Member shukocarl Posted April 16, 2008 Member Share Posted April 16, 2008 Can anyone here tell me something about this film? (aka The Champion or Karate King -1973). Supposedly a Shaw film - it looks like a Taiwanese basher from the period, it's got Lung Fei as the bad guy for instance! Sure, Chin Han and Shih Szu are the stars but they look kind of out of place in it. More info anyone? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member venoms5 Posted April 17, 2008 Member Share Posted April 17, 2008 I'll be getting a copy of this one soon. It's a Shaw movie. It was listed as being available from celestial on one of the discs but never made it out. I have a promotional flyer for it. I'll scan it when I get a little time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Markgway Posted April 17, 2008 Share Posted April 17, 2008 It was a Shaw Bros/Taiwanese co-production. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member vonhumboldtfleisher Posted April 18, 2008 Member Share Posted April 18, 2008 Does the flyer have screenshots? Here's some from my rip of the Australian VHS: I think we had this conversation before here. Either that or I have a bad case of deja vu. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member venoms5 Posted April 18, 2008 Member Share Posted April 18, 2008 Yeah, there's one or two pics but under the title THE CHAMPION. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Markgway Posted April 18, 2008 Share Posted April 18, 2008 Oops. Actually I was thinking about THE CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS which also starred Chin Han. That one's the Taiwanese co-production. Sorry! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member venoms5 Posted April 18, 2008 Member Share Posted April 18, 2008 Oops. Actually I was thinking about THE CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS which also starred Chin Han. That one's the Taiwanese co-production. Sorry! How is that one Mark? I have a copy of this coming as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member magicpoe Posted April 19, 2008 Member Share Posted April 19, 2008 venoms5, I got you covered. The least I can do given the great stuff you've posted from your collection. Sorry about the watermarks, but hey you know the history. Front Page Page 2 Page 3 Back Page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member vonhumboldtfleisher Posted April 19, 2008 Member Share Posted April 19, 2008 Very nice! But I was kind of hoping for the Celestial flier so I can see what it looks like in WS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member venoms5 Posted April 19, 2008 Member Share Posted April 19, 2008 Hey cool, thanks Poe. I bought one of these off you in the past. I bought for a friend of mine, though. I got a different one. It's just a flyer for the film under the CHAMPION title. I should be able to scan it this evening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member zakato Posted April 19, 2008 Member Share Posted April 19, 2008 Is avaible in Germany as a VHS Version in Widescreen with the German Cinema Titel :KARATE KING!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Markgway Posted April 20, 2008 Share Posted April 20, 2008 The German version is reportedly cut (big shock!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member venoms5 Posted April 20, 2008 Member Share Posted April 20, 2008 Here's the flyer displaying a small pic for the film. An ad for DEADLY DUO is on the back of this... By venoms5 at 2008-04-19 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member vonhumboldtfleisher Posted April 22, 2008 Member Share Posted April 22, 2008 Here's the typically uninformative and misleading VHS cover: "Starring Bruce Ly and Jackie Chih"... heh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Markgway Posted May 4, 2008 Share Posted May 4, 2008 Is the original title CHAMPION or THE CHAMPION? I see just one word on that Chinese flyer. Anyone got the original theatrical poster? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member TibetanWhiteCrane Posted May 4, 2008 Member Share Posted May 4, 2008 Bruce Ly and Jackie Chih.... seriously, who do they think they're fooling??!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Markgway Posted May 5, 2008 Share Posted May 5, 2008 Is the SUN LUCK version of film cut? I ask because I don't remember seeing Ko Hsiang Ting as Chin Han's father? Was this a flashback? Did I fall alseep? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member venoms5 Posted May 5, 2008 Member Share Posted May 5, 2008 I haven't watched it yet but the version I have Mark, runs 87 minutes 15 seconds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Markgway Posted May 5, 2008 Share Posted May 5, 2008 I haven't watched it yet but the version I have Mark, runs 87 minutes 15 seconds. Same here. Presumably the USA version. The German dub is a few mins shorter. According to those promos Ko Hsiang Ting is fifth billed playing Chin Han's father but I really don't remember his character being seen. Anyone shed any light...? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member venoms5 Posted May 8, 2008 Member Share Posted May 8, 2008 Watched this over the past two nights. Like Mark said, this doesn't resemble a Shaw Brothers movie at all. Even the sound effects are different. Although it did appear to utilize the village seen in THE SAVAGE FIVE (1974). The dubbed voices are the same though. The fights are really good save for one shot of a guy leaping over Shi Szu who kicks upward at him and doesn't come close to hitting him yet there's a kicking sound effect. The actor you mentioned Mark, plays the owner of the restaurant. He tells Chin Han what happened to his parents while he was in prison. No flashback is shown. This version which matches the title card above has no credits apart from said title card so that much is missing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member vonhumboldtfleisher Posted May 8, 2008 Member Share Posted May 8, 2008 I don't think it's a Shaw production at all, i think they just picked it up for distribution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Markgway Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 The actor you mentioned Mark, plays the owner of the restaurant. He tells Chin Han what happened to his parents while he was in prison. Ah, thanks. I forgot about him. I guess those credits on the promo material were incorrect. Any idea who plays the fat bloke who sacrifices himself? I've seen him before but damned if I know his name. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Markgway Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 I don't think it's a Shaw production at all, i think they just picked it up for distribution. Shaws did make some on-location low budget movies in Taiwan (eg. THE BOXERS, CRAZY NUTS OF KUNG FU, MISSION IMPOSSIBLE, etc) so this could have been one of those? Also both Shih Szu and Chin Han were contracted to Shaws at this time. I checked the TWMDB and there's no listing for THE CHAMPION (mind you, it's not at the HKFA either!) I guess it could've been a co-production like THE CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS (also starring Chin Han). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member venoms5 Posted May 8, 2008 Member Share Posted May 8, 2008 What about FLIGHT MAN? Was it a co-pro as well? That was about as odd a basher as I've seen and it, too, didn't resemble any Shaw movies aside from some of the cast and the sound effects. Gorgeous locales though. I don't think there were any interiors here save for maybe that cave sequence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member vonhumboldtfleisher Posted May 8, 2008 Member Share Posted May 8, 2008 Shaws did make some on-location low budget movies in Taiwan (eg. THE BOXERS, CRAZY NUTS OF KUNG FU, MISSION IMPOSSIBLE, etc) so this could have been one of those? Also both Shih Szu and Chin Han were contracted to Shaws at this time. I checked the TWMDB and there's no listing for THE CHAMPION (mind you, it's not at the HKFA either!) I guess it could've been a co-production like THE CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS (also starring Chin Han). Wow. Chin Han really must have had a thing going with SB in Taiwan - I had no idea CRAZY NUTS OF KUNG FU was a Shaw's production. It really doesn't look like one. I forgot Shih Szu was still making SB movies up until the late seventies, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.