delinquent(can't pimp this film enough). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest m burlock Posted June 26, 2007 Share Posted June 26, 2007 Thanks guys! I thought I should also add that there's this website run by some guy that has nothing but HK film reviews in it. It's called "The Martial Artist's Guide To Hong Kong Films". When it comes to what he's impressed by and what he's looking for, it's the same for me. Mantis FIST, Why wouldn't I want to check out Come Drink With Me and the The One-Armed Swordsman? Also, just so you know, I'm not looking for hyper-crazy/super fast SB films. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest oldeschool17 Posted June 27, 2007 Share Posted June 27, 2007 personally for me, im not a fan of jimmy wang yu films for i feel his fighting has no martial arts fluidity and is less believable than other martial art actors. I was watching one armed boxer with a group of my friends a couple weekends ago and i just thought it was boring. I will say though, i liked master of the flying guillotine cause the story line is just bonkers. When in doubt go with the gordon liu films and venoms. The majority of them(not all, cause there are some duds in between) should appeal to most kung fu fans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest vengeanceofhumanlanterns Posted June 27, 2007 Share Posted June 27, 2007 m burlock, Here's few you might find help you into the classics of the genre: Human Lanterns * The Duel * Have Sword Will Travel * Black Butterfly Avenging Eagle * Shaolin Mantis * Legend Of The Bat Swordsman And The Enchantress * Intimate Confessions Of A Chinese Courtesan Invincible Shaolin * Flag Of Iron * The Shadow Whip King Cat Vengeance * Death Valley * Come Drink With Me Twelve Deadly Coins * Bat Without Wings Killer Constable * Black Tavern * These will definitely get you on the right path. Titles with an * may be better to start with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest vengeanceofhumanlanterns Posted June 27, 2007 Share Posted June 27, 2007 One more thing. When you find a particular flick you really like, sometimes it's a good idea to look for what the director's other films are, and see if they may be something you'd also appreciate. The same goes for any actors or actress' you may appreciate. You may want to investigate what else they've done. For in many cases, the lead actors and actress', are what make these films what they are, while the directors may vary in consistency. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tosh Posted June 27, 2007 Share Posted June 27, 2007 Why wouldn't I want to check out Come Drink With Me and the The One-Armed Swordsman? To me the movies before the 70's had a more theatrical feel to them, I love them (almost)just the same as say the venom movies, but I know going in I'm not going to get blazing choreo, they have a charm to them all to themselves, might not be your cup of tea though, I really liked all the One Armed Swordsman movies, but The New One Armed Swordsman is probably my favorite for action. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest m burlock Posted June 27, 2007 Share Posted June 27, 2007 Thanks again guys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest vengeanceofhumanlanterns Posted June 27, 2007 Share Posted June 27, 2007 The New One Armed Swordsman, HOW could I have forgotten that film! One of the all time greatest Shaw flicks IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Stuntman Jules Posted June 28, 2007 Share Posted June 28, 2007 INTIMATE CONFESSIONS OF A CHINESE COURTESAN AVENGING EAGLE COME DRINK WITH ME THE 36TH CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN THE LADY HERMIT THE DEADLY BREAKING SWORD THE MAGIC BLADE VENGEANCE EIGHT DIAGRAM POLE FIGHTER THE BOXER FROM SHANTUNG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Amazing Psychoper Posted June 28, 2007 Share Posted June 28, 2007 With what you said you were looking for, I agree that you should skip one armed swordsman and come drink with me. In terms of fighting choreograhy it's quite dated and slow. For Come drink with me, the reputation comes more from the way it influenced movies to come in terms of editing of the fights than for the choreography itself. As for some recomandations, you should definately look out for those: For Lau Kar Leung (Liu Chia Liang) movies, no paritcular order 8 diagram pole fighters: No hand to hand combat, but amazing pole fighting. A must have. One of my all time fav. Shaolin Mantis: Not much hand to hand except for the final wich is a blast. It's mantis versus pipe and than shadow boxing. The rest is all weapons. A bit action lacky in the 1st half, but the last 45 min. or so is all fights. Challenge of the master: Imo a very underestimated movie. It's the first movie Lau kar leung directed. It's well paced, with great fights, a good enough story and a good training sequence. Martial club: Sort of a sequel to Challenge of the masters, focusing again on the character of the mythic Wong Fei Hung. A lot of comedy but very well balanced and not out of place. The fighting is all hand to hand and top notch. The final fight in the alley is a defintite classic. As for other Lau Kar Leung movies, the fighting choreography is always excellent, you can't go wrong. The only problem is that it is not always very well balanced with the comedy (ex: My young auntie). For good fights you can also check out some Venoms movies, stars of the Five venoms movie (wich is imo the least enjoyable in the lot): Crippled avengers: Each fighter in this one has a unique style of fighting due to their handicap. Very original with lots of acrobatic fighting. Rebel intruders and Two champions of shaolin: Two other venoms movies with great acrobatic fightings. Venoms movies always has good fighting but the plot is sometimes, if not often, a bit so so... Other good viewings: Shaolin Prince: One of the three films directed by Tang Chia (Tong Gai) who choregraphed with Lau kar leung most of Shaw's classics. It's fast and very original. Lot of wirework, but even if making the fights unbelievable, it is very well used. A very special movie. The master: Stars Yuen Tak, felow classmate in peking opera of Jackie Chan, Samo Hung, Yuen Biao and Corey Yuen, in a rare lead role. You may be but of by the comedy wich a bit to much, but Yuen Tak is a great screen fighter. Is as fast an agile as Jackie or Yuen Biao. Avenging Eagle: A classic staring the late Fu Sheng and Ti Lung. A lot of unique weapons, starting with the main vilain who has a pair of iron claws gloves. Not the most incredible choreography but still great. More a recomandation for the originality of the movie, but the fighting is good. I believe this should be a good start, those are the best I can think of at the moment... Enjoy! Have a psychotic day! The Amazing Psychoper:evil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tino Posted June 28, 2007 Share Posted June 28, 2007 I like Amazing Psychoper's recommendations. One I'm not sure about recommending is Challenge of the Master because it has very little fighting. To me it was just an okay movie. The Master has comedy but dont let that stop you from seeing this. I hate comedy in my fu movies but it doesnt bother me in this one because the fights are well done and the movie is just so cool and it does have its serious parts. One of my fav shaw movies. The rest of those movies are must haves imo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Amazing Psychoper Posted June 28, 2007 Share Posted June 28, 2007 I agree that Challenge of the masters is not the most action packed but I thought it was a very well balanced movie. Maybe the fact that it's an underdog biaised my apreciation of the movie, but it's one of my favorite Lau Kar Leung movie. The Amazing Psycho Per:evil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Stuntman Jules Posted June 28, 2007 Share Posted June 28, 2007 For those looking for a good action film, yeah, COME DRINK WITH ME isn't a great choice. But damn, it's so beautifully made, it's like a Kurosawa film. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mantis FIST Posted June 29, 2007 Share Posted June 29, 2007 I agree that Challenge of the masters is not the most action packed but I thought it was a very well balanced movie. Maybe the fact that it's an underdog biaised my apreciation of the movie, but it's one of my favorite Lau Kar Leung movie. Finally another person who sees the greatness of this CLASSIC! I just watched it the other day to get some inspiration! Great training scenes and good fights! GREAT FILM! M brulock, I said to skip those because the kung fu is very slow and not that good. One-Armed Swordsman is a great film, but its an early swordplay film and the action is not that fluid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest m burlock Posted June 29, 2007 Share Posted June 29, 2007 This is amazing! Of all the message boards (not other martial arts message boards but a variety of boards) I've ever tried to get information from the people here have been the most helpful. Thanks! On a different note I'm jealous of y'all 'cause obviously you own and have seen way more SB's films than me. Where ever I've lived: no T.V. station has ever aired SB's films, no video rental place carries SB's films, and no theater has ever shown a SB's film. Thank GOD for Image Entertainment and Dragon Dynasty!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tosh Posted June 30, 2007 Share Posted June 30, 2007 On a different note I'm jealous of y'all 'cause obviously you own and have seen way more SB's films than me. It would be said that we should be jealous of you, coming into it for the first time;) Shaw's is like a world all to it's own, once you get into it, it's there for life:hat Here's a couple others... Tiger Killer - About a very popular Chinese folk hero, Wu Ma, excellent drama and story, the humorous parts are genuine, great swordplay, just all around great flick. Bells of Death - Very dark Wuxia, for 1968, I'd take this over any of the clan/sword movies from the 70's, a young Chang Yi is great as the hero. Human Lanterns - aw, just get it:eek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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