In 1925, three Shaw brothers named Runje, Runme, and Runde founded the Tianyi Film Company in Shanghai with a fortune the family had made in a textile factory, and in 1957, Runme and the youngest Shaw brother (Run Run Shaw) shifted focus to their sister studio in Hong Kong, establishing the “Shaw Brothers” company. With a 49-acre film studio named MovieTown which opened in 1960, they treated the studio like the textile factory, demanding much from performers who lived on the studio lot under constant supervision.
They made over 1,000 films until the studio suspended productions in 1987 and were best known for popularizing the martial arts film. This spectacular limited edition box set from Arrow Video includes twelve films released by the studio. Some of the films in this collection are kung fu masterpieces, while others are shoddy exploitation rip-offs of better movies, but collectively they represent the broad genre appeal of Shaw Brothers during this period.
Along with a stylish limited edition box set and extras for each film on the individual discs, the special features in the collection include the following:
- High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentations of King Boxer, The Boxer from Shantung, Five Shaolin Masters, Shaolin Temple, Mighty Peking Man, Challenge of the Masters, Executioners from Shaolin, Chinatown Kid, The Five Venoms, Crippled Avengers, Heroes of the East and Dirty Ho
- Brand new 2K restorations by Arrow Films from the original camera negatives of King Boxer, The Boxer from Shantung, Challenge of the Masters, The Five Venoms, Crippled Avengers and Dirty Ho
- Brand new 2K master of the longer international cut of Chinatown Kid from original film elements
- Original lossless mono Mandarin, Cantonese (where applicable) and English audio
- Newly translated English subtitles for each film
- 60-page book featuring new writing by David Desser, Simon Abrams and Terrence J. Brady, with cast and crew info for each film plus trivia and soundtrack info
- New artwork for each film by artists including Matthew Griffin, Chris Malbon, Jacob Phillips, Ilan Sheady, Tony Stella, Darren Wheeling and Jolyon Yates
- Two bonus CD discs containing music from Shaolin Temple, Mighty Peking Man, Chinatown Kid, The Five Venoms, Crippled Avengers, and Dirty Ho.
King Boxer
Also known as The Five Fingers of Death in the United States, King Boxer stars Indonesian-born actor Lo Lieh as young martial arts student Chi-Hao, who is sent to study under master Shen Chin-Pei (Fang Mian) in order to defeat local martial arts tyrant Ming Dung-Shun (Tien Feng) in tournament battle. Released by Warner Bros. in America, Five Fingers of Death was the second-highest grossing kung-fu film of 1973 behind Bruce Lee’s Enter the Dragon. Quentin Tarantino lists this film as one of his top ten favorites of all time.
Special Features:
- New commentary track by David Desser, critic and co-editor of The Journal of Japanese and Korean Cinema and The Cinema of Hong Kong
- New appreciation video by critic and historian Tony Rayns
- Interview with director Chung Chang-wha from 2003 and 2004
- 2007 interview with star Wang Ping
- 2007 interview with Korean cinema expert Cho Young-jung, author of Chung Chang-wha: Man of Action
- The first part of a three-part documentary, Cinema Hong Kong: Kung Fu
- Alternate opening credits
- Hong Kong, US, and German theatrical trailers, and TV spots
- Image gallery
The Boxer from Shantung
This 1972 kung fu film directed by Chang Cheh and Pao Hsueh-li stars Chen Kuan-tai as a boxer who leaves a life of poverty in Shantung to become a fighter in Shanghai. Dealing with corruption in the fighting world of the big city, the boxer must develop his skills in order to survive. The film was remade in 1997 with the title Hero.
Special Features:
- 2007 interview with star Chen Kuan-tai
- 2004 interview with assistant director John Woo
- 2003 interview with star David Chiang
- Conversation between stars Chen Kuan-tai and Ku Feng from 2007 Shaw Brothers reunion
- Hong Kong and German theatrical trailers
- US TV spot
- Image gallery
Five Shaolin Masters
Also known as 5 Masters Of Death, Five Shaolin Masters is a film by Chang Cheh centered on the historical conflict between the Shaolin monks and the Qing Dynasty. When five students escape the destruction of the Shaolin temple (continuing the plot from Shaolin Temple, included on the same disc as this film), they rejoin forces to get revenge on the traitor who sold them out.
Special Features:
- New film appreciation of Chang Cheh by film critic Tony Rayns
- 2003 interview with star Kong Do
- Elegant Trails: David Chiang, featurette on the actor from 2003
- Elegant Trails: Ti Lung, featurette on the actor from 2003
- Alternate opening credits
- US and German trailers
- Image gallery
Shaolin Temple
Directed by Chang Cheh, Shaolin Temple is centered on the beginning of the conflict between the Shaolin monks and the Qing Dynasty. It serves as a loose prequel to Five Shaolin Masters. One of the monks is secretly working for the enemy and opposes the efforts to fight back against the oppression. The ensemble film was cast with several generations of successful martial arts stars, and has some impressively elaborate fight sequences.
Special Features:
- Alternate standard definition version
- Alternate opening credit sequence
- Hong Kong and Germann trailers
- Image gallery
Mighty Peking Man
Mighty Peking Man is essentially a campy Hong Kong King Kong rip-off, released following the Hollywood remake of the classic. Most notable for continuity errors and obvious wardrobe malfunctions (that one nipple just doesn't stand a chance against the exploitative work done by costume designer). The film’s dubbing also makes for extra unintentional humor, which is actually something of a selling point with an exploitation classic such as this.
Special Features:
- New commentary by Travis Crawford
- New interview with suit designer Keizo Murase
- 2003 interview with director Ho Meng-hua
- 2004 interview with star Ku Feng
- Behind the scenes Super 8 footage from the archives of Keizo Murase
- Unrestored standard definition version
- Alternate opening credits
- Hong Kong, US, German, and Dutch theatrical trailers
- US TV spot
- Image gallery
Challenge of the Masters
Directed by Lau Kar Leung, Challenge of the Masters stars Gordon Liu as Wong Fei Hung, a young martial arts student who is forced to learn how to fight in order to combat bullying at school. Although his father is a kung fu master, Wong must enlist the help of a rival teacher when he refuses to teach self-defense skills to his son.
Special Features:
- New film appreciation from critic Tony Rayns
- 2002 interview with star Gordon Liu
- 2007 interview with star Chen Kuan-tai
- Textless opening credits
- Hong Kong theatrical trailers
- Image gallery
Executioners from Shaolin
Based on the life of Hung hsi Kuan, Executioners from Shaolin is a 1977 kung fu biopic directed by Lau Kar-leung. It is a classic revenge narrative, once again beginning with a raid on the Shaolin Temple. A young boy is trained to enact vengeance on those responsible for the death of his father. The Wu Tang Clan famously sampled this film for one of their songs, as avid fans of kung fu and the Shaw Brothers.
Special Features:
- Alternate English credit sequence
- Hong Kong and US theatrical trailers
- Image gallery
Chinatown Kid
With a plot involving a young man (Alexander Fu Sheng) who flees to San Francisco to escape gangs, only to discover trouble there also, Chinatown Kid feels like it could be inspired by Bruce Lee’s life, to some degree. It is also a more modern kung fu film in the collection from the Shaw Brothers. When the young man plays the gangs against each other, it also begins to resemble Yojimbo, and the many other adaptations of the iconic narrative.
Special Features:
- 90 alternate version of the film
- New commentary on the international cut by Terrence J. Brady, author of Alexander Fu Sheng: Biography of the Chinatown Kid
- Select scene video commentary by co-star Susan Shaw
- Elegant Trails: Fu Sheng, featurette on the actor from 2005
- Hong Kong, US, and German theatrical trailers
- Image gallery
The Five Venoms
Easily one of the more popular titles in the collection, The Five Venoms (or Five Deadly Venoms) is a 1978 kung fu film directed by Chang Cheh about the Venom Mob. Each of the five members have distinct fighting styles adopted from animal styles. Each of the animals influencing these fighting styles are taken from the Five Poisonous Creatures of Chinese folklore, the Centipede, the Snake, the Scorpion, the Lizard, and the Toad. This may be one of the most referenced kung fu films made by the Shaw Brothers.
Special Features:
- New commentary track by critic Simon Abrams
- 2003 interview with star Lo Meng
- Chang Cheh: The Master, a featurette about the director from 2003
- Hong Kong and US trailers
- Image gallery
Crippled Avengers
Also directed by Chang Cheh, Crippled Avengers follows a group of men who are seeking revenge against martial arts master Chu Twin (Chen Kuan Tai), who crippled each of them. Oddly enough the evil kung fu master is violently lashing out after his own son is crippled in an attack. The victims must band together, so that they are no longer handicapped in their efforts for justice.
Special Features:
- Hong Kong theatrical trailer
- Image gallery
Heroes of the East
Also known as Challenge of the Ninja, Shaolin vs. Ninja and Shaolin Challenges Ninja, Heroes of the East is a 1978 martial arts film directed by Lau Kar-Leung and starring Gordon Liu. When Ho Tao (Liu) marries a Japanese woman, he unintentionally insults the family and must prove the value of Chinese kung fu against the martial arts of seven Japanese fighters.
Special Features:
- New commentary track by Jonathan Clements, author of A Brief History of the Martial Arts
- New appreciation video from critic Tony Rayns
- 2003 interview with star Yasuaki Kurata
- Alternate opening credits
- Hong Kong theatrical trailer
- US TV spot
- Image gallery
Dirty Ho
In this unique blend of comedy and martial arts, Gordon Liu stars as a prince who enlists a jewel thief (Wong Yue) to serve as his bodyguard when assassins are dispatched to dethrone him. Directed by Lau Kar-leung, Dirty Ho took a unique approach to the popular revenge narrative popularized by many Shaw Brothers kung fu films of the time.
Special Features:
- New appreciation video from critic Tony Rayns
- Alternate English opening credits
- Hong Kong theatrical trailer
- Image gallery
Entertainment Value: 9/10
Quality of Filmmaking: 7/10
Historical Significance: 8/10
Special Features: 9.5/10
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