Member The Dragon Posted June 28, 2009 Member Share Posted June 28, 2009 I thought I'd re-visit one of my all-time favs, Chen Kuan Tai, from Shaw Studios. Chen was an actor not unlike the mold of a rugged, Charles Bronson type of guy, a man's man, so to speak, and still cool enough for the ladies. I'll forever think of him as Iron because that word was used to describe both his character, and titles of several of his films. Iron Bodyguard, Iron Monkey, and Man of Iron. His memorable Shaw roles include: The Tea House Big Brother Cheng The Blood Brothers Warrior of Steel (Man of Iron) The Killer Constable The Crippled Avengers Heroes Two and a host of other titles that I'm certain many of you would like to discuss- (I've Left them out on purpose!) Here's a mini review of one of my favorites Men From The Monastery, featuring Chen in one of his best roles, Hung Hsi Kuan; 'What can I say about this Chang Cheh classic that hasn't been said already? Chen Kuan Tai, Fu Sheng, and Chi Kuai Chun, the men who will forever be celluloid Hung Hsi Kuan, Fang Siu Yi, and Hu Hei Chien, real life Shaolin heroes. The film starts with minor flashback backgrounds introducing each character, before getting into the main story where the three come together to battle the Manchu army in an explosive finish. The action by Tang Chia, and Liu Chia Liang is very precise in its depiction of the Shaolin styles from that era. Many originally thought the scenes to be too crafty and "stylish", however, this is the true way those fist forms are performed. Each fighter performs to their natural capabilities, Chen Kuan Tai especially showing strength behind every punch, grasp, and kick. These men also seemed so comfortable playing each character, no wonder they were brought back for future sequels, resuming the roles. Not much room for women here as the "brotherhood" came first and foremost! "Men From The Monastery" is a traditional, classic film from an era before the acrobatics of JC, and WP, and loaded with the type of charismatic performances that producers today would kill for.' Please comment on what you liked/disliked about this Steeled celluloid hero. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member crazedjustice888 Posted June 28, 2009 Member Share Posted June 28, 2009 Chen Kuan Tai is one of my favorites. My absolute favorite role of him was whenever he played Hung Hsi Kuan. He can protray the hung style amazingly...at least to me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member teako170 Posted June 28, 2009 Member Share Posted June 28, 2009 CKT is the real deal. No faux Shaw training-on-the-set nonsense. The man knows his kung! Great screen presence. Enjoyed all his works. Have about 35% of 100+ films... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Iron Boat Posted June 29, 2009 Member Share Posted June 29, 2009 By far CKT is my favorite Shaw actor, imo, he did it all, great actor and fighter. His films I find easy to take seriously, just a lot of gravity in his performance. His films are great, true classics 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Kwok Choi Posted June 29, 2009 Member Share Posted June 29, 2009 In Sierra Leone he was known as Man Of Iron period.No one refered to him by his real name. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member The Dragon Posted June 29, 2009 Author Member Share Posted June 29, 2009 In Sierra Leone he was known as Man Of Iron period.No one refered to him by his real name. Cool. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DiScIpLe Posted July 23, 2009 Member Share Posted July 23, 2009 for me its boxer from shantung , i think one of his best. my top 5 boxer from shantung flying guillitine heroes two all men are brothers crippled avengers other challenge of the masters iron monkey 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member OldPangYau Posted July 23, 2009 Member Share Posted July 23, 2009 Boxer From Shantung, all the way. It was the first CKT film I had ever seen, and thought that this guy has not only a unique look, but a massive intensity. And that last fight... (SPOILERS, but most here have seen the film anyway) ...never seen a guy with a hatchet in his gut be so bad ass. I mean, his white pants were red by the time all was said and done! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member GOLDEN DRAGON YIN-YANG Posted July 23, 2009 Member Share Posted July 23, 2009 Tell me (what!) can you say about this, 'GUY'? He is the real DEAL, "Holy Field", of the kung fu movies. A 'TRUE' Master of "MONKEY KUNG FU". Won many a martial arts tournament in his youth. Chen can play the GOOD or the BAD & the UGLY, in any of his performances and be top RATE 100% of the time. Cheers to ONE of the TRUE greats of the kung fu movie genre. Blessing to hm, GD Y-Y 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DiScIpLe Posted July 23, 2009 Member Share Posted July 23, 2009 id love to meet the guy , tho hes on me list , so is Ti lung and problem is i need to get a move on lol , these guys are comming to old age. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator KUNG FU BOB Posted July 23, 2009 Administrator Share Posted July 23, 2009 Kwok Choi said: In Sierra Leone he was known as Man Of Iron period.No one refered to him by his real name. Wow, that IS cool. teako170 said: CKT is the real deal. No faux Shaw training-on-the-set nonsense. The man knows his kung! And I think it shows in his action scenes- big time! The first film I ever saw him in was EXECUTIONERS OF SHAOLIN, and he had it all- terrific acting performance (extremely dramatic, but with a little bit of light-hearted play on his wedding night too), a powerful screen presence, and top-notch kung fu! Spoiler I was really broken up when his character reached his end, and so pissed at Pai Mei. A few others (besides some of the ones already mentioned in previous posts) that I love are CHALLENGE OF THE MASTERS, where he does a great job as the sifu to Gordon Liu's young Wong Fei Hung, and playing a character much older than he was and still lending the proper amount of gravity and high moral fiber to his portrayal. He played a similar, and equally cool role in the film THE MASTER (aka. THREE EVIL MASTERS), this time mentoring Yuen Tak. OPIUM AND THE KUNG FU MASTER gave us further opportunity to see him play another vicious, action villain (ala CRIPPLED AVENGERS). And his directorial debut and star turn in the highly entertaining IRON MONKEY (1977) is a personal favorite of mine. CKT said that he did not enjoy directing, which is a shame because the films he helmed were great. For me, IRON MONKEY's training sequence with the lowering roof of burning incense sticks is one of the most wince-inducing and unforgettable scenes of it's kind. What a treat it is to see him performing in the style that he had formally trained in before his film career began. He lights up the film with his style and technique. My buddy Gorhama is about to get this in the mail and I'm super excited for him to see it for the first time. Great thread Dragon. Thanks! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member The Dragon Posted July 23, 2009 Author Member Share Posted July 23, 2009 ... Great thread Dragon. Thanks! Yes, KFB, he definetly deserves recognition. It's a pleasure to go back and enjoy his body of work. Films like The Bloody Escape, Human Lanterns, and The Five Tough Guys, also are gems, specifically because of his appearence. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member FrankBolte Posted July 24, 2009 Member Share Posted July 24, 2009 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Eastern Evil Posted October 18, 2013 Member Share Posted October 18, 2013 I love this guy - top 10 or 15 of my favorite of Shaw Brothers. (Shaw just had so many great actors, some of them have to wind up outside a few 'top 10' lists). I like him in movies like Gang Master., Rendezvous With Dath, Ambitious Kung Fu Girl, Challenge of the Masters...I can go on. Executioners From Shaolin...Whatever pops into my head, he was good in that movie. One cool mofo., 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member NoKUNGFUforYU Posted October 18, 2013 Member Share Posted October 18, 2013 My brother in law who grew up in HK in the 60's and 70's said that Chen worked as a bodyguard for the triad at times, so his tough guy credits were there, as well as being a full contact champion. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member KyFi Posted October 18, 2013 Member Share Posted October 18, 2013 Along with being an accomplished real-life martial artist, I would put him right up there with the best of Shaw's actors. He played some VERY different roles in some of his movies, and did so very skillfully, IMO. In Boxer From Shantung, he really conveyed that the character came from poverty, was ambitious, but also keenly intelligent and a lot sharper than most of the people around him. In Executioners from Shaolin, he was the noble, loyal Shaolin student and devoted family man, in Blood Brothers he was kind of the crude, dim-witted lout, in The Bloody Escape and Flying Guillotine he was the confused, tormented guy with a conscience, in Challenge of the Masters and The Master he was kind of the sly, confident older teacher. He definitely was not an actor who "just played himself" in every role. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Iron Boat Posted October 19, 2013 Member Share Posted October 19, 2013 CKT in Boxer From Shantung and Iron Monkey, those 2 films impress me every time! And as a villain in Crippled Avengers, that was awesome! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member NoKUNGFUforYU Posted October 19, 2013 Member Share Posted October 19, 2013 He was the definitive Hung Hsi Kuan, that is for sure. I always felt bad when he was the bad guy, as it was like watching Sean Connery or someone like that being evil. But he could play ruthless pretty well. Haven't seen Killer Constable, so I am looking forward to some CKT pretty soon! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Omni Dragon Posted October 19, 2013 Member Share Posted October 19, 2013 I think of the actors SHAOLIN TEMPLE Series as the folk heroes they played Fu Sheng is Fang Shih Yu & Chi Kuan Chun is Hu Huei Chien So Chen Kuan Tai if diffidently Hung Sze Kuan to me. Really liked him in EXECUTIONERS OF SHAOLIN his struggle against Pai Mei was an up hill battle literally in some scenes can think of many films where the villain is nearly impossible to defeat where to hero challenges many times. CRIPPLED AVENGERS don't f*** with or his family him or he'll kill or cripple you & your family. This is probably my favourite film so of course I like the main villain. Actually first time I watched I thought that &/or Lu Feng could be the heroes cos he seems to slow turn villainous after the killing of his wife & the handicapping of his son. Great to see in the end fight CKC vs Lo Mang doing their grounded solid Southern Styles while at the same time Lu Feng vs the other Taiwanese opera guys showing their flashy Northern Style. I've seen clips & trailers of the bashers he did they look very cool but never seen any. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DragonClaws Posted November 20, 2020 Member Share Posted November 20, 2020 (edited) Brief Biography & Filmography Actor and Martial Artist Chen Kuen-Tai was born on the 24th of Spetember 1945 in Guangdong China. Like many actors of his generation he studied Martial Arts from a young age. He was one of the few genuine Martial Artists to be given a starring role at Shaw Brother's studios during the early 1970's. Following the success Golden Harvest were having with another authentic Martial Arts star Bruce Lee. According to an interview over at the Hong Kong Cinemagic site, Chen Kuen-Tai also learned a lot of weapons based skills before he got into movie making. Quote I started to learn from him since young. In 1969, I participated in the competition and got into the movie industry. - Chen Kuen-Tai source- http://www.hkcinemagic.com/en/page.asp?aid=223&page=1 In 1969 he landed his first screen as thug role in Two Sister's of Steel, directed by Ng Wui. Bit parts and small roles soon followed. He then landed his first starring role in the Taiwanese production Huo Tang De Ai-Ren(1972). Before he got his break-out role in the Chang Cheh & Pao Hsuh-Li co-directed classic Boxer from Shantung(1972). The production was filmed both during the day and at night. Chang Cheh would film during the days shoots, with Pao Hsuh-Li taking over for night shift. With a filmography containing one hundred and sixty two productions, Chen Kuen-Tai has appeared in many different genres. He's worked as a director, writer, producer and choreographer on countless titles. Making his directing debut early on in his career, with The Simple Minded Fellow(1976) starring James Yui-Li & Siu Yam-Yam. In 1978 he directed, choreographed, wrote and starred in Invincible Monkey Fist(1978). With his last directorial effort being the 1989 feature Return to Action. Where he appears among the cast with Rosamund Kwan Chi-Lam, Alex Man Chi-Leung & Mark Cheng Ho-Nam. He would later made the switch from making movies, to appearing in T.V shows. His last movie appearance was in Iceman: The Time Traveler(2018) directed by Raymond Yip Wai-Man starring Donnie Yen. The following filmogrpahy could not have been possible without the hard work of the HKMDB team. Along with the help of Kung Fu Fandom Forum member's. Filmography (1969 - 2018) 1960's - Two Sisters Who Steal (1969) - Redress (1969) - Have Sword, Will Travel (1969) 1970's - Modern School Life (1970) - Vengeance (1970) - Wong Fei-Hung:Bravely Crushing the Fire Formation (1970) - The Secret of The Dirk (1970) - The Chinese Boxer (1970) - Cold Blade (1970) - Betrayer (1971) - The Duel (1971) - Maria (1971) - The Story of Thirty-Six Killer's (1971) - The Comet Strikes (1971) - The Chase (1971) - Bus Stop (1971) - The Invincible Iron Palm (1971) - Many Faces of a Diamond (1972) - Hua Tang Di Ai Ren (1972) - Boxer from Shantung (1972) - The Hurricane (1972) - Impetuous Fire (1972) - The Water Margin (1972) - The Bloody Fight (1972) - The Bloody Fights (1972) - Young People (1972) - The 14 Amazons (1972) - Man of Iron (1972) - Four Riders (1972) - The Two Faces of Love (1972) - The Blood Brother's (1973) - The House of 72 Tenants (1973) - Thunderbolt (1973) - Iron Bodyguard (1973) - The Savage 5 (1972) - All Men Are Brothers (1973) - The Bloody Escape (1973) - Heroes Two (1974) - Men from the Monastry (1974) - Hong Kong 73 (1974) - The Tea House (1974) - Five Tough Guys (1974) - The Floating Clouds (1975) - The Flying Guillotine (1975) - Temperament of Life (1975) - Lover's Destiny (1975) - Big Brother Cheng (1975) - The Imposter (1975) - The Big Holdup (1975) - The Spiritual Boxer (1975) - Seven Man Army(1976) - Challenge of the Masters (1976) - Big Bad Sis (1976) - King Gambler (1976) - Layout (1977) - The Hero Tattoo of Nina Dragons (1977) - Executioner's from Shaolin (1977) - The Iron Monkey (1977) - Invincible Monkey Fist (1978) - Tough Guy (1978) - Flying Guillotine Part 2 (1978) - Crippled Avenger's (1978) - Iron Fists (1979) - Invincible Enforcer (1979) - Big Boss of Shanghai (1979) 1980's - Killer Constable (1980) - The Master (1980) - Rendezvous with Death (1980) - Challenge of the Gamesters (1981) - Notorious Eight (1981) - The Battle for The Republic of Death (1981) - Dangerous Person (1981) - Amibitous Kung Fu Girl (1981) - Red Rattlensnakes (1981) - Deadly Duo (1981) - New Pilgrims to the West (1982) - Little Flying Dragon (1982) - Dont Love Any Stranger (1982) - Blood Brother s(1982) - Raiders (1982) - The Tycoon (1982) - The Winner Takes All (1982) - Dirty Trick (1982) - Who is the Killer (1982) - Rolls, Rolls, I Love You (1982) - Gang Master (1982) - Human Lanterns (1982) - Seven Knights (1982) - The Challenge of the Lady Ninja (1983) - A Life of Ninja (1983) - The Black Magic with Buddha (1983) - The Lost Generation (1983) - Little Dragon Maiden (1983) - Chak Sing (1984) - The Shanghia Thirteen (1984) - Long Road to Gallantry (1984) - Death Ring (1984) - The 3 Heros (1984) - Thunderclap (1984) - Butcher (1984) - Return of the Bastard Swordsman (1984) - Opium and the Kung-Fu Master (1984) - I Will, Finally Knock You Down, Dad! (1984) - The Dancing Warrior (1985) - How to Choose a Royal Bride (1985) - Fortune Hunters (1987) - Human Sentiment Law (1988) - Long Fa Tang (1988) - Just Heroes (1989) - Return to Action (1989) - The Sniping (1989) - Angel Mission (1989) 1990's - The Fortune Code (1990) - Sleazy Dizzy (1990) - Blood Stianed Tradewind (1990) - All Mighty Gambler (1991) - Try in Triad (1991) - The Tigers (1991) - Today's Hero (1991) - Gambling Soul (1992) - Heroin Tunnel (1992) - The Trouble Couple (1992) - Ghost Killer (1992) - The World of Desire (1992) - Shadow Cop (1993) - Angel of the Road (1993) - Bogus Cops (1993) - How to Meet the Lucky Stars (1996) - Rebillious Husband (1998) 2000 - 2009 - The Final Winner (2001) - The Era of Vampire (2002) - Power King (2002) - Hero Youngster (2004) - Fearful 24 Hours (2004) - Where Is Mama's Boy (2005) - My Wife Can Fight (2006) - Dragon Tiger Gate (2006) - The Valiant Ones New (2007) - Kung Fu Hip-Hop (2008) - Murderer (2009) 2010 - 2018 - 14 Blades (2010) - Fire of Conscience (2010) - Gallants (2010) - White Vengeance (2011) - No Retreat (2012) - The Man with the Iron Fists (2012) - Glory Days (2012) - Conspirator's (2013) - Game of Assassins (2013) - The Real Iron Monkey (2014) - Once Upon a Time in Shanghai (2014) - The Master (2015) - The Choice (2015) - Xin Gui Da Gui (2015) - Muay Thai-Girls (2016) - Cherry Returns (2016) - Dealer/Healer (2017) - Shed Skin Papa (2018) - Keyboard Warriors (2018) - Iceman: The Time Traveler (2018) Cut & Splice Movies Movies that used existing Chen Kuen-Tai footage, edited into a new production. - Mission Thunderbolt (1983) - Footage taken from Don't Love Any Stranger(1982) - Majestic Thunderbolt (1984) - Scenes taken from Red Rattlesnake(1981) T.V Credits- (Under Construction) - Fatherland ATV (1980) - Blowing in the wind ATV (1980) - Super Hero (1983) - Legendary siblings (Taiwan) (2002) - Who's the hero ATV (2010) - Yi Dai Xiao Xiong (1985) - The Duke of Mount Deer TVB (2000) - Demi Gods and Semi Devils : Six Meridian Divine Sword TVB (1982) - Bloodbath Island China (2013) Link's Chen Kuen-Tai HKMDB - http://hkmdb.com/db/people/view.mhtml?id=3847&display_set=eng Edited June 19, 2022 by DragonClaws 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DragonClaws Posted November 20, 2020 Member Share Posted November 20, 2020 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DragonClaws Posted December 6, 2020 Member Share Posted December 6, 2020 Added a basic biography to my first post, if there any mis-information?. Let me know and I'll make the correct changes/edit's. I don't have any information on his T.V work, if anyone could help me out with this?. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member ShawAngela Posted December 6, 2020 Member Share Posted December 6, 2020 He played at least in the ATV series Invincible Snowy Hair woman. Also in a series called Generation of dignity telling a similar story to Boxer From Shantung. In a series called Blowing in the wind ATV, and another one called The final verdict. There must be other ones that don't come to ly mind at this very moment. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DragonClaws Posted December 6, 2020 Member Share Posted December 6, 2020 8 hours ago, ShawAngela said: There must be other ones that don't come to ly mind at this very moment. Thanks @ShawAngela, do you have the year's for when those shows aired in Asia?. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member ShawAngela Posted December 6, 2020 Member Share Posted December 6, 2020 Answers tomorrow...or at least this week... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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