Killer Clans (1976)

[Guest teako170]

[[some spoilers]]

There's just so many martial arts films that consist of minimalist sets, lackluster cinematography and insipid plots that (to an outsider) they are considered staples of the genre. But then you get something like KILLER CLANS and it blows everything out of the water.

Lush. That's how I can best describe this film. The costumes, settings, everything that comprised the mise-en-scène was quite an eyeful. This film epitomized the depth of the Shaw's commitment to making cinematic gems. And then, on top of that, Chor Yuen gives you a great plot with plenty of twists and engaging characters. (Well, okay so he had a little help from Gu Long).

I actually watched this twice over the last two evenings (second time w/ Bey Logan's commentary). There's just so much to ingest you can't take it all in -- in just one viewing. I still can't get over that one family's suicide. Definitely one of Ku Feng's best pics.

Curious to know if anyone saw the 1993 remake, "Butterfly and Sword," with Michelle Yeoh? How does it compare to the '76 version?

[Guest morgoth]

Butterfly Sword is average at best. Too much time filler and the ending is horrible. I do like Killer Clans, and I agree Fan Mei Sheng's scene was pretty amazing.

[Guest Tosh]

I remember getting lost in this movie (really I get all these clan movies mixed together over the years), but by the end it all comes around, the sets in this movie was impressive, might have to blow the dust off this one and give it another watch.

[Guest teako170]

remember getting lost in this movie

Yeah, it did start out like ... "Oh yawn another wuxia flick. Hmm, where's my Venoms when I need 'em?"

...but the film definitely grew on me. Certainly its not for the average kung fu fan who just wants action-action-action but its certainly worth a look for its cinematic value.

[Guest Markgway]

Killer Clans is better that Butterfly & Sword.

[Guest tarim69]

This really is a great movie.

I dont think the betryals and such go overboard. They stop just short of that happening.

Solid plot, some great visuals but also a couple really smart ideas are here.... loved the safe house under the well for example. I just though it was so smart.

VERY enjoyable and solid flick.

[Guest ironfistedmonk2003]

This is my favourite Chu Yuan film, I thought it was fairly easy to follow the story unlike alot of his later films which lose me completely. Yueh Hua was brilliant in this

[Guest Iron Boat]

I just dont like the hero, I dont even know his name, but a more recognizable star would of been nice.

[bobo]

in case anyone is interested the english dub version of KILLER CLANS is now available by pan media. i do believe that killer clans is on DD list. so its up top you to decide if you want to wait or go for it now. you can always upgrade later.

[Guest gfanikf]

in case anyone is interested the english dub version of KILLER CLANS is now available by pan media. i do believe that killer clans is on DD list. so its up top you to decide if you want to wait or go for it now. you can always upgrade later.

I wonder if it will be out of sync since the audio came from a PAL source (and I doubt he just put the tv broadcast up) and the R3 uses NTSC (well sorta). Either way I have to imagine syncing them would be a major pain in the ass.

Edit: Jeez he couldn't even make it anamorhpic (maybe its from a R2 release momentum did). That will look like ass on a WS tv. Trust me once you see anamorphic vs non anamorphic even on a small 19 inch HDTV you will never want to see a release LBX only. Duel for Gold is anamorphic. Still Jack has never had a hard on for quality control.

[Guest Morgoth]

Remember when the pirate said he was going to stop releasing movies? That wasn't too long ago. Of course ever since he said that he has been cranking out more titles than ever. Go ahead and get the panmeida version everyone. The disc probably won't work, but its cheap right?

[Guest Markgway]

Why are people still promoting Pan Media here?

[Guest Killer Meteor]

Bobo, stop promoting scum. I advice you to delete your post

[bobo]

i,m NOT promoting pan media or anyone else. what i am doing is stateing a fact. i am pretty sure people would be aware of this movie if i didn,t mention it. by no means am i telling people to go out and buy it. and no matter what gets said on this site you and i both know that some people even from this forum are going to buy these versions simply because there may never be another version. i for one sit everyday hopeing for some positive news from DD-media blasters--image- or any of these unknown companies for future shaw releases. also in case you missed it i mentioned that this is on DD list--so maybe i,m promoting them. i,ve seen the DD list and its pretty impressive--the question is if and when they will ever get released--in case your unaware of it they are already having delays and are thinking they may have bitten off more than they can chew. i for one don,t blame or judge anyone who buys a panmedia dvd then upgrades later if a much improved version shows up--afterall isn,t hunting down new tittles and better versions of those tittles what shaw fans have been doing for all these years. all i know is i had three versions of king boxer and when the DD version came out i bought that one and gave away all my previous ones and i,ll continue to do this as more perfected copies become available.

[Guest oldeschool17]

Can you post a link to where it says Dragon Dynasty had the rights to killer clans?

[Guest Killer Meteor]

Panmedia is the reason we're still waiting for decent DVDs of many old school classics. Linn and the other mods have stressed repeatedly the importance of not promoting them. And yes, mentioning their release does serve as promotion.

If you're going to buy them, so be it, but it's a bloody joke to rub it in our faces. ENOUGH

[Guest oldeschool17]

only prob is, theres a hkflix search engine link up top and when you type in killer clans, the panmedia version shows up. although, you have merit in what you are saying, that component of this forum contradicts those intentions.

[bobo]

TITTLES----->TITTLES---yes--TITTLES.

[Guest HAZ]

I dunno. Fans say don't buy Pan Media because they're the reason we're waiting to see many old school classics. But there are companies putting out legit stuff that don't get much support. Fans need to put their money where their mouth is, & then we'll see more releases. Pick up a Crash Masters, Rarescope or Fusian dvd. If you've seen one & liked it, tell people about it. That will do more for the industry than the 1,000 000th thread on how Pan Media dvd's are evil.

[Guest Morgoth]

tittle,s tittles

[Linn1]

in case your unaware of it they are already having delays and are thinking they may have bitten off more than they can chew.

I've said more than my piece about Pan Media in the past, but what's the source for this info? The Vice-President of Asian Acquisitions & Co-production of the The Weinstein Company (usually going under his Bey Logan alias) told me two weeks ago they were doing fine. As a matter of fact, we were talking about them picking up more films. In the penny pinching world of niche DVD companies, the first thing you don't do, is take on more films if you're current ones aren't doing well.

[Guest Markgway]

i,m NOT promoting pan media or anyone else. what i am doing is stateing a fact. i am pretty sure people would be aware of this movie if i didn,t mention it.

But that's just it... it would be bad enough if you were just mentioning it in passing but what we have here is a dedicated thread designed soley to draw attention to the Pan Media bootleg of Killer Clans. That's the purpose of this thread and if that's not promotion I don't know what is...?

[bobo]

when i first posted about pan media having the english dub versions of DUEL FOR GOLD and KILLER CLANS i by no means meant to start another controversy. i think i may have done it partly out of frustration. this waiting and waiting for some positive news from all these legit sites is starting to bug me. lots of promises but very little delivery.afterall lets look at some of it. SIREN releases a number of movies without includeing the english dub.when everyone knows dubs exist for those releases. then SIREN complains when the nondubbed ones don,t sell. now over here IMAGE is doing the same thing. now DD is having questionable delays of their shaws and other old school kungfu movies(hapkido). oh ya before i forget lets mention all the time that miramax sat on the shaws. if DD hadn,t stepped in and took their shaws over who knows what would have happened to them--could have just collected dust for the next 50 years.i think i was trying to point out that while all these legits are sittin on their hands a group like pan media is getting more and more TITTLES out there. i believe i stated before that i think the best way to fight pan media is to get all the TITTLES out there and beat them at their own game. i,m sure that given a choice between a poorly done bootleg and a remastered version most people would chose the remastered. i was trying to point out that right now there is no choice and thats the problem. if DD -MB- and maybe IMAGE would get their movies out there it would solve that problem.the bottom line is that i,m frustated that i,m still waiting while TITTLES i want and need are available from PM and i,m expected not to buy them-- but i am expected to continue to wait. you know i haven,t bought anything from pan media for nearly two years now BUT STILL i have to admit i,m getting tempted --everyone on here knows i,m a dub fanatic and with duel for gold and one of my favourites KILLER CLANS now with dubbed versions i can barely contain myself --well i guess i had to blow off some steam--i need a shaw fix--but i think its good to stir things up now and again to get people talkin- just have to grit my teeth and wait for the DD version of KILLER CLANS. via con dios

[Guest Morgoth]

You haven't bought any Panmedia DVDs for 2 years yet you continually promote them? Bobo I have to say you just aren't making a lot of sense. And its tittlies, not tittles.

[Linn1]

i think i may have done it partly out of frustration. this waiting and waiting for some positive news from all these legit sites is starting to bug me.

The thing is, even if a company like DD has 30+ films, they're not going to release them even close to the number that IVL has been doing. They're going to space them out because the marketplace couldn't handle it. The buyers wouldn't take chances on titles they don't know and the titles would have a chance of doing worse. So the question is, do you want the titles to come out and people that are non-fans getting exposed to these films? Or do you want the titles right now, and running the releases into the ground?

SIREN releases a number of movies without includeing the english dub.when everyone knows dubs exist for those releases. then SIREN complains when the nondubbed ones don,t sell.

But the problem is, it doesn't matter that English dubs exist for those films. Two things matter:

1.Does Siren have the rights to release those films dubbed?

2. Does Celestial say they have the dubs?

If one of these answers is no, they can't release the film dubbed. Image got away with putting dubs on some of their releases from VHS tapes because there wasn't anything in their contract saying they couldn't. I would guess it's different in Siren's case.

now over here IMAGE is doing the same thing.

Image has so many problems with their releases so far, dubbing is minor IMO.

now DD is having questionable delays of their shaws and other old school kungfu movies(hapkido).

Which has more to do with their move to release more new films towards the close of the year.

oh ya before i forget lets mention all the time that miramax sat on the shaws. if DD hadn,t stepped in and took their shaws over who knows what would have happened to them

DD is Miramax. The thing is, they are now a small enough company that they can pay attention to these releases rather than let them sit on the shelf.

i think i was trying to point out that while all these legits are sittin on their hands a group like pan media is getting more and more TITTLES out there.

And in the process, making it less likely to see the titles you want. What confuses me, is you're complaining that these companies aren't putting out films fast enough, but one of the prime reasons why companies don't take chances on unknown films or release more is the bootleg releases you're praising. It cuts both ways there.

i believe i stated before that i think the best way to fight pan media is to get all the TITTLES out there and beat them at their own game.

This will never happen, because the market won't sustain that. If you suddenly released say twenty titles all at once, you wouldn't get good sales, you'd get okay sales on a few titles and everything else would dry on the vine. While if you release say two a month, combining a popular title with a not so popular, you're more likely to get good sales across the board with people buying the films to collect them or just try them out. Average customers don't have the money to buy 20 titles in a month, let alone fans.

i was trying to point out that right now there is no choice and thats the problem. if DD -MB- and maybe IMAGE would get their movies out there it would solve that problem.

Considering MB is still going over what to release, how, etc. Expect something from them next year, with a title a month. DD has a plan to release another batch of Shaws I believe the first of next year. As for Image, they just picked up another batch and have no plans to change what they're doing I'm sorry to say.

the bottom line is that i,m frustated that i,m still waiting while TITTLES i want and need are available from PM and i,m expected not to buy them-- but i am expected to continue to wait.

Then I would suggest again is someone do this: Beat the bootlegers at their own game. One person (and only one) buy a title, then simply trade it to fans or offer it for the price of shipping and a dvd-r. Instead of the bootleggers getting the sales, fans get the titles they're interested in, don't spend a lot of money, and get the legit titles when they come out. You get your fix, but you're doing very little to support the bootlegers that are ruining the chances of us seeing these films. BTW, it's titles.