I LOVE SHAW BROTHERS MOVIES

Saturday, March 12, 2016

THE GOLDEN SWORD (1969)

THE GOLDEN SWORD (1969)

Our next movie in 1969 is also produced by Sir Run Run Shaw. Lo Wei directs and writes the script for the film adaptation of the I Kuang novel THE GOLDEN SWORD. This time Mr. Wei uses action directors Sammo Hung Kam-Bo and Simon Chui Yee-Ang. Let's get busy!

To director Lo Wei's left is BRUCE TONG YIM CHAAN in his first appearance!

The Chief of Golden Sword Lodge, Eight Arm Dragon Bai Chun-Tun voluntarily rides away from his fortress with two masked horsemen in the middle of the night and goes missing, leaving his man at arms, Uncle Pang at the doorway apparently wondering what is going on. Bai Chun-Tun is also the chief over 36 clans in an Jiang Hu association and it searches for him for seven years before electing a new chief to replace him.

However Bai Yu-Lung, the missing chief's son requests permission to look for his missing father for another three years because he has "a feeling" his father is still alive. His request is granted.

While out in the frontier looking for his father, Bai Yu-Lung meets Ngai Jin-Feng of the Beggar Clan. They form an instant liking of each other which becomes a bond. She becomes his companion as he searches for his father and after the three years are up they get married.

The next morning after their wedding a mysterious box is discovered among the wedding gifts that turns out to contain The Dragon Hall Golden Sword last seen with the missing chief ten years ago. Then, two masked riders that look similar to the two riders that rode off with the missing chief show up again and using kung fu far superior than everyone present take by force Bai Yu-Lung.

Suddenly, Uncle Pang tells everyone he knows what is going on and he directs them inside the fortress to explain to the existence of Dragon Hall Palace and the events of the past ten years. From here everything just gets, well, weird...

CAST REPORT

THE GOLDEN SWORD (1969) does not break down in the typical good guy bad guy manner. The only logical way to classify the cast without spoiling it for those whom have yet to see it is to divide the cast into the "first half" of the movie and the "second half" of the movie.

So, in the first half, we have Lo Wei as Eight Arm Dragon Bai Chun-Tun but he spends the first half of the movie missing. Next we have Kao Yuen as Bai Yu-Lung who spends the first half of the movie looking for his father. Cheng Pei-Pei is Ngai Jin-Feng, Yu-Lung's better half and the movie's "red herring". Yeung Chi-Hing as Golden Dragon Hall's keeper Uncle Pang.

HONORABLE MENTION FIRST HALF:

In the first half of the movie we meet The Beggar Clan that raised Jin-Feng and The Three Cripples, of which two are Ku Feng and James Tien. Also Sammo Hung Kam-Bo does a cameo as well as Chin Yuet Sang's cameo as a martial elder that an interesting run after a horse.

Next, in the second half, we have Wang Lai as Lung Xing Zi, Kao Pao-Shu as Seventh Lady, Huang Chung-Hsin as Saintly Swordsman and Alice Au Yin-Ching as Chen Yu-Lan.

HONORABLE MENTION SECOND HALF: a great, big, huge, stone tablet.

SAMMO HUNG far right cameo / stunt fighter

FIGHT TIME: THE GOLDEN SWORD (1969) had two action directors, namely Simon Chui Yee-Ang and Sammo Hung Kam-Bo. I counted eight (8) fight scenes in the entire movie and while some of them were quite short they were all quite good, especially the unarmed combat. These unarmed fights were above anything I have seen in all of the movies I have reviewed in the 1960's so far. I was very impressed!

HONORABLE MENTION: The unarmed fights in the second half of the movie far outshone the armed fights of the first half.

As stated when we started the review, THE GOLDEN SWORD (1969) is an adaptation of a novel written by Ni Kuang (I Kuang's pen name) and as such inherits the difficulty of such adaptations. That said, this is hardly a straight forward tale and not being familiar with the original work has us at a disadvantage. The easy part is recommending this as a collectible work, unquestionably one should have this movie as part of any early Shaw Brothers collection. On the other hand I am compelled to recommend this movie for viewers because it is not a bad movie in and of itself but rather, I dare say, perhaps it is just told poorly under all of the above named circumstances. See you next time!

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NEXT UP: HAVE SWORD WILL TRAVEL (1969)

Saturday, March 5, 2016

THE SWORDMATES (1969)

THE SWORDMATES (1969)

THE SWORDMATES (1969) is a short uncomplicated film that was probably intended as the second film of a double feature. Runme Shaw produced this movie that has two directors (Cheung Ying and Poon Fan) and two Script writers (Poon Fan and Chin Ko) but no action directors. Let's get busy.

There's not much work for me here as the producers have provided a plot summary for the audience on screen but, for the sake of convenience, I will reproduce it here.

"In the dawn of the 15th century during the reign of the Ming Emperor Zheng De, the ambitious King An Hua of Ning Xia province conspired with the neighboring Ai Xin Jue Luo Tribe to overthrow the reign of the Ming. The details of their scheme were hidden in a jade statue of the goddess of mercy: Guan Yin for information transmission.

Governor Lin intercepted the statue en route and commissioned a dexterous swordmate named Yan-Niang to deliver it to the capitol. Panic stricken, the plotters use all their resources in a desperate attempt to recover the statue. It is against this background that our story is set. "

CAST REPORT:

The good : Chin Ping as Li Yan-Niang, for sure, the star of the show, with only one other cast member seeming to be having as much fun as she was. Chung Wah as Chao Ying-Chieh, Huang Chung-Hsin as Li Fei-Lung,

The bad : Wang Hsieh as Wang Tian-Piao, Yeung Chi-Hing as Iron Claws Wang Ying, eating up the screen, having a lot of fun this time around as, once again, the great big bad guy! Chiu Hung as Second Brother, Wang Kuang-Yu as Third Brother, Law Hon as Fat Jin-Gang

HONORABLE MENTION: James Tien Chuen and Sammo Hung Kam-Bo as stuntmen / extras

FIGHT TIME: THE SWORDMATES (1969) has no action director credited but is action-packed with eight (8) fight scenes by my count. The fights are surprisingly smooth and easy to follow so one of the directors may have martial arts experience. The quality of the fights are state of the art for 1969 which leaves no reason for them to not be enjoyed.

HONORABLE MENTION: Both Chin Ping and Yeung Chi-Hing performed their techniques with the appropriate enthusiasm for maximum enjoyment. Yeah.

For what it is, THE SWORDMATES (1969) is fine entertainment for casual viewers of Shaw Brothers and wuxia movies and may be of interest for people collecting the complete works of Sammo Hung Kam-Bo as he is used at least two different times as two different extras in this film. See you next time!

NEXT UP: THE GOLDEN SWORD (1969)

Saturday, February 27, 2016

RAW COURAGE (1969)

RAW COURAGE (1969)

Sir Run Run Shaw produces another pursuit / wuxia film from the fertile mind of Director / Scripter extradinaire Lo Wei this time taking place during the Ming Dynasty. The action directors are Bruce Lee's childhood friend Little Unicorn (credited as Hsiao Chi Lin) and Simon Chui Yee-Ang (credited as Hsu Erh Niu). Let's get busy!

During the Ming Dynasty [1368 - 1644 (276 years)] it was very common for Han crown princes and eunuchs to fight among themselves for power after the collapse of the Mongolian rule. Good guys, bad guys? It was all relative based on who you believed was the rightful heir to the throne. Our next story is steeped in this historical fact.

Emperor Jianwen's palace is set upon by forces loyal to Emperor Yongle. With defeat eminent Emperor Jianwen trusts his infant son to the Chief of the Black Eagle Society, Shangguan Hou asking him to unite with the righteous heroes of the Jiang Hu to restore his (Emperor Jianwen) reign with the infant crown prince.

A short time later, The Black Eagle Society is paid a visit by swordsmen of the Jiang Hu loyal to Emperor Yongle including the godson of Eunuch Qiren: Yen Tsang, Chief of the East Sea Clan and Yu Hua Chiao of the "Scarf" Clan asking for the Black Eagle Society to switch loyalties to Emperor Yongle and to turn over the infant crown prince to them. In the violence that subsequently ensues, Chief Shangguan is mortally wounded. Chief Shangguan, his daughter Hsiu Yi, and his top disciple Chin Chen Hsiung retreat to his fortress's inner sanctum and he gives his daughter the infant crown prince and a mission to rendezvous with his brother the Chief of the White Dragon Society on February 15th in his place to fulfill the wish of the dead Emperor Jianwen.

Hsiu Yi and Chen Hsiung leave the fortress but are discovered by a few patrolling soldiers. They are helped by a elder calling himself "Old Beggar" and he assists them in going on the run from Yen Tsang and his men while journeying to rendezvous with the White Eagle Society. "Old Beggar" tasks his student Chou Fei Yun with helping them pass the many military check points all the while staying out of the grasp of Yen Tsang. Will they reach their destination in time?

CAST REPORT

The "good": Liu Kei as Emperor Jianwen, Lo Wei as Black Eagle Society Chief Shangguan Hou, Cheng Pei Pei (looking very young) as Shangguan Hsiu Yi, daughter of Black Eagle Society Chief, Wu Fung as the disciple of Black Eagle Society Chief, Yeung Chi-Hing as Mo Wen Tien aka "Old Beggar", Yueh Hua as Chou Fei Yun, "Old Beggar's disciple

The "bad": Tien Feng as East Sea Clan Chief Yen Tsang, Poon Oi-Lin as Yu Hua Chiao of the "Scarf" Clan, Lee Sau-Kei as Old Monster

HONORABLE MENTION: Lee Kwan as Little Beggar, James Tien as a border guard and Someno Yukio as one of the East Sea Clan swordsmen

FIGHT TIME: RAW COURAGE (1969) has two action choreographers: Hsiao Chi Lin aka Little Unicorn (childhood friend of Bruce Lee) and Simon Chui Yee-Ang. This is very much their early work so their is no need to judge it too harshly especially considering it is state of the art for 1969. The fight scenes are clear and with an exception or two easy to follow and makes use of under-cranking which is not over-done. There is plenty of shouting to emphasize effort in technique and I was pleased by that as well. If there was a fault it was with the sheer number of opponents faced by the heroes which got a little hard not to smile about. I counted eight (8) fight scenes which over one hour and forty-eight minutes is still plenty. Nice job.

HONORABLE MENTION: Cheng Pei Pei does an earnest job fighting here like it was for real and so while I have never seen her look so young before I have never seen her fight harder. Fantastic!

RAW COURAGE (1969) is one of the early Shaw Brothers movies that deserve a look-see just to get a taste of what the sixties were like for the wuxia genre. A historical look a the great Cheng Pei Pei is also another reason to seek out this movie that I am certainly going to recommend but for people with a taste for the nostalgia and collectors only. See you next time!

NEXT UP: THE SWORDMATES (1969)

Saturday, February 20, 2016

VENGEANCE IS A GOLDEN BLADE (1969)

VENGEANCE IS A GOLDEN BLADE (1969)

VENGEANCE IS A GOLDEN BLADE (1969) is a movie totally worthy of a remake with the only improvement necessary being the martial arts choreography. The original production was done by Sir Run Run Shaw, himself. The Maury Povich / Jerry Springer type story was written by Tu Yun-Chih and Ho Meng-Hua and is directed by Ho Meng-Hua. Let's get busy.

Li Zhishan returns home to an ambush by a rival security escort service. Long Zhentian and his brothers robbed their own charge and were discovered and thereby went out of business. They blame Li Zhishan and his Golden Dragon Blade escort service and go after him for "revenge". With Li Zhishan wife's, Yuexiang help (yes, you read that correctly) they succeed in stealing the Golden Dragon Blade, wounding him seriously enough to ruin his kung fu and they run him out of his own home. It is only with the help of his faithful servant Li Sheng that he and his toddler daughter, Li Xiaoyan escape and go on the run. But Long Zhentian and his brothers are not satisfied. They want Li Zhishan killed dead and will not rest until it is so.

VENGEANCE IS A GOLDEN BLADE (1969) is brilliantly casted with Li Zhishan embodied by the sorrowful Tang Ching. Long Zhentian is played by the questionable Lee Pang-Fei. Mrs. Li Yuexiang is played with the proper sense of entitlement by veteran actress / director / producer Kao Pao-Shu. Li Sheng the faithful servant is fittingly played by Pang Pang and Li Xiaoyan is the all grown up fiercely loyal daughter by Chin Ping.

HONORABLE MENTION: Yueh Hua and Ku Wen-Chung play a pair that is a grandson and grandfather and Sammo Hung Kam-Bo is an extra in two different scenes as two different people.

FIGHT TIME: VENGEANCE IS A GOLDEN BLADE (1969) is directed by Ho Meng-Hua the veteran director who, this time out, did not use a action choreographer and unfortunately it shows in some of the action. Nevertheless the action is only a bit flawed and is totally acceptable for the time period. I counted nine (9) fight scenes in this action-packed movie but you watch this one for the story.

HONORABLE MENTION: none

One of the most difficult reviews to write is one where the story is jaw-dropping at some point and you are dying to discuss it with someone but you have to write the review assuming your audience has not seen the movie and you certainly do not want to spoil it for them. VENGEANCE IS A GOLDEN BLADE (1969) is one such movie. The wife says something at the beginning of the movie and you immediately thing of her in one way. After you have watched the movie, having thought no more about the statement she made, you go "oooohh, that what she meant" and suddenly she becomes a very different and perhaps a little more interesting character if not more sympathetic. I absolutely recommend VENGEANCE IS A GOLDEN BLADE (1969) for all audiences and collectors, see you next time!

NEXT UP: THE SWORDMATES (1969)

Saturday, February 13, 2016

THE INVINCIBLE FIST (1969)

THE INVINCIBLE FIST (1969)

Our next movie in 1969 is once again a Sir Run Run Shaw produced, Chang Cheh directed pursuit film but this time the script is by popular wuxia novelist I Kuang and the criminals are the ones on the run. THE INVINCIBLE FIST (1969) is once again action directed by the team of Tang Chia and Liu Chia-Liang. In spite of the similarities on paper these two movies clearly show how much more skilled all of the people involved making these movies became by comparing, the also released in 1969, THE FLYING DAGGER to it. Although they were both released in 1969, THE FLYING DAGGER is clearly the older work and THE INVINCIBLE FIST is clearly the superior product (in my opinion). Let's get busy!

There is a robbery and slaughter at the Gung Bai Wan Residence. Thousands in gold taels are stolen and every single member of the residence, including the servants are murdered. The only clue is a horse drawn cart with several masked men on it, seen leaving the general area. The provincial bounty hunter, Master Tien Wu Ching of Tsang Chou also known as The Invincible Fist is in pursuit of the unknown number of villains. With him is his little brother Tieh Er Long, his four assistants known as The Four Little Iron Men and a small squad of deputies. THE INVINCIBLE FIST (1969) is the action-packed telling of a group of heroes determined to capture an equally determined group of villains that will not only resist capture but also identification!

THE INVINCIBLE FIST (1969) has a fantastic cast of skilled actors that do a great job of story telling. Li Ching is Kuei Ku and she captures the essences of being lonely that is only magnified by the handicap of blindness. Fang Mian is Ma Wai-Jia filled with the good intentions of a loving father whose daughter's blindness must make him a very desperate man who must face everyday the one thing he cannot give to his only child. Lo Lieh is Tien Wu-Ching, the Invincible Fist, master bounty hunter who can never show compassion to the killers he must hunt down and very often kill for the sake of the common people that count on him for their safety. David Chiang (in his first co-starring role) is Tieh Er-Long, the dutiful younger brother devoted to his older brother even to the extent of his own life.

HONORABLE MENTION: Chen Sing, Ku Feng and Chang Pei-Shan play their parts equally well in I Kuang's fabulously crafted story of criminals on the run.

FIGHT TIME: The action direction team of Tang Chia and Liu Chia-Liang are back for THE INVINCIBLE FIST (1969) and right of the bat I noticed two things: number one, neither one of the directors is in front of the camera for their usual cameo on this project as they usually are but that is fine, it does not effect the movie at all. Number two, there are nearly twice as many action scenes as there have been in past movies. I counted nine (9) fight scenes that makes this an unquestionably action packed movie (for people that like that sort of thing). I got the impression that Chang Cheh and his crew were trying to make a statement about the direction they want to take this relatively new genre of wuxia. The action is very clean and easy to follow, there is some camera movement but it is NOT the dreaded "shaky-cam" that I hate so much. Give me more movies like this, please!

HONORABLE MENTION: The casting of this movie really helps sell the story and the fighting styles of the individuals. Excellent selection of actors.

THE INVINCIBLE FIST (1969) starts off fast and the action keeps coming but there is no shortage of story in this movie. It is certainly the type of movie that could form film study courses in college about the techniques of the masters (Chang Cheh, I Kuang, Tang Chia and Liu Chia-Liang) and can still go head to head with any popcorn / guilty pleasure flick of its day. So certainly it is getting a very enthusiastic "don't miss" for all movie goers and collectors alike from yours truly. See you next time!

NEXT UP: VENGEANCE IS A GOLDEN BLADE (1969)

Saturday, February 6, 2016

THE FLYING DAGGER (1969)

THE FLYING DAGGER (1969)

Ladies and gentlemen, the man himself is back, the great Sir Run Run Shaw produces from the "throw back" vault (hence the black and white opening) his trusted director Chang Cheh who writes the script with pal Lee Chi-Sin as they all watch action director team Tang Chia and Liu Chia-Liang slash together the classic film THE FLYING DAGGER (1969). And if you had as much fun reading the preceding bit as I had writing it we might be blood related, let's get busy!

Did you ever have a thought to do something that, while you were thinking it, seemed like a great idea at the time. So you did it. And then, all of this crap comes down after it and you realize you really didn't think it through? You too, huh? Cool, so Yu Ying of the Qiankun Sword Clan (who just happens to be the daughter of the clan's chief) decides to kill the son of the Green Dragon Clan's Chief who just happens to be Jiao Lei the Flying Dagger...oops! Never mind that his son was a killing, raping and then killing again type of a son-of-a-gun. Parents just don't see their children in that kind of light.

Chief of the Green Dragon Clan, Jiao Lei the Flying Dagger gets all mad and revengey and starts killing everybody just to get to Yu Ying and for good measure clearly intends to kill her father, Yu Yuan, Chief of the Qiankun Sword Clan as well. So, after killing the legendary Luo Tong and Song Jingang and his four sons, while killing the Song's servants and children a real badass guy shows up with a similar skill set as The Flying Dagger. His name? Yang Qing, badass, mystery man extraodinaire. Ready, set --begin story!

THE FLYING DAGGER (1969) stars Cheng Pei Pei as Yu Ying the well intentioned pursued damsel of our story. Yeung Chi-Hing is the revengey pursuer and father Jiao Lei the Flying Dagger, the mad cap murderer. Lo Lieh is Mr. Badass extraordinaire man of mystery who sometimes seems to help and other times not so much.

HONORABLE MENTION: There are a lot of recognizable faces here: Cheng Miu as Yu Yuan the father of the pursued, Ku Feng as Song Jingang, and even Liu Chia-Liang, Cliff Lok, David Chiang Dai-Wei and Liu Chia-Yung have small cameos.

FIGHT TIME: The incredible action direction team of Tang Chia and Liu Chia-Liang are responsible for what action we see here as I counted six (6) fight scenes including the rather tame finale. Everybody's fight scenes are well done but I would have liked a bit more in the way of technique in the scenes. However, I found in my research that THE FLYING DAGGER (1969) was actually filmed years earlier and its released delayed but no reason for the delay was given. This helps me to be a bit more forgiving of the relatively sedate nature of the fights as the truth of the matter is we could always use "more".

HONORABLE MENTION: none

THE FLYING DAGGER (1969) at its core is a straight forward pursuit film. It is due to the talents of its co-writers Chang Cheh and Lee Chi-Sin through characterization that we hold our interest throughout the film. In addition, if the film had been released years earlier then I certainly would be making a bigger deal of the use of the Jiang Hu Chivalry and male dominate subplot which at this point (1969) we have already seen at least a couple of times already. That said, I certainly enjoyed THE FLYING DAGGER (1969) and wholly recommend it to viewers and complete collectors alike. See you next time!

NEXT UP: THE INVINCIBLE FIST (1969)